Mandatory Streamers: Chris Evans Stars in Apple TV+’s Defending Jacob

Welcome to Mandatory Streamers, our column covering the best new streaming content coming your way every week! For the week of April 20, MCU alum Chris Evans (Avengers: Endgame, Knives Out) Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey, Godless), and Jaeden Martell (IT, Knives Out) star in Apple TV+’s Defending Jacob, the limited series adaptation of William Landay’s bestselling novel, featuring a family whose lives are irreparably disrupted when the son is accused of murdering a fellow classmate. Check out the best shows debuting and returning online this week as well as the latest renewal announcements below and be sure to visit our mother site Mandatory by clicking here!

Apple TV+

Defending Jacob, Limited Series Premiere:  This stellar and heartwrenching limited drama series unfolds around a shocking crime that rocks a small Massachusetts town and one family in particular, forcing an assistant district attorney to choose between his sworn duty to uphold justice and his unconditional love for his son. The first three episodes will premiere on Friday, April 24, on Apple TV+ and new episodes will premiere weekly thereafter every Friday.

Beastie Boys Story, Documentary Premiere:  The story of three friends who inspired each other and the world. The docufilm features Beastie Boys members Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz as they tell you an intimate, personal story of their band and 40 years of friendship in this live documentary experience directed by their longtime friend and collaborator, and their former grandfather, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Jonze. The documentary will debut on Friday, April 24.

Netflix

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, Series Premiere:  The newest installment to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series takes place in the year 2045 where the world has entered a systematic “Sustainable War.” Hired as a mercenary unit, the former members of Japan’s elite Section 9 are faced with the sudden appearance of “Post-Human,” a being with tremendous intelligence and physical capabilities. Based on the long-running manga franchise and anime series that ran on-air for two seasons from 2002-2005, the new installment will be available to stream on Thursday, April 23.

After Life, Season 2 Premiere: Still struggling with immense grief after the death of his wife, Tony (Ricky Gervais) is trying to turn over a new leaf. Will he succeed in helping the people around him, or will he go back to being the same old Tony? The new season will launch on Friday, April 24.

The Last Kingdom, Season 4 Premiere: The fourth season of Netflix’s hit historical drama based on Bernard Cornwell’s best-selling novel series The Saxon Stories is set to return on Sunday, April 26. The series centers on Alfred the Great (David Dawson), who defends his kingdom from Norse invaders, as Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) — born a Saxon but raised by Vikings — seeks to claim his ancestral birthright. The new season will consist of 10 episodes.

Showtime

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Series Premiere: The spinoff series,is set in 1938 Los Angeles, a time and place deeply infused with Mexican-American folklore and social tension. Rooted in the conflict between characters connected to the deity Santa Muerte and others allied with the Devil, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels will explore an exciting mix of the supernatural and the combustible reality of that period, creating new occult myths and moral dilemmas within a genuine historical backdrop.

When a grisly murder shocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega (Daniel Zovatto) and his partner Lewis Michener (Nathan Lane) become embroiled in an epic story that reflects the rich history of Los Angeles: from the building of the city’s first freeways and its deep traditions of Mexican-American folklore to the dangerous espionage actions of the Third Reich and the rise of radio evangelism. Before long, Tiago and his family are grappling with powerful forces that threaten to tear them apart. Penny Dreadful: City of Angels will premiere on Sunday, April 26 and will be available to stream on Showtime’s platforms.

Sundance Now

Sanctuary, Series Premiere:  What could be worse than being imprisoned in a locked-down clinic where nothing is what it seems, and nobody believes you are who you say you are…? How about beginning to suspect that they’re right? Sanctuary is a suspenseful psychological thriller set against the spectacular backdrop of the Italian Alps that deals with the defining human issues of survival, identity, trust, and betrayal. An engrossing story that asks the audience: Who would you become in order to survive? The new series premieres Thursday, April 23 with new episodes every Thursday.

Starz

Vida, Season 3 Premiere: In Season 3, Emma (Mishel Prada) and Lyn (Melissa Barrera) are riding on the heels of success. The bar is booming and their love lives are actually flourishing… until the Hernandez sisters discover a long-buried family secret that ruins their hard-won peace. The sisters find themselves face to face with old ghosts and new enemies, all while deciding if they can continue together as a family or if they should move on alone, for good this time. The third and final season will premiere on Sunday, April 26 and will be available to stream on Starz’s platforms.

FloSports

Bad Cut, Documentary Premiere: The all-new original documentary Bad Cut explores the dangers of weight cutting among combat sports athletes. Fighters routinely put themselves at serious medical risk in order to make a competitive weight class by severely dehydrating themselves prior to competition. This form of legal cheating is a major issue within all combat sports, but especially MMA, where the risks of taking blows to the head in a depleted state can be fatal. Mark Bader travels around the country to talk with medical experts, regulators, and athletes including trainer/nutritionist Mike Dolce, former UFC referee “Big” John McCarthy and MMA athlete, CJ Hancock to drill down to the bottom of this highly contentious issue, and hopefully come up with a solution before it’s too late. The documentary will premiere on Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m. EST on FloSports.

Renewals

After ranking as the two highest-rated scripted series for the network, Fox has chosen to greenlight a fourth season of the action procedural 9-1-1 and a second season of its hit spinoff Lone Star led by Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) and Liv Tyler (The Leftovers). 9-1-1 will air Episode 3.16 “The One That Got Away” on Monday, April 27.