With each start of the season, the catalog is filled with audiovisual novelties. This year, the level has dropped considerably, a reflection of the moment the streaming sector is experiencing, where the platforms have been distributed to the viewers. As a consequence, the competition between them has resulted in an awkward balance, between Amazon and HBO Max, and a lurid collapse of Netflix, which seems comfortable in teen series and ‘true crime’.
The most interesting releases of the month are starred precisely by Jeff Bezos’s platform, to which most of us Spaniards are already signed up, something that Netflix had previously achieved. Amazon Prime has made a firm commitment to Spanish fiction, with series such as “Sin huellas”, the suspense and comedy series starring Carolina Yuste, who gives life to a gypsy domestic worker who, together with a co-worker, he finds a corpse that he finally decides to cover up.
This platform will also host one of the great returns of the season, that of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, which will put the golden briche on its television career with a fifth season. Another of the important returns, which also marks a full stop, is that of “Succession”, which will come to HBO Max with its fourth installment.
As for the premieres, the most prominent is that of “A challenging future”, where Meryl Streep, Edward Norton or Sienna Miller appear. Divided into eight episodes, this limited series will explore as many intimate stories (one per episode) about how environmental changes will affect life in all areas. Love, faith, family, and work will be affected by the effects of climate change, which is increasingly noticeable in everyday life.
The good will come a month later, because it will be in April when we have the premiere of the series “Citadel”, recorded in Valencia and with the Fallas as one of the protagonists of the plot. Starring Priyanka Chopra (“Quantico”) and Richard Madden (“Game of Thrones”), the production shows the situation in which two secret agents find themselves after losing their memories and their jobs. The series will premiere on April 28 on Amazon Prime.
“Swarm”
HBO Max will launch the long-awaited “Love and Death” also at the end of April. This drama, written by the legendary David E. Kelley and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, tells the true story of Candy, Pat Montgomery, and Betty and Allan Gore, two couples who attend church and enjoy life in a small town in Texas… until an extramarital affair leads someone to pick up an axe. The cast includes Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe, Patrick Fugit, Krysten Ritter, Tom Pelphrey, Keir Gilchrist and Elizabeth Marvel.
Dre (Dominique Fishback) is a young woman whose obsession with the biggest female pop star of the moment leads her to embark on an unexpected journey across the United States while everything is taking a darker turn. This new series will star one of the actresses from “The Deuce”, Dominique Fishbacka, as well as Rory Culkin, brother of Kieran (“Successoin”) and Macaulay Culkin (‘Home Alone’).
Amazon Prime, March 17
“Up to Heaven”
Here comes the adaptation of the film by Daniel Calpasoro, ‘Hasta el cielo’, then starring Miguel Hernán and Carolina Yuste. The television production tells the story of a hallucinatory married couple, that of Sole and Ángel, who struggle to gain a foothold in a violent sector full of men and family sagas. It stars Asia Ortega, Luis Tosar, Álvaro Rico and Patricia Vico.
Netflix, March 17.
“A Challenging Future”
This series marks the return of Maryl Streep to the small screen, after her roles in “Big Little Lies” (HBO). Although she will not appear in all the chapters, since “A challenging future” is a series with short stories about the possible consequences of climate change. It is hosted by Scott Z. Burn, director of the series “Californication.” The media actors Sienna Miller, Kit Harington, Daveed Diggs, Edward Norton, Diane Lane, Tahar Rahim or Yara Shahidi will also participate in it.
Apple TV, March 17
“Succession”
One of the most successful series of the moment returns, although it returns with the definitive end of its story. The production about the family of Logan Roy, who decides to agree to a merger that would leave control of Waystar in the hands of the unpredictable Lukas Mattson. It will cause a strong family division that will not be easily resolved. In the fourth season, the actors Alexander Skarsgård, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook or Kieran Culkin will appear.
HBO Max, March 27
“The Envoys”
Series starring the actor from Castelló Miguel Ángel Silvestre, where he plays a priest sent to Mexico to verify supposed miraculous healings in a psychiatric institution by another clergyman. His faith will be tested by a series of events that involve all the inhabitants of a small town.
SkyShowtime, March 31
“The Good Mothers”
Inspired by a true story, this Italian series tells the story of Denise Cosco, Maria Concetta Cacciola and Giuseppina Pesce. Born into the deadliest of Italian mafia clans, the three women dare to defy the ‘Ndrangheta and try to take it down from within. To do this, they have the help of the prosecutor Anna Colace, recently arrived in Calabria and who has a strategy to overthrow the ‘Ndrangheta clans: focus on women. It is a plan that carries great risk, as the ‘Ndrangheta are renowned and feared for their relentless cruelty.
Disney+, April 5
“no footprints”
Desi and Cata find a dead body in the mansion they just cleaned. They decide not to call the police. A gypsy and a Mexican immigrant find a dead body? Distrust of the racism that the case could trigger decides to keep it quiet, which leads to a series of situations that will put the two friends against the ropes. Series starring Carolina Yuste and Camila Sodi.
Amazon Prime, March 17
“The wonderful Mrs. Maisel”
The Emmy-winning series comes to an end with the fifth season. The story has always focused on Midge’s comedic career and the new installment represents his last chance to make his dreams come true and become the star he is destined to be. The actors Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, Tony Shalhoub, Marin Hinkle, Michael Zegen and Kevin Pollak will participate.
Amazon Prime, April 14