A highly-anticipated stand-up special, a political drama, and an AI-fighting nun walk into a bar . . . and provide streaming platforms with one of the more exciting weeks for premieres. Rachel Weisz sees (and plays) double while Chris Evans gets accused of being a double agent — in different projects, of course — and that’s just a fraction of this week’s fun.
What to watch on Netflix
The Diplomat
If The Americans taught us anything, it’s that Keri Russell is the queen of playing complicated women in complicated marriages thrust into complicated political scenarios. The Diplomat checks all of those boxes and then some. Russell stars as Kate Wyler, a woman who’s spent her career in the military and foreign service until a disaster abroad gets her appointed as the American ambassador to the UK. As a normally cushy position becomes something much more high-stakes she must balance her new responsibilities with mounting international pressures — plus her career-politician husband’s antics. The Diplomat premiered Thursday, April 20th.
John Mulaney: Baby J
John Mulaney has had a notable few years since his last stand-up special graced Netflix. Since 2018, he had a voice role in an Oscar-winning film, checked himself into rehab, went through a high-profile recoupling drama, and had a baby. We only mention it because the comedian is sure to focus on these trials and tribulations (and likely plenty more) in his new special, John Mulaney: Baby J. Irreverent and self-effacing in equal measure, it’s no wonder why Mulaney is one of the few stand-up comics that can consider themselves marquee names in this era. John Mulaney: Baby J premieres Tuesday, April 25th.
What to watch on Hulu
Saint X
Hulu loves a book-to-television adaptation, and Saint X is no different. This new series is a psychological drama that promises to play with viewer expectations when it comes to the girl-gone-missing genre. When a young woman dies on her family’s vacation in the Caribbean, many questions are left unanswered. Years later, her younger sister obsesses over the mystery, desperate for any information she can dig up. Multiple timelines and perspectives frame this mystery, a story with its own sharp eye for class commentary à la the first season of The White Lotus. Saint X premieres Wednesday, April 26th.
What to watch on Amazon Prime
https://youtu.be/FA_XOruRFfU
Dead Ringers
Rachel Weisz pulls double-duty in Dead Ringers. This miniseries (taking off from the David Cronenberg film of the same name from the ‘80s) follows a pair of identical-twin gynecologists. Elliot and Beverly work together, they live together, and they share everything from lovers to drugs to a dream of opening their own clinic — but they’re hardly the same person. Each has her own unique relationship with her patients, her practice, and pregnancy itself. The series explores the modern reproductive industrial complex with a sharp eye and a sharper scalpel, helped along by Weisz’s phenomenal performance(s). Dead Ringers premieres Friday, April 21st.
What to watch on HBO Max
https://youtu.be/Z778sJGKB3E
Love & Death
Behind-the-camera television talents Lesli Linka Glatter (Mad Men, Homeland) and David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies) team up to deliver Love & Death to our screens. This miniseries tells the true story of Candy Montgomery, a Texas housewife accused of brutally murdered her friend after conducting an affair with her husband. Elizabeth Olsen gives Candy some southern charm with a side of existential ennui, which leads her to embark on a risky relationship with local man Allan (Jesse Plemons). As their love blossoms, so too does Candy’s sense of self — and she won’t put up with a threat to either. Love & Death premieres Thursday, April 27th.
What to watch on Apple TV+
Ghosted
From the director of Rocketman and the writers of Deadpool comes a fun new romantic comedy with a healthy dose of action. Ghosted stars Chris Evans as a humble farmer who falls for a woman who just so happens to be a secret agent (Ana de Armas). When she seemingly ghosts him, he travels across the globe to surprise her. Naturally, he gets roped into a plot of international import, complete with bounty hunters, car chases, and a whole lot of costume changes. Adrien Brody, Mike Moh, Tim Blake Nelson, and Amy Sedaris also feature. Ghosted premieres Friday, April 21st.
What to watch on Peacock
Mrs. Davis
From the man behind television hits like Lost, The Leftovers, and Watchmen comes a fascinating new tale of faith versus futurity. In a not-too-distant future, an AI known as the titular Mrs. Davis has solved plenty of humanity’s ills, but it has also threatened to wipe out of the virtues that make us human. Staunch in her faith (and stauncher in her hatred of the omniscient machine) is Sister Simone, played by Betty Gilpin. She sets off on a bombastic quest to put an end to Mrs. Davis in a series that enthusiastically embraces the absurd. Mrs. Davis premiered Thursday, April 20th.
What to Watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
