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Quick Hits

Ten New and Returning Shows To Watch on Netflix in April 2020

Quirky comedy, medieval drama, and a timely reality dating series highlight the streamer's April haul.
  • Ricky Gervais in After Life, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in Never Have I Ever and Nicole Byer in Nailed It!. (Netflix)
    Ricky Gervais in After Life, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in Never Have I Ever and Nicole Byer in Nailed It!. (Netflix)

    With so many of us at home, Netflix's new release schedule is more vital than ever. The good news is with just a few exceptions (most notably the planned return of Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj), Neflix says its pipeline of new and returning shows won't be impacted by the coronavirus production delays until at least the fall. That means the coming month still has plenty more of we've come to expect from streamer, from new original comedies, reality shows and true-crime docs to returning dramas.

    Here are the new releases we're most looking to seeing on Netflix this April:

    Nailed It!, Season 4

    You probably know the Nailed It! drill by now: contestants are asked to bake creations far outside their skill set in a limited amount of time. Results are often hilarious, and the show is bolstered by the winning combination of host Nicole Byer and resident expert French pastry chef Jacques Torres. Guest judges who might regret swallowing the cake offerings this season include Adam Scott, Fortune Feimster, Matt Walsh, and Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas. The winning prize is still $10,000, but this season will include several firsts, including the use of liquid nitrogen and contestants' kids joining them in the kitchen. Considering how many people are probably attempting new baking challenges while sheltering in place, the results on Nailed It! could make your cakes look Great British Baking Show-worthy in comparison.
    Available April 1

    How to Fix a Drug Scandal (New Series)

    How to Fix a Drug Scandal lands just in time for those fresh off binge-watching last month's jaw-dropping Tiger King. Putting a criminal drug lab under the microscope, the streamer's latest true crime doc tells the story of drug addiction and the consequences of tampering with evidence on a large scale. This isn't just about one person but a flawed system involving potentially thousands of cases. The four-part docuseries lifts the curtain on the kind of evidence processing that has a wide-reaching impact, as well as the lengths people will go to protect the conviction rate.
    Available April 1

    Money Heist (La Casa de Papel), Season 4

    Taking the Big Little Lies route, this popular Spanish crime drama began life in 2017 as a limited series before expanding to a multi-season arc. Beginning with an assault on the Royal Mint of Spain in Madrid, the titular heist continues to be far more dangerous than anything Danny Ocean ever planned. The fourth season begins in chaos and bloodshed, which is further compounded by an 'enemy from within' plot. The money-making scheme is somehow set to become even more dangerous.
    Available April 3

    The Innocence Files (New Series)

    It's a big month for examining the American justice system on the streaming giant, with The Innocence Files taking a slightly more expansive approach to the deeply troubling aspects of this topic, telling the story of eight wrongful conviction cases that the Innocent Project helped overturn. Split into three sections — the Evidence, the Witness and the Prosecution — this nine-patr docuseries examines not only what happens to the person who's been wrongly convicted, but also the families and the victims of crime.
    Available April 15

    Too Hot To Handle (New Series)

    Hot on the heels of The Circle and Love is Blind comes another twist on the reality dating show format. Taking ten hot singles and dumping them in paradise sounds a lot like Love Island, but in this competition, the contestants are not allowed to touch each other. That's right, by sheer happenstance Netflix may have produced the most perfectly-timed reality show ever. Can they keep their hands to themselves or will lust win the day? Drama is likely as $100,000 is the prize fund for whoever can keep their physical distance.
    Available April 15

    Outer Banks (New Series)

    The YA boom has dropped off a bit of late, but Netflix is ready to kick it off again with teen adventure Outer Banks. Set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, this coming-of-age story follows the Pogues, a tight-knit group who are about to experience a summer like no other. A hurricane knocks out the power, which sets off a chain of events that will change their lives forever. Mystery and adventure combine in a high-stakes treasure hunt and the hunt for the missing father of their ringleader. If you're longing for Stranger Things Season 4, this could be the show to keep you occupied.
    Available April 15

    The Midnight Gospel (New Series)

    From the minds of Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast host Duncan Trussell comes a trippy new animated series covering multiple dimensions. Clancy is a spacecaster who decides to use his unique traveling abilities to interview other creatures and make money off it by putting them online. His journalistic adventures look similar in tone to the very popular Adventure Time but with more adult language and themes. Netflix is launching this on 4/20, which makes a lot of sense when you watch the teaser.
    Available April 20

    After Life, Season 2

    In the first season of After Life, Ricky Gervais played Tony, a grieving husband raging at the world and everyone he knows after his wife dies of cancer. Season 2 of the dramedy is still focused on the grief of losing a spouse, but Tony has become a better friend. The bumps in the road continue when the local newspaper he writes for is at risk of being shut down. Can the town of Tambury rally once more?
    Available April 24

    The Last Kingdom, Season 4

    For those looking to fill the hole left by Game of Thrones but without the dragons, The Last Kingdom is here to deliver a large dose of medieval conflict with hot bearded dudes in armor. Based on Bernard Cornwell's novels The Saxon Stories and now in its fourth season, the fictional historical drama set in 9 A.D. sees new threats from Danish warlord Sigrid as the dream of a united England is at risk.
    Available April 26

    Never Have I Ever (New Series)

    Mindy Kaling is behind this coming-of-age story following an overachieving first-generation Indian American teenage girl. Inspired by her own life experiences, Kaling has said she wanted to develop a character who was nerdy, but not a wallflower and the short-fused Devi (played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) certainly fits the bill. The show's first season will see the high school sophmore dealing with adolescent dilemmas like one-upping her frenemy and finding a boyfriend. In a bizarre but possibly brilliant casting move, the series is narrated by short-fused tennis legend John McEnroe.
    Available April 27

    Emma Fraser has wanted to write about TV since she first watched My So-Called Life in the mid-90s, finally getting her wish over a decade later. Follow her on Twitter at @frazbelina

    TOPICS: Netflix, After Life, The Innocence Files, La Casa de Papel, The Last Kingdom, The Midnight Gospel, Nailed It!, Never Have I Ever, Outer Banks, Too Hot to Handle