logo
The Last of Us to Dying for Sex: 11 of di best TV shows you fit watch dis April

The Last of Us to Dying for Sex: 11 of di best TV shows you fit watch dis April

BBC News01-04-2025

From di return of HBO zombie apocalypse thriller to Michelle Williams for one provocative new role.
1. The Bondsman
Inside dis droll new series, Kevin Bacon add demon-chasing bounty-hunter for im long list of horror characters.
Hub Halloran na bounty hunter bifor im murder, but wen im land on di oda side, di devil imsef give am second chance redemption, reanimate am and send am back among di living to track down and return demon wey don escape hell.
Di catch: if im fail for im job e go return into di flames forever. For im downtime from hunting demons – they have piercing yellow pupils, the better to identify them – e try to settle wit im family.
Na Blumhouse produce di Bondsman, di company wey dey behind such hit horror franchises as Di Purge, so reason dem to believe in dis show wit cockeyed premise, wey manage to throw in country music.
Di Bondsman go premier on 3 April on Amazon Prime internationally
2. Pulse
Netflix dey contribute to di endless stream of soapy medical dramas wit dis series wey be about students and residents for Miami trauma hospital. At di centre na Danielle (Willa Fitzgerald) wey dem appoint as chief resident wen di previous chief – suspend her ex, Xander (Colin Woodell).
But wait! Wahala dey, so Xander no comot for di hospital and togada dem resolve dia personal issues wey dey between dem while saving lives. Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) play dia boss, di Chair of Emergency Medicine.
Di terrific Max series Di Pitt don prove how well dis genre fit work, and di show go drop dia season finale, so Pulse fit fill di gap. Just dey prepared for evergreen lines like, "Im go code!" and, "If you go one millimetre too far, she go die!"
Pulse go premier on 3 April on Netflix internationally.
3. Dying for Sex
One of Michelle Williams best performances na her character as Gwen Verdon in di television series Fosse/Verdon, and here she take on another rich small-screen role as Molly, one woman wey dem diagnose wit Stage IV breast cancer, she decide to spend her last months on no-holds-barred journey to indulge herself sexually while she still get time.
Jenny Slate plays Nikki, her best friend and wingperson. Di series na base on di Wondery podcast wey Nikki Boyer create about her friend Molly Kochan, di real-life inspiration for di show. Jay Duplass play im role as Molly husband, Sissy Spacek na her mother and Rob Delaney na neighbour for di series, comedy dey inside di drama.-
Critics don make comment about Williams and di show, di Observer tok say "di series' comedy neva strike wrong note", and The Daily Beast call am "near perfect amalgamation of absurdity and tragedy".
Dying for Sex premieres on 4 April on Hulu in di US and Disney+ in di UK and internationally
4. The Handmaid's Tale
Some shows get cultural impact of The Handmaid's Tale. Women protestors for real life don march in red cloaks, referencing to di handmaids in di series' misogynistic state of Gilead and symbolising oppression.
Di show plot don long since outrun di Margaret Atwood novel wey dem use write am, and in dis sixth and final season June (Elisabeth Moss), escape to freedom for Canada, im run comot and continue to fight wit di resistance.
Di most chilling characters return, wit Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia, Yvonne Strahovski as Serena and Bradley Whitford as Commander Lawrence. Dis final season go offer "feel-good episodes", di series showrunner, Yahlin Chang, tell TV Insider. For one recent panel conversation di creators also tok about dis season landing for one political climate wey make pipo shock: "We need to meet dis moment," Whitford tok. "Our women no be Marvel characters, dem be ordinary women wey dey do extraordinary things," executive producer Warren Littlefield add, e declare say di show final message na "di war is neva end, but di fight continue".
The Handmaid's Tale go premier on 8 April on Hulu in di US
5. Hacks
Jean Smart fans love her for her Emmy-winning role as Deborah Vance, di old-school stand-up comic wey revive her career wit di help of her young writer and frenemy, Ava (Hannah Einbinder).
As di fourth season dey start, Deborah don realise her dream of hosting late-night talk show, only to face di ambitious Ava, she wan blackmail her way into becoming di head writer.
Di relationship betwin Deborah and Ava – sometimes mentor-mentee, sometimes competitors, sometimes loving and always troubled – na di heart of di series, but di success rest largely on Smart perfectly acerbic delivery.
Julianne Nicholson dey among di season guest stars in di show wey dey use comedy to address big issues including sexism and aging in di entertainment industry.
Hacks go premier on 10 April on Max
6. Black Mirror
Since Charlie Brooker dystopian sci-fi series start for 2011, di real world don increasingly caught up to di show, wit di mainstream use of artificial intelligence.
Di seventh season of di anthology include, unusual sequel. E return to USS Callister, di show classic Star Trek homage, wit Cristin Milioti (The Penguin) as computer programmer wey find herself clone inside one video game. "Normally I kill off characters at di end of one episode, [but] I keep some of dem alive.
I still dey grow as human," Brooker tok. Di oda five episodes feature popular faces, as fans dey expect. Dem include Awkwafina, Paul Giamatti, Emma Corrin, Will Poulter, Peter Capaldi, Issa Rae, Chris O'Dowd, Tracee Ellis Ross and Rashida Jones.
Text in di trailer show di word, "Lose Your Mind. Lose Your Reality." Let's hope dis words no go harm us for real life, but den Brooker always dey one step ahead.
Black Mirror premier on 10 April on Netflix internationally
7. Your Friends and Neighbors
Jon Hamm don get some great, attention-getting supporting roles since Mad Men, including di bullying, corrupt sheriff for im most recent season of Fargo and di slick gazillionaire in di Morning Show.
But once again na di main character for dis comic drama about Andrew Cooper, wey pipo sabi as Coop, one rich hedge-fund manager wey lose im job and see im privileged life and identity slipping away.
Struggling to keep up appearances and support im ex-wife and dia teenaged children, start to stealing jewels, designer bags and oda valuables from im friends.
Amanda Peet play im ex-wife, she leave am for one of im best friends, and Olivia Munn na im on-and-off fling.Na novelist and screenwriter Jonathan Tropper create di show (This is Where I Leave You).
Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) direct di first two episodes of dis vibrant series, di good news be say dem don already order for second season.
Your Friends and Neighbors go premier on 11 April on Apple TV+ internationally
8. The Last of Us
One of di best, most gripping shows of recent years don return for di second season of pipo wey dey try to survive zombie apocalypse.
Di story pick up five years afta di previous season end, but Joel – Pedro Pascal for im breakthrough role – and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) dey create new dynamic.
Dat na just one change. Dem go create new variant of di infected creatures, smarter and more lethal dan di old breed. Kaitlyn Dever (Apple Cider Vinegar) join di cast as soldier Abby, don already dey cause too much online tok becos Dever dey physically slighter dan di character wey dey di video game series, dey base on.
And Catherine O'Hara take on dramatic role as Joel therapist, becos who no go need one afta everything e don go through? Pascal, dey give Joel fierce energy, e tell Empire magazine say di new season "further tests our strength against di world we dey afraid to be in".
The Last of Us go premier on 13 April on HBO in di US and Sky Atlantic in di UK.
9. Government Cheese
David Oyelowo, wey pipo last see on television as 19th-Century US Marshal in Lawman: Bass Reeves, head to di 20th Century for dis comedy and redemption story set in 1969 California.
E play di role Hampton Chambers, wey dem just release from prison wia e dey serve im time for burglary.
E dey determined to regain di confidence of im wife and two grown sons, and change di family fortunes by inventing self-sharpening drill wey dem dey call Bit Magician.
Govment cheese refer to di bricks of processed cheese di US govment once distribute to pipo wey qualify for food assistance.
Hampton spiritual quest, tell Variety im character get "dis weird interaction wit God, wia e get direct relationship to di point whereby miracles, di type wey dey for Bible, dey manifest for im life".
Government Cheese go premier on 16 April on Apple TV+ internationally
10. Andor
Di much-anticipated second season of dis prequel to di film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) conclude di backstory of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and im journey from scrappy thief to fighter for di Rebel Alliance, and di heroic figure wey im be for di feem.
Di many movie spin-off series on Disney+ get im up and down, but e get wide agreement say Andor na one of di best. For representative view, Vulture headline for di first season review say, "Andor na di Cure for Star Wars Ennui", and den dem call am "di most challenging and invigorating work in dis galaxy in years".
Tony Gilroy, di series' creator, return for di final go-round, along wit cast wey include Stellan Skarsgård, Ben Mendelsohn, Forest Whitaker and plenti of Stormtroopers.
Disney+ don give di new season big, confident push by making di first available on Hulu and YouTube.
Andor premier on 22 April in di US and 23 April in di UK on Disney+
11. Étoile
Amy Sherman-Palladino don create two wildly popular shows, Gilmore Girls and Di Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
But her latest echoes her lesser-known, wonderful Bunheads (2012), wit Sutton Foster as Las Vegas showgirl turn small-town ballet teacher. Dat show only last one season, but some fans don embraced dem.
Étoile na comic drama wit bigger dance-world canvas, as ballet companies for New York and Paris decide to trade dia star dancers in effort to support di flagging institutions.
Charlotte Gainsbourg play di role of head of di Paris company and Luke Kirby (Lenny Bruce in Mrs. Maisel) di head of the New York troupe.
Di cast also include Simon Callow and Lou de Laâge, along wit dancers from di New York City Ballet and Boston Ballet. As always, Sherman-Palladino show promise both comic mayhem and sharp dialogue.
Étoile go premier on 24 April on Amazon Prime internationally

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Straw (2025) Movie Review
Straw (2025) Movie Review

The Review Geek

time2 hours ago

  • The Review Geek

Straw (2025) Movie Review

Hitting breaking point Tyler Perry is back, and this time the auteur has turned his hand to a pressure-cooker thriller in the form of Straw. This Netflix movie is simple in premise and execution, with a series of escalating incidents leading to a big misunderstanding, murder, and a stand-off at a bank. The film does include a 'twist' at the end, although unfortunately, it undermines the themes of the movie and feels designed more for shock value than as a well-thought-out surprise. The story here predominantly centers on a single mother named Janiyah. She works two jobs, is eking out a living, can barely afford to pay rent on her dingy apartment, and is close to breaking point. Unfortunately, today is going to be the worst day of her life. After dropping her daughter off at school, Janiyah finds herself in trouble with the police, fired from her job, and left on the street when she can't pay the overdue rent to her abrasive landlord. Intervening in the middle of a robbery, Janiyah shoots the robber and then turns the gun on her boss and pulls the trigger. Heading to a nearby bank with her bloodied cheque, her backpack (including her daughter's science project, which looks suspiciously like a bomb), and a handgun, a stand-off ensues as police close in on her. The story clearly takes inspiration from movies like Falling Down, while trying to channel the same uneasy tension seen in films like Phone Booth. The execution, though, is clunky, with heavy-handed messaging and one-dimensional characters that struggle to break free from Perry's archetypal shackles. The movie attempts to make us empathize with Janiyah's plight and while yes, we can obviously understand why she's snapped, she murders two people and holds hostages in a bank. It's a weird framing device, especially as law enforcement – and in particular the heavy-handed FBI – are framed as the bad guys in this situation. The story is a little overlong at times as a result of all this, which isn't helped by the frenetic opening to the film. In an attempt to bring you into Janiyah's world, the first 30 minutes are relentless. Expect quick cuts, full-on shouting, crazy antics, drama, and bloodshed. It almost borders on melodrama, but thankfully Straw never tips over the edge into farcical waters. I can't help but feel a more gradual build-up, slowly stacking these misery cards before an inciting incident (this robbery) turns everything upside down, could have helped – especially if the misunderstanding was played up a lot more. This is a particular problem because the middle act of the movie slows down considerably as we start to understand more about Janiyah's life. You see, Janiyah's daughter, Aria, suffers from seizures and has asthma. She also appears to be bullied at school (it's never outright said, but her teacher seems to hold a grudge against her) and is very much Janiyah's entire world. During this time, we also hear from some of the other hostages, who seem to understand why Janiyah is keeping them against their will and sympathize with her. It's here we're introduced to Detective Kay Raymond, who empathizes with Janiyah's plight and tries to talk her down during their negotiations. She's also a negotiations expert from her time in the army, but aside from a couple of lines of dialogue about her past, we don't see a whole lot else from her. This is a real shame, because Raymond, out of all the characters, feels like the one with the most untapped potential. The movie never seems all that interested in actually fleshing out the cast though, instead keeping the attention squarely on Janiyah and, to a lesser extent, Raymond. Beyond that, everyone else is pretty much a one-dimensional archetype. We have the loudmouth landlord who curses constantly, the rude, prejudiced white cops, and the older women who sympathize with Janiyah out of wisdom and lived experience. There's never much in the way of tension inside the bank either, which isn't helped by us already knowing that the item inside Janiyah's rucksack isn't a bomb. I can't help but feel that a rewrite to obscure this from the audience – so we're led to believe Janiyah may actually have a bomb – could have ratcheted up the tension. Production-wise, Straw is pretty good, and the camerawork is decent across the board. Taraji P. Henson puts on a really solid performance as the exasperated mum at the end of her tether, and she really carries the movie forward. However, when you compare Straw to other thrillers of its kind, there's really not a whole lot here to write home about. The movie has a decent enough message, but it's muddied by the moral implications around Janiyah's actions. While the intention is clear, the execution is sloppy – which is a shame, because there's definitely potential here. Read More: Straw Ending Explained

Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend has her Netflix show cancelled after three series
Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend has her Netflix show cancelled after three series

Daily Mirror

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend has her Netflix show cancelled after three series

Georgina Rodriguez said she will be stepping away from the reality series, which made her a public figure in her own right but 'requires so much effort' to make. Georgina Rodriguez has confirmed that her hit Netflix reality show I Am Georgina has been cancelled after three successful seasons, despite raking in a staggering £22 million from the series. The model and long-time partner of football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, 31, revealed the news in an interview with Vogue Arabia. She confirmed that there will be no fourth season of the show, which documented her glamorous lifestyle and personal journey from shop assistant to international celebrity. "The reality show has been one of the most important professional experiences and the one that has made me the most excited," Rodriguez said. ‌ ‌ "It has been a lot of work and requires so much effort. I think that it has given me the opportunity to show the real 'me' to the world. It has been the most important and large-scale project that I have done so far. However, at the moment, I do not plan to continue with the reality show." Rodriguez not only starred in the series but also served as executive producer. I Am Georgina became a global success, reaching the top 10 most-watched shows in 46 countries. The popularity of its debut season quickly led to two renewals. The cancellation comes as Rodriguez and Ronaldo continue to attract public attention amid ongoing speculation about whether they have secretly tied the knot. The pair met in 2016 when Georgina was working at a Gucci store in Madrid. By Ronaldo's own admission, it was love at first sight. In 2019, he told Piers Morgan: "Yes, it is [true love]. Yes, it was [like magic meeting for the first time]... She's the mum of my kids. I'm so passionate for her. Why not [get married]... We'll one day, for sure. It's my mum's dream." ‌ In I Am Georgina she opened up a bit about how overwhelming it was to experience Ronaldo's wealth for the first time when they started dating, saying: "The first time I went to Cristiano's house, I'd get lost every time I went to the kitchen. It would take me half an hour to get back because I didn't know the way. "Sometimes it would take me half an hour to get back from the living room because I didn't know the way. It was so big. Since I was a kid, I'd been used to living in small apartments." While the pair have never made a public wedding announcement, Ronaldo has frequently referred to Rodriguez as his wife in recent years. In a speech at a Dubai awards ceremony earlier this year, he said: "My oldest son is here, and my wife [Georgina] is here." He has also used the term in social media posts, which continues to fuel rumours that they secretly got married. Rodriguez shares two children with Ronaldo and helps raise his three other children. During her time on I am Georgina, she became an influential figure in her own right.

Straw review – Taraji P Henson rises above Tyler Perry's tortured Netflix thriller
Straw review – Taraji P Henson rises above Tyler Perry's tortured Netflix thriller

The Guardian

time2 hours ago

  • The Guardian

Straw review – Taraji P Henson rises above Tyler Perry's tortured Netflix thriller

Tyler Perry is not beating the allegations. For decades, the content-creating studio chief has been roundly criticized for making the traumatization of Black women a persistent theme in his work. In Straw, his latest exercise in misogynoir for Netflix, he pulls out all the stops to break the camel's back. The guinea pig for this cultural stress test is Janiyah (Taraji P Henson), an apex Perry caricature who is past the point of exhaustion. Her loud, hot and dumpy apartment isn't all that keeps her in perennial discomfort. There's also a precocious young daughter (Gabrielle E Jackson) with nagging medical issues, and that eviction notice on the dining table. She can't make ends meet despite working three jobs, and her cashier's position at the local food desert grocery store is especially thankless. When an angry customer spikes a bottle of fizzy drink at Janiyah's feet, her boss orders her to stand down from her busy checkout lane to clean up the mess. When Janiyah unwittingly cuts off an undercover cop in traffic after begging off the register to run a quick errand, he throws his ice coffee drink at her car and threatens to 'find a legal way to blow your brains out'. In the end, Janiyah is ticketed for driving on an expired license, her car is impounded and she's forced to find her way back to work on foot in the kind of surprise monsoon that Perry keeps in the forecast to further break down his female protagonists – and, verily, things do indeed get worse: Her irascible boss (Glynn Turman) fires her for deserting her post, her landlord empties the meager contents of her dumpy apartment onto the curb, and her kid is confiscated from school after the principal squeals to child protective services. At her wit's end, she treks back to the grocery store to urge her boss to release her last paycheck only for the both of them to wind up held up at gunpoint when a band of robbers charge into the back office to empty the store vault. There's a glimmer of hope when one of the robbers attacks Janiyah, and she fights him off and kills him with his own gun – but her boss is convinced she's in on the heist because the attacker 'knew her'. Turns out the guy only read her name tag, but the boss is already running with his story while on the phone with 911. When he threatens to take her down and twists the knife, Janiyah finally snaps and shoots him dead, too. It isn't much long after that we find Janiyah in the middle of a hostage situation at the bank when her attempt to cash that bloody last paycheck raises alarm bells. The balance of the film plays like the Tyler Perry version of John Q, down to the Luigi Mangione-coded public rallying cry – trading injury for Spike Lee's insult, perhaps. The third act is freighted with pointed digressions on the intractable racism in banking and healthcare systems, and the inescapable Perry twist at the film's core is its own commentary on the Black mental health crisis. As ever, Perry – who takes top billing once more as this film's writer, director and executive producer – engages with many ideas, but none that he seems to fully understand. That includes Black women, whom he does a tremendous disservice to once again. But the hatchet job may be lost on most viewers because Straw is one of the better films on Perry's grade curve. The pacing could be better for what is ostensibly a 105-minute thriller. The day-night transitions in particular are wild, and again the rain comes out of nowhere. But Straw doesn't meander as much as Perry's other productions. (Looking at you, Duplicity.) It's not soapy or camp either. There's melodrama, sure, but Straw makes you take it seriously – and a lot of it is a credit to the actors playing it straight and, possibly, getting a few extra takes to refine their performances (weird flex, I know). Sherri Shepherd, who's typically at her best going for laughs, shines as the sober bank manager who remains empathetic in crisis. Teyana Taylor was equally impressive as the detective hostage negotiator who advocates for Janiyah. (The only letdown in her performance was her wig, which is very much on-brand for Perry.) But yet again it's Henson who delivers the powerhouse performance while edging from distress to anger to winsome compassion. It's just a shame that after hiring her for four films now, Perry is still treating her like a speed bag. In one of the scenes outside the bank, as the standoff at the bank deepens, a protest movement foments and one Janiyah supporter holds up a sign that reads, 'Nevertheless she persisted', a much-memed feminist slogan. Sadly, the irony is probably lost on Perry – ultimately, a billionaire servant of the evangelical Christian patriarchy who is steadfastly committed to proving that the women of the world who make 'bad' choices deserve all the pain and punishment they can get and then some. This certainly won't be the last Straw. Straw is out now on Netflix

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store