A shower — no, more like a deluge of new movies and shows is coming in April 2024. A ton of new titles are arriving this month on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and other major streaming services, as well as broadcast and cable TV.
With so many options, it’s easy to miss something. That’s why we’re highlighting the biggest, buzziest new shows and movies premiering this month. They include the video game adaptation “Fallout,” the third season of “Welcome to Wrexham,” the post-war dark comedy “The Sympathizer” with Robert Downey Jr. and spy thriller “The Veil.” Here’s our guide on what to watch in April 2024.
‘Loot’ season 2 (Apple TV Plus)
Maya Rudolph’s comedy returns with new triumphs and challenges for Molly Wells, a year after her very public divorce from tech billionaire John Novak (Adam Scott). With her philanthropic foundation thriving, Molly decides to embark on a wellness journey. She’s also sworn off men — well, except for trusted assistant Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster), who keeps her supplied with kale smoothies spiked with gin. Meanwhile, the foundation’s executive director, Sofia Salinas (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez), is running things in her business-like style until Molly’s charismatic architect friend Isaac (O-T Fagbenle) turns up. – KW
Premieres April 3 on Apple TV Plus
‘Ripley’ (Netflix)
Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 crime novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley” is becoming a series after previously being adapted into the Oscar-nominated 1999 film of the same name starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. Andrew Scott steps into the shoes of the titular character, a charismatic grifter Tom Ripley, who’s scraping by in early ‘60s New York. He’s hired by a wealthy man to travel to Italy and convince his wayward son Dickie (Johnny Flynn) to return home. Tom accepts the job, setting him on a path of deceit, fraud and murder. – KW
Premieres April 4 on Netflix
‘Star Trek: Discovery’ season 5 (Paramount Plus)
The crew of the Discovery returns for a fifth, and final season. Once contemporaries of Spock, Discovery has been transported 1,000 years into the future to face an entirely new universe, where the Federation is no longer the power it once was. Their final adventure sees them searching the galaxy for an ancient and mysterious artifact that’s been hidden for centuries. This loaded cast includes Sonequa Martin-Green (“The Walking Dead”) as Capt. Michael Burnham, Doug Jones (“The Shape of Water”), and Anthony Rapp (“Rent”). – MP
Premieres April 4 on Paramount Plus
‘Sugar’ (Apple TV Plus)
In the wake of a rather lackluster fourth season of “True Detective,” Mike Protosevich’s “Sugar” might be the answer mystery TV fans have longed for this year. With star power like Colin Farrell in the lead and a narrative described as “a genre-bending contemporary take on the private detective story,” this new Apple TV Plus show will be one worth investigating.
Farrell plays the aptly named John Sugar, a private detective based out of Los Angeles, on the trail of Olivia Siegel, Hollywood legend Jonathan Siegel’s granddaughter, who has suddenly disappeared. The 8-episode mystery has all the trappings of a modern-day “Chinatown” and will bring the neo-noir vibes in force. – RE
Premieres April 5 on Apple TV Plus
‘Scoop’ (Netflix)
It took more than 30 years for the famous combative interview between David Frost and Richard Nixon to be depicted in the film “Frost/Nixon,” but the adaptation cycle runs much more quickly these days, so the notorious 2019 BBC interview with Prince Andrew is already getting the movie treatment in this Netflix original movie.
Billie Piper stars as BBC producer Sam McAlister, who led the efforts to get Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) on the record with reporter Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) discussing his relationship with notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In the tradition of true-life journalism movies like “All the President’s Men” and “Spotlight,” “Scoop” focuses on the hard work that it takes for reporters to bring important stories to the public, and how that work can lead to real change. – JB
Premieres April 5 on Netflix
‘Fallout’ (Prime Video)
The nuclear wasteland comes to life with a zany and true-to-form story following in the shoes of the renowned video game series “Fallout.” The story will be headed up by “Westworld” creators Lisa Joy and Jonathon Nolan with help from Bethesda’s Todd Howard, director and producer on three games in the mainline franchise.
“Fallout” aims to bring a wacky post-apocalyptic narrative to the silver screen, one that has languished in digital form since 1997. Through the brilliance of silver-streaked power armor, mutated monsters, and blazing hand-crafted weapons, its intense violence and comedic undertones drenched in that frozen 1950s-era America will bring the games to life in a whole new way. – RE
Premieres April 11 on Prime Video
‘Franklin’ (Apple TV Plus)
This 8-episode miniseries sees Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin — founding father, printer, inventor, diplomat — as he embarks on a secret mission to convince the French government to aid the fledgling American rebellion against England. (Spoiler alert: he’s successful). There are no shortage of Ben Franklin biographies, but this series is based on Stacy Schiff’s “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America.” The first three episodes will be available on April 12, followed by one episode each week. Here’s hoping it will be as good as Max’ miniseries on John Adams. – MP
Premieres April 12 on Apple TV Plus
‘The Greatest Hits’ (Hulu)
It’s a familiar feeling to listen to a certain song and be mentally and emotionally transported back in time, but what if listening to a song could literally allow you to time travel? That’s what happens to Harriet (Lucy Boynton) after the death of her boyfriend Max (David Corenswet) in a car accident. In her grief, she listens to songs that were meaningful to her, and they bring her physically back to moments in the past that she spent with Max.
As in any time travel movie, Harriet has to face the potential consequences of changing the past, and in “The Greatest Hits” that’s all filtered through the conflict between her feelings for Max and her attraction to a man (Justin H. Min) she’s met in the present. It’s a music-driven story about grief and letting go. – JB
Premieres April 12 on Hulu
‘The Sympathizer’ (HBO/Max)
Robert Downey Jr. has been quite picky with his roles since his box-office dominance as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he takes on multiple parts in this HBO miniseries based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen. He’s also one of the executive producers, along with acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-Wook, who co-created the series and directed the first three episodes.
Hoa Xuande stars as the protagonist, a man known only as the Captain, who’s torn between two countries as a double (or possibly triple?) agent for both the American and North Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War. Keeping up the momentum from his Oscar win for “Oppenheimer,” Downey plays several different American characters, representing the monolithic pressure of the U.S. establishment on the wider world, via both overt and covert conflicts.
Premieres April 14 on Max
‘Under the Bridge’ (Hulu)
Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone nabs her first starring television role in this true crime limited series based on author Rebecca Godfrey’s book about the 1997 disappearance and murder of a 14-year-old Canadian girl. When Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) turns up dead after attending a party, local police officer Cam Bentland (Gladstone) and journalist Rebecca Godfrey (Riley Keough) dig into the shocking truth of what happened to her and uncover a teen world filled with hatred and violence. – KW
Premieres April 17 on Hulu
‘Welcome to Wrexham’ season 3 (FX)
The first two seasons of Wrexham launched well after the soccer season had ended, so for astute viewers, there wasn’t much drama in knowing if the team was finally promoted, or remained in the depths of the English Football League. Season 3, however, is set to coincide with the end of the playing season, so there should be a bit more drama to see how the team fares. Last year, Wrexham was finally promoted from the National League to the EFL League Two, and the team is hoping to be promoted to League One this season. For some spoilers, you can check out our Welcome to Wrexham season 3 guide, or just watch and wait to see what happens.
Premieres April 18 on FX (via Sling or Fubo)
Episodes stream next day on Hulu
‘Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver’ (Netflix)
Zack Snyder’s sci-fi fantasy tour de force returns in its second outing sporting an even more action-packed setlist as the ruling elite of the Realm brings tyranny and destruction across the galaxy. The planet Veldt, which has become Kora’s new home, will no sooner become a battleground as the Realm’s forces enact their fury upon them.
The story this time will see Anthony Hopkins’ Jimmy take up a more violent role as star Sofia Boutella’s Kora will brandish one of those brilliant lightsaber lookalikes as sci-fi sword-fighting takes center stage. Despite the first Rebel Moon landing poorly with critics, Snyder’s second lift-off might be enough to corral a heavy dose of viewers with its action setpieces. – RE
Premieres April 19 on Netflix
‘The Big Door Prize’ season 2 (Apple TV Plus)
In the first season of this comedic fantasy series, a mysterious machine showed up at the local grocery store in the small town of Deerfield, providing little cards that claim to show each user their life’s potential. Getting those supposedly infallible designations upended the seemingly settled lives of the town’s residents, leading to new relationships, new life paths, and some dark secrets coming to light.
The second season takes the story beyond the source novel by M.O. Walsh, as the machine known as the Morpho shifts its own potential, now providing the town residents with full-on visions. No doubt that will lead to more awkward conflicts, presented with the same lighthearted touch by creator David West Read and the likable cast led by Chris O’Dowd. – JB
Premieres April 24 on Apple TV Plus
‘Knuckles’ (Paramount Plus)
Idris Elba is back as Knuckles in a new streaming series set in the Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe. Only this time, the Blue Blur’s frenemy doesn’t have his sights on Robotnik, but rather Wade Whipple (Adam Pally), Tom Wachowski’s goofy colleague on the force, to train him to become an echidna warrior. Based on the trailer, the 6-episode show will lean on the same kind of “fish out of water” humor as we saw in the first Sonic movie — albeit a different flavor considering Knuckles’ laughably deadpan delivery. So far cameos from Sonic and Tails have been confirmed, and we’re likely to get new lore and elements that tie into “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which comes out this December. – AS
Premieres April 26 on Paramount Plus
‘The Veil’ (Hulu)
With the next “Slow Horses” season still a way out, globetrotting spy thriller “The Veil” could be the long-awaited mini-series James Bond fans have been dreaming of. Steven Knight of “Peaky Blinders” fame leads the writing, describing the narrative of “The Veil” as a “deadly game of truth and lies.” Corralling Elizabeth Moss as MI6’s Imogen Salter and Yumna Marwan as Adilah, the six-episode show is set to drag viewers across Istanbul, Paris, and London with its female stars both holding deadly secrets on the other they must expose. – RE
Premieres April 30 on Hulu
More notable new April 2024 arrivals:
- “Vanderpump Villa” (April 1, Hulu)
- “All American” season 6 (April 1, The CW)
- “Música” (April 4, Prime Video)
- “How to Date Billy Walsh” (April 5, Prime Video)
- “The Challenge: All Stars” season 4 (April 10, Paramount Plus)
- “Good Times” (April 12, Netflix)
- “The Circle” season 6 (April 17, Netflix)
- “Conan O’Brien Must Go” (April 18, Max)
- “The Spiderwick Chronicles” (April 19, Roku Channel)
- “The Jinx” season 2 (April 21, HBO/Max)
- “Tiger” (April 22, Disney Plus)
- “Thank You, Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story” (April 26, Hulu)
