The (unofficial) theme of this week’s new television: reality.
You don’t really notice it right away; even on a literal “reality” show like Netflix’s The circle, it’s still pretty edited (as anyone who watches reality shows can tell you). But it’s not the only show relying on “real life” for a story this week. There is also Conan O’Brien’s travelogue about his return to television and the long-expected follow-up too The curse with a look at Robert Durst’s prison life. Even many of this week’s fiction offerings adapt true stories, with Manhunt Graduation and the Lily Gladstone-led Under the bridge Debut.
If you need to escape the present – or just want to find another way to break it – remember this Shogun has its penultimate episode tomorrow ( ) and Stand out
Find this week’s best new TV premieres and finales here.
New shows on Netflix
The Circle Season 6
Genre: Reality show competition
Release date: April 17, with four episodes
Host: Michelle Buteau
Pour: A bunch of isolated chatters
You know the drill: a host of isolated competitors try to win a big cash prize while befriending, hating, and possibly even harassing each other in small chat rooms.
New shows on Hulu
Under the bridge
Genre: Twisted crime thriller
Release date: April 17th, with two episodes
Director: Geeta Pastel
Pour: Riley Keough, Lily Gladstone and more
Based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Godfrey, Under the bridge follows the investigation into the murder of a 14-year-old girl through the eyes of Godfrey (Riley Keough) and the local police officer (Lily Gladstone) as they set out to find the truth. With seven teenage girls and a boy accused of a gruesome murder, the stakes are high highand the twists – hopefully – even more consequential.
New shows on Max
Conan O’Brien has to go
Genre: Celebrity documentaries (travel report version)
Release date: April 18th, with all consequences
Showrunner/Creator: Conan O’Brien
Pour: Conan O’Brien and some fans
Conan O’Brien sets out to meet some of the most notable fans he connects with on his podcast. Conan O’Brien needs a fan
The Jinx Part Two
Genre: Crime documentaries
Release date: April 21, with one episode
Showrunner/Creator: Andrew Jarecki
Pour: Robert Durst, other investigators
At this point it feels like an old Obama-era story, but: The curse Season 1 aired in the first half of 2015 and ended on a pretty climactic note with Robert Durst admitting to committing murder on the hot mic. Second part will chronicle the filmmakers’ eight years of further investigation, uncovering new hidden material, featuring interviews with new witnesses and revealing Durst’s prison visits.
New shows on Apple TV Plus
Manhunt finale
Genre: Historical drama
Release date: April 19, with two episodes
Showrunner/Creator: Monica Beletsky
Pour: Tobias Menzies, Hamish Linklater, Anthony Boyle and more
Just in time for the anniversary of Abe Lincoln’s death, Manhunt ends his search. The tension here isn’t whether they’ll get their man – we know that story. The tension is what it will do to them and the nation as they do it.
New shows on The Roku Channel
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Genre: Fantasy YA
Release date: April 19th, with all consequences
Showrunner/Creator: Aron Eli Coleite
Pour: Christian Slater, Joy Bryant, Lyon Daniels and more
After returning to their ancestral home in Henson, Michigan, a group of children discover that the Spiderwick Estate holds more than just family history – there are also some goofballs and the promise of more magical creatures to come. Oh, and now they have to find the pages of an old family guide to magical creatures, as there’s a murderous ogre waiting in the wings. There’s no place like home!
Table of Contents