Unlike some other months, there’s no one standout crime show coming in April, but we do have some interesting limited series heading our way, including a satirical look at the Watergate scandal starring Woody Harrelson and Justin Therous, and a much-anticipated adaptation of a Very Big New York City novel. Consider your options below, or if it’s more your speed, you could just focus your time on the NBA playoffs and (re-) watching the final season of Better Call Saul, which just dropped on Netflix. Or maybe you haven’t finished The Night Agent + The Diplomat yet? There’s hope for us all.
White House Plumbers
(HBO / May 1st)
The headline for this new miniseries about the Watergate scandal is the cast: Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Domhnall Gleeson, Kiernan Shipka, and Lena Headey having some fun with the sleaze and corruption orbiting around the Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy circle. It looks set for just a five episode run, so better to jump on board from the outset.
Class of ’09
(FX / May 9th)
This new thriller has Tom Rob Smith, author of the Child 44 trilogy, at the helm, with Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara starring. The story unfolds over three different time periods, following the evolving personal dramas of some recently reunited Quantico graduates. Also, apparently, it has to do with AI in law enforcement. So, should be quite a lot going on.
City on Fire
(Apple TV+ / May 12th)
In adapting Garth Risk Hallberg’s door-stopper, it looks like they’re leaning into the crime element: a murder that connects to a string of fires that connects to downtown music that connects to real estate, resulting, hopefully, in a nuanced portrait of a New York on the brink. Even if you didn’t read the book yourself, you may well remember people carrying it all over the place for about a year or so.
High Desert
(Apple TV+ / May 17th)
Patricia Arquette stars as a woman in a California desert town who decides to become a private investigator. Which, personally, is all I need to know to tune into this one. The creative team behind the show worked on Nurse Jackie and the underrated Get Shorty, so seems safe to expect some sharp writing and a lot of style.
Ghosts of Beirut
(Showtime / May 21st)
From the creators of Fauda and starring Dina Shihabi, Dermot Mulroney, and Garret Dillahunt, here’s your big adrenaline-pumping international spy series for the month, tracing the origins of the hunt for a terrorist and the jurisdictional battles of the various forces in pursuit.
