Ever since Game of Thrones rewrote HBO’s fortunes and became a worldwide phenomenon, Netflix has been chasing its own subscriber-boosting blockbuster fantasy adaptation. They had some success in 2019 with the first, highly memeable season of The Witcher, but a streaming empire cannot stand on a single pillar. So, in April, they are trying again with Shadow & Bone (April 23) based on a mega-popular series of young adult novels by Leigh Bardugo.
It’s an ambitious gambit—Harry Potter and Twilight aside, fantasy YA hasn’t been the best incubator for hit adaptations—but the streamer is attempting to win over fans by giving them everything they want, all at once: The show will actually adapt two related novel series set in the same world, the Grisha trilogy (a more traditional coming-of-age story) and the Six of Crows duology (a heist story about an Ocean’s Eleven-style crew stealing a magical object). Will it succeed? The trailer looks a little generic—lots of blue fire and ominous voiceovers—but the production values are undeniably top-notch:
Other interesting highlights for the month: Stowaway (April 22), a sci-fi film with a great cast—Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Toni Collette—and a grim premise (a crew on a deep-space voyage discovers an additional passenger whose presence puts their carefully calibrated mission in peril) seemingly borrowed from one of the most famous SF short stories ever; The Mitchells Vs. the Machines (April 30), a silly looking animated film about a robot apocalypse from the team behind Into the Spider-Verse; and the second season of the guilty pleasure reality series The Circle (April 14), which, in a change for Netflix, will release episodes week to week rather than in one big batch.
Here’s a list of everything coming to (and leaving) the streaming service in April.
What’s coming to Netflix in April 2021
Table of Contents
Coming soon (No date announced)
Available April 1
Available April 2
Available April 3
Available April 4
Available April 5
Available April 6
Available April 7
Available April 8
Available April 9
Available April 10
Available April 11
- Diana: The Interview that Shook the World
Available April 12
Available April 13
Available April 14
Available April 15
- Dark City Beneath the Beat
- The Master
- Ride or Die — Netflix Film
Available April 16
Available April 18
Available April 19
- Miss Sloane
- PJ Masks: Season 3
Available April 20
Available April 21
- Zero — Netflix Original
Available April 22
Available April 23
- Heroes: Silence and Rock & Roll
- Shadow and Bone — Netflix Original
- Tell Me When — Netflix Film
Available April 27
Available April 28
- Sexify — Netflix Original
- Headspace Guide to Sleep — Netflix Documentary
Available April 29
Available April 30
What’s leaving Netflix in April 2021
Leaving April 2
Leaving April 4
Leaving April 11
Leaving April 12
- Married at First Sight: Season 9
- Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning: Season 1
Leaving April 13
Leaving April 14
- Eddie Murphy: Delirious
- The New Romantic
- Once Upon a Time in London
- Thor: Tales of Asgard
Leaving April 15
- Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant
Leaving April 19
Leaving April 20
Leaving April 21
- The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass: Seasons 1-3
Leaving April 22
- Liv and Maddie: Seasons 1-4
Leaving April 23
Leaving April 24
Leaving April 26
Leaving April 27
Leaving April 28
Leaving April 30
- 17 Again
- Blackfish
- Can’t Hardly Wait
- Den of Thieves
- How to Be a Latin Lover
- I Am Legend
- Jumping the Broom
- Kingdom: Seasons 1-3
- Knock Knock
- Palm Trees in the Snow
- Platoon
- Runaway Bride
- Snowpiercer
- The Green Hornet
- The Indian in the Cupboard
- Waiting
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