Welcome to See/Hear, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise. Every month, we round up the biggest upcoming movie, TV and album releases, ask some cool people to tell us what they’ve been into lately, make you a playlist we guarantee you’ll have on heavy rotation and recommend a classic (or unduly overlooked) piece of pop culture we think is worth revisiting.
MOVIES
The Drama
In theaters April 3
Much has been made of the marketing campaign for A24’s The Drama, specifically how it’s a real bait-and-switch. If all you know about the movie is what you’ve seen in the fake save-the-dates and wedding announcements that have trickled out over the past few months, you’re likely expecting some sort of lighthearted rom-com starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. But the Kristoffer Borgli film features a major twist: days before their wedding, Charlie (Pattinson) learns about his bride-to-be’s disturbing secret and must decide whether he can still marry her. That secret has already leaked online and sparked some controversy, but in the interest of not spoiling anything, we’ll keep it vague here. Just be aware that this one’s a lot darker than advertised. (If you want to know what you’re walking into, you can read about the twist here.)
Pizza Movie
April 3, Hulu
Because he’s no doubt looking to shake off his image as a child star, Gaten Matarazzo’s first major role after Stranger Things is a stoner comedy in which two college roommates take a drug called M.I.N.T.S. and experience a hallucinogenic high that can only be counteracted by eating pizza. Is this more or less Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, but with pizza instead of sliders? Yes. It also features some genuinely funny folks like Sarah Sherman and Caleb Hearon in its supporting cast.
Outcome
April 10, Apple TV
Written and directed by Jonah Hill, Outcome features Keanu Reeves as Reef Hawk, a Hollywood actor with five years of sobriety under his belt whose past comes back to haunt him when his crisis lawyer (played by Hill) reveals that someone is blackmailing him with a mysterious video clip. Determined to figure out who’s extorting him, Hawk sets out on a quest to make amends with various people he’s wronged over the years. Cameron Diaz, Matt Bomer, David Spade, Laverne Cox and Roy Wood Jr. also star.
The Christophers
In theaters April 10 (limited release)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, this dramedy centers around a famous artist (played by Ian McKellen) whose estranged children (James Corden and Baby Reindeer‘s Jessica Gunning) hire a forger (Michaela Coel) to finish his incomplete paintings so they can sell them. And if, by chance, the 86-year-old McKellen were to win an Academy Award for the role, he’d surpass Anthony Hopkins and become the oldest person to ever win an acting Oscar. (Are you listening, Academy voters?)
Balls Up
April 15, Prime Video
Peter Farrelly’s latest comedy stars Mark Wahlberg and Paul Walter Hauser as rival coworkers who must team up to find a way out of Brazil after causing an international incident at a World Cup final. Molly Shannon, Benjamin Bratt, Daniela Melchior, Eric André and Sacha Baron Cohen round out the cast.
Everyone Is Lying to You for Money
In theaters April 17 (limited release)
If you had told me back in high school that the guy from The O.C. would make a documentary based on his bestselling book that exposes some harsh truths about cryptocurrency, I’d have a lot of questions for you. (Starting, presumably, with “What is crypto?”) But actor-turned-documentarian Ben McKenzie’s latest project investigates how crypto became the Wild West of finance with some help from celebrities, influencers and politicians.
Roommates
April 17, Netflix
Sadie Sandler and Chloe East star in this coming-of-age comedy about college roommates whose friendship devolves into “a war of passive aggression.” Thanks no doubt to Sadie’s father Adam Sandler (who also makes an appearance), the supporting cast is stacked, with appearances by Sarah Sherman, Natasha Lyonne, Nick Kroll, Janeane Garofalo, Carol Kane and Martin Herlihy.
Lorne
In theaters April 17 (limited release)
After all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live last year, you might ask yourself whether we really need another SNL documentary. But Lorne is different: directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville, it offers an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the life of the notoriously private Lorne Michaels. As you might expect, it features interviews with many of the hilarious people who have him to thank for their careers, including Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Colin Jost, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig and more, as well as famous friends like Paul Simon and Steve Martin.
Mother Mary
In theaters April 17 (limited release), April 24 (wide release)
Anne Hathaway plays the titular pop star in this psychological thriller, who finds herself tangled up in a “psychosexual affair” with fashion designer Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel) after commissioning a dress from her for a new tour. Hunter Schafer, FKA Twigs and Kaia Gerber also star, and Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX contributed original songs to the David Lowery film.
Michael
In theaters April 24
If you’re looking for a warts-and-all Michael Jackson biopic that addresses his alleged sexual abuse of minors, Michael is not for you. In fact, the Antoine Fuqua-directed film has the complete support and cooperation of the Jackson estate — so much so that the King of Pop is portrayed by his real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The movie will likely go out of its way to avoid any of Jackson’s many controversies, as it’s said to begin with his time in The Jackson 5 and end with his early solo career. Colman Domingo and Nia Long also star as Jackson’s parents, Joe and Katherine.
Over Your Dead Body
In theaters April 24
Jason Segel has been crushing it lately on Shrinking, but it’s a pleasure to see him back in a big-screen comedy — something he hasn’t really done since 2014’s Sex Tape. Directed by The Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone, Over Your Dead Body is a remake of the 2021 Norwegian comedy/thriller The Trip. It stars Segel and Samara Weaving as a couple who go on vacation to reconnect, only to discover that they both secretly have plans to kill each other.
I Swear
In theaters April 24 (limited release)
This British film found itself embroiled in controversy back in February at the BAFTAs when its subject, John Davidson — a Scottish man with a severe case of Tourette syndrome — involuntarily yelled out the N-word while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage presenting. But viewers here in the States will now have a chance to learn more about Davidson and his struggles with tics and uncontrollable coprolalia as the film makes its way across the pond. Actor Robert Aramayo took home the BAFTA for Best Actor for his depiction of Davidson.
Apex
April 24, Netflix
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur and written by Jeremy Robbins, this survival thriller features Charlize Theron as Sasha, a rock climber who finds herself being hunted by a serial killer (Taron Egerton) in the Australian wilderness. Eric Bana also stars.
TV/STREAMING
Your Friends & Neighbors Season 2
April 3, Apple TV
James Marsden joins the cast of this crime series this season as a new love interest for Samantha Levitt (Olivia Munn) who moves into the neighborhood and threatens to expose Coop’s (Jon Hamm) secrets. Amanda Peet, Hoon Lee, Mark Tallman, Lena Hall, Aimee Carrero, Eunice Bae, Isabel Gravitt and Donovan Colan all reprise their roles from Season 1, and Apple TV seems confident that viewers will eat it all up; the show has already been renewed for a third season.
Foul Play With Anthony Davis
April 6, 10:30 p.m. ET, TBS
If an all-athlete version of Punk’d sounds appealing to you, you’re in luck. Foul Play is a prank show hosted by NBA star Anthony Davis, which features various sports stars as its victims over the course of 16 half-hour episodes. “Anthony Davis brings the same precision and swagger to comedy that he does to the court,” TBS president Jason Sarlonis said recently. “At TBS, we love a show that knows how to have fun and Foul Play is exactly that. We’re excited for our viewers to have as much fun watching it as Anthony and the other athletes had filming it.”
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
April 6, Disney+
Set roughly one year after the Clone Wars, this animated series follows former Sith lord Maul (voiced by Sam Witwer) as he rebuilds his crime syndicate and seeks a new apprentice on the planet Janix. Wagner Moura and Richard Ayoade also lend their voices to the spinoff series.
The Boys Season 5
April 8, Prime Video
The fifth season of this satirical superhero series will also be its last, and it sees Daveed Diggs joining the cast. Per its logline, in these final episodes, “the world is dominated by Homelander, and Annie January has formed a resistance to Homelander while the rest of the team is scattered. Billy Butcher reappears and gathers The Boys to take down Homelander, ready to use a virus capable of wiping out all of the Supes of the world.”
The Testaments
April 8, Hulu
Breakout star Chase Infiniti’s first role following the massive success of One Battle After Another is a sequel series. Set years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments follows Agnes (Infiniti) and Daisy (Lucy Halliday) as they attend Aunt Lydia’s elite preparatory school for future wives. This new generation of young women have never known life outside of Gilead, but that doesn’t mean they won’t fight for their freedom.
Big Mistakes
April 9, Netflix
Dan Levy is back with his highly anticipated follow-up to Schitt’s Creek. He co-created Big Mistakes with Rachel Sennott, and he stars as Nicky, who, along with his sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega), finds himself blackmailed into the world of organized crime. If the concept of an inept brother and sister deeply out of their element sounds a little familiar for Levy, that’s because it is, but why mess with a winning formula?
Hacks Season 5
April 9, HBO Max
When we last saw Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) at the end of Season 4, they were on their way from Singapore back to Las Vegas, reeling from TMZ’s leaked obituary for the first female late-night host. Deborah, who is very much still alive, is horrified by the obit and determined to find a way around her non-compete clause and go about the business of cementing her legacy — with Ava’s help, naturally. Season 5 will be the last for Hacks, but while we’re sad to see HBO’s funniest comedy go, we should take solace in knowing that it’s leaving on its own terms. Creators Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs had a five-season arc in mind when they originally pitched the show, and as Downs said last May, “The final scene of the final episode has been in our minds since 2015, and we’re excited to get there.”
The Miniature Wife
April 9, Peacock
Think Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sans kids. This sci-fi comedy stars Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen as Lindy and Les Littlejohn, a married couple whose world is turned upside down when an accident with a device created by Les shrinks Lindy, a bestselling author, down to just six inches tall. Zoe Lister-Jones, Ronny Chieng and Aasif Mandvi also star.
Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair
April 10, Hulu
Nearly 20 years after its final episode aired, Malcolm in the Middle returns with a revival miniseries in which Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) visits his parents to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Is this a blatant nostalgia play? Of course. But this one at least knows not to overstay its welcome. Originally conceived as a two-hour movie, Life’s Still Unfair consists of just four half-hour episodes.
The Audacity
April 12, 9 p.m. ET, AMC
AMC has high hopes for its new Silicon Valley drama, as The Audacity has already been renewed for a second season before its first one even airs. The show, which centers around a scandal involving a tech CEO and his “performance psychologist,” features an impressive cast that includes Billy Magnussen, Sarah Goldberg, Rob Corddry, Simon Helberg, Zach Galifianakis and Randall Park.
Euphoria Season 3
April 12, HBO Max
Given the enormous success of stars like Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney, it’s easy to understand why Season 3 of Euphoria will likely be its last. It took four whole years to get this latest batch of episodes together — HBO renewed it for a third season all the way back in February 2022 — so it’s probably for the best that, with most of the cast now pushing 30, this season features a bit of a time jump and will no longer be set in high school.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
April 12, Apple TV
Based on the Rufi Thorpe novel of the same name, the dark comedy Margo’s Got Money Troubles centers around Margo Millet (Elle Fanning), the daughter of a Hooters waitress (Michelle Pfeiffer) and a former pro wrestler (Nick Offerman), who starts an OnlyFans account to support herself after she gets pregnant. Nicole Kidman and Greg Kinnear round out the stacked cast.
Beef Season 2
April 16, Netflix
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong were excellent in the first season of Beef, but now the anthology series shifts its focus to an entirely new cast of characters with their own beef to squash (or let spiral out of control, we’ll see). This new installment centers around a Gen Z couple (played by Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton) at an elite country club who witness “an alarming fight between their millennial boss and his wife” (Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan). Song Kang-ho (Parasite) and Youn Yuh-jung (Minari) also star.
This Is a Gardening Show
April 22, Netflix
You can probably guess what This Is a Gardening Show is about from its title. But to clarify, it is, in fact, a gardening show, hosted by Zach Galifianakis, that features the comedian interviewing experts and children alike. If the trailer is any indication, it’s funny — as anything with Galifianakis is — but it’s also a serious attempt to teach younger generations about where their food comes from and warn them (and all of us) about the dangers of climate change. “For human beings and the world itself, the only future is agrarian,” he insists in the show’s teaser.
Half Man
April 23, HBO Max
There’s no trailer yet for Richard Gadd’s highly anticipated follow-up to his Emmy-winning breakthrough series Baby Reindeer, but we do have a plot synopsis: Gadd and Jamie Bell play a pair of brothers who are “not related in blood, but the closest you can get. One, fierce and loyal. The other, meek and mild-mannered. Inseparable youth.” Before you start imagining some sort of feel-good buddy comedy, the show actually promises to be a fascinating exploration of toxic masculinity. “But when Ruben turns up at Niall’s wedding three decades later, everything seems different,” the summary continues. “He is on edge. Shifty. Not acting like himself. And soon, an explosion of violence takes place which catapults us back through their lives, from the ’80s to the present day. Capturing 30 years in the lives of these broken men, Half Man explores brotherhood, violence and the intense fragility of male relationships.”
Widow’s Bay
April 29, Apple TV
This 10-part comedy-horror series, created by Katie Dippold and directed and produced by Hiro Murai, features Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis, the mayor of the titular New England town who refuses to accept its residents’ claims that it’s cursed. It remains to be seen who’s right, but our money’s on the poor, cursed townspeople. Kate O’Flynn, Stephen Root and Dale Dickey also star.
MUSIC
Thundercat, Distracted
April 3
Thundercat’s first new album in six years boasts an impressive roster of collaborators, including Tame Impala, A$AP Rocky, Willow, Channel Tres, Lil Yachty and the late Mac Miller. Miller’s 2018 death inspired much of the bassist’s previous album, It Is What It Is, and that grief seems to have carried over into Distracted. “I don’t think the heartbreak ever stopped,” Thundercat writes in a press release. “If it ain’t a girl, it’s taxes. If it ain’t taxes, it’s World War III. If it ain’t World War III, it’s a new update to the phone.”
Arlo Parks, Ambiguous Desire
April 3
Two-time Grammy nominee Arlo Parks’s forthcoming record is her most vulnerable work yet — but it’s also joyful. “I danced more than ever as I made this record, I made more friends than ever too, found myself in the weird underbelly of New York juke nights, unleashed, laughed and laughed and laughed,” Parks writes in the album’s press materials. “This record has desire at its center. Desire is a life force, it’s a wanting, a yearning, a momentum — we are all alive because there is something or someone we want — desire is an engine. But it is also mysterious, tangled, random, enlightening and HUMAN.”
Jessie Ware, Superbloom
April 17
Like its predecessor, Jessie Ware’s follow-up to 2023’s That! Feels Good! is a celebration of pleasure. “Since What’s Your Pleasure? I’ve been trying out this fantasy world and escapism,” Ware explains in a press release. “I’m not the most by-the-book ‘pop star,’ but I do like to play with dress-up, glamour and fun. While I love dance music, I wanted to dig deeper with this record; to connect with real relationships and appreciate the love I have, and the fears I have of losing it.”
Arkells, Between Us
April 17
The ninth studio album from Canadian quintet Arkells features contributions from Portugal. The Man, Grouplove and Poolside, and lead single “Next Summer” finds the band grappling with the unknown. “‘Next Summer’ is the anthem that finds comfort with the uncertainty of the future,” frontman Max Kerman explains in a statement. “When someone new enters your life, do you ever wonder, ‘What did last summer look like for this person? And for me? And what will next summer look like?’ This song is a nod to the beauty and the mystery of what might lay ahead, and an appreciation of how we got to today. There’s a longing in the song, but it’s hopeful.”
Foo Fighters, Your Favorite Toy
April 24
In recent years, it seems as if the Foo Fighters have been in the news for everything but their music. In 2022, drummer Taylor Hawkins was found dead in his Bogotá hotel room. (No official cause of death was ever released, but Hawkins reportedly had 10 different drugs in his system at the time.) Then in 2024, frontman Dave Grohl shocked fans by announcing that he had fathered a child with a woman who wasn’t Jordyn Blum, his wife of over 20 years. (Just this past week, Grohl admitted he’s been to over 430 therapy sessions as a result of that indiscretion.) In May of last year, drummer Josh Freese was fired after just one tour with the band. It’s been a rough few years for the group to say the least. Perhaps that’s why Grohl describes the title track on Your Favorite Toy as “basically one side of yourself screaming at the other: I’m almost taunting myself for all of those things that needed to be examined.” “We stumbled upon it after experimenting with different sounds and dynamics for over a year, and the day it took shape I knew that we had to follow its lead,” he elaborates in the album’s press materials. “It was the fuse to the powder keg of songs we wound up recording for this record. It feels new.”
Julia Cumming, Julia
April 24
The debut solo album from Sunflower Bean frontwoman Julia Cumming chronicles the singer’s journey toward self-acceptance. As she puts it in a statement about the record, “I think we all try to play into the roles that other people put on us, or that we put on ourselves, in the hopes of being accepted. To use this music as a way out of those external narratives is my dream. One of my main goals with this record was for it to sound fun, not morose. It’s the ultimate anti-cool album. It’s a joyous space for the misfits, and in particular, an album for girls like me, the ones in middle school who never fit into a neat little box. I want this record to be a place where those girls can find solace. You don’t have to be who anyone wants you to be to be enough.”
Kneecap, Fenian
April 24
The Irish rap trio’s follow-up to 2024’s Fine Art is meant to be a direct response to those who criticized them (or in some cases, dropped them from festival lineups, citing concerns over safety) over their outspoken support of Palestine. “They tried to stop us by branding Kneecap ‘terrorists,’ with cancellations, with statements from the Prime Minister himself,” the group explains in a statement. “We had all the motivation we needed…this isn’t a swift reaction, but a considered response to those that tried to silence us. And failed.”
Noah Kahan, The Great Divide
April 24
Maybe you weren’t able to snag tickets to his sold-out summer tour, but this month brings the next best thing for Noah Kahan fans: a new album, one that Kahan wrote specifically with the stage in mind. “In making the music, we were thinking a lot about how to translate these songs live,” he told The Hollywood Reporter recently. “One thing that happened with Stick Season is that we didn’t really know what our touring plan was going to be. We were just making music to make music, really. This album, we knew [it] was going to be toured, and we’d be playing it for a while. We’d just gotten off of three years of Stick Season touring. A lot of these songs are really built for the stage.”
Ringo Starr, Long Long Road
April 24
This new 10-track LP is Ringo Starr’s second collaboration with T Bone Burnett, and it also features contributions from Billy Strings, Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent. “I’m blessed to have T Bone in my life right now and working with me on these records,” the former Beatle says in the album’s press materials. “After we did the last record, which I love listening to, this one just sort of happened. I like to say sometimes I make the right moves, like you can go left or right at any point, and one of the right moves was hooking up with T Bone for Look Up, and now for this one.”
YOUR MONTHLY PLAYLIST
April is Stress Awareness Month, and given the general state of the world these days, it’s safe to assume that all of us could use a bit of a breather. Music has been scientifically proven to help relieve stress and anxiety. Sometimes, however, you may not be in the mood for the ambient, New Age soundscapes that you’d typically encounter in a spa (or on any number of “relaxation playlists” the algorithm might surface for you). If you’re looking to lower your blood pressure with some chill vibes but still want something with a little more substance to it than soft chimes and ocean waves, we’ve put together a playlist featuring some of our favorite songs to wind down to. They’re all far too compelling to put you to sleep, but they’ll still have you feeling more zen in no time.
ARTIST RECOMMENDATIONS
Each month, we catch up with a few musicians, actors, comedians or otherwise cool people whose opinions we respect to hear about a piece of pop culture they’re particularly excited about. This month, it’s singer-songwriter Alejandro Rose-Garcia — better known as Shakey Graves — whose new record Fondness, Etc. comes out May 15, and The Ruffians frontman Sean Griffin, whose solo debut People Are Mad drops April 17.
Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie (2025)
“Recently, my mind has been completely possessed by two Canadians named Matthew Johnson and Jay McCarrol, better known as Nirvanna the Band. Their heartwarmingly dumb, undeniably genius, copyright-infringing, run-and-gun sitcom, Nirvanna the Band the Show, ran for two seasons on Viceland from 2017 to 2018 and recently culminated in a 2025 film, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, which came out on streaming platforms last week.
“It’s all the story of two friends on a quest to play a show at the Rivoli in Toronto. Along the way, they explore true friendship, fight crime, commit crime, shrink, steal treasure, sneak a film into Sundance and time travel. Many of these things are actually done??? They shoot without permits, with scenes often forced upon the real world, making actors and plot points out of everything and everyone around them, somehow with heart.
“Brought to life in part by executive producer Spike Jonze, the lines between real and fake eventually don’t matter…only the gig. This incredible show can be difficult to find these days, so even if you have to jump into the movie blind they will still catch you up to speed and make it worth your while.
“What the fuck am I talking about? You’ll just have to see for yourself. See you at the Rivoli.”
Johnny Society, Hope Machine (2026)
“I have been enjoying the album Hope Machine by Johnny Society; it is such a classic-sounding album. I caught their release show for the project and was completely blown away by how good these songs sounded live. ‘Hey Now,’ ‘The World Isn’t There’ and ‘Grieve’ are standout favorites. If you love good songwriting and feel-good music — the kind we all could use right now — this is the medicine.
“I have also been enjoying Leo Walrus, who has a new album coming out called Moontime which I’m super excited for! He plays a blend of indie-folk and Americana. And finally, the band Scale is doing something really cool at the moment. I’ve only heard some demos but they seem to making quite a scene in London right now. Worth keeping an eye on them.”
WORTH REVISITING
Purple Rain (1984)
Streaming on YouTube TV, available to rent on Apple TV and Prime Video
Somewhere in a drawer, tossed in with the assortment of ticket stubs, passes and lanyards that I’ve hoarded over the years, is a 10-year-old parking ticket. It’s not just any parking ticket. It’s the one that was issued to me in Atlanta ahead of Prince’s Piano & A Microphone show at the Fox Theatre — a show I obviously had no idea at the time would turn out to be the legendary musician’s final performance. I had spent the better part of an hour circling the neighborhood, desperately searching for a parking spot to no avail, and eventually, frustrated and with mere minutes left before Prince was scheduled to hit the stage, I decided to abandon my car in an alley and face the consequences later rather than miss a second of the performance. That ticket remains the best $25 I’ve ever spent.
Just one week later, on April 21, 2016, Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose. The fact that a decade has passed since then feels insane, but it’s an excuse to pay tribute to the Purple One. We can’t all purify ourselves in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, but we can do the next best thing and queue up Purple Rain. It may not be a cinematic masterpiece — the acting quality is about what you’d expect from a cast that primarily consists of musicians — but if you take it for what it is, a glorified concert film, it remains an iconic document of peak Prince, firing on all cylinders.
With the help of The Revolution, he delivers some excellent performances of some now-classic songs like “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Darling Nikki,” “When Doves Cry,” “I Would Die 4 U” and, of course, the title track. But don’t sleep on the other acts in Purple Rain, either: the 1984 film also features fun moments from Morris Day and The Time, whose rivalry with The Kid in the movie echoed some real-life conflict between Day and Prince that led to delays in shooting. It’s one of those rare instances of a soundtrack surpassing the movie that birthed it; you don’t need me to tell you why the Purple Rain album is one of the best of all time. But the movie, which was preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2019, is no slouch either, and it’s worth revisiting if only to remind ourselves of Prince’s magnetic stage presence.
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