The Best Shows To Watch On Netflix In April 2020

Premise: In this animated existential comedy created by Pendleton Ward (creator of “Adventure Time”), a video producer interviews the inhabitants of virtual worlds — created by a “universe simulator” — that are each about to experience an apocalypse. The universe simulator had the original purpose of creating examples of technology to copy and bring back to the real world. But the protagonist of “The Midnight Gospel” uses the simulator for a trippy type of journalism.

Setting: Different universes in a simulation

Netflix Descriptors: “Mind-bending,” “offbeat” and “irreverent”

How it starts: Pink hands hold a small radio as one pink finger plays with the frequency tuner. The dial stops on a radio broadcast.

“Gooooood morning, simulation farmers,” a voice on the radio says, as the pink hands type on a keyboard of lit-up squares.

Runtime: Eight episodes of roughly 30 minutes

Bonus: Here’s creator Pendleton Ward talking about “Adventure Time” back in 2012 — with Hot Topic, of all places:

“Middleditch & Schwartz” (Netflix Comedy Special Series)

Premise: In this live improv series starring Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz, the two comedians take a scenario from the audience and create an entire story with multiple characters from that launching point. For example, the first episode revolves around a wedding officiated by a ghost and potentially thwarted by the bride’s ex-lover from sixth grade.

Middleditch and Schwartz’s charming chemistry carries the show, but the created-on-the-spot stories also have a surprisingly adept narrative payoff.

Setting: NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City

Netflix Descriptors: “Offbeat,” “absurd” and “quirky”

How it starts: Schwartz and Middleditch jog onto the stage toward two chairs. When they both get to the front of the stage, Schwartz waves to the audience while Middleditch awkwardly dances.

Notable cast: Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz

Runtime: Three episodes of roughly 50 minutes

Bonus: Here’s a Netflix video of Middleditch and Schwartz doing something called the “Best Friends Challenge” together:

A few other highlights:

“#blackAF” (Netflix Original)

Premise: In this family sitcom created by Kenya Barris (creator of “Black-ish”), a character based on Barris’ actual life lives with his family in a Los Angeles mansion. He pays for his daughter to make a professional, high-production-value docu-series about the family’s day-to-day life.

The show oscillates between the genres of family sitcom, mockumentary, meandering Hollywood-centric self-commentary (like “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and social commentary about racial injustice.

This show has elicited divisive responses from critics , from effusive praise to harsh assessments of perceived narcissism and cruelty . I’m on the side of the former and found much to laugh at and find impressive in “#blackAF.” The blending of genres works and the harsher cultural commentary elevates it past Barris’ family of “ish” sitcoms (“Black-ish,” “Grown-ish” and “Mixed-ish”). Also, the first episode admirably uses Bradley Cooper’s “Maybe It’s Time” from “A Star is Born” as just a background song at one point, which earns it big points in my book.

“#BlackAF” is the best comedy Netflix has debuted this year so far.

Notable Cast: Kenya Barris and Rashida Jones

Runtime: Eight episodes of roughly 35 minutes

Bonus: Netflix put together a behind-the-scenes video with Barris and Jones. Watch here:

“The Innocence Files” (Netflix Original)

Premise: In this docu-series, the nonprofit legal organization the Innocence Project  explains the cases behind eight wrongfully convicted people. The series highlights the importance of the Innocence Project in pushing back against an overzealous conviction system. On the flip side, the series also shows the group’s limits in fighting against an ever-growing problem in the United States.

Runtime: Nine episodes of roughly 60 minutes

Bonus: The Innocence Project created a video featuring four men they’ve helped exonerate:

“Tiger King” (After-show, Netflix Original)

Premise: In this after-show for the popular Netflix docu-series “Tiger King,” Joel McHale hosts a collection of interviews with people who appeared in the original show.

In case you somehow missed the “Tiger King” phenomenon , the original episodes focus on a charismatic, drug-using polygamist named Joe Exotic . This person owns a tourist-trap roadside zoo in Oklahoma and hires a hit man to kill a rival.

The original series runs seven episodes of roughly 45 minutes.

Runtime: 40 minutes

Bonus: Here’s the original series trailer:

“Community”

Premise: In this comedy created by Dan Harmon, a group of misfits at a community college become inseparable best friends. All of them have distinct personalities and skill sets they bring to the “literal” table, and they frequently hang around to scheme about hijinks. While their classes don’t teach them much, their varying adventures help them learn things about who they are and who they want to become.

Notable Cast: Alison Brie, Yvette Nicole Brown, Chevy Chase, Donald Glover, Gillian Jacobs, Ken Jeong, Joel McHale, Danny Pudi and Jim Rash

Runtime: 110 episodes of roughly 21 minutes over six seasons

Bonus: Here’s Donald Glover talking about leaving “Community” and, at the time, his new show “Atlanta” on FX:

Premise: In this cooking game show, three amateur bakers try to make pristine cakes in short amounts of time. The show tends to recruit contestants who are terrible at baking, which means the contestants have no real shot at actually making something good. The hosts joyfully roast the varying baking fails and inject an infectious levity to the already absurd premise.

Notable Cast: Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres

Runtime: 27 episodes of roughly 32 minutes over four seasons

For more options, check out the best shows of March .