It’s morphing time! A 1990s Power Rangers revival leads a particularly low-key streaming release schedule this week which also sees Keri Russell returning to some political drama with The Diplomat.
MOVIES
The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die
Netflix – 14 April 2023
I will admit that I’m yet to watch a single minute of British historical drama series The Last Kingdom, despite always hearing how good it is. Or rather was. The fifth and final season of the show adapting Bernard Cornwall’s The Saxon Stories novel series debuted on Netflix last month, but that’s not where the story ended. In development since before the fourth season debut in 2020, Seven Kings Must Die is the feature film conclusion to the entire saga, following on in the wake of the death of King Edward as invaders and rival heirs battle for the crown of Britain.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always
Netflix – 19 April 2023
Calling all my fellow old people – it’s time to relive your childhood! A reunion 30 years in the making, this brand new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers special sees (most of) the stars of the original groundbreaking 1990s TV series back on screen together again to face off against original foe Rita Repulsa in a time-hopping story. Yes, it looks cheesy as hell, and the cast looks like they would be gassed after a single backflip in front of an explosion, but this one is purely for the nostalgia. And that theme song which had absolutely no right to go as hard as it did! PS: Also make sure you watch the Power Rangers episode on Netflix’s brilliant The Toys That Made Us to learn the crazy story of how this show originally came to be.
SERIES
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel S5
Amazon Prime Video – 14 April 2023
The multiple Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was one of Prime Video’s original breakout series, helping the streamer to get a foothold in the market. And now, five years after it launched, the story of Rachel Brosnahan’s repressed-New-York-housewife-turned-extroverted-standup-comedian is finally coming to a close. The fifth and final season of the acclaimed comedy-drama kicks off today with the debut of the first three episodes with the rest to air weekly.
The Last Thing He Told Me S1
Apple TV+ – 14 April 2023
Based on Laura Dave’s 2021 bestselling novel of the same name, this seven-episode limited series adaptation is produced by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner with the latter also starring. Garner plays Hannah, a woman whose husband (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) disappears mysteriously, leaving just a simple note to protect her 16-year-old stepdaughter Bailey (Angourie Rice). Despite a strained relationship with Bailey, Hannah needs to uncover the truth of what happened to her husband. Expect lots of drama and suspenseful twists!
The Diplomat S1
Netflix – 20 April 2023
Keri Russell spent years brilliantly playing a Russian sleeper agent in The Americans, so she definitely knows a thing or two about political intrigue. And that makes her perfectly suited to lead Netflix’s new political drama series The Diplomat, which sees the Golden Globe winner play a career diplomat who finds herself out of her depth in a new job as an ambassador in the midst of an international crisis. Not helping is that her husband Rufus Sewell, held the same ambassadorial position before her for years, and is finding it hard to let go of the reins creating all sorts of conflict. So political and personal drama!