More like “April is coming,” am I right?! The return of Game of Thrones looms over springtime like a dragon’s shadow, threatening to block the sun from reaching the approximately 17,000 other shows premiering this month. Once upon a time (like, a few years ago), spring marked the end for currently airing series and the beginning of rerun season. Now, summer is a TV season all its own, and April is the new September. At least, that’s what my overstuffed calendar indicates. Click through to fill up your own TV calendar with these ten must-see shows.
April 7: Adieu, American Idol
For some of us, the end of American Idol signals the end of the childlike wonder with which we first beheld this glittering gem of a reality show. Sure, the glitter’s faded over the past 14 years, but we shall never forget the show that birthed Ryan Seacrest (yuck, sorry) and made Kelly Clarkson a star. One day, Brian Dunkleman will have his revenge on all of us, but for now, tune in to see Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, and more former Idol winners give the series a proper send-off.
April 8: Americans get to watch Catastrophe!
The second season of this fantastic British rom-com aired in the UK in October, and was even made available in Canada — of all places! — on streaming platform Shomi in December. Somehow Americans are the last to catch Season 2 of this very funny, very raunchy sex comedy, which jumps forward in time from where Season 1 left off. Watching it several months after the rest of the Western hemisphere, Americans will be even more disoriented than the rest of us. Look, just allow this disgruntled Canadian viewer her moment, ok? This is payback.
April 9: Outlander sets sail
I see London, I see France, I see…nobody’s underpants, I don’t think anyone wears them on this show. At the start of its second season, the sexy Scottish time-travel series moves the action to Paris, where lovers Jamie and Claire go to flee the evil redcoat Black Jack Randall. Hell, they could move to Duluth and I’d be stoked as long as we get to keep watching them mate.
April 14: Orphan Black is back to complicate our lives
Clone Club meets for another season of mind-bending, anxiety-inducing conspiracy theories. The sci-fi thrillers stars Tatiana Maslany as Sarah, a con artist who assumes the identity of a woman who looks just like her — and who turns out to be one of her many clones. Expect Maslany to work her Emmy-nominated magic yet again: Season 4 promises to add even more clones to the mix, all played by the exceptionally talented actress.
April 15: The return of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
It’s a miracle! Everyone’s favorite comedy about a woman who was kidnapped and held in a bunker for 15 years by a crazy cult leader and then moves to New York and takes a job as a nanny and finds a hilarious aspiring actor roommate is back! Season 2 of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s insanely fun sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt returns to paint New York pink, so cancel your weekend plans now.
April 16: HBO airs Confirmation
If the success of The People v. OJ Simpson is any indication, HBO’s highly anticipated original film Confirmation will be a ratings smash: like the popular FX show, Confirmation is a retroactive examination of a trial that got the whole country talking about race. Centered on the 1991 Clarence Thomas hearings, the movie stars Kerry Washington as Anita Hill and Wendell Pierce as Thomas.
April 20: Spend 4/20 with Ilana Glazer
When Ilana Glazer closes a door, she opens a window. Glazer, along with writing team Paul Downs and Lucia Aniello, brings her miniseries Time Traveling Bong to Comedy Central the same night Broad City ends its third season. Based on a 2012 sketch Glazer created for College Humor, Time Traveling Bong stars Glazer and Downs as cousins who rip through wild adventures — like visiting the Salem Witch Trials and meeting Michael Jackson — with the aid of their magical drug paraphernalia.
April 21: Get back Inside Amy Schumer
You don’t really need a reason to tune in to Season 4 of Inside Amy Schumer, but just in case you’re on the fence, how’s this: the season premiere’s guests include Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Selena Gomez, and Steve Buscemi. Schumer has rocketed to superstar status since the last season aired a year ago, so you know, no pressure!
April 24: Something something dragons
Like the death of 90% of its characters, HBO’s juggernaut fantasy series is inescapable. Season 6 of Game of Thrones promises to be as big as ever, with a reported per-budget episode of at least $10 million. This is the first season that’s largely not based on the books, which have officially fallen behind the show — the sixth book, The Winds of Winter, has yet to be released, which hopefully means fewer geeks spoiling the plot for the rest of us.
April 24: Richard the Avenger
And finally, Mike Judge’s tech-industry satire is back to make you squirm with awkwardness and delight. At the end of Silicon Valley’s second season, Pied Piper founder Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) was pushed out as CEO of his own company. Season 3 will see him fighting to regain what’s rightfully his.