What to stream: 'The Handmaid’s Tale,' Viola Davis, Bon Iver, 'The Last of Us' and Jon Hamm
Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” returning for its sixth and final season and Viola Davis playing a U.S. president in the action movie “G20” are some of this week’s new streaming entertainment releases
Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” returning for its sixth and final season and Viola Davis playing a U.S. president in the action movie “G20” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey reunite in the long-awaited second season of “The Last of Us,” Cillian Murphy plays an Irish coal merchant in the movie “Small Things Like These” and Spin Doctors release their first new studio album in 12 years.
— Viola Davis as an action star is, generally speaking, worth seeing. While Davis is best known for more dramatic roles, she kicked serious butt in 2022’s “The Woman King.” In “G20” (streaming Thursday on Prime Video), Davis plays a U.S. president whose military background comes in handy when terrorists take over the Group of 20 summit.
— Following up his Oscar-winning performance in “Oppenheimer,” Cillian Murphy stars in and produced “Small Things Like These,” an adaptation of Claire Keegan’s Booker Prize-nominated novella. In the film (streaming now on Hulu), Murphy plays an Irish coal merchant and father of five daughters in 1985. Directed by Tim Mielants (who worked with Murphy on “Peaky Blinders”) and co-starring Emma Watson, “Small Things Like These” digs into the brutal traumas of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries. A short story by Keegan also served as the source material for another small gem, 2022’s “The Quiet Girl” (also streaming on Hulu).
— In “Pets,” Bryce Dallas Howard gives a cuddly documentary portrait to the relationship between humans and animal companions. The film begins streaming Friday, April 11, on Disney+.
— Nearly six years have passed since Bon Iver’s last album, “i, i” was released, but that wasn’t the last we heard from him. His influence is everywhere in contemporary popular music; his world has changed ours, from 2007’s debut album, “For Emma Forever Ago,” recorded in his father’s hunting cabin, to all the Grammy nominations, tours and features with stars from Bruce Springsteen to Taylor Swift. In October, he released indie folk EP “SABLE,” which AP’s Dave Campbell described as arriving like a siren, warning the listener of some intensity ahead. On Friday, that intensity arrives in the form of a new full-length album, “SABLE, fABLE.” (Read AP's review.)
— Also on Friday, Spin Doctors release their first new studio album in 12 years, “Face Full of Cake,” via Capitol Records. It’s been 33 years since their alt-rock, Grammy-nominated hit “Two Princes” soundtracked the ’90s. Three decades later, their cheeky spirit endures.
— After a more than two-year wait, Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” is back for its sixth and final season on Tuesday. Elisabeth Moss returns as June, determined to rescue her daughter from the totalitarian, theonomic society of Gilead, which has taken over the United States. When “The Handmaid’s Tale” debuted in 2017, early into President Donald Trump’s first term, it struck a chord with viewers, particularly women, worried about their rights. The final season returns in the early days of Trump’s second term. Hulu also has ordered a sequel series, “The Testaments,” taking place 15 years later. Both shows are based on novels by Margaret Atwood.
— Netflix's sci-fi anthology series “Black Mirror” returns for Season 7 on Thursday. There are six new stories — including a sequel to Season 4's “USS Callister,” with Cristin Milioti reprising her role. Its new cast includes Awkwafina, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Paul Giamatti, Issa Rae, Rashida Jones, Tracee Ellis Ross and Chris O’Dowd.
— A new reality competition show on Hulu may help fill the void left by “The Traitors.” “Got to Get Out” is hosted by Marvel actor Simu Liu and features notable reality TV stars like Spencer Pratt, Omarosa, Val Chmerkovskiy and Kim Zolciak-Biermann facing off against everyday people. They must live in a locked house together for 10 days for the chance of winning $1 million. The contestants have to devise plans to sneak out for challenges, without getting caught. “Got to Get Out” premieres Friday, April 11.
— Remember Jon Hamm’s commercial for Apple TV+ where he lamented he was the only Hollywood actor who hadn’t been hired by the streamer? A role on “The Morning Show” changed that for him. Now, Hamm is starring in his own Apple show called “Your Friends & Neighbors,” premiering Friday, April 11. He plays Coop, a divorced, down-on-his-luck man who loses his hedge fund job. To keep up with the Joneses, not to mention his alimony and child support, he begins to steal from his affluent neighbors when they’re not home. The show, already renewed for Season 2, also stars Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn.
— Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey reunite in the long-awaited second season of “The Last of Us.” The series is based on video games of the same name about a fungal infection that turns the infected into zombies. Season 2 picks up five years after the events of the first, with new cast member Kaitlyn Dever. Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Wright and Isabela Merced will also appear. “The Last of Us” Season 2 premieres Sunday, April 13.
— The Deep South has so much weird folklore that it should be a great setting for an eerie video game. Leave it to our friends up north — Canadian studio Compulsion Games — to deliver South of Midnight. After a hurricane blows through a small town called Prospero, a young woman named Hazel gains some magical skills. She’ll need them to fight back against the witches, haints and oversized gators running wild all over the swamp. The supernatural creatures here, including an amiable giant catfish with a Cajun accent, have a distinctive stop-motion look, casting a haunting spell around Hazel’s journey. You can dig into this gumbo Tuesday, April 8, on Xbox X/S and PC.
— Speaking of eerie settings, who isn’t intrigued by the classic mysterious mansion? Blue Prince, from Los Angeles-based designer Tonda Ros, invites you to explore such a house — and each time you open a door, you have a choice as to what room is behind it. The house is filled with puzzles, some of which require clues and objects from multiple locations. And at the end of the day, the manor resets itself, so the rooms will be in different places the next morning. It all feels like one huge escape room, and you can move in Thursday, April 10, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
