This week, Stephen King meets Broadway and teen drama in a highly-anticipated musical episode. Jason Sudeikis, Ed Harris, and Elizabeth Olsen embark on a family road trip. Women’s history and issues come to light in documentaries about pioneering astronauts and the rape kit backlog. Art history is extensively chronicled on PBS. And the cherry on top: Spike Lee drops a new joint on Amazon.
To help you keep track of the most important programs over the next seven days, here’s our guide to everything worth watching, whether it’s on broadcast, cable, or streaming for April 15th – 21st (all times Eastern):
I Am Evidence (HBO, Monday 8pm)
If all the iterations of CSI — and actual forensic science — has taught us anything, it’s that DNA can be a crucial piece of evidence. But only if it gets tested at all. In I Am Evidence, directors Geeta Gandbhir and Trish Adlesic follow four survivors of sexual abuse whose rape kits went untested for years, as they trace the fate of the evidence and re-engage with a deeply flawed legal process; exposing the shocking number of untested kits languishing in police storage rooms across the country and revealing a disturbing pattern in our criminal justice system. Quite fittingly, Law & Order: SVU’s Mariska Hargitay produced this timely HBO documentary, highly relevant for the #MeToo and Time’sUp era.
Civilizations (PBS, Tuesday 8pm)
Sir Kenneth Clark’s 1969 series Civilisation is often regarded as a landmark of arts broadcasting and a textbook example of television documentary. But all textbooks need to be updated every once in a while. In an ambitious co-production between PBS and the BBC, Civilizations follows the footsteps of its predecessor and explores the history of art and culture from the earliest civilizations to the present day. Historians, artists, and academic experts like Mary Beard, Simon Schama, and David Olusoga delve into 40,000 years of history from Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, the US, and the Middle East, as they examine human creativity across cultures in a comprehensive tour narrated by Liev Schreiber. A must-watch for art history buffs.
Riverdale (Wednesday, The CW 8pm)
Stephen King, Broadway, and “Archie” might seem like an odd combination, but their crossover in Riverdale’s first musical episode actually makes sense. After all, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa wrote for the musical adaptation of American Psycho and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, as well as the 2013 remake of Carrie. Riverdale has dipped its toe in musical numbers before with Josie and the Pussycats, but now it fully embraces the genre with a rendition of Carrie the Musical. The episode, framed as a documentary about the high school theater production filmed by Jughead (Cole Sprouse), features 11 songs from the infamous Broadway flop and stars (quite appropriately) Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) as the telekinetic lead, Veronica (Camila Mendes) as mean-girl Chris Hargensen, and Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Archie (KJ Apa) as golden couple Sue Snell and Tommy Ross. Naturally, some meta-drama will ensue.
Kodachrome (Netflix, Friday)
In 2010, a small town in Kansas was the mecca for professional photographers and film enthusiasts alike. Shortly after Kodak stopped manufacturing it, the local lab Dwayne’s Photo became the last processing facility in the world that developed Kodachrome film, and photographers from all over the globe rushed in to process their rolls. Inspired by this real-life pilgrimage, Kodachrome follows Matt Ryder (Jason Sudeikis), a record company executive who joins his long-estranged father Ben (Ed Harris), a famous photographer, in a journey to get four old rolls of the extinct film to Kansas before both the lab and his father shut down for good. Ben’s nurse, Zoe (Elizabeth Olsen) tags along for the ride. Directed by Mark Raso (Copenhagen), this road trip drama makes its official debut on Netflix after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.
Mercury 13 (Netflix, Friday)
Following the cue set by Hidden Figures, Netflix carries on the trend of giving unsung female science pioneers the long overdue recognition they deserve. Directors David Sington and Heather Walsh (In the Shadow of the Moon) shine the spotlight over a group of 13 skilled female pilots who underwent the same rigorous testing as the official male candidates for the first manned space flight in 1961, only to be denied the opportunity. The documentary combines modern-day interviews with the surviving members of the group and archival footage to finally tell their stories.
Pass Over (Amazon, Friday)
If there is a director capable of adapting to nearly any format, it’s Spike Lee. His extensive filmography includes ad campaigns, music videos, documentaries, standup comedy specials, Netflix series, and even video games; so it’s no surprise that the auteur is now dipping his toe in theater. His latest joint is a live performance of Antoinette Nwandu’s “Pass Over”, secretly filmed at the Steppenwolf Theatre last year. In the same vein as “Waiting for Godot”, the play centers on Moses and Kitch (John Michael Hill and Julian Parker), two young black men who chat the day away on a Chicago street corner. As they talk trash, occasionally duck bullets, and ponder life; they encounter an overtly hostile cop and a clueless but ominous stranger (Ryan Hallahan and Blake DeLong). Framed in Lee’s iconic style, Pass Over feels like a throwback to the biting critique of Do the Right Thing for the Trump era.
SUNDAY
Bob’s Burgers S8E14 “The Trouble with Doubles” (FOX, 7:30pm)
Howards End S1E2 (Starz, 8pm)
Killing Eve S1E2 “I’ll Deal With Him Later” (BBC America, 8pm)
The Circus S3E1 “The Looking Glass War” (Showtime, 8pm) — season premiere
The Simpsons S29E16 “King Leer” (FOX, 8pm)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine S5E16&E17 “NutriBoom” & “DFW” (Fox, 8:30pm)
Ash vs. Evil Dead S3E8 “Rifting Apart” (Starz, 9pm)
The Walking Dead S8E16 “Wrath” (AMC, 9pm) — season finale
The Last Man on Earth S4E15 “Designated Survivors” (FOX, 9:30pm)
Fear the Walking Dead S4E1 “What’s Your Story?” (AMC, 10pm) — season premiere
Silicon Valley S5E4 “Tech Evangelis” (HBO, 10pm)
Trust S1E4 “That’s All Folks” (FX, 10pm)
Barry S1E4 “Chapter Four: Commit…To You” (HBO, 10:30pm)
MONDAY
I Am Evidence (HBO, 8pm) — documentary premiere
Lucifer S3E20 “The Angel of San Bernardino” (FOX, 8pm)
Supergirl S3E14 “Schott Through the Heart” (The CW, 8pm)
The Terror S1E5 “First Shot a Winner, Lads” (AMC, 9pm)
Good Girls S1E8 “Shutdown” (NBC, 10pm)
One Strange Rock S1E4 (Nat Geo, 10pm)
Scorpion S4E22 “A Lie in the Sand” (CBS, 10pm) — season finale
The Crossing S1E3 “Pax Americana” (ABC, 10pm)
What Lies Upstream (PBS, 10pm) — documentary premiere
TUESDAY
Natasha Leggero & Moshe Kasher: The Honeymoon Stand Up Specials (Netflix) — standup comedy special
Civilizations S1E1 “The Second Moment of Creation” (PBS, 8pm) — documentary series premiere
Lethal Weapon S2E19 “Leo Getz Hitched” (FOX, 8pm)
NCIS S15E20 “Sight Unseen” (CBS, 8pm)
The Flash S4E18 “Lose Yourself” (The CW, 8pm)
Black Lightning S1E13 “Shadow of Death: The Book of War” (The CW, 9pm) — season finale
LA to Vegas S1E13 “The Dinner Party” (Fox, 9pm)
New Girl S7E2 “Tuesday Meeting” (Fox, 9:30pm)
Legion S2E3 “Chapter 11” (FX, 10pm)
For the People S1E6 “Everybody’s a Superhero” (ABC, 10pm)
Rise S1E6 “Bring Me Stanton” (NBC, 10pm)
Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. S1E8 “Tupac Amaru Shakur” (USA, 10pm)
The Last O.G. S1E3 “Truth Safari” (TBS, 10:30pm)
WEDNESDAY
The Looming Tower S1E10 “9/11” (Hulu) — miniseries finale
Riverdale S2E18 “Chapter Thirty-One: A Night to Remember” (The CW, 8pm)
Law & Order: SVU S19E19 “Sunk Cost Fallacy” (NBC, 9pm)
The Originals S5E1 “Where You Left Your Heart” (The CW, 9pm) — season premiere
Criminal Minds S13E21&E22 “Mixed Signals” & “Believer” (CBS, 10pm) — season finale
Designated Survivor S2E18 “Kirkman Agonistes” (ABC, 10pm)
Krypton S1E5 “House of Zod” (Syfy, 10pm)
The Americans S6E4 “Mr. and Mrs. Teacup” (FX, 10pm)
THURSDAY
Gotham S4E19 “To Our Deaths and Beyond” (FOX, 8pm)
Grey’s Anatomy S14E20 “Judgment Day” (ABC, 8pm)
RuPaul’s Drag Race S10E5 (VH1, 8pm)
Supernatural S13E19 “Funeralia” (The CW, 8pm)
Superstore S3E20 “Gender Reveal” (NBC, 8pm)
Arrow S6E19 “The Dragon” (The CW, 9pm)
Atlanta S2E8 “Woods” (FX, 10pm)
S.W.A.T S1E18 “Patrol” (CBS, 10pm)
Scandal S7E18 “Over a Cliff” (ABC, 10pm) — series finale
FRIDAY
Aggretsuko S1 (Netflix) — anime series premiere
Dude (Netflix) — movie premiere
Kodachrome (Netflix) — movie premiere
Mercury 13 (Netflix) — documentary premiere
Pass Over (Amazon) — movie premiere
Once Upon a Time S7E18 “The Guardian” (ABC, 8pm)
Jane The Virgin S4E17 “Chapter Eighty-One” (The CW, 9pm) — season finale
