As much as some people may see TV as a way to escape issues in turbulent times, there’s a rush of new programming over the next week or so that does the exact opposite — offering fictionalized depictions of everything from a Christian-based theocracy ruling America to Silicon Valley moguls disrupting the world with their boundless narcissism and a young, charismatic kid trying desperately to outrun the consequences of her addictions.
These new shows, kicking off a packed month of TV programming in April, also feature other trends. Stars from movies, including Zendaya, Chase Infiniti, Jacob Elordi and Zach Galifianakis pop up in starring and pivotal roles, showing how Hollywood’s changing economy is bringing more big names to the small screen.
And two big series will say goodbye with final seasons, concluding acclaimed runs with a powerful stretch of fresh performances. For fans of quality TV, this week will feel like more March Madness in April.
Here’s some of the top shows I can’t wait to watch in the coming days:
The Testaments
On Hulu April 8
I’ll admit, when I heard about this spinoff series focused on depicting the life of the child taken from Elisabeth Moss’ character, June Osborne, in the mothership show The Handmaid’s Tale, I wasn’t sure I could handle it. The original series became something of a slog over six seasons, made tougher to watch as political fights in America came to offer milder versions of the series’ nightmarish scenario in which a theocracy called Gilead conquers part of the nation, subjugating women into sexual slavery. But this series, based on the sequel book written by The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood features One Battle After Another co-star Chase Infiniti, as a more grown-up version of Osborne’s child Agnes, exploring how Gilead is carefully constructed to stifle dissent and demand compliance. Agnes, raised by adoptive parents, is attending a school which prepares daughters of Gilead’s Commanders for life as devoted wives – not handmaids. But as she begins to figure out what her heritage really is, Agnes begins to rebel, and things really get interesting.
The Boys
On Prime Video April 8
This show’s bonkers take on a world where superheroes are real—and REALLY dysfunctional people—has always positioned itself as a funhouse mirror version of the country’s real-life struggles with authoritarianism and bizarre, self-obsessed leaders. So the new episodes, marking the show’s fifth and final season, feature Antony Starr’s brilliant portrayal of the show’s dark version of Superman, Homelander, in a position he’s always coveted. Now in control of the U.S. government and empowered to enact his most egomaniacal whims, backed by his father, a horribly corrupt version of Captain America called Soldier Boy (also played deftly by Supernatural alum Jensen Ackles), Homelander seems poised to satirize the chaos of modern times more closely than ever. His biggest threat is likely a band of ragtag humans and rebellious superpowered people led by a ruthless guy with a virus which can kill all “supes.” What could possibly go wrong?
Hacks
On HBO Max April 9
After dominating the Emmy Awards for years, star Jean Smart leads the series’ final season like a boss. She’s playing legendary comic, Deborah Vance, who is once again trying to reestablish her legacy only this time after mistaken news reports that she had died and an on-air resignation from her late-night talk show last season that angered one of the most powerful moguls in Hollywood. Even though this show offers tart and telling satires of show business, I’ve always felt the series was strongest in depicting the oddball friendship between Vance and her millennial writer, Ava, played by Hannah Einbinder. As they navigate the tricky waters of trying to galvanize Vance’s fans to help her secure a coveted gig in a legendary live venue, the two are forced yet again to accept that they are each other’s ride-or-die, no matter how much they get on each other’s nerves.
The Audacity
On AMC and AMC+ April 12
Yes, we know that the CEOs and swole tech bros currently running Silicon Valley are building empires on engagement-by-enragement strategies which have atomized public consensus. But somehow, the gonzo characters bouncing off each other in AMC’s new dramatic comedy—starring Billy Magnussen as Duncan Park, a CEO who stumbles on a powerful data mining tool in the quest to avoid a hefty stock price drop—offer new shades on just how bizarre and destructive these figures can be. The series is packed with great performances, including Barry alum Sarah Goldberg as Park’s blithely self-obsessed therapist and Zach Galifianakis as another patient of Goldberg’s character whose caustic disdain for other people makes Park look like Mother Teresa.
Euphoria
On HBO and HBO Max April 12
Call it the one-two punch of modern media. Even as Zendaya is luring fans to theaters for her film The Drama, she’s about to appear in the third season of the HBO show which turned her into a grownup TV star. As a longtime fan of this show about troubled youths indulging in too much sex, too many drugs and growing up WAY too fast—despite showrunner Sam Levinson’s occasional forays into style over substance in storytelling—I’m looking forward to seeing the characters here out of high school and finding their way as young adults. I’m wondering how they’ll handle the death of co-star Angus Cloud who played one of the show’s most compelling characters in white boy gangster Fezco O’Neill. And even though the nihilism of the show’s characters can be tough to weather when the real world provides so much inspiration for similar feelings, Zendaya plays Rue Bennett as an often clueless survivor barely managing a massive problem with addiction, suggesting sometimes the best way to persevere is to just get through it.
Transcript:
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Sometimes TV is all about escape – dragons or hot hockey players falling in love, you know, that kind of thing. But this week, there’s a rush of new shows debuting that take on some of the biggest issues of today from women’s oppression in a spinoff of “The Handmaid’s Tale” to the excesses of Silicon Valley CEOs. Here to talk with us about all of it is NPR critic-at-large Eric Deggans. Hey.
ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE: Hi.
SUMMERS: So, Eric, oppression of women and the concentration of wealth are pretty huge issues right now, and I know some audiences, they don’t always respond super well to shows that take on politics. So are you surprised to see these topics showing up in entertainment right now?
DEGGANS: Not really because I think storytellers working in high-quality TV shows, they’re kind of drawn to these issues because they’re so compelling, like, say, the way that HBO Max’s hospital drama “The Pitt” recently depicted agents from ICE. Now, the challenge comes when they have to talk about these shows in a polarized media environment, and they want as many people as possible to watch the programs that they’re offering without a backlash.
SUMMERS: Well, you probably can’t get much bolder than the new spinoff of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” It’s on Hulu, and it’s called “The Testaments.” Tell us about this one.
DEGGANS: So fans of “The Handmaid’s Tale” will probably remember that the lead character June Osborne, played by Elizabeth Moss, was arrested by a theocratic government called Gilead and her young daughter was taken from her. So as “The Testaments” opens, her daughter, Agnes, is a teenager. She’s been raised by these adoptive parents, and she’s unaware of who her mother is. And so in the first episode, Agnes, played by Chase Infiniti, describes how she’s living as the daughter of a powerful commander in Gilead.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “THE TESTAMENTS”)
CHASE INFINITI: (As Agnes) In the story I’m telling, I’m not really sure what year it was. Sorry. It’s hard to remember actual dates because girls were forbidden to have calendars. Just reading one could cost you a finger.
DEGGANS: So we see Agnes is growing up in a world where women have no rights. But when she starts to get a sense of who her mother is, things start to change. And this actress, Chase Infiniti, she’s a costar of the Oscar-winning film “One Battle After Another,” and she provides this charismatic face for a story that offers some interesting new takes on how people can be propagandized and bullied into oppressing themselves.
SUMMERS: OK. And there’s another show that I think really just seems ripped from the headlines, and that’s “The Audacity.” It’s this drama on AMC and AMC+ about an ambitious tech CEO. What’s the story there?
DEGGANS: Well, we’ve seen toxic tech bros lampoon before on TV, but this show takes it a little further. Now, this series stars Billy Magnussen as Duncan Park, an out-of-control tech CEO who stumbles on an amazing data mining technology while trying to avoid a gigantic stock price drop. Along the way, we get some wonderfully excessive and off-the-wall performances from people like “Barry” alum Sarah Goldberg, who plays his self-obsessed therapist, and Zach Galifianakis as an even more horrible tech bro. And given how much social media often fuels chaos in society, it’s interesting to see that process brought to life by these characters in this story.
SUMMERS: OK, and we can’t have this conversation without talking about “Hacks” on HBO Max. It’s back in its fifth and final season. What can we look forward to?
DEGGANS: Well, star Jean Smart has ruled the Emmys playing brassy, indominable comic Deborah Vance. But as this new and final season opens, Vance is trying to counter this erroneous news report that she died, and she frightens a group of fans in the process. Let’s listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “HACKS”)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) She has risen.
JEAN SMART: (As Deborah Vance) I was never dead. TMZ got a bad tip. They issued a retraction this morning.
DEGGANS: So “Hacks” has always been a fun showbusiness satire. I mean, this season, they have some great stuff on stars’ relationships to their fans. But for me, the real power of this show has always been Vance’s bumpy but undeniable friendship with the millennial woman who serves as her head writer, Ava Daniels, played by Hannah Einbinder. Now, the really moving moments come when the two of them are forced to admit how much they care for each other, and I can’t wait to see how that plays out in this final season.
SUMMERS: Me either. And actually, we have a conversation with Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder elsewhere on today’s show. So hey, go give it a listen.
DEGGANS: Exactly. And check out the shows.
SUMMERS: That is NPR critic-at-large Eric Deggans. Thank you.
DEGGANS: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
