What are the biggest web series and TV shows in April 2023? Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden-led Citadel leads the pack of new releases this month, alongside Jubilee, the next big project from Vikramaditya Motwane (Sacred Games). The former is a high-stakes sci-fi thriller bankrolled by the Russo Brothers (Avengers: Infinity War) and follows a pair of spies on a globe-trotting mission to thwart the Manticore, a powerful syndicate. Citadel premieres April 28 on Amazon Prime Video. Meanwhile, Motwane pays homage to Indian cinema in Jubilee, a period drama that explores the golden age through the eyes of a rising star, corrupt studio heads, a nautch girl, and more. The first five episodes of Jubilee are out April 7, while the remaining drop in the week after.
From the more artsy side, we’ve got A24’s Beef, a dark comedy which sees Minari’s Steven Yeun going head-to-head in a battle of wits and verbal onslaught with comedian Ali Wong after a road rage incident messes with their lives. Created by Lee Sung Jin (Dave), all 10 episodes of Beef drop April 6 on Netflix. Then, Rachel Weisz (The Lobster) appears in a double role as twin gynaecologists in Dead Ringers, — a modern-day, gender-flipped reimagining of the eponymous 1988 David Cronenberg film — pushing the boundaries in medicine and bringing women’s health care to the forefront. Dead Ringers releases April 21, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
Tooth Pari: When Love Bites rounds out the Indian originals for this month, exploring a horror fantasy where a rebellious vampire falls in love with her timid dentist, after accidentally tasting his blood. You can read more about all these TV shows and more below — and feel free to browse more upcoming series at our entertainment hub.
The Super Mario Bros Movie to Shaakuntalam: The 10 Biggest Movies in April
With that, here’s our TV guide to April 2023, covering releases on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+ Hotstar, and Netflix.
Beef
When: April 6
Where: Netflix
Beef marks Oscar-nominated Steven Yeun’s first regular live-action TV role since his character Glenn was killed off in AMC’s The Walking Dead. That feeling of sadness and unfairness now gleams in his new character Danny Cho, a poor handyman with deep-rooted anger issues, who gets into a road-rage incident with Amy Lau (Ali Wong). The latter’s life is the polar opposite — a self-made entrepreneur surrounded by picturesque beige walls and a loving husband, though she barely gets to spend time with her daughter. The heated incident sends them both over the edge, as they pin the root cause of their personal trauma and stress onto another nameless, faceless individual, as their lives soon intertwine in erratic ways.
Be prepared to see some crazy exchanges, ranging from piss-stained carpets, Wong pointing a gun at her phone, the pair flipping each other off, power abuse, and unbridled mayhem in Beef. The series is created by Lee Sung Jin — best known for his writing talent on Dave and 2 Broke Girls — who jokingly attributes his own, personal road-rage incident from years ago as the key inspiration. Beef also stars Joseph Lee (Searching) as Lau’s husband George, David Cho, Patti Yasutake, Maria Bello (Prisoners), and Ashley Park (Emily in Paris).
All 10 episodes of Beef are out April 6 on Netflix.
All Movies and Series Coming to Netflix in April 2023
Jubilee
When: April 7
Where: Amazon Prime Video
Escape into a newly-independent India in Vikramaditya Motwane’s new show Jubilee, in what feels like a desi take on Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, albeit not as boisterous or drug-fuelled. It’s fashioned like a set of vignettes picked from the lives of some desperate individuals, who want to make it in the film industry — specifically, three characters. First up, we’ve got Binod Das (Aparshakti Khurana), a loyal worker to the big-name producer Srikant Roy (Prosenjit Chatterjee), who is sent on an escort mission to bring an up-and-coming actor Madan Kumar to their production house, Roy Talkies. Unfortunately, things go awry on the trip, leading to the disappearance of the actual Madan Kumar, and Das taking up his identity in a well-organised industry cover-up and eventually, rising through the ranks of fame.
Then we’ve got Jay Khanna (Sidhant Gupta), an aspiring newbie director, willing to take risks but with zero experience, followed by Nilofer (Wamiqa Gabbi), a singer-dancer, who makes her living by performing for the elite classes. The series essentially sees these lives converge with one another in miraculous ways, giving birth to Bollywood, as we know it. Aditi Rao Hydari (The Girl on the Train) also plays a key role in Jubilee as producer Srikant’s wife, who was engaged in an affair with the real Madan Kumar. It’s only fair for her to suspect her husband for the disappearance.
Rounding out the cast lineup are Nandish Sandhu (Super 30) and Ram Kapoor (Thappad). The first five episodes of Jubilee stream April 7 on Amazon Prime Video. Episodes 6–10 release the following week on April 14.
Watch the Trailer for Vikramaditya Motwane’s Jubilee
Aparshakti Khurana in a still from Jubilee
Photo Credit: Amazon Prime Video
Rennervations
When: April 12
Where: Disney+ Hotstar
Embark on a globe-trotting journey with Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) in this four-part series, as he and a team of expert builders reimagine large, decommissioned vehicles and rebuild them to meet a community’s needs. Joining him on his crusade are Anthony Mackie (Altered Carbon), Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire), Vanessa Hudgens (Tick, Tick… Boom!), and singer-songwriter Sebastián Yatra (Encanto). Described as a lifelong passion, Renner and his team will breathe new life into vehicles — such as turning a tour bus into a mobile music studio, a delivery truck into a water treatment facility, and transforming buses into a dance studio and a recreational centre.
Rennervations kickstarts its journey in Renner’s own hometown, Reno, Nevada, before making stops at Chicago, Illinois, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and finally, Rajasthan in India. Renner will also be joined by his friend and business partner Rory Millikin on the trip, who also serves as a producer on the show.
All four episodes of Rennervations are out April 12 on Disney+ Hotstar.
Obsession
When: April 13
Where: Netflix
Based on Josephine Hart’s 1991 novel Damage, Netflix’s Obsession is an erotic thriller, which traces a respected London surgeon William’s (Richard Armitage) descent into tragedy when he meets his son’s fiancée (Charlie Murphy) and strikes a love affair with her. What follows next is an obsessive spiral fuelled by secrecy, as the pair continue having sexual encounters, while trying to keep their main relationships and lives from falling apart. As we could imagine, things don’t work out in their favour, leading to devastating consequences for everyone involved.
With this series, writer Morgan Lloyd Malcolm intends to replicate the dominant-submissive acts exactly as it’s depicted in the book — which he believes the 1992 film adaptation failed to achieve. The source was also entirely told from the lead doctor’s perspective, so it’ll be interesting to see what path Netflix takes with this version. Adding to Obsession’s cast lineup are Indira Varma (Game of Thrones) as William’s wife Ingrid, and Rish Shah as his oblivious son Jay.
All four episodes of Obsession release April 13 on Netflix.
The Last Thing He Told Me
When: April 14
Where: Apple TV+
When her husband mysteriously disappears leaving behind a bag full of cash, Hannah (Jennifer Garner) is forced to protect her 16-year-old stepdaughter Bailey (Angourie Rice) from imminent danger. It is implied that her husband Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) was involved in some criminal practices — a secret kept well hidden from his family – though some of his acquaintances are aware of it – to try to keep the family safe. Owen’s disappearance merely acts as the catalyst for a tale about Hannah and Bailey’s relationship, as they navigate through a long-running police investigation and their pursuit of the truth.
The Last Thing He Told Me is created by Laura Dave and Josh Singer — the former wrote the eponymous novel the show is based on, while the latter previously served as a scribe on the Oscar-winning film Spotlight. The seven-part series also enlists Aisha Tyler (Bad Therapy), Geoff Stults (Cowboy Bebop), John Harlan Kim (Purple Hearts), and Augusto Aguilera (Too Old To Die Young). Garner also serves as an executive producer on it, alongside Reese Witherspoon.
The first two episodes of The Last Thing He Told Me are slated to drop April 14 on Apple TV+, followed by a new episode every Friday until May 19.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5
When: April 14
Where: Amazon Prime Video
Who would’ve thought a show about a New York housewife’s aspirations to become a stand-up comedian would bag 20 Emmy Awards? Well, we’re now in the fifth and final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which sees the titular icon setting The Gordon Ford Show as her next target for her breakthrough into her dreams — only to discover that success ahead is still a long way away. After having hooked up with Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) and rejected the opportunity to perform the opening act at the Copacabana towards the end of season 4, Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) must work to rekindle her lost confidence and motivation in the upcoming chapter.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5 sees a bunch of familiar, returning faces, including Marin Hinkle as Midge’s mother Rose Weissman, Tony Shalhoub (Monk) as her father, and Michael Zegen (The Stand In) as her estranged husband. Milo Ventimiglia (This is Us) and Kelly Bishop (Gilmore Girls) are also set to return in the final season.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 5 kicks off on April 14 with a three-episode premiere on Amazon Prime Video. New episodes follow weekly until May 26.
Tooth Pari: When Love Bites
When: April 20
Where: Netflix
Tooth Pari: When Love Bites pits blood-sucking vampires and humans close together in the streets of Kolkata, unaware of each others’ presence. In it, Rumi (Tanya Maniktala) the vampire loses a fang on one of her nightly hunts, urging her to visit a shy, fainthearted next-door human dentist (Shantanu Maheshwari). During the appointment, however, he inadvertently ends up pricking his finger, causing a blood droplet to fall into Rumi’s mouth, which she devours like delicious cranberry juice. Of course, this creates a spark between them, leading to a strange love story, while coming to terms with the challenges of their unique backgrounds.
The series also stars Revathy (Salaam Venky) as a headstrong pagan Luna Luka, who is aware of the vampires’ resurgence in the human world after years of hibernation. Pratim Dasgupta — best known for Netflix’s Typewriter — serves as the creator and director of Tooth Pari: When Love Bites, promising an ‘impossible love story’ that also features Adil Hussain (Life of Pi), Saswata Chatterjee (Kahaani), and Tillotama Shome (The Night Manager) in the cast lineup.
Tooth Pari: When Love Bites premieres April 20 on Netflix.
Dead Ringers
When: April 21
Where: Amazon Prime Video
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) has big shoes to fill in this modernised, expanded take on David Cronenberg’s psychological thriller, in Prime Video’s Dead Ringers. In it, she plays twin gynaecologists Dr. Elliot and Beverly Mantle, who want to change the way women give birth while dealing with the personal drama between themselves, entangled with drugs and similar romantic affairs. Weisz taking Jeremy Irons’ role from the original is bound to add some conversation in regard to female healthcare, offering deeper insight into how female doctors deal with reproductive health. Meanwhile, the original Dead Ringers leaned a bit into the sex angle, where the twins would often swap between their patients.
Alice Birch, who rose to prominence with HBO’s Succession, is the head writer and creator of the six-episode-long Dead Ringers. The series also stars Michael Chernus (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Britne Oldford (The Umbrella Academy), Poppy Liu (Hacks), and Emily Meade (The Deuce). Dead Ringers is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Annapurna Television.
All six episodes of Dead Ringers will be available to stream April 21 on Amazon Prime Video.
Citadel
When: April 28
Where: Amazon Prime Video
Since their stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Russo Brothers have been dipping their toes into experimental dramas and action flicks — be it from a directorial position or by merely financing projects. Citadel comes from their AGBO banner, an expansive global event series, which compiles localised spy stories from around the world. The upcoming US-based version stars Richard Madden (The Eternals) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (The White Tiger) as former elite agents Mason and Nadia, who after having their memories wiped out in a fallout, rebuild their lives under new identities. However, Mason is tracked down by a former Citadel colleague Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci) to rejoin the force and help take down the Manticore, a powerful crime syndicate.
Having sought out out his former partner Nadia, the pair embark on a globe-trotting quest to hunt the traitor who betrayed Citadel eight years ago — beating up thugs on a fast-moving train, skiing through war-torn snowfields, and trying to figure out their past lives. Created by Josh Appelbaum (Wonder Park) and Bryan Oh, Citadel is reportedly among the most expensive series to be produced — with a budget of over $200 million (about Rs. 1,646 crore), thanks to expensive reshoots.
Rounding out the cast lineup for Citadel are Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), Osy Ikhile (Black Mirror), and Ashleigh Cummings (Westside). An Indian spin-off for the same is also planned with Varun Dhawan (Bhediya) and Samantha Ruth Prabhu (Shaakuntalam) as leads.
Citadel will be up for streaming April 28 on Amazon Prime Video, with two episodes dropping on premiere and the remaining four releasing weekly till May 26.
Watch the Trailer for Citadel, Starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden
Priyanka Chopra plays an elite spy Nadia Sinh in Citadel
Photo Credit: Amazon Studios
Takeshi’s Castle
When: Late April
Where: Amazon Prime Video
Childhood nostalgia is in full force this April, as the popular Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle has been rebooted and returns with the resurrected Castle Lord Takeshi Kitano. As before, contestants will compete in a set of fun, physical challenges — overcoming obstacles that are designed to eliminate them in a single go, which feels quite unfair for games that are based on luck, but hey, rules are rules. Earlier this month, Amazon Prime Video announced the cast lineup for the same, who would serve as the castle’s guardians.
Currently, there is no solid release date for Takeshi’s Castle reboot, though it was confirmed for release later this month.
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