Q Wave’s Watchlist: April 2022
"There's nothing to watch" is not a phrase that should exist in a world drowning in content. Join us every month to get curated content - from the latest and greatest to revisiting oldies - we'll help you avoid the dreaded “Netflix Block” and find something to watch!
Bridgerton (Netflix)
Bridgerton has made its long-awaited return to Netflix with yet another steamy season of longing gazes and high society decadence. This season, the focus shifts away from eldest daughter, Daphne (played by Phoebe Dynevor), over to her older brother, Anthony (West End’s rising star, Jonathan Bailey). Set in Regency-era London, the show tells the story of the Bridgerton family and their quest to maintain status through marriage. The twist is that there is gossip among high society’s finest, named Lady Whistledown, who - SPOILER ALERT - was revealed at the end of season 1 (if you don’t want to know her identity yet, or want to get caught up on season 1 first, don’t watch the trailer below). Lady Whistledown is voiced by none other than Julie Andrews herself.
The diverse cast made waves in the first season, most notably with the Duke of Hastings, played by Regé-Jean Page as the object of (everyone’s) Daphne’s affection, Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, and Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte. Keen viewers were also enthralled by the orchestral covers of modern pop songs, such as Ariana Grande’s Thank You, Next, and Shawn Mendes’ In My Blood, all performed by the Vitamin String Quartet (this choice was inspired by a similar use of classic rock songs in A Knight’s Tale).
Season 2 of Bridgerton (in its entirety) was released on March 25, 2022.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: Gossip Girl, Downton Abbey, Anything by Shonda Rhimes
Runtime: 8 episodes, 1 hour each
Genre: Drama, Romance
Outer Range (Amazon Prime)
Yellowstone has taken the TV world by storm, and Amazon hopes that people are clamouring for more cowboy drama as they are set to roll out their eerie western, Outer Range.
Set in the Wyoming wilderness, Outer Range promises to be a western with a twist, sprinkling in some supernatural elements. In his first leading role on TV since 2003, Josh Brolin (Dune), stars as rancher Royal Abbott, a man fighting for his land and his family. He discovers an unfathomable mystery at the edge of the Wyoming wilderness that puts him at the center of a dark mystery.
The show has been billed as a thriller with hints of humour and science fiction mystery, blending multiple genres in a prestige program that Amazon is betting big on.
Josh Brolin shouldering the load is already something to be excited about, seeing as he is one of the best actors working today, but there are some other solid performers in the cast as well, like Lili Taylor (American Crime), Tom Pelphrey (Ozark), and Imogen Poots (The Father).
In addition to being Brolin‘s first TV leading role in 20 years, it’s also his most significant producing credit to date. He teamed up with Plan B - Brad Pitt’s Oscar-winning production company - back in mid-March 2020, and now after two years of logistics and working through the pandemic, Outer Range is finally here.
Outer Range hits Amazon Prime Video on Friday, April 15th.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: Yellowstone, Westworld
Runtime: 8 episodes, 1 hour each.
Genre: Western, thriller
Barry (Crave)
It’s been a minute since we last checked in with our favourite hitman-turned-aspiring-actor. After an extended 3-year hiatus, Barry is back for its third season.
Without giving too much of the series away (there’s still time to binge-watch the first two seasons!), Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live) plays the titular Barry; an ex-Marine turned hitman whose handler, Stephen Root (Perry Mason), sends him to Los Angeles to perform a hit for a Chechen mob boss. While tracking his target, he stumbles into an acting class with Henry Winkler (Arrested Development), playing the self-obsessed teacher Gene Cousineau. Barry falls in love with the class and feels like he has finally found his place and attempts to leave behind his criminal past, but he soon realizes moving on isn’t so easy.
Along with starring as the lead, the series was created, written and produced by ex-SNL alum Bill Hader, who has also directed a handful of episodes.
The show has garnered a tremendous reception from critics and has led to Emmy’s for both Hader and Winkler for their performances. Somehow, Winkler’s Emmy is his first, despite making his television debut almost 50 years ago playing Fonzie in Happy Days.
The wait for the third season has been a long one, but fans need not worry about that again. While COVID delayed the production process this time around, Hader has stated that during the downtime, it allowed him and the show’s writers to pen the fourth season.
Barry is back on Crave on April 24th. Skip the trailer below if you don’t want any spoilers for the first two seasons.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: The Flight Attendant, Fargo
Runtime: 8 episodes, 26-35 minutes
Genre: Comedy, drama
Moon Knight (Disney Plus)
You could be forgiven for not knowing a single thing about Marvel’s newest hero, Moon Knight. First featured in Werewolf by Night #32 in 1975, Moon Knight has often been compared to DC’s Batman (but with an Egyptian god on his side). Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) is an ex-Marine and former CIA operative who was operating as a mercenary when he was left for dead by a friend in Egypt’s desert. Spector was brought back to life by the God Khonshu, who empowered him with mystical powers that wax and wane with the Moon’s phases. Marc also has dissociative identity disorder and has several other personalities such as billionaire businessman Steven Grant, taxi driver Jake Lockley, and suited consultant Mr. Knight.
Ethan Hawke will also feature as Arthur Harrow, a cult leader, and May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly. Gaspard Ulliel will also appear as Midnight Man; Gaspard died tragically in a skiing accident earlier this year. Kevin Feige has also confirmed that Moon Knight will eventually cross over into the MCU.
Moon Knight premiered on March 30, 2022, with episodes releasing weekly.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: The Punisher, Daredevil, Anything Marvel
Runtime: 6 episodes
Genre: Action, thriller
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Based on Mick Herron’s 2010 best-selling novel of the same name, Apple’s new spy thriller drops its first two episodes today.
Developed by Veep writer Will Smith (no, not that Will Smith), Slow Horses centers on a tired and grumpy MI5 agent named Jackson Lamb, played by screen legend and Oscar-winner, Gary Oldman (Mank), who leads a team of British Intelligence agents in the Slough House department. Only, this isn’t the A-squad. This is a team of agents who are seen as screw-ups, sent to Slough House as a punishment for jeopardizing their careers in one way or another. You know James Bond’s super team? Picture the exact opposite of them.
Author Mick Herron has said before that it wasn’t his attention to the story that led the books to be successful but his development of the characters. With a cast featuring supporting talent like Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal), Oscar nominee Kristin Scott Thomas (Darkest Hour), and Oscar nominee Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes), they will have a wealth of resources to draw from to fuel their performances.
The show’s first season adapts the first book of Herron’s spy series, which contains eight volumes and two novellas (and more material on the way), so if the show is a hit, there is plenty more source material to keep the seasons coming.
The initial two episodes are available on Apple today, with the following four premiering weekly every Friday.
You'd like this if you enjoyed: Patriot, Ragdoll
Runtime: 6 episodes, 1 hour each
Genre: Spy thriller