What to Watch This Week: April 10 to 15

From top TV honours to cartoon classics, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week

1. Green Eggs and Ham – Netflix

NetflixReturning for season two (or, as Netflix calls it, a “second serving”), this animated series based on the Dr. Seuss classic follows Guy (Michael Douglas) and Sam (Adam DeVine) as they travel around the globe and outside their comfort zones after getting caught between two sides of a delicious conflict.

2. Killing Eve – Sunday, April 10, 5 p.m. & 6 p.m., CTV Drama | Series Finale

CTV DramaTo borrow a phrase from The Grateful Dead, what a long, strange trip Killing Eve has been, all culminating this week in a series finale that closes the book on four acclaimed (and pretty insane) seasons. While fans will certainly be saddened to see the last of former intelligence officer Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and unhinged Russian assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer), the latter explained why this felt like the right time to wrap things up. “I’ve been with this character for a really, really long time,” Comer said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “I would rather we ended on a good note and kept our integrity, instead of going on and on, and being kicked out the door.”

3. Canadian Screen Awards – Sunday, April 10, 8 p.m., CBC & CBC Gem (Stream)

CBCIt’s been a good long while since we’ve been able to celebrate homegrown talent in-person (yet another thing to blame on COVID), but this week marks a return to semi-normalcy as the 10th annual Canadian Screen Awards go down with a hybrid virtual and in-person gala.  

Sketch troupe TallBoyz will be on hand to make everyone chuckle as an eclectic array of artists come together to celebrate Canadian TV and film achievers. Among the notable nominees this year are the cast and crew of breakout CBC comedy Sort Of, which leads overall nominations, as well as gritty independent films Scarborough (a favourite at this past TIFF) and Night Raiders.  

Also in contention on the TV end of things: cop sitcom Pretty Hard Cases, and the final seasons of Wynonna Earp and Kim’s Convenience.

4. Hard Cell – Tuesday, April 12, Netflix | Series Premiere

NetflixTelevision viewers wll recognize Catherine Tate from her roles in such British series as Doctor Who, Big School and her eponymous sketch comedy The Catherine Tate Show, as well as for playing Nellie Bertram in the final two seasons of NBC’s The Office. 

In her latest, Hard Cell, Tate serves up a mockumentary set within HMP Woldsley, a fictional British female prison. The faux documentary captures a six-week period, during which the inmates rehearse to put on a musical directed by former EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison, bringing together an odd assortment of women as they find their voices, grow in confidence and strengthen their friendships. 

 In addition to serving as the series’ writer, creator and director, Tate also portrays multiple characters, including: Laura Willis, the prison governor who believes creativity will lead inmates toward rehabilitation, and is described as “a bleeding heart liberal in kitten heels;” Marco, a prison guard who’s more concerned with his appearance than with how well he does his job, constantly reminding anyone who’ll listen that he was almost selected as a contestant for reality show Love Island; Ange, a timid first-time inmate struggling to find her way in a strange new environment, whose belief that people are inherently good makes her easy prey; Ros, a popular, bouncy inmate who’s bilking her pen-pal boyfriend for all he’s worth; Anne Marie, Ros’s contemptuous mother, a hardened ex-con who takes full advantage of her daughter’s unconditional love and only visits when she’s in need of money; and Big Viv, a terrifying psychopath lifer harbouring an inexplicable fascination with the Kardashians, who’s feared by her fellow inmates yet develops a surprising passion for theatre while rehearsing the aforementioned play.

5. Ice Age: Scrat Tales – Wednesday, April 13, Disney+ | Series Premiere

Disney+Earlier this year, Disney+ released a new Ice Age flick—perhaps you remember The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild—and in any other year, it almost certainly would’ve been the sum total of new Ice Age content you could reasonably expect to get. But this, dear reader, is no ordinary year, so brace yourself for the arrival of six new shorts, known collectively as Ice Age: Scrat Tales.  

Featuring the voice of original star Chris Wedge as Scrat—not that this character really “speaks,” per se—these flicks follow everyone’s favourite sabre-toothed squirrel as he meets his son, experiences the joy of parenthood and then promptly shoves those feelings aside when he realizes that Baby Scrat (Kari Walhgren) wants that hallowed Acorn just as much as his old man does. That’s pretty much the plot of the first instalment, while the subsequent five Tales take viewers along on other new-parent adventures. See Scrat struggle to get his son to sleep! Thrill as father and son chase that Acorn into a cave which resembles a funhouse hall of mirrors! Watch the Acorn as it… flies off a cliff? Uh-oh!

6. The Kardashians – Thursday, April 14, Disney+ | Series Premiere

Disney+You didn’t really think this celebrity fam—who basically remade reality TV in their own image—would walk away from the spotlight forever, did you?  

After an all-too-brief “retirement,” Kim, Khloé, Kourtney, Kylie and Kendall return alongside their mom Kris for a new Hulu series (airing on Disney+ in Canada)—via a deal that’s reportedly worth at least $100 million for the Krew.  

With that kind of cash on the table, it’s no wonder they’ve apparently agreed to dish on every last thing going on in their lives. That includes Kim gushing over her new boyfriend Pete Davidson (so far he’s not scheduled to appear on the show, but Kim promises to get into some juicy relationship details), while Kourtney and fiancé Travis Barker open up about wanting to have a baby.  

“This is the next chapter,” Kris told investors at a recent Disney presentation. “In the new show, you’ll see us evolving as a family. Fans want us to be who we are and since moment one, they’ve been emotionally invested in our show just like we are. The fans will love seeing us continue the journey.”

7. Mavis! – Thursday, April 14, 9 p.m. & Midnight, Knowledge

KnowledgeThis rousing 2015 film delves into the fascinating life of gospel and soul icon Mavis Staples, who placed her soaring voice in service to America’s battle for civil rights, featuring interviews with such contemporaries as Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy and more.

8. Anatomy of a Scandal – Friday, April 15, Netflix – Series Premiere

NetflixCouldn’t get enough of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant in The Undoing? Did Big Little Lies have you truly riveted? Then carve out a little time on the weekend for this six-part drama. The series comes from Emmy-winner David E. Kelley (the creator behind both of those aforementioned series), and while Kidman isn’t attached this time around, there’s still a star-studded cast that includes Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, Rupert Friend, Naomi Scott and Josette Simon.  

Based on a bestselling novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan, the binge-worthy narrative promises to cover everything from the experience of a wife scorned to the political ambitions of a white man, with a healthy discussion of consent, privilege and what happens when said privilege is put on trial.  

We open on a woman named Sophie (Miller), who enjoys her well-off life as a powerful politician’s wife. But when James (Friend) begins to let his secrets slip and his personal life becomes far better known than his politics, both of their worlds crumble. Toss in an attorney (Dockery) who is convinced of James’ guilt and it’s quite clear that none of these characters will exit this little PR debacle unscathed.  

“To me, Anatomy is really about entitlement and the scandal of entitlement,” Vaughan told The Guardian. “I just remember thinking, ‘God, what must it be like to live like that?’ The level of threat that you’re being exposed to is so extreme: how would that alter your thinking, how would you react under that level of pressure?… I thought there was something to be written about that.”

9. Roar – Friday, April 15, Apple TV+ | Series Premiere

Apple TV+From American Horror Story to Fargo to Modern Love, anthology series have made a comeback in recent years. The latest is Roar, a show with a decidedly feminist twist, offering “an insightful, poignant and sometimes hilarious portrait of what it means to be a woman today,” according to the series’ synopsis. Combining magical realism, futuristic worlds and familiar scenarios—both domestic and professional—the first season  

presents eight standalone stories that mirror the dilemmas of ordinary women in ways that are both accessible and surprising. Meanwhile, Roar has assembled an enviable roster of talent, headlined by Nicole Kidman (who is also one of the show’s producers) and Emmy-, Grammy- and Tony Award-winner Cynthia Erivo (Harriet). Also appearing are Issa Rae (Insecure), Merritt Wever (Run, Nurse Jackie), Alison Brie (GLOW, Community), Betty Gilpin (GLOW and the upcoming Gaslit), Meera Syal (Yesterday), Fivel Stewart (Atypical) and Kara Hayward (The Shadow Diaries).

10. Swimming With Sharks – Friday, April 15, Roku (Stream) | Series Premiere

RokuIn this female-driven remake of the 1994 Kevin Spacey dark comedy, Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men) stars as Lou Simms, who’s just started a dream internship working for her idol: high-powered Hollywood studio executive Joyce Holt (Diane Kruger of Inglourious Basterds). But Lou’s dream turns into a nightmare when she discovers Joyce is an abusive sadist, so she hatches a plan to turn the tables. Also starring Donald Sutherland, Thomas Dekker and Erika Alexander.