Welcome to Mandatory Streamers, our column covering the best new streaming content coming your way every week! For the week of April 27, the war is ramping up again between Chuck Rhodes (Paul Giamatti) and Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) as Corey Stoll’s Mike Prince enters the fray in Billions Season 5. 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!
Showtime
Billions, Season 5 Premiere: In the new season, Bobby Axelrod and Chuck Rhoades see their vicious rivalry reignited, while new enemies rise and take aim. Social impact pioneer Mike Prince (Stoll) poses a true threat to Axe’s dominance and Chuck feuds with a formidable district attorney. Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) is forced back to Axe Capital, where they must fight to protect their employees and their assets. Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff) reevaluates her loyalties and forges surprising new alliances that put her at odds with both Chuck and Axe. This season, the struggle for power becomes a struggle for survival, and all characters must adapt or risk extinction. The new season will premiere on Sunday, May 3, and will be available to stream on Showtime’s platforms.
Netflix
Never Have I Ever, Series Premiere: Inspired by co-creator and co-writer Mindy Kaling’s own childhood, Never Have I Ever is a 10-episode coming-of-age series that will follow the complicated life of a modern-day first-generation Indian American teenage girl. The series stars Canadian newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi, an overachieving high school sophomore who has a short fuse that gets her into difficult situations. The new series is now streaming on Netflix.
A Secret Love, Documentary Premiere: A Secret Love tells an incredible love story between Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel, whose relationship spans nearly seven decades. Terry played in the women’s professional baseball league, inspiring the hit movie A League of Their Own. But the film did not tell the real-life story of the women who remained closeted for most of their lives. This documentary follows Terry and Pat back to when they met for the first time, through their professional lives in Chicago, coming out to their conservative families and grappling with whether or not to get married. Facing the hardships of aging and illness, their love proves resilient as they enter the home stretch. From Ryan Murphy, Jason Blum, and directed by Chris Bolan, the documentary is available to stream now!
Hollywood, Series Premiere: Created by Ryan Murphy, the new limited series will follow the story of a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood as they try to make it in Tinseltown — no matter the cost. Each character offers a unique glimpse behind the gilded curtain of Hollywood’s Golden Age, spotlighting the unfair systems and biases across race, gender and sexuality that continue to this day. The 7-episode series exposes and examines decades-old power dynamics, and what the entertainment landscape might look like if they had been dismantled. Hollywood will premiere on Friday, May 1.
Hulu
Normal People, Series Premiere: Adapted by Sally Rooney from her bestselling novel, along with Alice Birch and Mark O’Rowe, the 12-episode drama follows the complicated relationship of Marianne and Connell, who meet at their small town secondary school in Ireland and continues through their undergraduate years at Trinity College. Connell is well-liked and popular at school while Marianne is lonely and intimidating, but when he picks up his mother from her cleaning job at Marianne’s house, a connection forms between the two that they feel inclined to hide amidst their social class gap. The following year, both studying in Dublin, the two have seen a personality swap as Marianne as found her own group of friends while Connell becomes shy and uncertain about his life and hangs on the sidelines. The series is available to stream now on Hulu.
HBO
Betty, Series Premiere: Crystal Moselle and Lesley Arfin’s upcoming coming-of-age Skate Kitchen spinoff series centers on a group of female skateboarders in New York. The series follows a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through the predominantly male-oriented world of skateboarding. The original film’s five leads Dede Lovelace, Ajani Russell, Moonbear, Rachel Vinberg, and Nina Moran will also be starring in the series as they reprise their roles as Janay, Indigo, Honeybear, Camille and Kirt, respectively. The series will debut on Friday, May 1, and will be available to stream on HBO’s platforms.
BritBox
35 Days: 35 Hours, Season 4 Exclusive North American Premiere: In this exciting new batch of episodes, a jury retires to deliberate and consider the evidence set before them in a gruesome murder case. Little do they know that within 35 hours one of them will be dead at the hands of one of the other jurors. Their first vote highlights their deep division. Who will influence who? Who will have the loudest voices? Who will harbour deep prejudices? Deep enough to kill in cold blood? New episodes will begin streaming on Friday, May 1.
Renewals
Westworld, Season 4: HBO has renewed the Emmy-winning drama series Westworld for a fourth season! The series is currently airing its third season, with new episodes debuting every Sunday night.
