Need a new binge? If the sudden blast of Quibi content isn't keeping you occupied (they are ten minutes or less, after all,) Netflix has a whole boat load of new shows this month to keep you occupied during quarantine and social distancing. And fortunately, it's a pretty good bunch of options when it comes to new TV shows on Netflix this month, whether you're looking to finally binge one of the best comedy shows of the 21st Century, or just tune in to the latest easy-watching Netflix originals. And to make picking through all the new titles a breeze, we've put together a handy rundown of the best new shows and original series arriving on Netflix in April.
As usual, the streamer is giving their subscribers plenty of the favorite to choose from. In the realm of animation and sci-fi there's the mind-bending new series The Midnight Gospel, co-created by the creator of Adventure Time. If you're a true crime addict, set your sights on The Innocence Files, which promises to tell some infuriating, affirming, and vital stories about the people who have suffered from wrongful convictions and the organizations helping them find justice. If you need something a little lighter given the whole, you know, everything happening everywhere... well, there's some of that too. Kenya Barris as a new comedy on the way with #blackAF, there's an extra horny dating competition called Too Hot to Handle on the way, and even more options in the list below.
Check out all the details below and if you’re looking for more, here’s a full rundown of every new movie and TV show on Netflix in April
Community
Available: April 1
Creator: Dan Harmon
Cast: Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Chevy Chase, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash, Ken Jeong, John Oliver
One of the best comedy shows of the 21st century, Dan Harmon’s Community is an inventive, emotional act of meta sitcom storytelling that defies any easy categorizing and qualification. The basic set-up follows the odd-ensemble students of Greendale, an increasingly ridiculous community college, where the study group bonds and embarks on increasingly ridiculous misadventures. But it’s so much funnier, weirder, and more heartfelt than you’d expect, the the genre-bending meta-narratives that made Harmon’s animated sci-fi Rick and Morty such a celebrated success on full display.
It’s one of the most touching shows out there about finding your people, delivers some of the highest laugh-a-minute payoff in comedy TV, and it embraces the full range of its talented team to skip from genre-to-genre without flinching. Community had the Russo Brothers before the MCU, Community did Meow-Meow beans before Black Mirror did ‘Downfall’, and it highlighted Donald Glover’s polymath gifts long before Childish Gambino became a household name. Fortunately, Netflix now has all six seasons so it’s the perfect time to catch up (or re-watch for the umpteenth time). But if six seasons is too big of a commitment and you don’t know where to start, head over to Greg’s fantastic rundown of the best Community episodes.
La Casa de Papel: Part 4
Available: April 3
Creator: Álex Pina
Cast: Úrsulá Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño, Pedro Alonso, Alba Flores, Miguel Herrán, Jaime Lorente, Esther Acebo, Enrique Arce, Darko Peric
If you’re not caught up on the international sensation La Casa de Papel (aka, Money Heist,) now’s the time. Netflix just dropped, not only the fourth season of the smash hit, but an accompanying documentary chronicling how the series went from a domestic disappointment in Spain to a worldwide phenomenon once it hit streaming. Fair warning though, don’t start with the doc, which includes spoilers for the newly release Season 4. Speaking of which, the newest installment of the crime drama has earned mixed-positive reviews as a thrilling and stylish, if sometimes frustrating, new chapter that sends the crew of masked robbers into their most brutal season yet. And once you blast through all eight new episodes, you can turn to the 50-minute doc Money Heist: The Phenomenon for a comedown.
The Innocence Files
Available: April 15
Executive Producers: Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney and Roger Ross Williams
Netflix has made a habit of coming through with binge-worthy true crime docuseries over the last few years and this month brings The Innocence Files, a new nine-episode series dedicated to showcasing the untold stories behind eight wrongful convictions. The series comes from Academy Award nominee Liz Garbus and Academy Award winners Alex Gibney and Roger Ross Williams, all of whom direct and executive produce. Told across three parts – The Evidence, The Witness, and The Prosecution – the series looks to expose the flaws in our criminal justice system and highlight the personal stories behind the wrongful convictions the Innocence Project and various organizations within the Innocence Network have discovered and worked to overturn.
Too Hot to Handle
Available: April 17
If your interests are (understandably) leaning a little more light and fluffy given the current world climate, and perhaps a bit thirsty, Netflix has a bonkers new reality dating contest to help you get through your Love Is Blind withdrawals. In Too Hot to Handle, Netflix assembles ten sexy singles from all over the globe and drops them in a lil slice of paradise for what they think is gonna be your average hot-and-heavy dating competition. The twist? They have to give up all kissing, “heavy petting” and “self-gratification of any kind” to take home the $100,000 grand prize. And every time they goof it, they take a ding on the grand prize haul. Is it ridiculous? Absolutely. Is it problematic? Probably? Is it going to be a messy, furiously horny trash TV to get you through social distancing? TBD. All I can tell you is, this series had my curiosity, then it described itself as a “luxury no-bone zone,” and now it has my attention.
#blackAF
Available: April 17
Created by: Kenya Barris
Cast: Kenya Barris, Rashida Jones, Gil Ozeri
Top Hollywood multi-hyphenate Kenya Barris delivers another family-oriented, culturally analytical comedy series with #blackAF, but this time, Barris is also stepping in front of the camera... as himself, in sitcom-style fictionalized version of his life. Rashida Jones stars as his wife Joya, and the series offers a new, meta spin on the ensemble series folks have come to know and love from the Black-ish creator and Girls Trip writer. However, thanks to its status as a Netflix original, #blackAF gets to be a bit more profane and mature than his ABC comedies, and the end result is something that feels pitched between Modern Family, Arrested Development, and of course, Barris' signature comedies.
Cooked with Cannabis
Available: April 20
Hosted by: Kelis and Leather Storrs
Just in time for your 4/20 celebrations, or even if you just need a new cooking show to dig into, Netflix delivers the rather self-explanatory Cooked with Cannabis on April 20. Hosted by Kelis (yes, she of the milkshake that brings all the boys to the yard) and chef Leather Storrs, the cooking competition sees chefs from around the country square off to create the most masterful cannabis-infused culinary creations in three-course meals tied to different and unique themes. “Long gone are the days of pot brownies and marijuana cookies,” teases the official logline and as someone who had the opportunity to attend a fancy-as-heck cannabis-infused feast for The Gentleman earlier this year, I can confirm that the stoner/foodie hybrid game has really been elevated in recent years. You might say it’s the highest it’s ever been.
The Midnight Gospel
Available: April 20
Created by: Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell
Get ready to get real weird with it, because The Midnight Gospel is the new animated series from Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward (co-created with Duncan Trussell) and it looks like on hell of an an animated sci-fi trip. Best I can tell from the first trailer, the series focuses on folks in the future doing a podcast of sorts, aka a "spacecast," where they interview subjects from various planets and walks of life throughout the galaxy. Already in, say no more. But there is, indeed, more to say. The first trailer also shows off a spectacular variety of eye-catching animation techniques and mind-bending visuals, and I really just can't wait to see what's in store with this oddball animated adventure. Especially since the surreal headtrip arrives just in time for 4/20.