Television doesn’t sleep. The sheer amount of content—almost 500 scripted programs aired in the year 2019!—can prove overwhelming for even the most dedicated TV buffs. Television Academy voters make Emmy selections in August, and SAG-AFTRA members vote on SAG Awards in January, but their job requires tuning in all year long. Backstage is breaking down, month by month, the buzzy shows and performances that merit awards attention in the ever-growing landscape of the small screen. Mark your calendar and become a couch potato along with us!
Though life might feel like it’s been canceled lately due to the world’s coronavirus outbreak, we can all be grateful TV is not.
Amid our ongoing crisis, this April offers up the return of fan favorite and critical darling “Killing Eve,” starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, plus Cate Blanchett’s stateside TV debut on Hulu (alongside one of the glitziest casts of 2020, including Sarah Paulson, Elizabeth Banks, Uzo Aduba, Rose Byrne, Margo Martindale, James Marsden, Ari Graynor, John Slattery, Melanie Lynskey, Tracey Ullman, Niecy Nash, and Jeanne Tripplehorn). For much-needed comic relief this month, HBO’s “Insecure” returns for its fourth season, while Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish return for Season 3 of “The Last O.G.” on TBS.
Check out the full list of April TV premieres and performances to keep an eye on below!
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On April 13, ABC premieres its latest, a Miami based dramedy called “The Baker and the Beauty.” Taking inspiration from an Israeli series, the show follows a romantic relationship between a Cuban-American baker, played by Victor Rrasuk, and a fashion mogul, portrayed by Nathalie Kelley.
Amazon Prime Video
The streaming service offers up two exciting series premieres this month. On the 3rd comes the debut of “Tales From the Loop,” a science-fiction series from writer Nathaniel Halpern starring Rebecca Hall, Paul Schneider, and Jonathan Pryce. The show is based on the paintings of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag and centers on the residents of a rural Swedish town that houses “the Loop,” a machine that can make the impossible possible. On April 17, Michael Connelly’s police procedural “Bosch,” starring Titus Welliver, will debut its penultimate sixth season.
AMC
Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning crime thriller “Killing Eve” returns for its third season on the 12th—earlier than originally expected—and simulcast on AMC and BBC America. Oh and Comer return, alongside new additions Gemma Whelan, Harriet Walter, and Danny Sapani.
Apple TV+
The newest addition to Apple TV+, “Home Before Dark,” a drama series inspired by the life of child journalist Hilde Lysiak, debuts on the 3rd. The show features “The Florida Project’s” Brooklynn Prince uncovering a cold case in her small town, and it’s directed and produced by Jon M. Chu, the director of juggernaut hit “Crazy Rich Asians.” On the 24th, the highly anticipated “Defending Jacob” debuts. Based on the William Landay novel of the same name, it stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Cherry Jones, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gabriel, and Jaeden Martell in a dark limited series about a family whose teenage son is accused of murder.
CBS
On the 2nd, new sitcom “Broke,” starring Jaime Camil, Natasha Leggero, and Pauley Perrette, debuts. That same night, Matt LeBlanc vehicle “Man With a Plan” comes back for its fourth season.
CBS All Access
The streaming arm of the CBS network launches Season 4 of “The Good Wife” spinoff “The Good Fight” on the 9th, bringing back to our screens Cush Jumbo, Delroy Lindo, and the great Christine Baranski.
The CW
Season 2 of Corinne Kingsbury’s crime dramedy “In the Dark” starts up on the 16th, starring Kathleen York, Perry Mattfeld, and more.
Epix
“Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes presents his newest miniseries, “Belgravia,” adapted from his own novel, and starring Tamsin Greig, Philip Glenister, Harriet Walter, Tom Wilkinson, and Alice Eve; it debuts on the 12th.
Freeform
Season 3 of sci-fi drama series “Siren,” starring Eline Powell as a mysterious mermaid, will begin airing on Freeform April 2.
FX
The second season of “What We Do in the Shadows,” adapted from the hit vampire movie and starring Kayvan Novak, Harvey Guillen, and Mark Proksch, comes to FX on the 15th.
HBO
HBO offers up two new series this month, while Issa Rae’s Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated “Insecure” comes back for its fourth season April 12.
“Run,” produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and created by Vicky Jones, debuts on the 12th as well, starring Domhnall Gleeson and Emmy winner Merritt Wever.
Hulu
Offering up three debuts this April, the streaming service kicks off the month on the 3rd with its latest iteration of anthology series “Into the Dark” (not to be confused with “In the Dark”) a.k.a. “Into the Dark: Pooka 2: Pooka Lives.” That same day, the third and sadly final season of “Future Man” launches with its all-star cast featuring Josh Hutcherson, Eliza Coupe, Derek Wilson, Ed Begley Jr., Glenne Headly, and Haley Joel Osment.
And on the 15th, FX series and Hulu exclusive “Mrs. America” will be added to the streaming network with the first three episodes available immediately and the following six arriving one per week. “Mrs. America” features a stunner of a cast, led by the two-time Oscar-winning Blanchett as Phyllis Sclafly campaigning to ratify the Equal Rights Amendments.
NBC
At the end of the month, new drama series “Council of Dads” starts on the 30th, after NBC aired a sneak preview in March. Based on the Bruce Feiler memoir of the same name, it stars Sarah Wayne Callies, Clive Standen, Tom Everett Scott, and J. August Richards.
Netflix
New comedy “The Big Big Show” will be added to the streaming service on the 6th, featuring WWE wrestler The Big Show a.k.a. Paul Wight, as a fictional version of himself raising his family in Florida after his wrestling career has ended. On the 10th, another new comedy, “Brews Brothers,” stars Mike Castle and Alan Aidenberg as two estranged brothers coming together to run a brewery. New teen drama “Outer Banks” will be added on the 15th, while Season 2 of Ricky Gervais’ black comedy “After Life” returns on the 24th.
Season 4 of British historical fiction drama “The Last Kingdom” will launch April 26. On the 27th, new dramedy “Never Have I Ever” will make its debut. Mindy Kaling created this coming-of-age tale about an Indian-American teenager inspired loosely by her own experiences, and stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in her first acting role.
PBS
On the 5th, the newest Masterpiece drama “World on Fire” starring Helen Hunt, Sean Bean, Lesley Manville, Blake Harrison, and Jonah Hauer-King, will hit the small screen. The series takes place across Europe and the U.S. during WWII.
Showtime
Natalie Dormer and Daniel Zovatto lead the cast in the eerie “Penny Dreadful” spinoff, “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels,” which makes its debut on the 26th. The series also stars Kerry Bishé, Nathan Lane, Jessica Garza, Piper Perabo, Adam Rodriguez, Brent Spiner, Adriana Barraza, and Rory Kinnear (from the original hit series but in a different role) and is set in late-1930s Los Angeles.
Starz
The third and final season of Tanya Saracho’s critical hit “Vida,” starring the talented Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, and Ser Anzoategui, begins airing April 26.
TBS
Season 3 of the hilarious “The Last O.G.,” starring comedy giants Morgan and Haddish, begins airing on the 7th.
Check out Backstage’s TV audition listings!