When you’ve been handling payroll services for as long as we have (43 years and counting! Are we technically elder Millennials??), you get to witness the rise of generational talents and projects so spectacular that they'll live on in the annals of cinema or television/streaming history. Or better yet, they’ll make it into the Sessions Hall of Fame alongside No Country For Old Men, Fight Club and Grey’s Anatomy. We expect to see at least one of these April releases joining that list.
Here are some of the exciting Sessions projects hitting your screens in the month of April.
Release date: April 8, 2022
How to watch: In theaters nationwide
Why to watch: Two words: Michelle Yeoh. Okay, four words: Michelle Yeoh and The Daniels. We expect any good film lover to already be familiar with the goddess known as Michelle Yeoh, but if you’re not familiar with The Daniels (the directing duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), we’d urge you to watch another Sessions project, Swiss Army Man. Everything Everywhere All At Once is The Daniels amped up to 11, doing things that only they can do, and drawing Oscar-worthy performances from Yeoh, former child star Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu. The instant classic has already surpassed Parasite as the highest rated film on Letterboxd. We highly recommend you catch it on IMAX if you can.
Release date: April 20, 2022
How to watch: Netflix
Why to watch: Season 1 of Amy Poehler and Natasha Lyonne’s Russian Doll was a refreshing, inventive and thoroughly entertaining spin on what could have been another clichèd retread of Groundhog Day. The frequently funny and touching series featured a career-high performance by Lyonne, who had already earned a well-deserved comeback on Orange Is the New Black. Paired with Tales From The City’s Charlie Barnett, Lyonne makes you wish you could spend every day waking up to a new episode of Russian Doll. Catch the trailer for season 2 here.
Release date: April 24, 2022
How to watch: HBO and HBOmax
Why to watch: Emmy-award winning Barry is finally back for season 3. Season 2 left Barry and Henry Winkler’s Gene Cousineau at a major crossroads (don’t worry, no spoilers), making the long wait for season 3 agonizing. Both creator Bill Hader and the legendary Winkler won Emmy awards for their performances, but the colorful supporting characters played by Anthony Carrigan, Stephen Root and Sarah Goldberg give this hitman-turned-actor dramedy its devoted fanbase.
Release date: April 25, 2022
Why to watch: A new Baltimore-set series from The Wire’s David Simon and George Pelecanos about corrupt police officers and starring Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku (a standout in HBO’s Lovecraft Country), Jamie Hector and Josh Charles?? Do we even need to plead our case as to why this show will be an absolute banger? The prescient, gritty drama is based on the book by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton and the hype is off the charts. Even watching the teaser gave us goosebumps.
Release date: April 29, 2022
How to watch: Showtime
Why to watch: Former SNL cast member Vanessa Bayer based her new Showtime series on her own childhood experience with leukemia. Before you think that this sounds depressing, we promise you that it’s not, and features the awkward comedy that Bayer and her co-star, another brilliant former SNL star Molly Shannon, have perfected. Also starring the great Jenifer Lewis who is always welcome on any screen, the series will stream on Showtime before hitting the cable channel on May 1. Catch the trailer here.
Why to watch: Pairing a comedy legend with an acting legend has paid serious artistic dividends for Netflix. Watching Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda as two women brought together by their husbands falling in love (played by two other legends, Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen) has brought seven seasons of adventures and warmth. The show will end with this final season and we’ll be sad to bid farewell.