April 2021 Television Preview

An interview series featuring one dope queen, an awkward comedy that sees an “SNL” alumna playing a pubescent boy, and an action series remake that reclaims the problematic original‘s premise from a Asian woman’s perspective — these are just a few of the new shows headed to the airwaves this April.

Series creator Nasim Pedrad takes on the title role in TBS’ “Chad” (April 6), a 14-year-old Persian high schooler struggling with his cultural identity and trying to become popular. The CW’s “Kung Fu” (April 7) follows a young Chinese-American woman (Olivia Liang) who uses her newfound martial arts skills to protect her hometown and avenge her Shaolin mentor. Comedian and author Phoebe Robinson interviews celebrities like Gabrielle Union and Amber Ruffin while trying new things — such as high ropes courses and horseback riding — in “Doing the Most with Phoebe Robinson” (April 9), her Comedy Central show.

Also among the most-anticipated series premiering this month are HBO’s “Mare of Easttown” (April 18) and Peacock’s “Rutherford Falls” (April 22). The former, starring Kate Winslet, is about a small-town detective investigating a murder while contending with tragedy in her personal life. “Rutherford Falls,” co-created by Sierra Teller Ornelas, sees the residents of a Native American reservation-adjacent community finally acknowledging their town’s racist history.

The final seasons of “Younger” (April 15) and “Queen of the South” (April 7) are set to bow this month as well. Other returning shows include “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (April 23) and “The Handmaid’s Tale” (April 28).

Here are April’s premiering and returning women-driven and women-created TV projects. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.

TV and Episodic Premieres

“Made for Love” – Created by Alissa Nutting, Christina Lee, Dean Bakopoulos, and Patrick Somerville; Directed by Stephanie Laing and Alethea Jones (Premieres April 1 on HBO Max)

“Made for Love”

Based on the novel by Alissa Nutting, “Made for Love” is a darkly absurd and cynically poignant story of love and divorce following Hazel Green (Cristin Milioti), a 30-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’s 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.

“United States of Al” – Created by Maria Ferrari and David Goetsch (Premieres April 1 on CBS)

Adhir Kalyan and Parker Young star in a comedy about the friendship between Riley (Young), a Marine combat veteran struggling to readjust to civilian life in Ohio, and Awalmir (Kalyan), also known as Al, the interpreter who served with his unit in Afghanistan and has just arrived to start a new life in America.

“Hysterical” (Documentary) – Directed by Andrea Nevins (Premieres April 2 on FX)

“Hysterical”: FX

“Hysterical” is an honest and hilarious backstage pass into the lives of some of stand-up comedy’s most boundary-breaking women, exploring the hard-fought journey to become the voices of their generation and their gender.

“Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia” (TV Movie) – Written by Bettina Gilois and Todd Kreidler (Premieres April 3 on Lifetime)

“Mahalia”

Born in New Orleans, Mahalia Jackson (Danielle Brooks) began singing at an early age and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in U.S. history, melding her music with the civil rights movement. Her recording of the song “Move on Up a Little Higher” sold millions of copies, skyrocketing her to international fame, and gave her the opportunity to perform at diverse settings including in front of a racially integrated audience at the prestigious Carnegie Hall and at John F. Kennedy’s inaugural ball. An active supporter of the civil rights movement, Jackson sang at numerous rallies, including the March on Washington in 1963 in hopes that her music would encourage and inspire racial equality.

“Birdgirl” (Premieres April 4 on Adult Swim)

In “Birdgirl,” 30-something Judy Ken Sebben (Paget Brewster) inherits her father’s company, which would be great if that company weren’t built around the most socially irresponsible 20th-century products and practices that, on a good day, involve clearing redwood forests or operating for-profit children’s hospitals. From the halls of the company headquarters, she assembles the ragtag, non-overtime earning Birdteam. Together, they try to undo all the luridly dangerous decisions of the generation before or contain the havoc of one of their own “world-saving” products gone bad.

“Malika the Lion Queen” (Documentary Special) (Premieres April 4 on Fox)

Narrated by Angela Bassett, the special takes viewers through the exhilarating and harrowing life of Malika. This untold story of the lioness’ experience is an educational exploration about the true queens and leaders in the lion kingdom. It is a stunning masterpiece of visual storytelling and offers a uniquely personal insight into one of the most powerful animals to walk the earth today.

“Mama Gloria” (Documentary) – Directed by Luchina Fisher (Premieres April 5 on WORLD Channel)

Gloria Allen, a 75-year-old Black trailblazing transgender activist who started a charm school for homeless trans youth, is now aging with joy and grace. “Mama Gloria” is the story of a mother’s love – the love that Gloria’s mother had for her and the love that Gloria has for her chosen children. And it is driven by the love that director Luchina Fisher has for her teenage transgender daughter, Gia.

“Hemingway” (Docuseries) – Directed by Lynn Novick and Ken Burns (Premieres April 5 on PBS)

“Hemingway,” a three-part, six-hour documentary film, examines the visionary work and the turbulent life of Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest and most influential writers America has ever produced. Interweaving his eventful biography — a life lived at the ultimately treacherous nexus of art, fame, and celebrity — with carefully selected excerpts from his iconic short stories, novels, and non-fiction, the series reveals the brilliant, ambitious, charismatic, and complicated man behind the myth, and the art he created.

“Chad” – Created by Nasim Pedrad (Premieres April 6 on TBS)

A 14-year-old pubescent Persian boy (Nasim Pedrad) navigates his first year of high school on a mission to become popular. Chad’s friendships and sanity are pushed to the limits as he uses every tactic at his disposal to befriend the cool kids, while enduring his mother’s new dating life and reconciling with his cultural identity.

“Kung Fu” – Created by Christina M. Kim (Premieres April 7 on The CW)

“Kung Fu”: The CW

A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman, Nicky Chen (Olivia Liang), to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to find her hometown overrun with crime and corruption, Nicky uses her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice — all while searching for the assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her.

“Dolly Parton: A MusiCares Tribute” (Documentary Special) (Premieres April 7 on Netflix)

In a star-studded evening of music and memories, a community of iconic performers honor Dolly Parton as the MusiCares Person of the Year.

“Rebel” – Created by Krista Vernoff (Premieres April 8 on ABC)

Inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich today, Annie “Rebel” Bello (Katey Sagal) is a blue-collar legal advocate without a law degree. She’s a funny, messy, brilliant, and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves. When Rebel applies herself to a fight she believes in, she will win at almost any cost.

“Doing the Most with Phoebe Robinson” (Premieres April 9 on Comedy Central)

“Doing the Most with Phoebe Robinson” stars Robinson as she creates adventures and experiences with her celebrity guests that take us into their world and out of her comfort zone. From tackling a high ropes course with Kevin Bacon, learning magic with The Property Brothers, horseback riding with Whitney Cummings, and more, each episode of the series features one-on-one interviews and unique experiences with pop culture luminaries. Additional guests include Tan France, Ashley Graham, Hasan Minhaj, Eric Nam, Amber Ruffin, Dulcé Sloan, and Gabrielle Union.

“We Children from Bahnhof Zoo” – Created by Annette Hess, Sophie von Uslar, Philipp Kadelbach, and Oliver Berben (Premieres April 9 on Amazon Prime Video)

Christiane (Jana McKinnon), Stella (Lena Urzendowsky), Babsi (Lea Drinda), Axel (Jeremias Meyer), Michi (Bruno Alexander), and Benno (Michelangelo Fortuzzi) find each other in the intoxicating clubs and underground parties of Berlin. They are strong, courageous, and living wildly in “paradise” – one that initially appears to be a riot of color and excitement. As the group’s bond intensifies, they hedonistically chase the next thrill, navigating their way through euphoric highs and dark, dangerous lows. While their lives and relationships expand and unravel, their individual traumas drag them into a tailspin.

“The Nevers” (Premieres April 11 on HBO and HBO Max)

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.

“Our Towns” (Documentary) – Directed by Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher; Written by Jeanne Jordan, Deborah Fallows, Steven Ascher, and James Fallows (Premieres April 13 on HBO and HBO Max)

“Our Towns” is a remarkable portrait of America and how the rise of civic and economic reinvention is transforming small cities and towns across the country. Based on the bestselling book “Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America” by journalists James and Deborah Fallows, the visually stunning feature documentary spotlights ingenious local initiatives and explores how a sense of community and common language of change can help people and towns find a different path to the future.

“Mare of Easttown” (Miniseries) (Premieres April 18 on HBO and HBO Max)

“Mare of Easttown”

This limited series stars Kate Winslet as Mare Sheehan, a small-town Pennsylvania detective who investigates a local murder as life crumbles around her. “Mare of Easttown” is an exploration into the dark side of a close community and an authentic examination of how family and past tragedies can define our present.

“Confronting a Serial Killer” (Docuseries) (Premieres April 18 on Starz)

The five-episode series tells the timely story of the unprecedented relationship between acclaimed New York Times best-selling author and memoirist Jillian Lauren (“Some Girls: My Life in a Harem”) and the most prolific serial killer in American history, Samuel Little, and her race against time to identify his victims before it’s too late. Lauren uncovers Little’s darkest secrets and aids law enforcement in solving a multitude of cold case murders while struggling to reconcile her own history of addiction and abuse with her present-day mission to return the identities of previously nameless bodies and forgotten women. As she slips deeper into his sordid world, Lauren realizes that she may become, psychologically, Little’s last victim. Through the perspectives of Lauren, as well as several female members of law enforcement, multiple investigators, survivors, and victims’ family members, “Confronting a Serial Killer” shines a light on systemic issues within the criminal justice system, including bias against marginalized communities, particularly women of color, and those struggling with addiction, mental illness, and trauma.

“Impact with Gal Gadot” (Docuseries) – Directed by Vanessa Roth (Premieres April 19 on National Geographic)

“Impact” follows inspiring women living in communities marred by violence, poverty, trauma, discrimination, oppression, and natural disasters, and yet, against all odds, dare to dream, stand out, speak up, and lead. Six brave women are featured in the series, including a 19-year-old college student in Puerto Rico who, after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, is on a mission to ensure that every person struggling has access to clean and safe water; a trauma therapist in Half Moon Bay, California who lost her twin sister to COVID-19 and is turning her grief to impact by healing women through surf therapy; a formally homeless trans woman in Memphis, Tennessee who is building houses for other transgender women in need of homes; a ballerina in the most dangerous area of Brazil, who through dance has created a community that lifts young girls towards a better future; a figure skater who has broken barriers in her sport and dedicates her life to coaching and empowering young girls of color on and off the ice; and the first female chief of a coastal southern Louisiana tribe who is expected to be among the first climate refugees in the United States as she impacts the legacy of her ancestors, the lives of her community today, and the future of her people.

“The Secrets She Keeps” (Miniseries) – Directed by Catherine Millar and Jennifer Leacey; Written by Sarah Walker and Jonathan Gavin (Premieres April 19 on AMC)

“The Secrets She Keeps”: John Platt

Two women have a chance encounter in a supermarket in an affluent Sydney suburb. They are the same age, both heavily pregnant and due at the same time. Meghan (Jessica De Gouw) is an online influencer on the rise. Agatha (Laura Carmichael) works in the supermarket as a shelf stacker.

“Cruel Summer” (Premieres April 20 on Freeform)

“Cruel Summer” is a psychological thriller that follows two young women: Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt), the popular girl with a charmed life who one day goes missing, and Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia), the nerdy wannabe who is accused of being connected to Kate’s disappearance. All signs point to Jeanette’s guilt, but is Kate really who she seems to be? Set over three summers and told through shifting points of view, the series challenges perception and follows how one girl can go from being a sweet outlier to the most despised person in America.

“Philly D.A.” (Docuseries) – Created by Nicole Salazar, Ted Passon, and Yoni Brook (Premieres April 20 on PBS)

In 2017, Philadelphia had one of the highest incarceration rates of any major city in the United States. And it’s become the epicenter of a historic experiment that could shape the future of prosecution in America for decades to come. When civil rights attorney Larry Krasner mounted a long-shot campaign to become District Attorney, he ran on a bold pledge: to end mass incarceration by changing the culture of the criminal justice system from within. He shocked the establishment by winning in a landslide. Now, the bureaucrats he spent his campaign denigrating are his co-workers; the police he alienated are his rank-and-file law enforcers. Pressure comes from all sides of a system resistant to reform. Krasner’s unapologetic promise to use the power of the D.A.’s office for sweeping change is what got him elected; now that he’s in office, that same stubbornness threatens to alienate those he needs to work with the most.

“Rutherford Falls” – Created by Sierra Teller Ornelas, Ed Helms, and Mike Schur (Premieres April 22 on Peacock)

“Rutherford Falls”

“Rutherford Falls” is a comedy about two lifelong best friends, Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms) and Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding), who find themselves at a crossroads – quite literally – when their sleepy town gets an unexpected wakeup call.

“Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World” (Docuseries) (Premieres April 22 on PBS)

Greta Thunberg is on a mission to save the world. She is asking every one of us to act and to mobilize in order to slow down the growing climate change that is destroying our planet and threatens our way of life. This revealing series follows Thunberg as she steps from behind the podium and onto the front lines. Over the course of the three episodes, Thunberg explores the science as she travels to extraordinary locations across the globe, meeting leading climate scientists, witnessing first hand the consequences of climate change, and confronting the complexity of what is required to make change happen.

“Shadow and Bone” (Premieres April 23 on Netflix)

“Shadow and Bone”: David Appleby/Netflix

Based on Leigh Bardugo’s worldwide bestselling Grishaverse novels, “Shadow and Bone” finds us in a war-torn world where lowly soldier and orphan Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) has just unleashed an extraordinary power that could be the key to setting her country free. With the monstrous threat of the Shadow Fold looming, Alina is torn from everything she knows to train as part of an elite army of magical soldiers known as Grisha. But as she struggles to hone her power, she finds that allies and enemies can be one and the same and that nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. There are dangerous forces at play, including a crew of charismatic criminals, and it will take more than magic to survive.

“Great Performances: Romeo & Juliet” (Taped Theater Production) – Written by Emily Burns (Premieres April 23 on PBS)

This stylized film of Shakespeare’s masterpiece celebrates the theatrical imagination, moving from the stripped-down aesthetic of a rehearsal into a cinematic journey that embraces the architecture of the theater space and varied backstage spaces of the National’s Lyttelton Theatre. In this contemporary rendering of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy, a company of actors in a shuttered theater bring to life the tale of two young lovers (Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley) who strive to transcend a world of violence and hate.