Spring TV Preview: The 26 Best Shows and Movies to Watch

After a relatively quiet winter (The Last of Us has pretty much been carrying the entirety of TV on its shoulders), there are so many big premieres coming this spring we can hardly keep track of them all. Donald Glover is debuting his Atlanta follow-up with Swarm, Succession and Barry are saying goodbye, and the premiere of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is kicking off May. If you're looking to find out what releases are worth checking out over the next few months, we've got you covered with this helpful guide.

Below, you'll find our preview of the best shows and movies to watch from March through May.

The best shows and movies to watch this spring

The Mandalorian Season 3 (March 1, Disney+)

Stop me if you've heard this before: Pedro Pascal plays a gruff survivor who shleps a youngster around hostile territory. That's right, The Mandalorian is back, meaning Pascal may reign over genre television as the lead on two of the biggest sci-fi shows of the year… at the same time. But know that if you skipped The Book of Boba Fett, you might want to watch at least the last three episodes of that spin-off's first season, as Grogu and Mando make some important appearances toward the end and that story carries over into The Mandalorian. That is some serious Marvel sh--! Don't ask me what's going on, I just watch for Baby Yoda eating space frogs. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Daisy Jones & The Six Season 1 (March 3, Amazon Prime Video)

Taylor Jenkins Reid's best-selling book revealing what happened to the biggest (fictional) band of the 1970s gets adapted into a road-tripping series with some sex, a decent amount of drugs, some (soft) rock and roll, and lots of drama. Riley Keough and Sam Claflin star as the creative butting heads whose musical and romantic chemistry makes and breaks the band Daisy Jones & The Six — inspired by Fleetwood Mac — and Timothy Olyphant wears a hilarious wig. There's original music, too! -Tim Surette [Trailer | Review] 

Perry Mason Season 2 (March 6, HBO Max) 

Is Perry Mason Season 2 the last of the pandemic holdouts? The series premiered in June 2020 and was quickly renewed for a second season, but you'd be forgiven for forgetting about it. In any case, Matthew Rhys returns as the titular private investigator, and this time he's at the center of a dramatic oil scion murder trial, all while continuing to battle his own demons. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Outlast Season 1 (March 10, Netflix)

Netflix is trying out its own version of History Channel's popular survivalist reality competition Alone, except it's changing the rules by blowing up the essence of the whole show: It's making lone wolves work as a team. Hardcore survivalists are dropped into the harsh Alaskan wilderness and grouped into teams of four, where their egos and individualism are bent until they break. What happens throughout the course of the season is pretty drastic, as some contestants bring out the worst in each other. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Ted Lasso Season 3 (March 15, Apple TV+)

Do you believe in magic? Do you believe in life after love? These are some of pop culture's greatest questions. Add another: Do you believe in an English football team under the leadership of an American coach? Ted Lasso's third season (which is expected to be its final season... unless it's not) will find AFC Richmond back in the Premier League but still fighting to make believers out of the media — and their competitors. Nate's (Nick Mohammed) heel-turn departure for West Ham United isn't helping. Whether the players win or lose on the pitch, expect a generous helping of Ted's (Jason Sudeikis) folksy wisdom and Rebecca's (Hannah Waddingham) boss wisdom to soften the blow of the Emmy-winning comedy's presumed final act. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

Boston Strangler (March 17, Hulu)

Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon pair up for this film to play two reporters who investigated the Boston Strangler murders in the '60s. As you can imagine, a lot of their efforts to do so were met with dismissive pats on the head from the men in charge. It's like Zodiac with a heavy dose of misogyny. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Extrapolations Season 1 (March 17, Apple TV+)

The cast of Extrapolations is probably the biggest draw to this climate change series, featuring the kind of star power only Apple money could buy: Meryl Streep, Edward Norton, Kit Harington, Matthew Rhys, and Marion Cotillard are just a few of the people you can expect to see here. The series itself is an exploration of inter-connected near-future stories, showing the various effects of global warming from different perspectives with a hint of Black Mirror's cynicism. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Swarm Season 1 (March 17, Amazon Prime Video)

Donald Glover's newest series is extremely top secret. It's so top secret, in fact, that Amazon hardly even mentioned it in its March release calendar, so that's either part of the marketing plan or it's not a good sign at all. But with Donald Glover diving into the world of twisted horror, it has to be worth a watch, right? What we do know is that Dominique Fishback stars in the series about a pop star whose rabid fans — collectively known as the "swarm" — start going a little cray-cray. We think. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Lucky Hank Season 1 (March 19, AMC)

Lucky Hank, formerly titled Straight Man (never forget what they took from us), calls Saul right back to AMC. Bob Odenkirk stars as the titular Hank, the chairman of an English department at an underfunded college. He's teetering on the edge of a midlife crisis, not helped by the fact that absolutely everyone in his life seems to dislike him. If you've ever wanted to watch Odenkirk act like a big ol' jerk, this is the perfect show for you. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Rabbit Hole Season 1 (March 26, Paramount+)

Kiefer Sutherland does exactly what he does best in this series about a corporate spy who sets out to fight back against the powerful entity that has framed him for murder. This is what scholars refer to as peak dad TV. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Succession Season 4 (March 26, HBO Max)

Doesn't it seem like just yesterday we were watching that duplicitous snake Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) throw his wife and her brothers under the bus so he could gain favor with his father-in-law? Season 4 picks up after that, finding the Roy siblings at odds with Logan (Brian Cox) after that grand betrayal. As the sale of Waystar Royco to Lukas Mattson (Alexander Skarsgård) looms, the family is forced to consider what will become of their legacy. Sounds like Succession to me! -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Yellowjackets Season 2 (March 26, Showtime)

Finally, the (alleged) teen cannibals are back. If it's been a while since you watched Season 1 of Yellowjackets, which last aired new episodes in January 2022, let's refresh: It's a Lost-meets-Lord of the Flies plane crash drama about a high school girls soccer team stranded in the wilderness (which is potentially supernatural and definitely getting very cold) in the '90s, while the survivors deal with the fallout in the present. This season, the teens are dealing with a brutal winter, and the adult survivors are reuniting with old teammates; Lauren Ambrose joins the cast as present-day Van, and Simone Kessell plays present-day Lottie. Time to bite down on new theories. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

More recommendations:

• The Ultimate Guide to What's on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, and More in March 2023
• 2022-23 TV Scorecard: Which Shows Are Canceled? Which Are Renewed?

Murder Mystery 2 (March 31, Netflix)

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston return in this sequel to 2019's Murder Mystery, and this time they're investigating the kidnapping of their friend, the Maharajah (really!), after he gets abducted at his wedding. What more do you really need to know? The first Murder Mystery movie was pretty huge for Netflix, and we assume this one will be, too. If it ain't broke! -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

The Big Door Prize Season 1 (March 29, Apple TV+)

Need some comedy that tugs at your heartstrings while also tugging at your noggin? This new series throws a small town into a fit when a mysterious machine called the Morpho shows up that tells users their life potential, altering lives and relationships. Chris O'Dowd stars as Dusty, a local teacher who doubts the validity of the Morpho while townspeople around him get a sudden interest in karate, pottery, or whatever else their card tells them. It's an ensemble comedy in the same thought-provoking vein as The Good Place. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Dave Season 3 (April 5, Hulu)

Maybe Dave can finally breathe now that Atlanta is over. (Sorry, but those comparisons were inescapable.) The series picks up with Dave (Dave Burd) driving all over the U.S. as he headlines his first tour and dealing with the effects of fame on his relationships. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Beef Season 1 (April 6, Netflix)

We're keeping our eye on the oh-so-cool-looking Beef, which is being produced by A24 and stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as two strangers who enter into a dark feud after meeting during a road rage incident. The details around it have been sort of hush-hush so far, which only intrigues us more. -Allison Picurro

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Season 1 (April 6, Paramount+)

Is Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies an obvious nostalgia grab? Yes. Does it also look pretty fun? Also yes. The Pink Ladies get their own origin story here, showing how they went from misfit nerds to a legendary clique. The series, set in 1954, is a prequel to Grease, so don't expect to see Rizzo and Sandy running around campus. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Transatlantic Season 1 (April 7, Netflix)

We're intrigued by this period drama, which is based on Julie Orringer's historical novel The Flight Portfolio and tells the story of journalist Varian Fry (Cory Michael Smith), who formed a World War II-era rescue committee dedicated to helping artists and writers flee the Nazis and immigrate to the United States. Gillian Jacobs and Corey Stoll also star. -Allison Picurro

Blindspotting Season 2 (April 14, Starz)

One of 2021's quiet gems, Blindspotting is finally back for its second season, which picks up after Miles (Rafael Casal) and Ashley's (Jasmine Cephas Jones) prison wedding, showing how they're both adjusting to married life while Miles is still behind bars. The biggest question mark is whether Daveed Diggs' Collin will finally make an appearance, after we were teased with that phone call at the end of Season 1. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

The Last Thing He Told Me Season 1 (April 14, Apple TV+)

We're living in the midst of a Jennifer Garner TV renaissance — an absolutely beautiful thing. In this adaptation of Laura Dave's celebrated thriller novel, she stars as Hannah, a woman trying to figure out the truth behind the disappearance of her husband while forging a relationship with her teenage step-daughter. -Allison Picurro

Barry Season 4 (April 16, HBO)

Bill Hader heard Succession was wrapping up and had to get in on all the fun. The final season of the dark hitman dramedy will find Barry (Hader) in prison after that grand betrayal courtesy of his former acting teacher, Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler). Barry is one of those shows where you think you know exactly where it's going, and you sort of do, but the minds behind it are so smart that they always make the journey a whole lot of fun to watch. We'll miss it, but we can't wait to see how this final act plays out. -Allison Picurro [Teaser] 

Mrs. Davis Season 1 (April 20, Peacock)

Mrs. Davis is my most anticipated new show of the year. The Peacock series, created by Tara Hernandez and The Leftovers' Damon Lindelof, has a killer Leftoversian concept — a nun, Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin), goes to war with an artificial intelligence system called Mrs. Davis — and an equally killer cast, including Gilpin, Jake McDorman, Andy McQueen, Margo Martindale, David Arquette, Elizabeth Marvel, and Katja Herbers. It's all shrouded in mystery, but what details we do have absolutely rule; a Vulture preview cites influences ranging from The Sound of Music to Black Mirror's "San Junipero" to Pokemon GO. No further questions. -Kelly Connolly [Teaser]

Dead Ringers Season 1 (April 20, Amazon Prime Video)

What's better than one Rachel Weisz? That's right, two Rachel Weiszes. Dead Ringers is a modern, gender-flipped take on David Cronenberg's film of the same name, starring Weisz in the roles originally played by Jeremy Irons. She plays the toxically co-dependent twin gynecologists (what a collection of words) Elliot and Beverly Mantle who, let's say, aren't afraid to violate the Hippocratic Oath in order to challenge misogyny in women's health care. Consider us on board. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Saint X Season 1 (April 26, Hulu)

Dee Rees executive produces (and directs the first episode of) this drama based on Alexis Schaitkin's 2020 novel of the same name. Told across multiple timelines, Saint X focuses on a girl's mysterious death during a family vacation and her younger sister's search for answers years later. Who among us is immune to the "gone girl" trope? -Allison Picurro

Fatal Attraction Season 1 (April 30, Paramount+)

She may not have RSVP'd for the third season of Party Down, but Lizzy Caplan will not be ignored. In this series based on the 1987 erotic thriller, she steps into her Glenn Close era, playing a woman who goes to extreme lengths to make sure her married boyfriend (Joshua Jackson, stepping into the Michael Douglas role) doesn't end their affair. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Season 1 (May 4, Netflix)

Here's a no-brainer: A Bridgerton prequel series. Say less! Here, the young Queen Charlotte (played as an older woman by Golda Rosheuvel and as a young woman by India Ria Amarteifio) gets her origin story told, exploring her rise to power, and her rocky (but still very steamy, of course) marriage to King George III (Corey Mylchreest). You can keep up with all the latest gossip on the series here. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]