What to stream: 'The Handmaid’s Tale,' Viola Davis, Bon Iver, 'The Last
of Us' and Jon Hamm
[April 09, 2025]
By The Associated Press
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.
NEW MOVIES TO STREAM APRIL 7-13
— 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+.
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
NEW MUSIC TO STREAM APRIL 7-13
— 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.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
NEW SHOWS TO STREAM APRIL 7-13
— 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.
[to top of second column]
|
This combination of images shows promotional art for "The Handmaid's
Tale" from left, "Your Friends & Neighbors and "The Last of Us." (Hulu/Apple
TV+/Max via AP)
 — 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.
— Alicia Rancilio
NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
— 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.
— Lou Kesten
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
