Watch List: 29 Shows and Movies to Stream in April 2021
By Ishani Nath
Image: Amazon
Every month, Ishani Nath, pop culture expert, journalist and the most avid tv-watcher I have ever met, is sharing her top picks for new shows, movies and documentaries to stream on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, CBC Gem, Crave, Disney+ and Netflix Canada, plus the one older release she thinks you should check out. Here’s what she’s recommending this month.
We are almost there. It’s a sentence that applies to the warm days of summer, my 32nd birthday (I feel like these past two-ish years shouldn’t count though, because seriously WTF) and most importantly, the potential finale of this seemingly endless COVID-19 panini. We are almost there—but that doesn’t mean this last stretch is going to be easy.
Recently, horrifying racist attacks against people of East and Southeast Asian descent across North America have been making headlines, but as Friday Things founder Stacy Lee Kong noted, this is not a new issue. Anti-Asian racism, including the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese internment camps, are entrenched throughout Canada’s history—and racism against Asian Canadians has dramatically increased in the past year.
So, while my April highlight was initially going to be Nadiya’s Time to Eat (Netflix), a light-hearted cooking show hosted by Great British Bake Off winner and human ray of sunshine Nadiya Hussain, instead, consider this a reminder to watch Lee Isaac Chung’s Oscar-nominated ode to the American dream, Minari (digital TIFF Bell Lightbox) and Lulu Wang’s tribute to the power of family, The Farewell (Crave), and to explore the many wonderful titles amplified by Toronto’s Reel Asian International Film Festival. In 2019, I had the honour of being a Reel Asian judge and I still think about the badass Lucky Grandma, the heart-wrenching Yellow Rose and the darkly funny We Are Little Zombies (which has a title tune that I still find myself singing). These stories and films are incredible and deserve far more attention.
And if that doesn’t fill up your April calendar, there are plenty of new TV shows and movies coming to streaming services in Canada. Here’s what else I’m looking forward to:
Deborah Ayorinde (Livia ‘Lucky’ Emory) and Ashley Thomas (Henry Emory) in Them. (Image: Amazon Prime Video)
Amazon Prime Video
Them, Season 1 (Premieres April 9)
From breakout creator Little Marvin and executive producer Lena Waithe, Them is a limited anthology series that explores terror in America. The 1950s set first season centers on a Black family who moves from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood during the period known as The Great Migration. The family’s idyllic home becomes ground zero where malevolent forces, next-door and otherworldly, threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them.
Made For Love, Season 1 (Premieres April 16)
Made For Love is a darkly absurd and cynically poignant story of love and divorce. It follows Hazel Green (Cristin Milioti), a thirty-something woman on the run after 10 years in a suffocating marriage to Byron Gogol (Billy Magnussen), a controlling tech billionaire. Soon she discovers that her husband has implanted a monitoring device—the Made for Love chip—in her brain, allowing him to track her, watch her and know her "emotional data" as she tries to regain her independence. Through the chip, Byron is able to watch Hazel's every move as she flees to her desert hometown to take refuge with her aging widower father Herbert (Ray Romano) and his synthetic partner, Diane.
Younger, Season 7 (Premieres April 19)
It’s coming to an end with the final season of the fan-favourite series Younger premiering April 19 with new episodes weekly. The series follows Liza (Sutton Foster), a 40-year old woman who pretends to be 26 in order to get a job in the highly competitive world of publishing – and succeeds. Now working under the prickly Diana (Miriam Shor), Liza has to figure out how to balance her real life with bestie Maggie (Debi Mazar), and her “pretend” life with new friend and co-worker Kelsey (Hilary Duff), all while embarking on an exciting and somewhat confusing relationship with sexy tattoo artist Josh (Nico Tortorella).
Stowaway (Premieres April 22)
On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship's life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially fatal outcome, the crew is forced to make an impossible decision.
Evie Macdonald plays Hannah, a trans teen starting her first year of high school, in First Day. (Image: Epic Films)
CBC Gem
First Day (Premieres March 31, which is basically like April eve, so this counts)
First Day follows transgender teen Hannah Bradford’s first year of high school. Not only does Hannah have to navigate the challenges that come with starting a new school and new friendships, but also find the courage to live as her most authentic self. Written and directed by Julie Kalceff (Starring From….Now), the four-episode miniseries stars young Australian trans actor Evie Macdonald, the first transgender actor to be cast in the lead role of an Australian television series.
Ghosts, Season 1 (Premieres April 9)
A cash-strapped young couple inherit a rickety country mansion, only to find it teeming with needy ghosts. Starring Lolly Adefope (Shrill, Miracle Workers), Mathew Baynton (Vanity Fair, The Wrong Mans) and Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Detectorists), this multi-character sitcom was created by and stars the writer-performers from the award-winning Horrible Histories and Yonderland, and feature film Bill.
Blackstone, Season 2 (Premieres April 16)
Intense, compelling and confrontational, season 2 of Blackstone continues to delve into the tumultuous lives of Blackstone’s residents as they deal with issues of toxic water and foster care. Blackstone continues to be controlled by Andy (Eric Schweig, The Last Of The Mohicans), who stops at nothing in his pursuit of power, even at the expense of his own brother Daryl (Steven Cree Molison, Fifty Shades Of Grey). However, the recent murder at the Roxy Rolla threatens to end Andy’s blatant profiteering once and for all.
Kristen Wiig as Star and Annie Mumolo as Barb in Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. (Image: Cate Cameron)
Crave Canada
The Nevers (Premieres April 11)
In the last years of Victoria's reign, London is beset by the "Touched" people, mostly women, who suddenly manifest abnormal abilities, some charming, some very disturbing. Among them are Amalia True (Laura Donnelly), a mysterious, quick-fisted widow and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly), a brilliant young inventor. They are the champions of this new underclass, making a home for the Touched, while fighting the forces of... well, pretty much all the forces to make room for those whom history as we know it has no place.
Mare of Easttown (Premieres April 18)
As her life crumbles around her, a small-town Pennsylvania detective Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) investigates a local murder. The series explores the dark side of a close community and provides an authentic examination of how family and past tragedies can define our present. The seven-part series is from creator and writer Brad Ingelsby (The Way Back), with all episodes directed by Craig Zobel (The Leftovers).
Crave’s Hot Docs Collection (Premieres April 22)
As the Canadian filmmaking community gathers virtually to celebrate the best in documentary film at the annual Hot Docs Festival (happening April 29-May 9), Crave highlights past festival selections with the Hot Docs Collection. Launching on Thursday, April 22, the collection features notable documentary titles such as Canadian documentary Killing Patient Zero, HBO’s I Love You Now Die and Moonlight Sonata: Deafness In Three Movements, Showtime’s The Fourth Estate, O.J.: Made In America and more.
The Handmaid’s Tale, Season 4 (Premieres April 28)
June (Elisabeth Moss) strikes back against Gilead as a fierce rebel leader, but the risks she takes bring unexpected and dangerous new challenges. Her quest for justice and revenge threatens to consume her and destroy her most cherished relationships.
Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (Premieres April 30)
From co-stars and co-writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar follows lifelong friends Barb and Star embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time ever.
Disney+
Nomadland (Premieres April 9)
Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The third feature film from director Chloé Zhao, Nomadland features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West.
Sarah Paulson as Diane Sherman in Run. (Image: Netflix)
Netflix Canada
Worn Stories (Premieres April 1)
In this funny, heartfelt and moving docuseries, real people unpack the fascinating and quirky stories around their most meaningful pieces of clothing.
Run (Premieres April 2)
Desiring freedom after years of isolated medical care, teenager Chloe suspects her mother might be holding her back — and harboring sinister secrets.
Dolly Parton: A MusiCares Tribute (Premieres April 7)
In a star-studded evening of music and memories, a community of iconic performers honor Dolly Parton as the MusiCares Person of the Year.
Snabba Cash (Premieres April 7)
The lives of an ambitious businesswoman, a charming gang enforcer and a troubled teen collide amidst a desperate — and sinister — pursuit of wealth.
Have You Ever Seen Fireflies? (Premieres April 9)
Rebellious, irreverent wunderkind Gülseren navigates loneliness, love and loss against the current of political turmoil and social change.
The Circle: Season 2 (Premieres April 14)
Ready for more strategic shenanigans? A new cast of allies, enemies and not-so-subtle catfish connect and compete for a major cash prize.
Ajeeb Daastaans (Premieres April 16)
Four shorts explore the surprising ways in which unexpected catalysts inflame the uncomfortable emotions simmering under fractured relationships.
Why Are You Like This (Premieres April 16)
Three best friends negotiate work, fun, identity politics, hookups and wild nights out in this razor-sharp satire of millennial life in Melbourne.
Life in Color with David Attenborough (Premieres April 22)
Premiering this Earth Day, in a stunning new three-part series, David Attenborough travels the world from the rainforests of Costa Rica to the snowy Scottish Highlands to reveal the extraordinary and never-before-seen ways animals use color. Using revolutionary camera technology created specifically for this series, viewers will experience how colors invisible to the human eye play a vital role in animal interactions. From the seemingly magical ultraviolet signals on a butterfly’s wings to the surprising yet crucial purpose behind a Bengal tiger’s stripes, a hidden world of color is waiting to be discovered.
Sexify (Premieres April 28)
While working to create a sex app, a young woman and her friends set out to explore the world of intimacy and learn about themselves in the process.