12 of the best TV shows to watch this April

Half Man premieres 23 April on HBO and HBO Max in the US and 24 April on BBC iPlayer in the UK

Apple TV+

11. Widow’s Bay

Matthew Rhys (The Americans, The Beast in Me) reveals his deft comic timing in this witty horror spoof, playing Tom Loftis, the mayor of Widow’s Bay, a town on a small New England island. He is hoping to make the community, which has cutesy locations like a restaurant called The Salty Whale, a tourist destination even though the locals are convinced the place is haunted by everything from fog to a lethal creature called the Sea Hag. The show includes nods to classic horror including The Shining. And like the seaside mayor in Jaws, Tom is ready to overlook some dangerous omens so as not to spook the tourists. Katie Dippold, who wrote the very funny film The Heat, starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock, created the series and has said, “I think it captures the feeling of going to a haunted house on the boardwalk in the summertime.” The sharp direction comes from some experts, including Hiro Murai (Atlanta) and Ti West (the X trilogy of films). 

Widow’s Bay premieres 29 April on Apple TV internationally

Netflix

12. Man on Fire

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II proved how well he can carry a series as the title character in the recent, sharp-witted Marvel entry Wonder Man, playing an aspiring actor who is also a superhero. He shifts to drama in this action thriller as John Creasy, a mercenary and former special forces soldier in the US Army, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan now battling PTSD. He becomes the protector of a young girl named Poe, who was the sole surviving witness to a tragic incident in Brazil. Alice Braga plays a driver Creasy hires, who becomes his partner in trying to protect the girl and track down the terrorists threatening her. The show is based on the 1980 novel of the same name by AJ Quinnell, which was also the basis for a 2004 film starring Denzel Washington, so it seems there is something about that role that attracts the best.

Man on Fire premieres 30 April on Netflix internationally

—

If you liked this story, sign up for the Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can’t-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week.

For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.