TV to watch in April, from Mrs. Davis to Love & Death

(Image credit: Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max)

published 1 April 2023

April is showering TV fans with an avalanche of new and returning shows, including at least three new series based on classic movies from the '70s and '80s. Plus, an acclaimed television creator is back with a new streaming show, and two Emmy-winning series are debuting their final seasons. Here's what to watch on TV in April 2023:

Beef (April 6)

After The Banshees of Inisherin, Netflix is here with another installment in the growing "two people's lives are consumed by a pointless feud" subgenre. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong star in this dramedy in which a "road rage incident between two strangers — a failing contractor and an unfulfilled entrepreneur — sparks a feud that brings out their darkest impulses," per the streamer. Lee Sung Jin, a writer on FX's Dave, created the series, which comes from A24, the studio that just dominated the Oscars with Everything Everywhere All at Once. "The half-hours fly by as wild twists pile up," The Hollywood Reporter said in its review, so it sounds like the show is … well done.

"Prequel" is the word. From Paramount+, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is a new musical comedy series set before the events of the classic 1978 film, and it explores "how the infamous Pink Ladies began and how the reverence, fear, and moral panic they sparked changed Rydell High forever." The cast includes Marisa Davila, Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Ari Notartomaso, Tricia Fukuhara, and Jackie Hoffman. Creator Annabel Oakes admitted to Entertainment Weekly she initially felt that "nobody needs a new Grease," only to warm up to the idea after asking herself some "unanswered questions" from the original movie, namely, "What was up with the Pink Ladies? Were those girl gangs real?" We look forward to learning all about the Pink Ladies' Midi-chlorian count.

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The two leading ladies of WandaVision both have new shows dropping in April, and Kathryn Hahn is up first. She stars in this series about "a floundering writer who becomes a revered advice columnist while her own life is falling apart," per Hulu. It's based on the book of the same name by Cheryl Strayed, which compiles various essays from her advice column, "Dear Sugar." Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, and Strayed herself serve as producers, but the creator and executive producer is Liz Tigelaar, who previously was the showrunner of Little Fires Everywhere. Apparently, Hulu shows with three-word titles beginning with a synonym for small are just her thing.

It's a big year for meme titles. First there was Cocaine Bear, and now comes Netflix's Florida Man, which the streamer promises will see its main character get "caught up in situations that would put some of the best 'Florida man' memes to shame." The titular Florida man is Mike Valentine, played by Edgar Ramírez, who is "forced to return to his home state of Florida to find a Philly mobster's runaway girlfriend," per Netflix. Jason Bateman's production company produces, and creator Donald Todd told Netflix's Tudum that the question driving the series is, "What's the story behind the meme?" So get ready for the 8-episode streaming series about The Dress next.

She'll be here for a few more weeks. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the Prime Video series about the life of a stand-up comedian, is set to say goodnight with its final episodes, which premiere on April 14. The last season ended with Lenny Bruce urging Midge Maisel to stop turning down gigs and take her career to the next level, only for her to notice a billboard for The Gordon Ford Show. Could the series end with Midge hosting a late-night show of her own? In the last episodes, she "finds herself closer than ever to the success she's dreamed of, only to discover that closer than ever is still so far away," Prime Video said. Fingers crossed that creator Amy Sherman-Palladino nails the punchline.

You've heard of Gone Girl, but get ready for gone guy. Jennifer Garner leads this Apple TV+ thriller about a woman "who must forge a relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter," played by Angourie Rice, "in order to find the truth about why her husband" played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, "has mysteriously disappeared." It's based on the 2021 novel by Laura Dave, which was a New York Times best-seller, and produced by Reese Witherspoon via her production company Hello Sunshine. It's safe to expect a faithful translation considering Dave herself was involved in adapting the series to the screen. Aisha Tyler also stars, and Where the Crawdads Sing's Olivia Newman directs.

Bill Hader has taken out the hit on his own series, deciding to end his critically acclaimed HBO show Barry after one last season, which premieres on April 16. "It's been an amazing journey making this show, and it's bittersweet that the story has come to its natural conclusion," Hader said. In the final season, Cousineau, played by Henry Winkler, "is hailed as a hero as Barry's (Bill Hader) arrest has shocking consequences," HBO said of the "explosive and hilarious final chapter." This means Barry and Succession will both be airing their final seasons at the same time, and HBO's "shows without dragons" to "shows with dragons" ratio is about to change.

She's in the habit of kicking butt. Damon Lindelof, the writer behind Watchmen and The Leftovers, produces this new Peacock drama series that centers on "the world's most powerful Artificial Intelligence," dubbed Mrs. Davis, and "the nun devoted to destroying her." Yes, you read that correctly. Betty Gilpin plays the lead nun, and Margo Martindale, Andy McQueen, and David Arquette also star. After a screening of the first two episodes at South by Southwest, Slashfilm's Jacob Hall called Mrs. Davis the "most audacious science fiction TV show I've seen since" the first season of Westworld. For more information, ask ChatGPT to write a review.

How can Keri Russell follow up her career-defining work in the year's most important film, Cocaine Bear? A return to TV seems like a solid option. The Americans alum stars in this Netflix series as a career diplomat who "lands a high-profile job she neither wants nor believes she is suited for" after she's enlisted to "serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom in the midst of an international crisis," per the streamer. The show comes from Debora Cahn, who previously worked on The West Wing and Homeland. But Vanity Fair says it has "as much in common with Veep as it does Homeland," and Cahn described it as being about "the transcendence and torture of long-term relationships." Keep your ears open for any hints of a Russian accent just in case Elizabeth Jennings has us all fooled.

The David Cronenberg Cinematic Universe is headed to the small screen. Rachel Weisz stars in this new Amazon Prime Video series based on Cronenberg's 1988 film about twin gynecologists. The original movie gave Jeremy Irons dual roles as both the main characters, but the TV version has gender-swapped the lead, so the series will star Rachel Weisz — who has experience playing twins before in 2005's Constantine. Britne Oldford, Poppy Liu, Michael Chernus, Jennifer Ehle, and Emily Meade also star, and the show is produced by Sean Durkin, director of films like Martha Marcy May Marlene. Jennifer Body's Karyn Kusama also directed an episode.

For those who still have a WandaVision-shaped hole in their hearts, Elizabeth Olsen is back with another sinister show about a housewife. The actress stars in this HBO Max miniseries as Candy Montgomery, a woman who was accused of murdering her friend Betty with an ax. It's based on a real case that was previously covered in the Jessica Biel Hulu series Candy. Lily Rabe plays Betty, while Jesse Plemons plays Betty's husband Allan, with whom Candy has an affair. The show comes from Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley, and it's the first non-Marvel project Olsen has appeared in since 2019 … unless Scarlet Witch is hiding out after the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in a very different-looking universe.

Amazon already brought us the most expensive show in history with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and it's following it up with another hugely pricey series — somewhat by accident. Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas star in this spy show as secret agents who had their memories wiped after the global spy agency known as the Citadel was destroyed, per Prime Video. Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo are producing, and they're already plotting a whole universe, with the idea being that the show will launch various local spinoffs around the world. But The Hollywood Reporter revealed last year that after some behind-the-scenes shakeups, costly reshoots turned Citadel into "one of the most expensive shows ever produced," so tune in to find out whether Jeff Bezos just flushed a few hundred million dollars down the drain.

April is all about turning classic movies into streaming series, and next up is a show based on 1987's Fatal Attraction. Michael Douglas and Glenn Close starred in the original thriller about a woman who begins stalking a man she had an affair with, and Paramount+ is now turning it into a miniseries. Lizzy Caplan is taking over the Glenn Close role, while Joshua Jackson is playing the Michael Douglas character. Paramount describes it as a "deep-dive reimagining" of the classic film, which will "explore fatal attraction and the timeless themes of marriage and infidelity through the lens of modern attitudes toward strong women, personality disorders and coercive control." But be warned: If you start watching the show, it might not let you stop.

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.