Photo: Disney+/BBC
Each month, The Steampunk Explorer offers a guide to steampunk-related films and series arriving on the top streaming services. We look for titles likely to draw interest from steampunk fans in some way, not necessarily those that fall squarely within the genre.
April is a good month for fans of pop culture franchises, as streamers will premiere new seasons of Doctor Who, Star Wars: Andor, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Last of Us. Meanwhile, Netflix is set to debut a new season of its anthology series Black Mirror.
We can only confirm new arrivals in the U.S., but some titles may also be available on these streaming services in other countries.
If you want more for your watchlist, check out our new steampunk video guides. They feature the top titles in four categories, based on ratings from IMDb users:
Top Animated Films | Top Animated TV Series
Top Live-Action Films | Top Live-Action TV Series
Disney+
A new eight-episode season of Doctor Who premieres April 12 with Ncuti Gatwa reprising his role as the 15th Doctor.
The official synopsis: “The Doctor meets Belinda Chandra and begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-traveling TARDIS team must face great dangers, bigger enemies and wilder terrors than ever before.”
Belinda, the Doctor’s new companion, is portrayed by Varada Sethu. In one episode, they will become animated characters.
Depending on how you’re counting, this will be the second, 15th, or 41st season of the series. Officially, it’s the second, apparently as a nod to Disney+ as the new streaming home outside the U.K. But it’s the 15th season since the 2005 reboot and the 41st overall.
Also arriving this month: Season 2 of Andor, one of the better Star Wars spinoff series, will premiere April 22 with three episodes.
Hulu
The sixth and final season of The Handmaid’s Tale premieres April 8 with Elisabeth Moss returning in the lead role as June Osborne.
The series, adapted from the dystopian speculative fiction novel by Margaret Atwood, scored widespread acclaim and multiple Emmy Awards during its early seasons. Later seasons still received mostly positive reviews, but drew some criticism for stretching out the storyline.
Also arriving, on April 1, is Steven Spielberg’s 2005 adaptation of War of the Worlds.
Max
The major arrival here is Season 2 of The Last of Us, the critically acclaimed adaptation of the popular video game franchise. The series is set in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The second season, which consists of seven episodes, begins five years after the events of Season 1.
This time, “Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind,” the logline states.
Season 1 received multiple Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor (Pedro Pascale), Outstanding Lead Actress (Bella Ramsey), and Outstanding Guest Actor (both Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, with Offerman winning). Offerman and Bartlett starred in the third episode, “Long Long Time,” which also won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.
The new season premieres April 13.
Netflix
On April 10, Netflix will premiere Season 7 of Black Mirror, the acclaimed sci-fi/horror anthology series. It consists of six episodes, including a sequel to “USS Callister,” a popular episode from 2017 that was a homage to Star Trek.
Also arriving, on April 9: Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1991 adaptation of The Addams Family.
Paramount+
This streamer will offer another opportunity to see A Series of Unfortunate Events, the 2004 adaptation of the children’s book series by Lemony Snicket. It tells the story of three orphans who undergo a series of mishaps in a neo-Victorian world. Jim Carrey steals the show as the villainous Count Olaf.
Also arriving: Young Sherlock Holmes, the 1985 Barry Levinson film in which Holmes and Watson tackle their first mystery as students.
Both movies arrive April 1.
New Arrivals: Series
Black Mirror — Streaming on Netflix.
Rotten Tomatoes scores: 84% (critics); 80% (audience). IMDb score: 8.7/10.
Links: Wikipedia | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
Doctor Who — Streaming on Disney+.
Rotten Tomatoes scores: 68% (critics); 79% (audience). IMDb score: 6.2/10.
Links: Wikipedia | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
The Handmaid’s Tale — Streaming on Hulu.
Rotten Tomatoes scores: 83% (critics); 58% (audience). IMDb score: 8.3/10.
Links: Website | Wikipedia | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
The Last of Us — Streaming on Max.
Rotten Tomatoes scores: 96% (critics); 88% (audience). IMDb score: 8.7/10.
Links: Wikipedia | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
Star Wars: Andor — Streaming on Disney+.
Rotten Tomatoes scores: 96% (critics); 87% (audience). IMDb score: 8.4/10.
Links: Wikipedia | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
New Arrivals: Movies
A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) — Streaming on Paramount+.
Rotten Tomatoes scores: 72% (critics); 63% (audience). IMDb score: 6.8/10.
Links: Wikipedia | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
The Addams Family (1991) — Streaming on Netflix.
Rotten Tomatoes scores: 67% (critics); 67% (audience). IMDb score: 6.9/10.
Links: Wikipedia | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
War of the Worlds (2005) — Streaming on Hulu.
Rotten Tomatoes scores: 76% (critics); 42% (audience). IMDb score: 6.5/10.
Links: Wikipedia | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) — Streaming on Paramount+.
Rotten Tomatoes scores: 71% (critics); 63% (audience). IMDb score: 6.8/10.
Links: Wikipedia | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes
