The best TV shows to look forward to in April

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From returning cult sci-fis to daring new shows that use computer generated imagery, here are the best TV shows coming to UK screens in April.

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Billions (Season 3)

(Photo: Showtime)

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What is it? The third season of the financially minded series starring Paul Giamatti and Damien Lewis.

Loosely based on the activities of crusading federal prosecutor of financial crimes Preet Bharara, and his legal battles with hedge fund manager Steve Cohen of S.A.C. Capital Advisors, things should be really starting to heat up between the two as we head into the latest series.

Where and when can I watch it? Sky Atlantic, 29 March

Episodes

(Photo: BBC)

What is it? The fifth and final series of the BBC comedy starring Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan - as well as Matt LeBlanc in a brilliantly dense take-down of himself.

By now LeBlanc is the host of a truly awful game show called The Box, a programme full of tortuous challenges and humiliations.

Where and when can I watch it? BBC Two, 30 March

A Series of Unfortunate Events (Season 2)

(Photo: Eike Schroter/Netflix)

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What is it? Neil Patrick Harris returns as the nefarious Count Olaf in the second season of this family-friendly adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s cult children’s books.

Once again avoiding Olaf’s plans to get hold of their inheritance, in season two the Baudelaire children discover clues to their parents’ mysterious death, and links to a covert organisation.

Where and when can I watch it? Netflix, 30 March

Kiss Me First

(Photo: Channel 4)

What is it? An innovative thriller based on Lottie Moggach’s novel about a lonely video game addict who meets a confident party girl with a dark secret online.

It combines live action with state-of-the-art computer-generated virtual world sequences.

Where and when can I watch it? Channel 4, 2 April

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Deep State

(Photo: Fox)

What is it? Starring Mark Strong as a man who believes he has retired from MI6, this spy thriller is bound to grip viewers of the Fox channel.

He’s called back in for "one last job" which will allow him to regain his ‘normal’ life; but should the job go wrong, he may have no normal life to go back to.

Where and when can I watch it? Fox, 5 April

Lost in Space

(Photo: Netflix)

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What is it? Based on the 1965 TV series of the same name – not the Matt LeBlanc-starring 1998 film – Lost in Space follows the adventures of a family of pioneering colonists whose spaceship veers off course.

It’s the year 2046 and the Robinsons, piloting their Jupiter 2 spaceship, come across a rip in spacetime that throws them wildly from their planned trajectory. They crash on an unknown planet, light years from their intended destination, and must battle the new, alien environment in their attempts to escape.

Where and when can I watch it? Netflix, 13 April

Legion (Season 2)

(Photo: FX/FOX)

What is it? Based on the Marvel X-Men character, Legion tells the story of a diagnosed schizophrenic who discovers that it’s possible the voices he hears and visions he sees may not all be in his head.

Season one was a revolutionary take on the stagnant superhero genre, with episodes taking place entirely inside a character’s subconscious, pop culture in-jokes and references, and some truly eye-popping art direction and production design.

Where and when can I watch it? Fox, 17 April

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The Alienist

Dakota Fanning, Daniel Brühl and Luke Evans star in The Alienist

What is it? This cerebral sounding thriller follows Laszlo Kreizler (Inglorious Basterds’ Daniel Brühl), a brilliant and obsessive ‘Alienist’ in the controversial new field of treating mental pathologies.

Set in New York in the 1890s, Kreizler holds the key to hunting down a never-before-seen ritualistic killer murdering young boys.

Where and when can I watch it? Netflix, 19 April

Westworld (Season 2)

(Photo: HBO)

What is it? Jonathan Nolan’s retelling of the Michael Crichton film and novel was a true smash-hit, and looks to be on a trajectory to reach Game of Thrones’ heady heights.

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It returns for season two this Spring, taking viewers back to the technologically advanced Wild West theme park populated by android hosts.

Where and when can I watch it? Sky Atlantic, 23 April

3%

(Photo: Netflix)

What is it? This Brazilian sci-fi series picked up some great reviews when its first season came to Netflix a couple of years ago.

It's back for a second run, again set in a future in which people are given a chance to go to the "better side" of a world divided between progress and affluence in the island 'Offshore', and devastation and poverty in the Inland.

But only 3% of the candidates get through the gruelling 'interview' process.

Where and when can I watch it? Netflix, 27 April

The New Legends of Monkey

(Photo: Netflix)

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What is it? This antipodean show has been picked up by Netflix, an adaptation of 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West.

It follows a young monk, escorted by a group of gods, on a journey across an ancient and fantastical land now ruled by evil demons to collect lost scrolls of wisdom.

Where and when can I watch it? Netflix, 27 April

Barry

(Photo: HBO)

What is it? This dark comedy from SNL's Bill Hader has been picking up hype over in the States, and is expected to come to UK screens at some point this month.

Hader is Barry, a psychopathic former marine who works as a low-rent hitman.

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He's desperate for a change though, and in and effort to break his usual routines, travels to LA for a job, and unwittingly falls into the welcoming world of the LA theatre scene.

Where and when can I watch it? Sky Atlantic, April (TBC)

• Have your say on the latest TV with Screen Babble, the television discussion group on Facebook

This article originally appeared on our sister title, iNews

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