10 TV Shows to Watch in April; ‘Mare Of Easttown,’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale & More

There’s a greater variety of shows in April than there’s been in recent months. The biggest titles will be adaptations such as “Shadow + Bone” and the much anticipated fourth season of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” but in between, there are quirky comedies that will be worth seeking out. While there’s a couple of series premiering on Freeform this month, the streaming services are still outpouring the most content, with some of the most notable upcoming shows debuting on HBO Max. As it was with film, it’s a bizarre month in terms of the type of shows released from high concept fantasy to small, personal family comedies and even the return of Jamie Foxx to the world of sitcoms. There’s no big talk of the week show, as is the case with something like “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” but there are plenty of great shows that are worth keeping up with while waiting for whatever big conversation starter show comes out next. 

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“Made for Love”
What You Need To Know: HBO Max embarks on its latest series, a dark comedy series about the trappings of love and divorce but with a techy twist.  The series follows a thirty-something woman, Hazel Green, who’s just broken free of a 10-year long suffocating marriage to Byron Gogol, a controlling tech billionaire.  Green finally escapes Gogol’s clutches, only to discover that her beloved husband implanted a monitoring device in her brain that allows him to track, watch, and know her “emotional data” as she tries to regain her independence. Starring Cristin Milioti (“Black Mirror,” “Modern Love”) as Hazel Green, alongside her psycho ex-husband Byron Gogol, played by Billy Magnussen (appearing in the upcoming films “The Many Saints of Newark” and James Bond film “No Time To Die”) and beloved comedian Ray Romano appears in the series as Green’s aging father, Herbert.  We all know breaking up is the worst, but this takes things to a whole new level.  As they say, breaking up is hard to do – especially when you cannot seem to get your ex-husband out of your head.
Release Date: The mother of all breakups begins on HBO Max on April 1. – Martine Olivier

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“Everything is Gonna Be Okay”
What You Need to Know: An under the radar gem if there ever was one, the Josh Thomas helmed series “Everything Is Gonna Be Okay…” is a feel-good comedy about a young man – played by Thomas – who has to step in to be the legal guardians of his half-sisters after their father passes away. As was the case with Thomas’s previous series, “Please Like Me,” here he tackles navigating autism, grief, sexuality, and family ties with refreshing wit and a sense of realism that keeps the “feel good” moments from ever feeling cheap. His co-stars Kayla Cromer and Maeve Press as his younger sister are terrific finds and delivers the series’s heart. Season two sets itself right after the events of season one and right as the stay-at-home order was put in place due to the pandemic. It will also see the addition of the always great Maria Bamford and Richard Kind to the cast. It doesn’t have the flashiest cast, and the premise is relatively low-key, but still, if you haven’t already, it’s worth the binge to get caught up to season two. 
Release Date: Season two premieres April 8 on Freeform. – Ally Johnson

“Them”
What You Need To Know:  The latest from screenwriter Lena Waithe is the next big horror anthology series coming to streaming giant Amazon Prime.  Executive produced by Waithe alongside series writer Little Marvin the limited series, per the synopsis, explores suburban terror in America in the 1950s.  The inaugural season centers around a black family that moves into a predominantly white neighborhood in Los Angeles during a period historically known as “The Great Migration.” Soon after their move, malevolent forces descend on the family, threatening to destroy their very lives.  Cast members include Deborah Ayorinde (of Season 3 of “True Detective” and the 2017 comedy “Girls Trip”), Ashley Thomas (“24: Legacy”), Ryan Kwanten (probably best known from his role in HBO series “True Blood”), Alison Pill (from Adam McKay film “Vice,” and Hulu series “Devs”), and Anika Noni Rose (“Little Fires Everywhere”).  Waithe has evolved into one of the most captivating creative voices in recent memory, with her versatile projects ranging from feature film “Queen and Slim” to popular Netflix series “Dear White People.”  There is little doubt that her first foray into horror and suspense will be an immersive, compelling, and thought-provoking experience with such a stellar track record.
Release Date: Premieres on Amazon Prime on April 9. – MO.

“Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!”
What You Need to Know: Real-life father and daughter duo Jamie Foxx and Corrinne Foxx executive produce “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” which is inspired by their own relationship. Jamie Foxx stars in the series as well, with Kyla-Drew playing his daughter. Foxx’s Brian Dixon is a bachelor and cosmetic brand owner who has just become a full-time dad to his teenage daughter, Sasha and is worried about being able to relate and form a strong relationship with her. The show is created by Bentley Kyle Evans, who worked with Foxx on his sitcom “The Jamie Foxx Show” that aired in the late ’90s. For people who are most familiar with Foxx through his bigger budget films these days, the new Netflix series will be a nice reminder of his sitcom days, be it on his self-titled show or “In Living Color.” 
Release Date: Season one premieres on Netflix on April 14. – AJ

“Mare Of Easttown”
What You Need To Know: If HBO‘s “Mare Of Easttown” screams Prestige TV series, you’re not wrong. The limited series comes from creator and writer Brad Ingelsby, the writers of “Out of the Furnace” (2013) and “The Way Back” (2020), with all seven episodes directed By Craig Zobel, known for HBO’s “The Leftovers” and “Z for Zachariah,” “The Hunt.” The series stars Kate Winslet — in her second HBO prestige series, following Todd Haynes‘ “Mildred Pierce” — as a troubled detective in smalltown Pennsylvania. As her depressing life continues to crumble around her, a local missing girl continues to haunt her police department’s reputation, a new murder, of another young girl, forces her to take stock of her life and career. “Mare Of Easttown” is about the dark side of a close community and an authentic examination of how family and past tragedies can define our present. Jean Smart, Julianne Nicholson, Evan Peters, Angourie Rice, Guy Pearce, Cailee Spaeny, and many more co-star and this should be one of the biggest shows of the Spring.
Release Date: April 18 on HBO.

“Cruel Summer”
What You Need To Know:  Produced by “7th Heaven” alum Jennifer Biel, “Cruel Summer” is an interesting teen-centric Freeform thriller set in the 1990s.  Per the series synopsis, Kate, a beautiful and popular teen, is abducted in a small Texas town. Simultaneously, Jeanette, a seemingly unrelated girl, goes from being a relative unknown to the most popular girl in town to the most despised person in America.  The mysterious series revolves around Kate’s disappearance and what connection, if any, Jeanette might have.  Even though signs might point to one person’s guilt, are things really what they seem?  As the series evolves, the shifting points of view reflect how quickly things can balloon and subsequently fall apart.  The cast includes relative newcomers Olivia Holt as Kate, with Chiara Aurelia as Jeanette with additional cast members including Michael Landes, Froy Gutierrez, Harley Quinn Smith, Allius Barnes, Blake Lee, and Brooklyn Sudano.  Unlike ordinary teen dramas, mysteries abound in this Texas town, so tune in to discover the truth of what happened to Kate.
Release Date: The truth comes out on April 20 on Freeform. – MO

“Rutherford Falls”
What You Need to Know: The latest from creator Michael Shur whose work includes “Parks and Recreation,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and “The Good Place,” “Rutherford Falls” already will have eyes on it due to the fanbases the other three series have amassed over time.  Starring Ed Helms, the series follows two lifelong friends who find themselves at a crossroads when their small town gets an unexpected wake-up call. The series centers on the relationship between members of a fictional Native American reservation and a neighboring small town in upstate New York. It will be interesting to see if Helms is as warmly accepted in the featured role as Amy Poehler and Andy Samberg in their respective series. The show also stars Jana Schmieding, Michael Greyeyes and Dustin Milligan. 
Release Date: Season one premieres on Peacock on April 22. – AJ

“Shadow And Bone”
What You Need To Know:  The show is based on the best-selling fantasy books known as the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.  The first being “Shadow and Bone,” followed by the “Six of Crows” series published in 2012. Produced for Netflix by 21 Laps Entertainment, who also developed Netflix’s supernatural hit “Stranger Things,” Jessie Mei Li plays Alina Starkov who is an orphan mapmaker dealing with dark forces that conspire against her when she unleashes an extraordinary power that could change the fate of her war-torn world.  The cast includes Ben Barnes (“Westworld” and “The Chronicles of Narnia”), Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, and Kit Young.  The series could be considered one part “Game of Thrones” one part “The Witcher” with lots of magic and monsters thrown in. Suffice it to say, the series will be just as spellbinding as the books, so expect a wild and magical ride through the Grisha world.  If you are looking for an escape from those endless Zoom meetings and vaccine appointment searching, this series might do the trick.
Release Date: The fantasy begins on Netflix on April 23rd. – MO

“The Handmaid’s Tale”
What You Need to Know: If you’re looking for a pick-me-up, the Hulu series based on the popular Margaret Atwood books, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” probably shouldn’t be on your next to watch list. That said, if you’ve followed along for the past few seasons leading up to the fourth, you’ve come to expect the excessive bleakness that comes through in this dystopian world that at times seems a little too real for comfort. Season four see’s Elizabeth Moss’s June leading a rebellion as she seeks revenge, which looks to kick the action up a notch. As the show has gone on further, it’s strayed from the source material, so it will be interesting to see just how the series adapts itself next. The cast includes O-T Fagbenle, Ann Dowd, Madeline Brewer, and Yvonne Strahovski.
Release Date: Season four premieres on Hulu on April 28. – AJ 

“The Mosquito Coast”
What You Need to Know: While there’s already been an adaptation of the Paul Theroux novel “The Mosquito Coast” with Peter Weir’s 1986 film starring Harrison Ford, it didn’t see a huge success upon release. We’ll have to wait and see whether the latest iteration starring Justin Theroux – nephew of the writer – fares any better. Theroux leads as an idealistic man who, disgusted with his world’s corruption, uproots his family to Mexico, where they soon find themselves on the run from the U.S government. Perhaps the televised style of storytelling and that pacing will suit the story better, though following in Ford’s footsteps is an intimidating prospect. Neil Cross (“Luther”) is the showrunner, while Melissa George and Kimberly Elise also star. 
Release Date: The series premieres on Apple TV+ on April 30. – AJ