April 2024 TV Preview: 15 New Shows to Watch

1. “The Synanon Fix,” April 1 (HBO)

Charles “Chuck” Dederich’s treatment center-turned-rehab-turned-possible-cult takes thes potlight in this docuseries compiling the stories of former members. Synanon rose up in the late-1950s thanks to revolutionary therapy techniques for recovering addicts, but as it grew beyond that community, Dederich and his wife would fall under scrutiny for extreme techniques, strict communal living rules, and eventually allegations of assault and attempted murder. Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey helm the series, written by Bailey, Jeff Swimmer, and Keven McAlester. —PK

2. “American Horror Story: Delicate – Part 2,” April 3 (FX)

Ryan Murphy shows are infamous for petering out, and his FX horror anthology never met a seasonal theme it couldn’t fumble. Which is why you’d be forgiven for not realizing “American Horror Story: Delicate” isn’t finished yet. Based on Danielle Rollins’ thriller novel “Delicate Condition,” this disappointing “Rosemary’s Baby” redux stars Emma Roberts in a classic female hysteria whodunnit about a pregnant actress being stalked for her baby.

“Delicate” wasn’t split in half for storytelling reasons. No, the adaptation was bisected thanks to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes — leaving showrunner Halley Feiffer (who also wrote the season) and TV audiences on the narrative hook for almost a year. Last we saw heroine Anna she seemed ready to sell her soul to win an Oscar. We’ll see how that pans out for her in four new episodes (“Opening Night,” “Ave Hestia,” “Little Gold Man,” and “The Auteur”), beginning on April 3 and releasing weekly after that. The show won accolades for its costumes, make up, and hair which is maybe the best reason to revisit the troubled title. —AF*

3. “Sight Unseen,” April 3 (The CW)

Tess Avery (Dolly Lewis) and Jake Campbell (Daniel Gillies) are an unstoppable pair of homicide detectives, until an incident on the job gets them nearly killed and Tess in deep trouble. Now banned from the field and clinically blind, Tess seeks out the help of Sunny (Agam Darshi) to guide her through the world and convince people she can return to the job she loves. Karen and Nikolijne Troubetzkoy serves as showrunners (the series is partly inspired by real experiences), with executive producer John Fawcett directing multiple episodes. —PK

4. “Ripley,” April 4 (Netflix)

Most film buffs would agree it’s utterly foolhardy to even touch Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” but even the biggest skeptic likely paused to gasp when Netflix announced its limited series adaptation from Steve Zaillan and starring Andrew Scott (in black-and-white!). Scott becomes the eponymous antihero (tapping into his humble and twisted “Sherlock” origins), with “Lovesick”s Johnny Flynn as Dickie and Dakota Fanning as Marge. Tom Ripley isn’t an easy man to catch, but we expect he’ll still be a delight to watch. —PK*

5. “Mary & George,” April 5 (Starz)

Starz’ bread and butter is a steamy historical drama, and this real-life tale of mother and son Mary and George more than fits the bill. Starring Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine (“Red, White and Royal Blue,” forthcoming “The Idea of You”) the series follows the real-life duo as they scheme their way into English court all the way up to seducing King James I (putting a whole new spin on mother-son bonding, we imagine!).

Based on the book “The King’s Assassin” by Benjamin Woolley expect historical fiction fans (hi!) to gobble this one up. —ES*

6. “Sugar,” April 5 (Apple TV+)

On the one hand, “Sugar” is a TV show like any other. The drama follows private investigator John Sugar once he’s been hired to find the vanished granddaughter of an esteemed Hollywood producer. In other words, there’s a missing girl, a powerful family member, and a lone detective out to discover the truth — truth, undoubtedly, that’s more than he bargained for. But “Sugar,” too, may be more than its familiar genre trappings suggest. For one, the titular P.I. is played by Colin Farrell, marking his first starring TV role since the little-seen AMC+ import, “The North Water,” and, before that, the widely seen (and disliked) second season of “True Detective.”

Now with an Oscar nomination to his credit, Farrell returns for another go at prestige TV, and he’s not alone: The enticing cast counts fellow Oscar nominee Amy Ryan and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as series regulars, alongside recurring heavyweights in James Cromwell, Anna Gunn, and Miguel Sandoval. Adding to the excitement is pilot director and executive producer Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) and an air of secrecy around the entire project. “Genre-bending” is a term that’s popped up around “Sugar,” as the eight-episode first season will branch out from a dramatic detective story into the realm of science-fiction, as well. How, exactly, is part of the mystery, but there are more than a few good reasons to come knocking for a bowl of “Sugar” come April 5. —BT*

7. “Fallout,” April 11 (Prime Video)

Co-created by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, “Fallout” is on standby to become the next great video game adaption on TV. “Yellowjackets” Ella Purnell stars as hero Lucy, a survivor in a post-apocalyptic version of Earth decimated by nuclear warfare at the end of World War II. At the start of the series, Lucy emerges from a 200-year-old bunker to find a raging resource war going on topside — making her introduction to a world she’s never known even more right for serialized adventure.

Like players of the original title from Bethesda Game Studios, Lucy will navigate this dangerous alternate history with ample ammunition and a trusty canine companion at her side. Walton Goggins plays the primary antagonist in the major Prime Video investment; he’s an especially dangerous mutant in a sea of visual effects that must have cost a fortune. Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, and more fill out the cast of this sci-fi series, a no-brainer one-to-watch if you loved or even just liked HBO’s “The Last of Us.” —AF*

8. “Good Times,” April 12 (Netflix)

The 1970s Norman Lear sitcom gets reimagined and animated for this Netflix reboot, which follows a new generation of the Evans family living in Chicago. Helmed by showrunner Ranada Shephard and executive produced by Lear (who recorded a cameo before passing away in 2023), Stephen Curry, and Seth MacFarlane. The series stars Jay Pharoah, Marsai Martin, Yvette Nicole Brown, Gerald Anthony ‘Slink’ Johnson, and JB Smoove. 

“What you’ll get… is a lot of social commentary, a lot of pushing the boundaries, a lot of feel-good television, but also a lot of things that may be in the vein of ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘South Park’ and ‘Family Guy,'” Shephard said in a Netflix press release. Sounds like a good time. —PK

9. “Franklin,” April 12 (Apple TV+)

This is, somewhat surprisingly, Michael Douglas’ first time in a period piece — and boy did he pick an interesting one for his first time at bat. (He also executive produces the show.) This eight-part Apple TV+ series follows Benjamin Franklin’s exploits in France during 1776 as the fate of the United States hangs in the balance. Based on Stacy Schiff’s book, “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America,” the show’s press release sets the stage thusly: “At age 70, without any diplomatic training, Franklin convinced an absolute monarchy to underwrite America’s experiment in democracy. By virtue of his fame, charisma and ingenuity, Franklin outmaneuvered British spies, French informers and hostile colleagues to engineer the Franco-American alliance of 1778 and the peace treaty with England in 1783.”

Directed by Tim Van Patten, the show also stars Noah Jupe, Thibault de Montalembert, Daniel Mays, and Theodore Pellerin. —ES*

10. “The Sympathizer,” April 14 (HBO)

Adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and directed by none other than “Oldboy” and “Decision To Leave’s” Park Chan-wook, “The Sympathizer” is a six-episode limited series about The Captain (Hoa Xuande), a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy who flees Vietnam near the end of the war to continue his covert duties stateside. Along the way, he runs into politicians and film directors, fellow communists and avid capitalists, all while being torn between the identity he presents to others and the one he’s sworn to keep hidden. Co-starring in the A24 production are Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Phanxine, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Sandra Oh, and Robert Downey Jr. (the latter of whom plays at least four roles). Matching its protagonist’s striking duality, “The Sympathizer” is an earnest, dramatic character study as much as it’s a black-comic satire. In the hands of Chan-wook, it can’t be missed. —BT*

11. “Under the Bridge,” April 17 (Hulu)

Adapting the late Rebecca Godfrey’s nonfiction book of the same name (the author died in October 22 at age 54 from lung cancer), “Under the Bridge” tells the tragic true crime tale of 14-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta). Godfrey’s 2005 book recounts her investigation into Dirk’s violent death. The young Canadian girl, an immigrant from India with religious parents, experienced extreme bullying at school and died after she was brutally beaten and left for dead in a river in 1997. Riley Keough stars as Godfrey for the Hulu dramatization; the author died just weeks after the streamer announced the series. Chloe Guidry, Izzy G, Ezra Farouke Khan, and more — including Lily Gladstone — round out the cast. —AF*
 

12. “Orlando Bloom: To The Edge,” April 18 (Peacock)

Like the greats before him (Zac Efron, Chris Hemsworth), Orlando Bloom brings an audience on his “physical, mental and spiritual journey of self-discovery.” Bloom focuses on a different extreme sport in each episode of the three-part series: wingsuiting, free diving, and rock climbing. The actual adventures are intercut with expert consultation as well as conversations with family and friends and the guiding principles of Buddhism. —PK

13. “THEM: The Scare,” April 25 (Prime Video)

Prime Video’s horror anthology returns with its second installment from creator Little Marvin, this time set in 1990s Los Angeles. A chilling murder leaves law enforcement rattled, the task of solving it on the shoulders of detective Dawn Reeve (Deborah Ayorinde). As tensions rise in the city and Dawn zeroes in on the killer, sinister forces enter her own home. Pam Grier, Luke James, Joshua J. Williams, Jeremy Bobb, Wayen Knight, Carlito Olivero, Charles Brice, and Iman Shumpert also appear in the series. —PK

14. “How Disney Built America,” April 28 (The History Channel)

The latest installment in the “That Built” franchise focuses on none other the House of Mouse creator Walt Disney. Each episode adds to the lore of Disney himself as well as the brand that would become his legacy, including the creation of animated features, beloved characters, and multiple theme parks. With new interviews, dramatic recreations, and rarely seen treasures from the archives, it’s a one-of-a-kind look at a key figure in American history. —PK

15. “The Veil,” April 30 (FX)

Elisabeth Moss has one of the better resumes in television. From “The West Wing” to “Mad Men,” “Top of the Lake” to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” if Moss is in more than a few episodes of a TV show, odds are it’s worth checking out, if not a full-on classic. (Even her award-less 2022 Apple series, “Shining Girls,” was an exciting thriller with incredible atmospherics.) Now, she’s back with “The Veil,” a limited series written by “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight and co-starring Josh Charles, Yumna Marwan, Dali Benssalah, and Haluk Bilginer. Though few details have been leaked in advance, the story follows a spy and her charge on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London. Along the way, Moss’ espionage agent has to extract a vital secret from her travel companion, all while the CIA and French DGSE steer things from behind the scenes. Knight’s previous FX collaborations have been so-so, starting on a relative high with Tom Hardy in “Taboo” and before middling adaptations of “A Christmas Carol” and “Great Expectations.” Here’s hoping Moss’ involvement tips the scales back in his (and our) favor. —BT*