“Westworld”
Synopsis: Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, explore a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.
What You Need To Know: It feels like it’s been ages since the season one finale of HBO’s “Westworld” and, to a degree, it has been. This is especially true with how self-contained all of the first season was but now, we’re returning to the cruel and manipulative world but with a new location, a different Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and a Maeve (Thandie Newton) who just might have free will. Having been left on a cliffhanger, the return of the series will hopefully answer questions that were left open-ended but with the Samurai World to explore first as their new locale, we’ll have to wait and see what aspect of the series they dive into first to explore – the characters or the world they’ve built or, better yet, both.
Release Date: April 22nd
“Genius”
Synopsis: An examination of the mercurial life and career of 20th-century Spanish painter Pablo Picasso from youth to maturity.
What You Need To Know: Due to real life events, the public and television fans’ tolerance for problematic, genius men has reached its limits, but it is to National Geographic’s credit that they do not sugarcoat the lives and personalities of their subjects. In the second season of the American anthology period drama, developed by Noah Pink and Kenneth Biller, Antonio Banderas (“Desperado,” “The Mask of Zorro”) plays Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, whose life is chronicled from his youth to his artistic success to his entangled relationships with his mistresses (Clemence Poesy, Poppy Delevigne), friends (Robert Sheehan, Aisling Franciosi) and opponents (Sebastian Roche). And so the great debate of how society condones the sacrifice of basic human decency at the altar of genius continues…
Release Date: April 24th
“The Handmaid’s Tale 2×1 & 2×2”
Synopsis: Offred reckons with the consequences of a dangerous decision while haunted by memories from her past and the violent beginnings of Gilead.
What You Need To Know: The timing of season one of The Handmaid’s Tale felt unusually uncanny as the women in their red robes and turned down heads became an image of uprising and protest. Season two too will be debuting at a moment of fraught tension as the #metoo movement continues to announce their voices, meaning that beyond its quality, “The Handmaid’s Tale” will be judged on how it compliments or interferes with movement. Luckily, the show has never shied away from it’s raging undertones and the quality has always been nothing but superb with a stellar leading performance from Elisabeth Moss in a role she might’ve been born to play with Offred.
Release Date: April 25