This month is packed with great television. A lot of our favorite shows are returning for new seasons and, in one special case, a resurrected series. Plus there are exciting shows and movies making debuts. That’s why we’re introducing a weekly guide to help keep track of everything worth watching, whether it’s on broadcast, cable, or streaming.
Here’s your breakdown, day by day (and all times Eastern), for April 9–15:
SUNDAY
Feud: Bette and Joan (FX, 10pm)
It’ll be difficult to top last week’s brilliantly paced Oscars-set episode, but by now we’re in for the homestretch of the story of Davis and Crawford. In this week’s episode, “Hagsploitation,” the two rivals are sought to reunite for a follow-up to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and not to spoil film history, but we’re in for a look at the making of 1964’s Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte and presumably that means more screen time for Catherine Zeta-Jones as Olivia de Havilland. This is also the first episode not covered under our initial review of the series.
Also on Sunday:
American Crime S3E5 (ABC, 10pm)
Billions S2E8 (Showtime, 10pm)
Casey Anthony: An American Murder Mystery doc premiere (ID, 10pm)
The Circus (Showtime, 8pm)
Crashing S1E8: “The Baptism” season finale (HBO, 10:30pm)
Homeland S712 “America First” season finale (Showtime, 10pm)
Girls S6E9: “Goodbye Tour” (HBO, 10pm)
MONDAY
Better Call Saul (AMC, 10pm)
It’s been almost a year since we last saw Jimmy, Chuck, Kim, and Mike, so you might want to do a quick recap or re-viewing of at least the exceptional Season 2 finale before tuning in to see what happens next. And for fans of Breaking Bad (are there any Better Call Saul watchers who didn’t watch its predecessor?), the third season, which begins this week with “Mabel,” is bringing back a favorite character: Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). We don’t know if he’ll be showing up right away, but fortunately that’s not the only reason we’re looking forward to this show’s return. We can’t wait for more intense interactions between the amazing central cast of Bob Odenkirk, Michael McKean, Rhea Seehorn, and Jonathan Banks.
Also on Monday:
Angie Tribeca S3 premiere “Welcome Back, Blotter” (TBS, 10:30pm)
Bates Motel S5E8 “The Body” (A&E, 10pm)
The Great War (American Experience) doc miniseries premiere (PBS, 9pm)
TUESDAY
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox, 8pm)
Season four is back with an episode titled “The Audit,” which sounds more tax time appropriate than it is. Instead, the precinct is being audited to determine if it will be shut down. As for the fate of Gina, we’re supposed to get an answer to the midseason finale’s cliffhanger immediately into the new episode.
Also on Tuesday:
Deadliest Catch S13 premiere (Discovery 9pm)
The Great War (American Experience) part two (PBS, 9pm)
WEDNESDAY
Archer Dreamland (FXX, 10pm)
Last week, Archer returned at its new home, FXX, with the title Archer Dreamland. This eight-episode eighth season is set in a film noir-influenced 1940s Los Angeles and continues with this week’s second episode, titled “Berenice.”
Also on Wednesday:
The Great War (American Experience) part three (PBS, 9pm)
THURSDAY
Riverdale (CW, 9pm)
Molly Ringwald makes her debut as Archie’s mom on the wonderfully soapy comic book-based series, and that means the show should continue to be as great for its adult characters as its teen drama. If not better. The classic film-inspired title of this week’s episode is “The Lost Weekend,” making us wonder if the new character is an alcoholic. Meanwhile, our favorite young TV couple, jointly known as “Bughead,” gets a storyline involving a surprise birthday party for Jughead (Cole Sprouse) thrown by Betty (Lili Reinhart).
Also on Thursday:
30 for 30: One and Not Done doc premiere (ESPN, 9pm)
The Amazing Race S29E3 “Bucket List Type Stuff” (CBS, 10pm)
Sacred Cod doc premiere (Discovery, 9pm)
Scandal S6E10 “The Decision” (ABC, 9:01pm)
FRIDAY
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Netflix)
Can you believe it’s been 18 years since MST3K went off the air? Can you believe it’s back? The cult classic series that lets you watch bad old movies through the heckling filter of one man and two robots in space has been revived thanks to a crowdfunding campaign and the resurrection specialists at Netflix. Fourteen new episodes will be available to stream featuring Tom Servo, Crow T. Robot, and new human host Jonah Ray, as well as fresh co-stars Patton Oswalt and Felicia Day, plus special guests. Look for our review of the revival ahead of its debut later this week.
Also on Friday:
The Man Who Knew Infinity cable network debut (Showtime, 8pm)
Sandy Wexler movie premiere (Netflix)
SATURDAY
Doctor Who (BBC America, 9pm)
Peter Capaldi begins his last season as the Doctor, joined again by Matt Lucas as Nardole (last seen in the 2016 Christmas special) plus Pearl Mackie as new companion Bill Potts (the first openly gay one) for a Dalek-centric episode called “The Pilot.” Showrunner Steven Moffat, who is also departing after this season, wrote this Season 10 opener.
Class (BBC America, 10pm)
Following the season premiere of Doctor Who, we’ll be checking out the American debut of this latest spinoff, which aired in the UK last fall. The show is set at Coal Hill Academy, meaning it’s a teen show as well as sci-fi, with a premise involving refugees from an alien war, one posing as a teacher and another posing as a student.
Also on Saturday:
Saturday Night Live Jimmy Fallon hosts with Harry Styles as the musical guest as the show starts broadcasting live coast-to-coast for the first time (NBC, 11:30pm ET/10:30pm CT/9:30pm MT/8:30pm PT)
Suicide Squad cable network debut (HBO, 8pm)