It’s a new week, which means there are nearly endless new options to watch on our favorite streaming services. We like to keep tabs on what’s new to Netflix and Max in the month ahead, but don’t you just hate when you get all excited to watch a show or movie, only to find out you still have to wait weeks for it to come out? That’s why we like to keep things a little short-sighted here, by telling you about the best entertainment options available this week.
With these excellent choices to look forward to, the week will fly on by. Just try to see how many you can make it through before the weekend hits!
What to watch this week — the best movies and TV on streaming
Bravo’s Love Hotel (April 27)
The Golden Bachelorette meets Real Housewives in Bravo’s latest reality dating show. Leading ladies Luann de Lesseps (Real Housewives of New York City), Gizelle Bryant (Real Housewives of Potomac), Ashley Darby (RHOP), and Shannon Beador (Real Housewives of Orange County) are single and ready to mingle! The Housewives will head to Mexico, where they’ll meet and date a spate of eligible guys.
Chef’s Table: Legends (April 28)
Chef’s Table celebrates its 10-year anniversary, and honors the careers of four culinary legends: Jamie Oliver, José Andrés, Alice Waters and Thomas Keller. Pro tip: Don’t watch it while you’re hungry.
Turning Point: The Vietnam War (April 30)
Following in the footsteps of Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War and Turning Point: 9/11 and the War On Terror, Brian Knappenberger’s latest docuseries examines one of the most controversial conflicts in U.S. history. It uses unprecedented access to CBS News archives, Vietnamese footage, declassified government records and White House recordings to offer a timely exploration of the war’s unhealed wounds.
The Four Seasons (May 1)
Is this Netflix’s answer to The White Lotus? Judge for yourself: The comedy/drama is about three couples who head to a relaxing vacation, only to learn that one pair is on the outs. Over the next year and subsequent trips, we witness how the dynamic of the group is shaken by the split, causing old issues to bubble to the surface. It stars Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani and Kerri Kenney-Silver.
You season 5 (April 24)
Hello, you. Everyone’s favorite serial killer show comes to a dramatic conclusion for the fifth and final season. After making a mess of things in London, Joe returns to New York City — but his ghosts are coming with him. Will he manage to evade the law yet again? We’ll have to wait and see!
The Last of Us season 2 (April 13)
The Emmy award-winning zombie sci-fi drama returns to HBO/Max tonight. For the uninitiated, The Last of Us is based on a video game and takes place in a world where a deadly fungus has ravaged much of the human race. In season one, Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) races to get Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) across the country to a hospital, since she’s immune from the fungus — and figuring out how she’s immune could save humanity. Season 2 will last seven episodes.
Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things The First Shadow (April 15)
Netflix’s new documentary is perfect for the overlapping Venn Diagram of Stranger Things and Broadway fans, as it takes us behind the scenes of the cast and crew’s preparation for the West End production. Then, next week, you’ll be able to watch the film recording of the play!
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace (April 16)
Years after her adoptive parents went public with accusations that Natalia Grace, the Ukrainian orphan, was actually an adult with violent tendencies shocked the country, the case finally reaches something of a conclusion. Season 3 of the docuseries that chronicled the fraught adoption finally tells Natalia’s side of the story, and it is available on Hulu starting this week.
The Stolen Girl (April 16)
This five-part limited series will air on Freeform, with episodes available to stream on Hulu. In this British thriller, Elisa’s world is turned upside-down when her 9-year-old daughter has a sleepover at her new friend’s house. When Elisa comes back the next day to pick her daughter up, she discovers that the fancy home her daughter was staying in was a rental, and her daughter and the other family are nowhere to be found.
Ransom Canyon (April 17)
Miss Yellowstone? Netflix has your answer. This new Western drama is set in Texas Hill Country, where family dynasties are battling it out for control of valuable land. At the middle of it all is rancher Stanton Kirkland (played by Josh Duhamel), who’s looking for revenge. His only ally is Quinn O’Grady (Minka Kelly), the owner of the dancehall in town. But when a mysterious cowboy comes into town, ready to expose everyone’s secrets, Stanton must fight to protect his land.
The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 (April 8)
The TV series based on the world-famous Margaret Atwood book is premiering its sixth and final season. You’ll be able to watch the first three episodes when they drop on Hulu at once, and from there, Hulu will release one episode per week until the series finale. See how it all shakes out for the women of Gilead starting this week.
The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox (April 8)
Netflix’s newest sports docuseries takes fans into the dugout of one of baseball’s most historic teams: The Boston Red Sox. The series will follow the 2024 season and includes never-before-seen footage that delves into the professional and personal lives of the players as they handle the physical and mental demands of playing professional baseball.
Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing (April 9)
If you already binged Devil in the Family and An Update on Our Family and are looking for more documentaries about the dark sides of family vlogging, Netflix has the answer. Bad Influence zeroes in on Piper Rockelle, a massive child Youtuber who rose to fame by making prank videos with her friends. Through interviews with members of Piper’s “squad,” the Netflix docuseries reveals the abuse the friends suffered at the hands of Piper’s mother and manager, Tiffany Smith.
Black Mirror season 7 (April 10)
The dark anthology all about how technology is poised to upend our lives returns for another six episodes, including a sequel to “USS Callister.” The cast includes Cristin Milioti, Paul Giamatti, Rashida Jones, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, and more!
Hacks season 4 (April 10)
From enemies to friends and, from the looks of it, back to enemies again — we’ll see the latest twists and turns in Deborah and Ava’s relationship in the new season of Hacks. You’ll probably recall that last season ended with Deborah finally getting her own late-night show, her relationship with Ava falling apart, and Ava blackmailing her way into being Deborah’s head writer. Stay tuned for some exciting cameos!
Got to Get Out (April 11)
Actor Simu Liu hosts this game show that’s basically an escape room, but in a giant mansion. A bunch of hopefuls will be locked in a mansion and given clues to help them escape and snag a $1 million prize fund. The only thing stopping them from getting out? Each other. Half of the contestants are reality TV veterans — think Omarosa, Spencer Pratt, Kim Zolciak-Biermann, and Susan Noles — and the remainder are everyday people. All the episodes will be released on Hulu at once for your binge-watching pleasure.
The Gardener (April 11)
This Netflix series is perfect for fans of You, Sweeney Todd, and Deli Boys: It’s about Elmer and his controlling mother, who owns a garden center. But that garden center is a cover for a murder-for-hire business. Elmer has no problem ending lives until he’s tasked with killing Violeta, a nursery school teacher — and he ends up falling in love with his target.
Fixer Upper season 5 (April 12)
Enjoy a nice, calming rewatch when season 5 of Fixer Upper hits Hulu in its entirety. This season first started airing in 2017, so as Chip and Joanna Gaines work to fix up houses that have seen better days, you can assess how well some of the design choices held up. Fans may recall that season 5 was the final season of Fixer Upper, so the nostalgia will probably hit hard.
Aftersun (April 1)
If you never got a chance to see A24’s haunting coming-of-age film when it was released in 2022, you can stream it later this week when it lands at Max. It’s written and directed by Charlotte Wells and stars Paul Mescal, and it has a whopping 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, so it’s worth adding to your list.
Black Swan (April 1)
Prepare for an existential crisis, because this week marks the 15th anniversary of Darren Aronofsky’s psychological horror film starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. The blockbuster was nominated for four Oscars, winning one, and inspired thousands of Halloween costumes, so if you’re itching for a rewatch, you can relive the twists and turns on Hulu.
Love on the Spectrum (April 2)
The heartwarming reality series is back on Netflix for another season! The third season of this Emmy award-winning show follows a new group of singles with Autism looking for love, and if you’re already a fan of the show, you may recognize some familiar faces.
The Bondsman (April 3)
Kevin Bacon stars in this new Prime Video series about a bounty hunter who dies and is sent to Hell, but brought back to life with one interesting catch: He’s still a bounty hunter… but for demons. As he hunts down the demons, he learns how he got condemned to Hell in the first place.
Pulse (April 3)
Fans of E.R. and Chicago Med will probably want to binge this new Netflix drama, which is set in a busy Miami hospital’s level 1 trauma center. The staff navigates medical emergencies while also dealing with interpersonal drama — like how a young ER doctor is suddenly promoted to Chief Resident as her scandalous relationship falls apart.
Y2K (April 4)
This new A24 comedy-horror film stars Rachel Zegler, The Kid Laroi, and (interestingly) Fred Durst, and it’s about two high school juniors who crash a New Year’s Eve party only to find themselves fighting for their lives when the fears of Y2K prove to be real, and the machines rise up to overtake humans. You’ll be able to watch it on Max.
Best new books to read this week
How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin (April 29)
Following her acclaimed debut, Kristen Perrin is back with another mystery in the fictional village of Castle Knoll. It continues where the first book, How to Solve Your Own Murder, left off: With Annie settling into her more comfortable life after inheriting her great aunt Frances’s fortune (and solving her murder). But she’s forced to play detective once again when Castle Knoll’s psychic winds up dead — in Annie’s solarium, no less.
This American Woman by Zarna Garg (April 29)
Amy Poehler calls fellow comedian Zarna Garg’s memoir, “A deeply honest and hilarious book about how you always win if you bet on yourself.” Mindy Kahling says, “Her memoir will inspire you, make you cry, and laugh so hard it hurts.” She’s got more glowing endorsements from Tina Fey, Kevin Hart, and Padma Lakshmi — so just do yourself a favor and pick up a copy, ok?
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (April 22)
The rom-com queen is sending us into summer with her latest swoonworthy novel! It’s about Alice, an optimist dreaming of hitting it big as a writer, and Hayden, the Pulitzer prize-winning Debbie Downer. Alice and Hayden both end up on the same island at the invitation of Margaret Ives, the elusive heiress whose biography they’re competing to write. As Margaret gives each of them different pieces of her story, Alice and Hayden have to figure out if they can put the pieces together for the complete picture.
Ruth Run by Elizabeth Kaufman (April 15)
The protagonist of this debut novel has earned multiple comparisons to that of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Kaufman tackles cybercrime and A.I. with a refreshing and, at times, humorous point of view. Oprah Daily says, “Kaufman is fluent in tech talk with a background in big data and network security, and Ruth emerges as a savvy and seductive heroine — an American Lisbeth Salander, with swagger for days.”
The Influencers by Anna-Marie McLemore (April 15)
Both a cutting criticism and an engaging read, this novel tackles the dark sides of mommy vlogging and the children harmed in the process. It starts off with a murder, and is told in multiple points of view: May Iverson, who built an empire showing her life as a mother to her five daughters, and the daughters themselves.
The Float Test by Lynn Steger Strong (April 8)
The acclaimed author of Flight weaves together a layered story of family, secrets, climate change, and more. The Kenner siblings are each struggling with their own problems, including with each other: A secret rift between Jude and Fred has gnawed at the whole family for years. A loss brings them together for one sweltering Florida summer to hopefully get to the bottom of what’s been left unsaid — and repair their broken bonds.
Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan (April 8)
Dua Lipa — yes, that Dua Lipa — raves that Their Monstrous Hearts is “A darkly alluring and evocative tale that will leave readers spellbound.” The gothic novel follows struggling writer Riccardo, who thinks his problems are solved when he inherits his grandmother’s Italian villa. But upon arriving, it soon becomes clear that if these walls could talk, they’d scream, “Run!”
Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine (April 1)
This debut rom-com has just the right amount of spice — and takes a meta, tongue-in-cheek approach to the genre, so it’s perfect for romance fans and skeptics alike. It’s about a “canceled” romance author who decides to remake her image as a thriller writer. When she decides to spend six weeks in a remote Alaskan resort to write her murder mystery, she finds herself in the middle of a romance plot.
Heartwood by Amity Gaige (April 1)
Pulitzer prize-winning author Jennifer Egan calls Heartwood “a riveting wilderness suspense novel” that was “nearly impossible to put down.” Elin Hilerbrand says it’s “a literary thriller of the highest order.” Gaige was inspired by a real-life story, and the novel focuses on a 42-year-old woman who goes hiking in the woods in Maine and goes missing.
Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives by Gretchen Rubin (April 1)
The #1 NYT bestselling author of The Happiness Project is sharing the secrets for us all to lead lives of greater satisfaction, clarity, and happiness. This newest book is a collection of aphorisms, which Ruben learned in her work observing and writing about happiness and human nature. These short, simple sentences just might change your life.
