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As the great Shania Twain once said: “Let’s go girls.” (Image Design: Tina Tiller)
As the great Shania Twain once said: “Let’s go girls.” (Image Design: Tina Tiller)

New to streamingApril 1, 2022

What’s new to Netflix NZ, Neon and other streaming services in April

As the great Shania Twain once said: “Let’s go girls.” (Image Design: Tina Tiller)
As the great Shania Twain once said: “Let’s go girls.” (Image Design: Tina Tiller)

What are you going to be watching in April? With thanks to our friends at Nando’s, we round up everything coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand.

The biggies

The First Lady (limited series on Neon from April 18)

I’m casting my vote that The First Lady has the most impressive cast of any drama we’ll see this year. Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson play Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt respectively, while O-T Fagbenie (Handmaid’s Tale), Aaron Eckhart and Kiefer Sutherland play their husbands. The First Lady takes a fresh look at three of America’s most memorable presidencies, challenging everything we know by centring the perspectives of the first ladies. It should be a winner on cast alone, but The First Lady also promises drama, tears, and a modern take on the personal and political lives of these intelligent, complex women. / Tara Ward

Grace and Frankie: The Final Season (on Netflix from April 29)

The end of Grace and Frankie feels like the end of an era for Netflix. Starring always and forever legends Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, the show was one of its big early comedy hits upon its release in 2015, and nabbing those two huge names gave the streamer a sense of credibility and class it had largely lacked until then. Grace and Frankie has been around for seven seasons, never flagging in energy, and I’m glad the show about two women finding themselves in the midst of (lightly comedic) crisis has a chance to bid a proper farewell. / SB

Russian Doll (season two on Netflix from April 20)

When Natasha Lyonne’s incredible time-loop romcom Russian Doll aired its first season on Netflix, I never expected to see it back for round two. But now, like we’re stuck in some sort of three-year loop of our own, it is. There’s been no shortage of Groundhog Day-esque films and series in recent years, but Russian Doll is in a class of its own, thanks mainly to Lyonne’s dual role as writer and lead actress. This show is funny, fast paced, and somehow also manages to be truly thrilling. / Stewart Sowman-Lund

The Flight Attendant (season two on Neon from April 22)

I bloody loved the first season of HBO’s The Flight Attendant, but it’s a show that seems to have flown under most people’s radars. Kaley Cuoco shines as alcoholic flight attendant Cassie, a loveable hot mess who wakes after a Bangkok layover to find her lover (and former first-class passenger) lying dead next to her. Cassie can’t remember anything about what happened, but she’ll do everything to avoid being caught up in whatever it was. Fingers crossed season two is just as darkly funny and full of surprises. / TW

The notables

The Kardashians (on Disney+ from April 14)

Have you missed watching the antics of America’s first family? Well, mourn no longer because The Kardashians have brought their kollective to the House of Mouse, via Hulu, for basically more of the same, but with more Kardashians, more Jenners and at least one more Barker (Travis, of Blink-182, who dates Kourtney now). The family signed a multi-year deal, so expect them to stay around for some time, whether that’s the end of the world or the end of this contract. / Sam Brooks

The Offer (on TVNZ on Demand from April 29)

A documentary about the making of a famous film is one thing, but a 10-part prestige miniseries? If the premise of The Offer initially sounds like overkill, that sense dissipates once you know a bit about the tumultuous backstory of Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece The Godfather, including some very scary threats from the real-life Italian mob. Released to coincide with the movie’s 50th anniversary, the series stars Miles Teller as producer Albert S. Ruddy, Giovanni Ribisi as mob boss Joe Colombo and Matthew Goode in what appears to be a scene-stealing turn as legendary studio head Robert Evans. / Catherine McGregor

Roar (on AppleTV+ from April 15)

From the creative team behind the cruelly cancelled wrestling comedy Glow comes this star-studded anthology series consisting of eight “darkly comic feminist fables”, all with an absurdist twist. Want to watch Nicole Kidman eat photographs, Betty Gilpin be displayed on a trophy shelf, or Issa Rae turn invisible? Roar is the show for you. Based on a book of short stories by superstar novelist Cecelia Ahern, the series also stars Alison Brie, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Weaver and Meera Syal. / CM

A Very British Scandal (on Amazon Prime Video from April 22)

There are a lot of Very British Scandals, including the sinkhole under Gail Platt’s house on Coronation Street or the time Steve Arnott didn’t wear a waistcoat in Line of Duty, but this new BBC drama might be the most scandalous of all. Starring Claire Foy (The Crown) and Paul Bettany (Wandavision), A Very British Scandal is based on the real life marriage and bitter divorce of the Duke and Duchess of Argyle during the 1960s. It was an upper-class marriage that broke down in front of an unforgiving media, with accusations of drug-taking, forgery and theft being slung about, and private photos and secret recordings used to publicly shame the Duchess. It’s basically MAFS AU in tweed and pearls, and I can’t wait. / TW

The movies

 

In the Heights (on Neon from April 17)

It’s not the only 2021 big budget musical film set in a minority community in America. But while West Side Story dominated awards chatter, In The Heights should have been right in there too. I absolutely adore this movie. The production value is so glossy and crisp, the music sequences leap off the screen like you’re watching a theatre production. And with a soundtrack written by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, you’ll want to be dancing as well. / SS-L

Cousins (on Netflix from April 1)

From Charlotte Muru-Lanning’s feature on powerful New Zealand film Cousins: “Cousins is a film that achieves so much, and yet it’s the subtle moments of the film that stay with you long after watching. Really, it’s hard to find the exact words to describe why Cousins has left such an impression on me. It’s all fleeting feelings that sway between warmth for the characters and the real-life people they remind me of; and anger over land and children taken by the state.” / Charlotte Muru-Lanning

Mad Max: Fury Road (on Netflix from April 1)

Speaking of Oscars, Mad Max: Fury Road should have won Best Picture. That’s all. / SB


This post is made possible by our friends at Nando’s


The rest

 

Netflix

April 1

Trivia Quest

Get Organized with The Home Edit: Season 2

The Bubble

Battle: Freestyle

Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood

Forever Out of My League

Celeb Five: Behind the Curtain

The Last Bus

Mad Max: Fury Road

Cousins

April 2

Tomorrow

April 3

Sex and the City: The Movie

Sex and the City 2

April 5

Ronny Chieng: Speakeasy

April 6

The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On

Furioza

Michela Giraud: the Truth, I Swear

Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story

April 7

Green Mothers’ Club

Return to Space

Senzo: Murder of a Soccer Star

April 8

Dirty Lines

Elite: Season 5

Dancing on Glass

Metal Lords

Yaksha: Ruthless Operations

Green Eggs and Ham: Season 2

Tiger and Bunny 2

April 9

Our Blues

April 10

My Liberation Notes

April 12

Hard Cell

The Creature Cases

April 13

Smother-in-Law

Almost Happy: Season 2

Our Great National Parks

April 14

Ultraman: Season 2

April 15

Heirs to the Land

Anatomy of a Scandal

Mai

Choose or Die

April 16

Man of God

April 19

White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie and Fitch

Battle Kitty

Pacific Rim: The Black: Season 2

April 20

Yakamoz S-245

Russian Doll: Season 2

The Marked Heart

The Turning Point

April 21

He’s Expecting

All About Gila

April 22

The Seven Lives of Lea

Heartstopper

Selling Sunset: Season 5

Along for the Ride

April 26

David Spade: Nothing Personal

April 27

Bullshit: The Gameshow

Silverton Siege

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes

April 28

Samurai Rabbit: The Usage Chronicles

Bubble

April 29

Ozark: Season 4 Part 2

Grace and Frankie: Season 7 – The Final Episodes

Honeymoon with My Mother

Rumspringa

Neon

April 1

Family Tree

Meeting Stone Cold

Brothers of Destruction

Breaking News in Yuba County

April 2

Gangster Squad

April 3

Respect

April 4

Take Home Pay

April 5

Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom

Love and Hip Hop: Miami: Seasons 1-3

Blades of Glory

Moonshot

April 6

DMZ

April 7

Bluff City Law

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

April 8

Peppa Pig

Kimi

April 9

Shopping

April 10

Nightmare Alley

April 11

Blues Clues and You: Seasons 1-2

The Social Network

April 12

House: Season 1-8

Get Smart

April 13

The Cleaning Lady

April 14

Danger Force: Season 1A

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The Towering Inferno

April 15

MTV Cribs Collection: Seasons 1-3

Ghosted: Love Gone Missing: Seasons 1-2

April 16

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Monsters vs Aliens

April 17

In the Heights

Snow Dogs

April 18

The First Lady

Fear The Walking Dead: Season 7B

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Boy

April 19

Grand Crew

Better Call Saul: Season 6

Snow Piercer

April 20

American Auto

Last Vegas

April 21

Mayas MC: Season 4

Little Pet Shop

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

April 22

The Flight Attendant

Honey Girls

April 23

Pacific Rim

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

April 24

Gunpowder Milkshake

April 25

Barry: Season 3

Here Comes the Boom

The Boss Baby: Family Business

April 27

This is 40

April 28

Superman

April 29

The Way Down

Superbad

April 30

Out of Death

TVNZ on Demand

April 1

Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 1-4

Metalocalypse

Squidbillies

Robot Chicken

Liz and Dick

From the Vault: Anzac

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Seasons 2-7

The Canterville Ghost

Six: Seasons 1-2

The Attack

Tanna

Everything in Between

Bush to Belly

Motley’s Law

Rise Above

Operation Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler

The Neighbour in the Window

Who Killed JonBenet?

Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy

Beyond Survival: Season 1

Queens and Cowboys: Season 1A

Cheetah in August: Season 2B

Metro Sexual: Season 2B

Crash and Burn

Dina

Hillary: Ocean to Sky

Walrus and the Whistleblower

April 2

Hollyoaks

April 3

Smother: Season 3

April 4

Yap Trap: Season 2

April 5

Secrets of Playboy

Madagascar: A Little Wild

April 6

The Croods: The Family Tree

April 8

Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce: Seasons 1-5

April 12

Jamestown: Seasons 1-3

April 14

O’Town Dreaming

April 16

No Return

April 18

Transplant: Season 2

April 25

The Bachelorette Australia: Season 7

April 29

The Offer

Amazon Prime Video

April 1

Luxe Listings Sydney

The Outlaws

Daddy’s Home

April 5

Sully

April 6

Superbad

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions

April 8

All The Old Knives

Man of the Match

April 12

Gangster Squad

April 13

Men in Black

Men in Black 2

Men in Black 3

April 15

Outer Range

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit: Seasons 14-15

April 22

A Very British Scandal

A Very English Scandal

April 27

Black Hawk Down

April 28

Bang Bang Baby

Disney+

April 1

Better Nate Than Never

Heat

In Time

The Internship

Knight and Day

LA Confidential

Love and Other Drugs

Man on Fire

Monte Carlo

Noah

What Happens in Vegas

What’s Your Number?

Step Into… The Movies with Derek and Julianne Hough

April 6

FEUD: Bette and Joan

The Hardy Boys: Seasons 1-2

Minnie’s Bow-Toons: Party Palace Pals

Wayward Pines: Seasons 1-2

Good Trouble: Season 3

Africa’s Deadliest: Seasons 5-6

Wild Australia: Season 1

April 8

Rules Don’t Apply

Shutter

Mission Pluto

Wild Ways of the Vikings

April 13

Ice Age: Scrat Tales: Season 1

The Ignorant Angels: Season 1

Baskets: Seasons 1-4

Devs: Season 1

Making History: Season 1

Man Seeking Woman: Seasons 1-3

Random Rings (Shorts): Seasons 1-2

Riding Britain’s Railways: Season 1

April 14

The Kardashians

April 15

Joy Ride

Jumper

Street Kings

Russia’s Wild Tiger

The Way of the Cheetah

April 20

Estée in Parijs: Season 1

Hacking the System: Season 1

Lion Kingdom: Season 1

The Resident: Season 4

April 21

Captive Audience: Season 1

April 22

Polar Bear

Bear Witness

The Biggest Little Farm

Explorer: The Last Tepui

Unfaithful

The King of Comedy

Natural Born Killers

Once Upon a Time in America

Operation Orangutan

Counting Tigers

Sketchbook: Season 1

Grown-ish: Season 4

Eye Wonder: Season 1

The Ghost Whisperer: Seasons 1-5

India’s Lost Worlds: Season 1

Invasion Earth: Season 1

Superstructures: Engineering Marvels: Season 1

April 29

Love in Colour

Blow Your Mind

JFK: Seven Days That Made a President

Ultimate Tutankhamun

Apple TV+

April 1

Slow Horses

April 15

Roar

April 22

They Call Me Magic

April 29

Shining Girls

Acorn

April 4

Harry Wild

Poldark: Season 5

Taggart: Season 17

Lost Letter Mysteries; The Vows That We Have Made

April 11

Taggart: Season 8

Candice Renoir: Season 4

Coming Home

April 18

Keeping Faith: Season 3

Garage Sale Mysteries: Season 1

The Ipcress File: Season 1

April 25

Balthazar: Season 4

Nancherrow: Season 16

Shudder

April 5

How to Deter a Robber

You Might Be The Killer

April 7

Cursed Films 11

April 12

Julia

The 100 Candles Game

April 13

Subspecies

The Pit and the Pendulum

Intruder

April 15

The Cellar

April 19

The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Seasons 1-3

Devil’s Tower

Eat

April 21

Virus 32

April 26

Etheria: Season 5

Evidence

The Windmill Massacre

Keep going!