April 2017 TV premieres, movies, specials

The April 2017 TV premieres include a handful of literary adaptations (The Handmaid’s Tale, American Gods), the return of an old favorite (Prison Break), plus two world-changing men (Genius, Doctor Who).

Those picks just scratch the surface of what’s coming to viewers in April. The new season of “iZombie” finally premieres, along with new seasons of “Archer,” “Chewing Gum” and “Angie Tribeca.” And one of my favorite shows of 2015, “Fortitude,” returns with another season despite the demise of its network. Thank you Amazon for picking up this gem.

Two Spanish language dramas with similar names examine take viewers into the drug world: “El Capo” on Telemundo and “El Chapo” on Univision.

And still, there are more premieres! In the calendar below, I’ve bolded shows I am looking forward to watching. I will keep adding to it as new shows are announced. Leave me a polite comment if I have forgotten something.

 

April 2017 TV premieres calendar

All times Central

Saturday, April 1

8 p.m.

• “Love at First Bark,” Hallmark (movie; woman adopts rescue dog, falls for his trainer)

 

Sunday, April 2

4 p.m.

• “The Best Place to Be,” Travel (miniseries premiere; Queen Latifah and others share their favorite travel destinations)

7 p.m.

• “Call the Midwife,” PBS (season 6)
• “52nd Academy of Country Music Awards,” CBS (special)
• “The Missing,” Starz (season 2 finale)

8 p.m.

• “Concrete Evidence:  A Fixer Upper Mystery,” Hallmark (movie; renovation expert/amateur sleuth discovers human remains in a dumbwaiter of the building she is restoring)
• “Home Fires,” PBS (final season)
• “Fatherless,” Fusion (doc premiere; Baron Vaughn searches for father he never knew)
• “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” Bravo (season 2)
• “Black Sails,” Starz (series finale)

Monday, April 3

Streaming

• “Psycho Family,” go90.com (doc series premiere; chronicles fallout after revelation that conflict between YouTube personality McJuggerNuggets and his father was actually faked)

7 p.m.

• “Vanderpump Rules,” Bravo (3-part reunion special continues April 10 and 17)
• “Meow Madness,” Hallmark (special; adoptable kittens play basketball)
• “Abortion: Stories Women Tell,” HBO (doc; stories from both sides of the issue)

8 p.m.

• “Nancy O’Dell Remembers: Princess Diana,” Reelz (series premiere; host and entertainment reporter recounts working on the story)
• “Southern Charm,” Bravo (season 4)

9 p.m.

• “Newtown,” PBS (“Independent Lens” premiere; aftermath of deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history)

 

https://youtu.be/Gscq1w6NIJ4

Tuesday, April 4

Streaming

• “Tumble Leaf Spring-a-ling Surprise,” Amazon (special; everyone helps Bloom the bunny hunt for his lost eggs)
• “Chewing Gum,” Netflix (season 2)
• “Louis CK: 2017,” Netflix (stand-up special)

7 p.m.

• “iZombie,” CW (2-hour season 3 premiere)

8 p.m.

• “Prison Break: Resurrection,” Fox (limited series premiere; Lincoln learns his brother, Michael, lives and is in prison)

8:30 p.m.

• “Imaginary Mary,” ABC (series premiere; woman’s childhood imaginary friend reappears to help her navigate love)

9 p.m.

• “El Capo,” Telemundo (series premiere; man of humble beginnings becomes drug trafficking leader in Central America)

 

Wednesday, April 5

8 p.m.

• “The Real Housewives of New York City,” Bravo (season 9)
• “Total Divas,” E! (season 8)

9 p.m.

• “Brockmire,” IFC (series premiere; washed up baseball commentator takes job calling minor league baseball games for the Morristown Frackers)
• “Leonardo, The Man Who Saved Science,” PBS (“Secrets of the Dead” premiere; did Leonardo da Vinci steal some of his ideas)
• “Talk Show The Game Show,” tru TV (series premiere; talk show guests compete)
• “Archer,” FXX (season 8)

 

Thursday. April 6

8 p.m.

• “Flip or Flop Vegas,” HGTV (series premiere; contractor/MMA fighter Bristol Marunde and wife, real estate agent/designer Aubrey, flip homes)

9 p.m.

• “Dark Net,” Showtime (season 2)
• “Colony,” USA (season 2 finale)

 

Friday, April 7

Streaming

• “American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story,” Amazon (premiere; docuseries combines archival footage, interviews and cinematic reenactments)
• “Win It All,” Netflix (movie; gambler loses money he agreed to watch for friend in prison)
• “The Get Down,” Netflix (Part 2 of season 1)
• “Dawn of the Croods,” Netflix (season 3)

7 p.m.

• “The Toy Box,” ABC (series premiere; toy creation competition series)
• “First Dates,” NBC (series premiere; what happens when a couple meets for first time and romantic possibilities seem endless?)

8 p.m.

• “You the Jury,” Fox (series premiere; real lawyers try civil cases and viewers act as the jury, making a binding verdict via phone lines)
• “Great Performances: Young Men,” PBS (premiere; all-male dance company BalletBoyz play young soldiers as they experience brutality of WWI)
• “Steve Byrne: Tell the Damn Joke,” Showtime (comedy special; filmed in Chicago)

 

Saturday, April 8

8 p.m.

• “The Son,” AMC (series premiere; saga spanning 150 years and three generations of McCullough family, owners of ranching-and-oil dynasty in early Texas)
• “Moonlight in Vermont,” Hallmark (movie; after bad breakup, real estate broker hangs at quaint inn where she runs into ex and his new gal pal)
• “Training Day,” CBS (new night and time)
• “Road Hauks,” History (series premiere; creation of custom off-road vehicles)
• “Nate & Jeremiah By Design,” TLC (series premiere; designers juggle marriage, child and helping homeowners)
• “Murder Made Me Famous: The Craigslist Killer,” Reelz (season premiere; opens with look at Philip Markoff)

10 p.m.

• “Mountain Life,” HGTV (series premiere; families search for mountain retreat)

 

Sunday, April 9

7 p.m.

• “The Psycho She Met Online,” Lifetime Movie Network (movie; when woman rents spare rooms, one guest overstays her welcome)

8 p.m.

• “Hailey Dean Mystery: Deadly Estate,” Hallmark (movie; attorney-turned-therapist investigates disappearance of a friend and hit-and-run accident involving friend’s beau)

10 p.m.

• “Talking with Chris Hardwick,” AMC (series premiere; because we don’t hear enough from this guy already)
• “Scene of the Crime with Tony Harris,” Investigation Discovery (series premiere; Tony Harris looks at crimes in small-town America; moves to 9 p.m. Sundays beginning April 16)

 

Monday, April 10

Streaming

• “The Art Detectives,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere, doc series; great art treasures locked away in storage)

8 p.m.

• “The Great War,” PBS (“American Experience” premiere; 3-part, 6-hour documentary explores Americans’ involvement into WWI; continues April 11 & 12)
• “Street Outlaws,” Discovery (season premiere)

9 p.m.

• “Better Call Saul,” AMC (season 3)
• “Help My Yelp,” Food (series premiere; restaurants work to boost their reputations online)

9:30 p.m.

• “Angie Tribeca,” TBS (season 3)

10 p.m.

• “Talking Saul,” AMC (special; also airing after June 12 season finale of “Better Call Saul”)
• “Friday Night Tykes: Steel Country,” USA (season 2)

 

Tuesday, April 11

Streaming

• “Kevin Hart: What Now?” Netflix (stand-up special)

7 p.m.

• “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Fox (spring premiere)
• “The Fosters,” Freeform (spring finale)

8 p.m.

• “Unprotected,” Oxgen (series premiere; New York family comes out of witness protection, moves to Scottsdale, Ariz.)
• “iZombie,” CW (time period premiere)
• “Deadliest Catch,” Discovery (season 13 premiere)
• “Switched at Birth,” Freeform (series finale; 90 minutes)
• “Space’s Deepest Secrets,” Science (season premeire)

9 p.m.

• “We the Fans,” ESPN (doc series premiere, 2 episodes; hanging with Chicago Bears 2016 season ticket holders in Section 250 of Soldier Field)

 

Wednesday, April 12

7 p.m.

• “Hollywood Darlings,” Pop (series premiere; former child stars Jodie Sweetin, Christine Lakin and Beverley Mitchell play exaggerated versions of themselves in improvised comedy)

7:30 p.m.

• “Return of the Mac,” Pop (series premiere; Joey McIntyre plays a version of himself, alongside his real-life family, as he embarks on a hilarious quest to be taken seriously as a legit actor)

8 p.m.

• “Exposed with Deborah Norville,” Reelz (series premiere; pseudo news program with recreations)
• “NASA’s Unexplained Files,” Science (season premiere)

9 p.m.

• “National Enquirer Investigates,” Reelz (season premiere)

 

Thursday, April 13

Streaming

• “The Handmaiden,” Amazon (movie; young Korean pickpocket hired by con man to join scam)

8 p.m.

• “Sacred Cod,” Discovery (special; collapse of the New England cod fishing industry)

 

Friday, April 14

Streaming

• “Fortitude,” Amazon (season 2; Sheriff Dan Anderssen disappears and his deputy is left to deal with new deaths in arctic town)
• “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return,” Netflix (series premiere; reboot of the 1980s-90s cult hit)
• “Chelsea,” Netflix (season 2)

9:30 a.m.

• “Puppy Dog Pals,” Disney (series premiere; adventures of pug brothers Bingo and Rolly)

7 p.m.

• “MacGyver,” CBS (season 1 finale)

9 p.m.

• “PSI,” HBO Latino (season 3)

 

Saturday, April 15

7 p.m.

• “Ransom,” CBS (season 1 finale)
• “Titanic’s Fatal Fire,” Smithsonian (special; yet another look at the great ship’s sinking 105 years ago)

8 p.m.

• “Doctor Who,” BBC America (season 10)
• “Like Cats and Dogs,” Hallmark (movie; Spencer is a cat person; Lola is a dog person)
• “Lakefront Bargain Hunt: Renovation,” HGTV (series premiere; families search for the perfect lakeside fixer upper)

9 p.m.

• “Class,” BBC America (series premiere; students of Coal Hill Academy stop what comes through tears in space and time)
• “J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only,” HBO (music special)

 

Sunday, April 16

7 p.m.

• “The White Princess,” Starz (series premiere; aftermath of the War of the Roses as seen through eyes of three powerful women; more about “The White Princess”)
• “The Real Jesus of Nazareth,” Smithsonian (4-part doc series; a look at Jesus hosted by Robert Powell, who played him in the 1977 miniseries; 2 hours tonight and concludes with 2 episodes on April 17)
• “Stayin’ Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees,” CBS (special)
• “The Legend of Iron Chef,” Food (special; a look at history of the franchise)
• “Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented By Purina,” USA (special)

8 p.m.

• “Guerrilla,” Showtime (series premiere; 1970s London couple liberates political prisoner and forms radical underground cell)
• “The Leftovers,” HBO (final season premiere)
• “Iron Chef Gauntlet,” Food (series premiere; seven chefs compete)

9 p.m.

• “Iron Chef Eats,” (series premiere; family “Iron Chef” faces talk favorite food spots)

9:30 p.m.

• “Veep,” HBO (season 6)

 

Monday, April 17

8 p.m.

• “Basketball Wives,” VH1 (season 6)

8:30 p.m.

• “2 Broke Girls,” CBS (season 6 finale)

9 p.m.

• “Car Saviors,” Discovery (series premiere; auto restoration duo push limits of what is mechanically possible)
• “T.I. & Tiny:  The Family Hustle,” VH1 (6th and final season)

 

Tuesday, April 18

7 p.m.

• “Pretty Little Liars,” Freeform (final season premiere)

8 p.m.

• “Famous in Love,” Freeform (series premiere; new Hollywood “it” girl balances movies with being a college student)
• “L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years later,” A&E (doc; reexamines life-changing events through eyes of those who lived it)
• “Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations,” Travel (season 5)

9 p.m.

• “Cooper’s Treasure,” Discovery (doc; searching for the shipwrecks astronaut Gordon Cooper claimed to see when he circled the globe in 1960s)
• “Team Ninja Warrior,” USA (season 2)

 

Wednesday, April 19

8 p.m.

• “Property Brothers: Buying and Selling,” HGTV (season premiere)

9 p.m.

• “Fargo,” FX (season 3)
• “Bong Appetit,” Viceland (series premiere; elaborate weed-infused dinner parties)

 

Thursday, April 20

7 p.m.

• “Married at First Sight” matchmaking special, Lifetime (special; experts look for season 5 matches)

8 p.m.

• “Married at First Sight,” Lifetime (season 5 premiere; two episodes)
• “The Blacklist,” NBC (midseason premiere)

9 p.m.

• “Mysteries of the Abandoned,” Science (series premiere; long-forgotten engineering marvels)
• “Backyard Goldmine,” DIY (series premiere; converting backyard buildings into rental units)

 

Friday, April 21

Streaming

• “Girlboss,” Netflix (series premiere; comedy inspired by Sophia Amoruso’s book about broke anarchist who becomes unlikely businesswoman)
• “Bill Nye Saves the World,” Netflix (talk show; Science Guy and guests refute anti-scientific claims)
• “Sand Castle,” Netflix (movie; soldiers in second Gulf War try to win over locals)
• “Bosch,” Amazon (season 3)
• “Thunderbirds Are Go,” Amazon (season 3)

8 p.m.

• “Burn Motherf*cker, Burn!” Showtime (doc; look at the L.A. riots on 25th anniversary)
• “Yukon Men,” Discovery (season 6)

 

Saturday, April 22

7 p.m.

• “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” HBO (movie; Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne star in tale of unauthorized 1951 harvesting of Lacks’ cancerous cell)
• “The Perfect Catch,” Hallmark (movie; single mom’s former boyfriend inspires her to rethink her life)
• “An Ocean Mystery: The Missing Catch,” Smithsonian (special; 15-year investigation reveals stark new findings about our marine ecosystems)

 

Sunday, April 23

7 p.m.

• “El Chapo,” Univision (series premiere; story of notorious criminal Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán from his 1985 start to his rise and downfall)
• “NY Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell,” Lifetime (movie; based on a true story of prison staffer who helped two convicts escape, leading to a fatal manhunt)
• “The Lost Tapes: L.A. Riots,” Smithsonian (doc; on 25th anniversary of LA riots, a look back)

9 p.m.

• “Silicon Valley,” HBO (season 4)
• “Mary Kills People,” Lifetime (series premiere; doctor helps terminally ill patients slip away)
• “This Is Life Live,” TLC (series premiere; life altering moments of real families unfold in real time; airs 4 nights in a row)

 

Monday, April 24

Streaming

• “Dominion Creek,” Acorn TV (exclusive U.S. premiere, series 2; more Acorn TV premieres here)

7 p.m.

• “Gotham,” Fox (midseason premiere; Alexander Siddig debuts as Ra’s Al Ghul)

9 p.m.

• “Bates Motel,” A&E (series finale)
• “The Real Story with Maria Elena Salinas,”  Investigation Discovery (series premiere; Univision News anchor digs for true stories behind national headline-making crimes)
• “Booze Traveler: Best Bars,” Travel (series premiere; cocktail connoisseur Jack Maxwell finds country’s best bars and finest drinks)

10:06 p.m.

• “Bates Motel: The Check Out,” A&E (special; after show for series finale with interviews)

 

Tuesday, April 25

8 p.m.

• “Genius,” Nat Geo (miniseries premiere; life of Albert Einstein; more “Genius” here)
• “Great News,” NBC (series premiere; news producer’s  overbearing mom interns at her station)

9 p.m.

• “Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman,” Science (final four episodes begin; also May 2, 9, 16)

 

Wednesday, April 26

Streaming

• “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu (series premiere; one of the last fertile women struggles in the dystopian society of Gilead)

9 p.m.

• “Gomorrah,” Sundance TV (season 2)
• “Outlaw Tech,” Science (series premiere; science and technology used by criminals and law enforcement)

 

Thursday, April 27

9 p.m.

• “Beerland,” Viceland (doc series premiere; searching for best home brewers across country and exploring beer’s role in shaping culture of community)

9:15 p.m.

• “Married at First Sight: Second Chances,” Lifetime (series premiere; Season 3 favorites David Norton and Vanessa Nelson get another shot at finding love)

 

Friday, April 28

Streaming

• “Dear White People,” Netflix (comedy premiere; group of students of color navigate predominantly white Ivy League university)
• “Small Crimes,” Netflix (movie; former cop and ex-con returns home to find his troubles aren’t over)
• “Rodney King,” Netflix (movie; Spike Lee directs adaptation of actor Roger Guenveur Smith’s one-man show about the man whose 1991 beating by L.A.P.D. officers sparked rioting, and about race relations in Los Angeles)
• “Las Chicas Del Cable,” Netflix (series premiere; four women start work at telephone company in 1920s Madrid)
• “Catastrophe,” Amazon (season 3)

7 p.m.

• “Ginormous Foods,” Food (season premiere)

8 p.m.

• “Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992,” ABC (doc; pegged to the 25th anniversary, a look at the Los Angeles uprising of 1992)
• “Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars Family Edition,” WE tv (season premiere)

 

Saturday, April 29

7 p.m.

• “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” HBO (special; ceremony will honor this year’s inductees: Joan Baez, ELO, Journey, Nile Rodgers, Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur and Yes)

8 p.m.

“Safe at Home,” Hallmark (movie; single mom gets second chance at love when high school flame returns to town)

“Show Me Democracy,” Fuse (doc; youth activism in Ferguson following 2014 race riots)

 

Sunday, April 30

6 p.m.

• “Disney Channel Presents the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards,” Disney (special)

8 p.m.

• “American Gods,” Starz (series premiere; based on Neil Gaiman novel in which war brews between old gods and new gods)
• “Superheroes Decoded,” History (Part 21 of doc; true beginnings of America’s legendary superhero characters)
• “Good Witch,” Hallmark (season 3)

9 p.m.

• “Gaycation: United We Stand,” Vice (special; challenges facing LGBTQ community under Trump presidency)