Every month, Netflix expands its library with a bunch of new and old offerings. Oftentimes, it’s a matter of rights acquisition, whereby the streaming giant will snatch up the rights to a staple of television, a grouping of films, or other content, all of which contribute to the very real epidemic of decision fatigue.
In April 2022, Netflix added several original films, series, and at least one instance of a masterfully crafted network series, making now as good a time as any to sit down and watch until the cows come home. From family-minded fare to darker, more adult-oriented media, April is a good month for spending time with Netflix.
10 Better Call Saul – Series (Available now)
The saga of Jimmy McGill (aka Saul Goodman) begins its 13-episode homestretch on AMC on April 18. For those who have yet to watch Better Call Saul or those who want to revisit the phenomenal Breaking Bad prequel, Netflix has finally added season 5 to its service.
Season 5 goes deeper into the heart of darkness, where Jimmy has a reverse Midas touch that seems to destroy everything around him, including his brother, and partner, Kim Wexler. In the twisted origin tale, Jimmy finally embraces Saul. Also introduced in season 5 is Lalo, a one-man wrecking ball who seems to defy all human logic with extraordinary abilities.
9 Metal Lords – Film (April 8)
Written by D. B. Weiss, one half of the duo that brought Game of Thrones to the screen, Metal Lords tells the tale of two teenagers who find solace in heavy metal music. Together, they resolve to start a band to win their school’s battle of the bands competition. The problem? How to recruit others for their mission.
With a premise that feels similar to School of Rock, people can expect the usual misunderstandings, trials of being young, and finding one’s identity through the power of music. The film is directed by Peter Sollett, who is attached to an upcoming film adaptation of Minecraft.
8 Choose Or Die – Film (April 15)
In what seems to be the hottest new trend in mainstream films, Netflix is adding another entry in the game of death genre, whereby a person or group stumbles upon a game (be it Oujia, Truth or Dare), and subsequently reaps the reward of having to fight for survival. In the latest iteration of this formula, Choose or Die, a young student boots up an 80s video game in an attempt to win $100,000.
As expected, things don’t work out and she finds herself, along with a friend, in way over their heads. A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Robert Englund is a cast member, which has to count for something.
7 Nightcrawler – Film (April 10)
2014’s Nightcrawler (the directorial debut of screenwriter Dan Gilroy) stars an emaciated, feral-eyed Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, a stringer who stays up all night and shoots exploitative footage which he then sells to local news outlets. Lou will stop at nothing to get the perfect shot and breaks various personal and social codes of conduct in doing so.
The relentless pursuit of footage leads Lou into increasingly risky scenarios and ultimately sets him on a collision course with criminals and a would-be blackmailer. This riveting look at the ethics of ambulance-chaser photojournalism is especially poignant nowadays, as eye-on-the-scene reporting has only been increased by social media.
6 Anatomy Of A Scandal – Series (April 15)
In the prestige drama category, creator, writer, and developer of just about every show from Doogie Howser to Big Little Lies returns to the fray with a ripped-from-the-tabloids-style courtroom drama called Anatomy of a Scandal. The series is based on the critically acclaimed fiction novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan and stars Rupert Friend and Sienna Miller.
When a troubling secret is revealed, the picture-perfect domestic life of a Parliamentary minister begins to unravel. The 6-episode series is expected to wrap up its narrative by the end of its run, leaving the anthology series room to pursue other stories in a similar milieu.
5 Russian Doll – Series (April 20)
In the era of endless streaming options, one would be forgiven for forgetting that Netflix’s 2019 series Russian Doll was due to return. The long-awaited, then long-forgotten follow-up to the critically acclaimed first season will continue to follow Natasha Lyonne’s Nadia Vulvokov, but where the series can go from the stellar wrap-up of season 1 is anyone’s guess.
Lyonne, who co-created, co-produces, directs, stars, and is involved with various other pre and postproduction aspects is taking over season 2 as showrunner, replacing Leslye Headland is who likely busy working on the upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte for Disney+.
4 Ozark – Series (April 29)
Netflix’s critically acclaimed slow-burn Ozark returns for its final batch of seven episodes to conclude the 4th season. The show follows the Byrde clan’s journey from a light money laundering operation into something much more complex and sinister. The last handful of episodes before the break saw Marty and Wendy Byrde (Jason Bateman and Laura Linney) dealing with some serious cartel-related drama, all culminating in an act of violence that had a direct impact on Ruth’s crew (played by Julia Garner).
The final seven episodes will surely provide some twists, turns, jaw-dropping moments, and possibly some fun facts about how to launder money.
3 Grace And Frankie – Series (April 29)
Netflix’s longest-running show, Grace and Frankie returns to conclude its 7th season. The comedy-drama follows two octogenarians in the wake of the very sudden, unexpected announcement that both of their respective partners were leaving them (for each other!). The show has come a long way from its initial premise, following the various trials and tribulations of the dynamic duo as they navigate life, friendship, and the pursuit of happiness.
Four of season 7’s episodes were released in August 2021, and the final 12 will wrap up their story. It has also been announced that Dolly Parton has been locked in for a cameo, making this series a full-blown reunion for the two leads and their former 9-to-5 costar.
2 The Bubble – Film (Available Now)
Judd Apatow’s The Bubble is the story of a group of actors who, during the early days of the pandemic, are quarantined and cordoned off from society, and more or less held hostage in a high-end English hotel where they are working on a film. The film-within-the-film is Cliff Beasts 6 – one in a long line of bad-to-worse big-budget sci-fi adventure films – is proving to be a disaster, so they each try, in their own ways, to deal with the isolation and horrible producers.
The Bubble features, among many others, David Duchovny, Leslie Mann, Keegan-Michael Key, and Pedro Pascal. Several celebrities appear in minor roles as well, though mostly through video chat windows.
1 Bubble – Film (April 28)
Bubble, not to be confused with the Judd Apatow film with a similar name, tells the story of an alternate version of Tokyo in which a rain of bubbles has caused the country’s capital to be cut off from the rest of the world. Within this iteration of Tokyo, a group of youths, who have lost contact with their families, gather to engage in risky parkour-like behavior.
A wrong move sends Hibiki into the world of bubbles. There, he is saved by Uta, a girl who has mysterious powers. Together, they attempt to find the source of a sound that might offer society the salvation it needs.
About The Author
