TAGGED AS: binge, Binge Guide, streaming, television, TV
We’ve been waiting literally for years for some of these returning series to finally give us some new episodes — and we have it on good authority that they’ll be well worth the wait. Barry season 3, Russian Doll season 2, and Better Call Saul’s final season are just three of the nine series we recommend you catch up on this April.
100%
A Black Lady Sketch Show
(HBO)
What it is: From the mind of creator and star Robin Thede, A Black Lady Sketch Show is a half-hour comedy series that brings together some of the funniest women in entertainment playing characters so over the top and hilariously incisive that they deserve a rewatch over and again.
Why you should watch it: First making headlines for its laundry list of TV “firsts” (first all-Black women writers’ room; first black woman sketch director; and first sketch series cast composed entirely of Black women), it’s proven its staying power by sticking to its roots, finding laugh-out-loud hilarity in the ultra-specific, and flexing an HBO budget that expands what sketch comedy can truly look like. Season 3 premieres April 8 on HBO.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Commitment: Approx. 6 hours (for the first two seasons)
74%
Woke
(Hulu)
What it is: This comedy series from Keith Knight and Marshall Todd follows Keef, a Black cartoonist on the brink of mainstream success when a run-in with racist police officers leaves him recalculating his relationship to art, Blackness, and the work he creates.
Why you should watch it: We crowned the first season as “a messy conversation worth watching,” and that’s largely thanks to a pitch-perfect Lamorne Morris, who as cartoonist Keef Knight is given his best gig since New Girl. Expect more bold humor with flourishes of surrealism when season 2 premieres April 8 on Hulu.
Where to watch: Hulu
Commitment: Approx. 4 hours (for the first season)
98%
Better Call Saul
(AMC)
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Mayans M.C.
(FX)
What it is: Set on the blistering California-Mexico border, this Sons of Anarchy spinoff from creators Elgin James and Kurt Sutter follows Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo), who’s freshly released from prison and now a new prospect in the titular biker gang. But with intersecting familial loyalties at play while he charts life as an outlaw, the drama and violence quickly ratchets up.
Why you should watch it: Pardo delivers a star-making turn as our central protagonist, and co-stars Clayton Cardenas as EZ’s brother Angel, Edward James Olmos as their father Felipe, and their ensemble of largely Hispanic performers all meet him mark for bloody mark. Season 4 premieres April 19 on FX.
Where to watch: Hulu
Commitment: Approx. 30 hours (for the first three seasons)
97%
Russian Doll
(Netflix)
What it is: Russian Doll is just your typical sitcom about a wisecracking New Yorker who gets stuck in a time loop where she dies and relives the same day over and again until she learns to face down her childhood trauma. Which is to say nothing about it is at all typical.
Why you should watch it: Natasha Lyonne, a literal life-long actor, has never been better than she is on Russian Doll. Her singular wit and sensibility meshes perfectly with co-creators Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler to build a series that is as darkly funny as it is moving. Season 2 premieres April 20 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 4 hours (for the first season)
91%
The Flight Attendant
(HBO Max)
What it is: An alcoholic flight attendant’s world is turned upside down when, after a night of heavy drinking, she wakes up next to one of her passengers murdered in bed. As she begins piecing his death together, this thrilling mystery ties in hallucinogenic flashbacks, hired assassins, and an encroaching FBI case to make for some top-tier entertainment.
Why you should watch it: You’ve never seen Kaley Cuoco like this. The star and executive producer was rightfully nominated for an Emmy Award for season 1, and we can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve for round 2. Plus, how great is it to see Rosie Perez back chewing scenery and stealing the show as her flight attendant coworker with a secret? Season 2 premieres April 21 on HBO Max.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Commitment: Approx. 6 hours (for the first season)
98%
Barry
(HBO)
What it is: Bill Hader stars as Barry Berman, a Midwestern hitman who, when traveling to Los Angeles for a job, unexpectedly takes an acting class and considers a career change.
Why you should watch it: Henry Winkler is gifted the kind of late-career role that the Happy Days TV veteran has long deserved in washed-up acting coach Gene Cousineau. (And he’s got the Emmy to prove it!) He’s reason enough to tune into Barry, but then there’s the title character himself. Hader has never been better as the hitman-turned-aspiring actor — circumstantially funny as a fish out of water, boasting leading-man gravitas as a morally torn hero, and even exuding an unexpected sex appeal as a kickass former Marine. Season 3 premieres April 24 on HBO.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Commitment: Approx. 8 hours (for the first two seasons)
97%
Made for Love
(HBO Max)
What it is: Made for Love is for fans of Fatal Attraction with a sci-fi twist. Cristin Milioti stars as Hazel, the longtime wife of tech billionaire Byron (Billy Magnussen), who discovers she’s been implanted with a romantic monitoring chip when she tries to end the marriage. Her fight for independence begins with some help from her estranged father (Ray Romano).
Why you should watch it: Co-creators Dean Bakopoulos and Christina Lee struck gold in casting Milioti as their romantic lead on a mission. Her comedic timing matches the dramatic chops demanded of their genre-fusing material. It’s a star-making turn. Season 2 premieres April 28 on HBO Max.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Commitment: Approx. 4 hours (for the first season)
97%
Undone
(Prime Video)
What it is: From the minds of BoJack Horseman collaborators, creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg and producer Kate Purdy, Undone follows a woman named Alma who, after surviving a near-fatal car accident, discovers she has a surreal, reality-bending relationship with time. She uses this new ability to learn more about her father’s death.
Why you should watch it: Undone is the kind of mind-expanding series that truly flexes what the animated medium is capable of. Season 2 premieres April 29 on Amazon Prime.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Commitment: Approx. 4 hours (for the first season)
