April 2026 keeps delivering. This week alone brings Ryan Gosling’s Running Point back for Season 2, the Netflix animated debut of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, Richard Gadd’s hotly anticipated follow-up to Baby Reindeer — Half Man on HBO — and an Apple TV+ horror comedy that’s generating serious buzz. Plus the ongoing weekly runs of The Boys, Euphoria, Hacks, and BEEF Season 2 continue to dominate conversation.
This is your complete, multi-platform guide to the best new streaming releases this week (April 23–29, 2026) — across Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Peacock. Updated every week.
⚡ This Week’s Top Picks — Quick Reference Table
| Title | Platform | Type | Premiere Date | Must-Watch Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 | Netflix | Animated Series Premiere | April 23 | 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Running Point Season 2 | Netflix | Series Return | April 23 | 🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Half Man | HBO Max | Limited Series Premiere | April 23 | 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Widow’s Bay | Apple TV+ | Series Premiere | April 29 | 🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| The House of the Spirits | Prime Video | Series Premiere | April 29 | 🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Man on Fire | Netflix | Series Premiere | April 30 | 🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Euphoria Season 3 | HBO Max | Series (Weekly) | Ongoing | 🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| The Boys Season 5 | Prime Video | Final Season (Weekly) | Ongoing | 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| BEEF Season 2 | Netflix | Full Season Available | April 16 ✅ | 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
🎬 Netflix — What’s New This Week
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 — Premieres April 23 🔥
Netflix’s beloved Stranger Things universe expands into animation for the first time. Tales From ’85 is set in Hawkins, Indiana, and takes place in the same timeline as the live-action show — giving fans a way to return to the world they love while the final live-action season is in production. The showrunner has confirmed it won’t be a simple “monster of the week” adventure, and the Duffer Brothers are closely involved as executive producers. If you’ve been waiting to revisit Hawkins, this is your moment.
Running Point Season 2 — Premieres April 23
Kate Hudson’s basketball front-office comedy returns for a second season, this time with Justin Theroux joining the cast as a charismatic new addition to the team’s world. Season 1 was one of Netflix’s most pleasant surprises of early 2026 — sharp writing, genuine chemistry, and enough sports knowledge to feel credible. Season 2 drops all at once, making this a perfect weekend binge.
Also on Netflix this week: Man on Fire (April 30) — Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars in the TV adaptation of the novel that produced the beloved 2004 Denzel Washington film. Worth putting on your radar for end of week.
🔴 HBO Max — Half Man (Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer Follow-Up)
Half Man — Premieres April 23 🔥
This is the one that everyone in television is watching. Richard Gadd — the writer, director, and star of 2024’s cultural phenomenon Baby Reindeer — returns with a new limited series for HBO. Half Man stars Gadd alongside Jamie Bell as two estranged men who are not related by blood but call each other brothers, whose reunion ignites an inferno of violence and triggers a look back at their complex, troubled relationship.
The show has been deliberately kept under wraps. What we know: Gadd apparently underwent significant physical transformation for the role — and the early word from industry screenings is that it’s extraordinary. If Baby Reindeer was the proof of concept, Half Man is the confirmation that Gadd is a serious new voice in prestige drama. Don’t sleep on this one.
Also continuing on HBO Max: New weekly episodes of Euphoria Season 3 drop Sundays — the long-awaited return of Zendaya and the East Highland crew is in full swing, alongside the final season of Hacks.
🍏 Apple TV+ — Widow’s Bay
Widow’s Bay — Premieres April 29
A genuinely intriguing new addition to the Apple TV+ lineup. Widow’s Bay is a horror comedy created by Katie Dippold (whose credits include Parks and Recreation and The Heat), starring Matthew Rhys as a skeptical mayor of a superstitious New England town who refuses to believe the locals’ claims that the place is cursed. The show arrives at the perfect time — late April is ideal for something atmospheric and slightly unsettling.
🟠 Prime Video — The House of the Spirits + The Boys Continues
The House of the Spirits — Premieres April 29
Isabel Allende’s sweeping multigenerational Latin American novel finally gets a major streaming adaptation. The House of the Spirits arrives on Prime Video on April 29, and for fans of literary adaptations and international drama, this is one of the most significant releases of the month. The novel spans decades of a Chilean family’s history against a backdrop of political upheaval — the kind of rich, complex source material that streaming is uniquely positioned to tell well.
Also on Prime Video: The Boys Season 5 continues its weekly release schedule — the final season of one of streaming’s most subversive shows is building towards what promises to be a spectacular conclusion. If you’re not caught up, this weekend is your chance.
🟡 Hulu — Ongoing Must-Watches
This week, Hulu’s new release calendar is lighter, but the platform’s ongoing series continue to deliver. The Testaments — the Handmaid’s Tale sequel — keeps releasing new weekly episodes, and Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair is mid-run and earning strong audience scores. If you haven’t started the Malcolm revival yet, the full first half of the season is now available to binge before next week’s finale.
📺 Our Streaming Priority List This Week
If you can only watch one thing: Half Man on HBO. This is the prestige pick of the week.
For something nostalgic and fun: Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 on Netflix — a warm return to Hawkins.
For a weekend binge: Running Point Season 2 or BEEF Season 2 (still the best thing on Netflix this month).
For a Sunday night ritual: New Euphoria episode drops Sunday on HBO Max.
For something different: Widow’s Bay on Apple TV+ — the hidden gem of the week.
🗓️ What’s Coming in May 2026 — Early Look
With April winding down, May brings a fresh slate. Early confirmed highlights include The Mandalorian & Grogu in theaters (May 22), Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale on Disney+ (May 5), and Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 on Netflix in June. The streaming calendar remains packed through summer 2026.
We update our streaming guides every week. Explore our full Entertainment section for more — including our Best Hulu Shows in 2026 guide, Hidden Gem Movies on Netflix, and our Most Anticipated Movies of 2026 calendar.
Sources: TV Guide, Rotten Tomatoes Premiere Dates, GamesRadar
