Between streaming and cable, viewers have a seemingly endless variety of things to watch. Here is a selection of TV shows and specials that are airing or streaming this week, April 27 — May 4. Details and times are subject to change.
If you want to feel uneasy
You know the adage that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is? That is the realization that Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) has in the new thriller-comedy “Widow’s Bay.” As the leader of a remote island that locals believe is cursed, Loftis tries to revive his small community and make it a tourist destination. But once he succeeds, the lurid, spooky and horrifying moments that were old tales whispered by townspeople start happening again. The first three episodes will air together, with subsequent ones releasing weekly until mid-June. Begins streaming Wednesday on Apple TV.
In 1982, a multigenerational, magical realist saga set in Chile written by Isabel Allende was published. And now “The House of the Spirits” is getting a television version. The story follows the Trueba family across three generations as the family manages love, heartbreak, societal change and political unrest. Unlike the 1993 movie, criticized for casting Meryl Streep and Winona Ryder in the Chilean roles, this version is entirely in Spanish and stars Aline Kuppenheim, Fernanda Urrejola and Rochi Hernández. The episodes will air in three collections, with the first three episodes grouped together. Begins streaming Wednesday on Prime Video.
If you want to question humanity
In 2020, Dr. Caroline Muirhead and Alexander McKellar were in the midst of a whirlwind romance that led to a quick engagement when she asked him if there was anything she needed to know before they married. He confessed to committing a murder. The two-part documentary series “Should I Marry a Murderer?” tells the story of how Muirhead remained engaged to McKellar after his confession in order to gather information from him, which would help the police solve the case. Begins streaming Wednesday on Netflix.
What would you do if you thought that your dead father was a serial killer? That is the situation that Lucy Studey McKiddy found herself in, as she claims that her father Donald Dean Studey, who died in 2013, was responsible for dozens of murders around Iowa and surrounding areas; she said that she and her siblings were enlisted in helping him hide the bodies. In 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched the property where McKiddy said the bodies would be, but all they found were animal bones. The documentary series “My Killer Father: The Green Hollow Murders” looks into whether McKiddy’s claims are true. Begins streaming Tuesday on Paramount+.
If you love horses and country music
Dust off your biggest hat and prep your mint julep ingredients because it’s time for the 152nd Kentucky Derby. NBC will be providing live coverage and analysis with Mike Tirico as host and Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss talking about the race. Steve Kornacki will be tracking betting trends, strategies and odds. Though coverage begins in the midafternoon, the big race will air at approximately 6:57 p.m. Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on NBC and available to stream on Peacock.
Stagecoach and Coachella are over for the year, but that doesn’t mean that live country music performances have stopped. Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Carly Pearce, Shaboozey and others are set to perform at the iHeartCountry Festival. Live from the Moody Center in Austin, the show will be hosted by Bobby Bones; along with streaming online, the festival will air on all the iHeart radio stations and the app. Saturday at 8 p.m. on Hulu.
If you want to laugh
In 2012, a mockumentary series written and directed by John Morton and starring Hugh Bonneville poked fun at the Olympic Games in London with the actors pretending to work for the fictitious Olympic Deliverance Commission. Now, Morton and Bonneville are back with another spoof, this time joking about the planning of this summer’s FIFA World Cup in the series “Twenty Twenty Six.” And the show acts as a continuation of Morton’s other show “W1A,” which satirizes the management of the BBC. Begins streaming Friday on BritBox and Tubi.
Shivani Gonzalez is a news assistant at The Times who writes a weekly TV column and contributes to a variety of sections.
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