April is coming to an end but as the month wraps up there is no shortage of great movies or series available on all the best streaming services. A couple of major franchise-connected series are coming on Netflix and Paramount. If you’re a music fan with a Hulu subscription, you’ll want to take note, and Disney+ subscribers get access to the latest entry in a series that finds its origins back in the days of Walt Disney himself. Here are the highlights of what’s streaming this week.
Netflix This Week: Sydney Sweeney And More
Netflix has made original content a major pillar in its library, but access to major movie releases is still important, and this week the streaming king gives us some of each.
Anyone But You - April 23
The Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeny rom-com Anyone But You was bashed by critics, but audiences turned out to make the movie a hit at the box office last year. Now fans who missed out on the theatrical release, or who want to see it again, will have that chance when it arrives on Netflix this week.
Dead Boy Detectives - April 25
Netflix’s Sandman series was a major hit for the streaming platform and while Netflix subscribers wait for Sandman Season 2, something is coming this week that might be enough to tide them over until Sandman returns. The Dead Boy Detectives are characters created by Neal Gaiman in the Sandman graphic novels who eventually got their own comics and now have their own Netflix series. The series follows two dead friends who decide to skip the afterlife and instead remain on Earth and solve crimes with a supernatural element.
What's On Disney+: Tigers
Earth Day is usually a big day for Disney. It’s the day that Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened more than 25 years ago, and it’s the day we traditionally get the latest Disney nature documentary.
Tiger/Tiger On The Rise - April 22
While Disney will always be known as an animation company before all else, many of the record number of Academy Award nominations that Walt Disney received were for documentary films. His series of True Life Adventures brought viewers up close to the natural world and told engaging and emotional stories along the way. That has continued to the present day with Disneynature’s most recent film Tiger, narrated by Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Alongside that documentary will be a second original tiger-based doc, Tiger on the Rise, which takes a look at the efforts to help the global tiger population return.
What's On Max: Velma And More
From heartwarming reality series, to one of the most polarizing shows we’ve seen in a while, Max this week is worth watching if only to see
Velma Season 2 - April 25
Max’s most recent animated twist on Scooby-Doo, Mindy Kaling’s Velma was, it must be said, not warmly received when Season 1 first arrived. However, two seasons were given the green light up front, so Season 2 of Velma is now here. Perhaps the show heard the criticism and has made changes. Or perhaps, as was likely the case with the first season, many will simply tune in to hate-watch. It will certainly be interesting to see how the new season is received.
We’re Here - April 26
Those looking for a shot of unapologetic optimism and feel-good stories are in luck this week if they have a Max subscription. We’re Here is returning for another season on HBO and Max. The fourth season of the show will see a few changes. A new cast of drag queens takes over for those who hosted the first three seasons. In addition, instead of each episode focusing on a new town, the season will focus on only two regions, allowing the show to dive deeper into the stories of those looking to break out and break free.
Paramount+ This Week: Sonic's Pal Knuckles
Original content based on popular franchises is one area where other streaming services tend to be a step ahead on Paramount+, but this week fans of a certain hedgehog and his friends will get a brand new series ahead of the next movie.
Knuckles - April 26
The two Sonic the Hedgehog movies are among the best films based on video games that we’ve seen. With the news that Keanu Reeves is joining Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as Shadow the Hedgehog, there is renewed interest in the franchise just in time for the release of Knuckles a limited series starring the character voiced by Idris Elba who was introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Hulu This Week: Bon Jovi And More
It’s a big week for documentaries and music on Hulu this week, with one documentary film about the intersection of music and politics, and another docu-series about one of the biggest bands of all time.
Hip-Hop and The White House - April 22
Hip Hop music has a long and storied history that frequently comes up against the world of politics. The new Hulu documentary Hip-Hop and the White House takes a very specific look at the music and how it responded to the President of the United States over the decades, as well as how the White House responded to hip-hop as the music grew in popularity and influence.
Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story - April 26
If you were a music fan in the ‘80s, then you were probably a Bon Jovi fan, and if you’re a music fan today, you’re probably a Bon Jovi fan. The New Jersey-based band was incredibly popular in its day and has continued to remain relevant in the decades since after creating some of the most iconic rock songs ever recorded. The four-part documentary series Thank You, Goodnight, includes Jon Bon Jovi and the rest of the band telling their story from the early days through the band’s near collapse. It should be a must-watch for any fan or just anybody who has belted out "Livin on a Prayer" on karaoke night.
Apple TV+ This Week: The Big Door Prize
Apple TV+ isn’t a streaming service with tons of new shows debuting every week, but when the one new show you get this week is one of the best series on Apple TV+, you take quality
The Big Door Prize - Season 2 - April 22
Following a successful first season, where a small town is forever changed by the introduction of a machine that promises to reveal each person’s life’s potential, The Big Door Prize is back for Season 2. The new season promises to take things to the “next stage” for the residents. Whatever that means, it promises to be just as funny and heartwarming as Season 1.
While these are some highlights worth checking out, there’s a great deal more coming to the various streaming platforms this week. Be sure to check out everything upcoming on Disney+ for a full list of what’s arriving there. You can also see what’s new on Netflix and everything coming to Hulu for the complete schedules on those services as well.
