The Best Things Coming to Netflix in April 2026

See high-drama documentaries, star-studded original movies and a new comedy from ‘Schitt’s Creek’ cocreator Dan Levy

Chris Nashawaty,

Updated March 27, 2026

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Published January 30, 2025

/ Updated March 27, 2026

Song Kang-ho and Youn Yuh-jung in a scene from Beef

Song Kang-ho and Youn Yuh-jung costar in the new season of "Beef."

Courtesy Netflix

April showers mean two things: May flowers and an excuse to stay dry and cozy inside this month with Netflix. The streamer has everything we need: new original movies and comedies, thrilling documentaries and returning-favorite shows. Mark your watchlist for these 12 top titles coming this month.

Coming Apr. 1

Love on the Spectrum, Season 4

What may sound exploitative on paper turns out to be surprisingly nuanced and thoughtful on-screen. In the fourth season of this Emmy-winning Netflix docuseries about young singletons with autism looking for love, we get all the meet-cutes and unrequited heartbreaks we’d expect from a traditional dating show. But here, the stakes just seem higher since so many of these romantic hopefuls struggle to be seen for who they are when romance isn’t part of the mix. The stakes feel higher, more emotional. In addition to watching new couples being formed, this season checks in with couples from previous seasons to see how their happily-ever-afters are coming along.

Coming Apr. 7

Untold: Chess Mates

The world of competitive chess isn’t what anyone would describe as “sexy.” So when a juicy scandal comes along, you’ve got to make the most of it. Which brings us to the latest installment of Netflix’s dependable Untold docuseries. This episode follows the 2022 cheating scandal that unfolded when American grandmaster Hans Niemann defeated long-standing world champion Magnus Carlsen. The result was so unexpected that it led to allegations of cheating and a $100 million lawsuit. Was Niemann receiving signals from a third party during the match, or did he just knock off the best player on the planet fair and square? Trust me, you’ll want to tune in and listen to all the wild theories.

Coming Apr. 8

Trust Me: The False Prophet

If you’ve read Jon Krakauer’s 2003 book Under the Banner of Heaven or watched HBO’s Big Love, you’re already familiar with the fringe Mormon groups that splintered off from the mainstream church over its restrictions against polygamy. Now this four-part true-crime documentary takes a closer look at one such community in rural Utah and its controversial prophet, Samuel Bateman (the self-proclaimed heir to Warren Jeffs, currently in prison), as told by a filmmaking couple who infiltrate his inner circle. The interviews with the brave women who were allegedly abused by Bateman are devastating.

Coming Apr. 9

Big Mistakes, Season 1

Fans of Schitt’s Creek, rejoice! Dan Levy, the star and cocreator of that wonderful (and sorely missed) show, returns to episodic television with this gonzo comedy series about a pair of dysfunctional siblings who are blackmailed into the world of organized crime. This one sounds highly promising — not only because Levy is an ace when it comes to delivering eye-rolling punch lines, but also because the ensemble cast includes Taylor Ortega, Laurie Metcalf, 70, and Elizabeth Perkins, 65.

Coming Apr. 10

Thrash (2026, R)

If you ask me, Netflix doesn’t release nearly enough junky B-movies. Let me rephrase that: nearly enough intentionally junky B-movies. Thankfully, that all changes this month with the arrival of this bloody “shark-infested hurricane thriller.” The plot sounds like a cross between Jaws and Key Largo: A small coastal town battles nature’s wrath and a slew of chum-hungry predators during one of those only-in-the-movies storms of the century. Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor and two-time Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou, 61, swing by to lend some acting chops to the chomps.

Funny AF with Kevin Hart, Season 1

Netflix loves the idea of being in the Kevin Hart business. But to date, that’s led only to a string of bland movie comedies that are hard to remember after the credits roll. So it makes sense that the streamer is refocusing the comedian’s energies into something we know he does well: stand-up. Here, Hart hosts a reality competition show à la Last Comic Standing featuring hungry young comics vying for the prize of landing their own Netflix special. The finale will air live, with the winner determined by vote-casting viewers.

Coming Apr. 16

Beef, Season 2

When the first season of this deliciously dark, Emmy-hauling comedy series hit Netflix back in 2023, it was a breath of fresh air, thanks to terrific lead performances from Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Season 2 welcomes a new cast, but the theme remains the same: revenge. This time, a pair of low-level Gen Z country club employees (Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton) become awkwardly entangled in the unraveling marriage of their boss (Oscar Isaac) and his wife (Carey Mulligan). Let the head games begin!

Coming Apr. 17

A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough

David Attenborough is a global treasure. Now, on the eve of his 100th birthday in May, the dulcet-voiced British naturalist returns with his latest peek at the animal kingdom in this heartwarming series about a group of mountain gorillas he first encountered in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1970s. The narration and nature footage, of course, are first-rate. But the real pleasure of A Gorilla Story is how it brings a one-of-a-kind career full circle.

Coming Apr. 22

This Is a Gardening Show, Season 1

The deadpan comedian and off-kilter star of The Hangover movies, Zach Galifianakis, 56, hosts this whimsical, six-episode series about the joys of having a green thumb and the Zen-like peace that comes with messing around in the dirt. Galifianakis is the first to admit that he’s hardly anyone’s idea of Johnny Appleseed, but part of the show’s disarming charm is how he (and the folks he interviews) convince you that harvesting veggies can be an effective form of therapy.

Coming Apr. 23

Running Point, Season 2

Kate Hudson is back as Isla Gordon, the hard-charging, power-suit-wearing president of the Los Angeles Waves basketball team, in the sophomore season of this fizzy sports comedy series. As you may recall, the first season ended with the Waves falling short in the playoffs, Isla’s coach packing up and moving to greener pastures in Boston and her love life falling apart at the seams. This time around, the dysfunction spreads to her loaded, off-court relationships with her eccentric brothers (Scott MacArthur, Drew Tarver, Fabrizio Guido and Justin Theroux, 54).

Coming Apr. 24

Apex (2026, R)

If you’re looking for a tense cat-and-mouse thriller, you’re in luck. Charlize Theron, 50, goes on the run in this outdoorsy slice of suspense playing a rock climber who moves to the Australian wilderness for solitude. But, of course, she finds more than she bargained for. Alone and stranded in the middle of nowhere, she crosses paths with a sociopath (Carry-On’s Taron Egerton) who gets his kicks toying with her and chasing her through the rugged landscape. Think of this one as a Down Under Deliverance. Eric Bana, 57, rounds out the cast.

Coming Apr. 30

Man on Fire, Season 1

Netflix brings the action thrills in this series about John Creasy, a Special Forces soldier (Aquaman’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who’s reckoning with his dark past while trying to start a more peaceful new life. It won’t be easy, because a body count seems to follow Creasy wherever he goes. Based on A.J. Quinnell’s pulse-pounding book series, Man on Fire looks like it has no shortage of explosions and whizzing bullets. But we’re just as excited about guest stars Scoot McNairy and Bobby Cannavale, 55.

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Chris Nashawaty, former film critic for Entertainment Weekly, is the author of Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story and a contributor to Esquire, Vanity Fair, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.