Television lineup channels the new normal with spring series
We pick 10 standouts, from romantic comedy to alternate history.
This spring, we could use more great TV than ever. ❚ The world is obviously different as we head into April and May because of the coronavirus pandemic. As movie theaters across the country close, and more of us practice social distancing, the promise of new spring TV shows raring to take our minds off coronavirus is even more welcome than it might have been. Movie releases are being delayed, Hollywood production is shutting down, but many series already have finished new seasons that still will be released on time and in full. ❚ Among dozens of new series arriving between now and Memorial Day, the unofficial start to summer, 10 stand out. From singing cartoons to Cate Blanchett in her best 1970s attire to a new Ryan Murphy series, this spring has a wealth of strong choices to add to your streaming queues and DVRs. So while daily life has been upended for the time being, much of TV is still blessedly normal.
‘The Plot Against America’
HBO
This series premiered March 16, but there’s still time to jump in. The sixepisode miniseries is an alternate history based on Philip Roth’s 2004 novel about a Jewish working-class family in 1940s New Jersey, when Charles Lindbergh is elected president. This version of America becomes fascist and deeply anti-Semitic, endangering the family. Deeply moving and troubling, the series is in the same genre as literary classics “1984” and “It Can’t Happen Here,” and feels especially relevant to the modern world.
‘Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker’
Netflix
A stylized, modernist take on one of the most impressive historical figures you’ve never heard of, this Netflix miniseries is full of inspiration and knowing looks from star Octavia Spencer. Walker, who created a business empire with her products for black women’s hair, became the first self-made female millionaire in the U.S.