Spring in the air and it's bringing a fresh crop of new TV shows premiering on Netflix, HBO Max and more of the best streaming services, as well as broadcast and cable TV.
This week's lineup includes the debuts of the animated spinoff “Stranger Things: Tales From '85” and Richard Gadd's new toxic bro miniseries "Half Man." Plus, we're getting more corporate sports shenanigans in “Running Point” season 2 and small-town romantic drama in “Sullivan’s Crossing” season 4.
Here's our guide on the top new TV shows to check out this week.
‘Kevin’ (Prime Video)
The vibes: Adult animation with “BoJack”-adjacent ennui.
The plot: Created by Aubrey Plaza and Joe Wengert, “Kevin” follows a housecat (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) who ditches his humans after their breakup and relocates to an Astoria pet rescue. There, alongside an unhinged crew of animals (including voices from Whoopi Goldberg and John Waters), Kevin spirals, reflects and maybe grows up a little.
Premiere date: All 8 episodes on Monday, April 20 at 3 a.m. ET
Where to watch: Prime Video
‘Sullivan’s Crossing’ season 4 (The CW)
The vibes: Cozy romantic melodrama that’s a cousin of “Virgin River.”
The plot: Season 4 wastes zero time stirring the pot, as Maggie (Morgan Kohan) finds her new recommitment to Cal (Chad Michael Murray) tested by the arrival of her not-so-ex-husband, Liam (Marcus Rosner). As she digs into his true motives, Cal’s jealousy simmers. Sully is off in Ireland (Scott Patterson has left the series) and the Crossing is on edge. As more secrets resurface, Maggie begins to wonder if she can ever leave the past behind.
Premiere date: Episode 1 on Monday, April 20 at 8 p.m. ET
Where to watch: The CW
‘Funny AF With Kevin Hart’ (Netflix)
The vibes: “Last Comic Standing,” but snarkier and engineered for the Netflix algorithm era.
The plot: Kevin Hart plays kingmaker in this three-week comedy gauntlet, scouting stand-ups ready for their breakout. A rotating panel of heavy hitters — including Keegan-Michael Key, Tom Segura, Kumail Nanjiani, Chelsea Handler and Nikki Glaser — weigh in as contestants battle through sets, bombs and brutal feedback. It all builds to live semifinals and a finale where viewers can vote in real time, handing one comic the ultimate prize: a Netflix special.
Premiere date: Episodes 1-4 on Monday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Unchosen’ (Netflix)
The vibes: All the juicy cult stuff — repressed desires, sweaty moralizing, creeping sense of dread.
The plot: This thriller miniseries follows Rosie (Molly Windsor), a dutiful wife and mother inside a suffocating religious sect led by the ominous Mr. Phillips (Christopher Eccleston). Her rigid life with controlling husband Adam (Asa Butterfield) begins to crack when Sam (Fra Fee), a fugitive with a murky past, arrives and offers both escape and danger.
Premiere date: All 6 episodes on Tuesday, April 21 at 3 a.m. ET
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Criminal Record’ season 2 (Apple TV)
The vibes: Police drama gets political, creating a powder keg of tension.
The plot: A stabbing at a political rally pulls detectives June Lenker (Cush Jumbo) and Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi) back into each other’s orbit — very reluctantly. What starts as a murder investigation spirals into an undercover mission involving a far-right terror plot. Season 2 is bigger in scope and more ripped-from-the-headlines, but prepare for a slow burn.
Premiere date: Episode 1 on Wednesday, April 22 at 12 a.m. ET
Where to watch: Apple TV
‘Running Point’ season 2 (Netflix)
The vibes: Power suits, petty siblings and chaos on and off the basketball court.
The plot: Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson) is no longer the underestimated heir; she’s the face of the Los Angeles Waves, for better and worse. As the team rebounds from scandal, her brother Cam (Justin Theroux) is quietly plotting a comeback. Between boardroom politics, romantic entanglements (hello, Jay Ellis and Max Greenfield), and bad behavior by the players, Isla has to rewrite the playbook — or get benched by her own family.
Premiere date: All 10 episodes on Thursday, April 23 at 3 a.m. ET
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85’ (Netflix)
The vibes: A Saturday morning cartoon with Upside Down horror.
The plot: Set in the winter of 1985, this animated spinoff drops Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max back into Hawkins for a new round of supernatural chaos. With the Upside Down creeping into parts of town, the gang investigates a paranormal mystery involving unsettling new monsters like vine-creatures and “pumpkin zombies.” A newcomer, Nikki Baxter, joins the crew as they try to keep Hawkins from slipping further into an apocalypse.
Premiere date: All 10 episodes on Thursday, April 23 at 3 a.m. ET
Where to watch: Netflix
‘Half Man’ (HBO Max)
The vibes: Brotherhood as a 30-year bout of toxic masculinity.
The plot: Richard Gadd follows up “Baby Reindeer” with this miniseries about Niall (Jamie Bell) and Ruben (Gadd), two men who don’t share blood but have been the closest of brothers since childhood. When Ruben appears at Niall’s wedding decades later, he’s not acting like himself. The encounter becomes violent, revealing flashbacks of their volatile bond from the 1980s to the present.
Premiere date: Episode 1 on Thursday, April 23 at 9 p.m. ET
Where to watch: HBO and HBO Max
