Get used to hearing about more serious original TV projects, that attract major talent, from The Roku Channel.
In a streaming universe dominated by content giants like Netflix and HBO Max, it’s now clear that Roku is going the Apple route. Straddling hardware and content production, with one foot in each world. Following Roku’s first-ever SXSW screening at this year’s festival, for example, the six-part psychological drama Swimming with Sharks is set to debut on The Roku Channel on April 15.
The cast for this one includes Kiernan Shipka (from Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), plus Diane Kruger and Donald Sutherland. In terms of the story, the series is about a Hollywood assistant who basically turns the tables on her abusive boss. And that’s also far from the only recent news along these lines from the up-and-coming streaming service.
Roku Channel original comedy SLIP
Here’s the description from Roku for SLIP, its newly-announced upcoming original comedy starring Zoe Lister-Jones. SLIP “tells the story of 30-something Mae Cannon, played by Lister-Jones, as she navigates her life through a restless marriage that seemingly works. The series follows Mae through parallel universes as she enters new relationships in an attempt to find her way back to her partner and eventually herself.”
To bring the series to fruition, Roku is working with teams at Boat Rocker as well as TeaTime Pictures. The latter was founded by actress Dakota Johnson and former Netflix executive Ro Donnelly, with Katie O’Connell joining as partner in January of this year. SLIP will also be TeaTime’s first TV series to go into production.
Meanwhile, per Roku: “Not only is Lister-Jones the mastermind behind the seven-episode series, but she directs and stars in every single episode,” according to a company blog post from the company. This female-led comedy doesn’t have an official release date yet. But when it does, it will be exclusively available on The Roku Channel in the US and Canada.
What’s new on The Roku Channel in April 2022
In terms of what else to watch on The Roku Channel, we’ve also previously noted the debut of a six-part, critically acclaimed series from Australia, set in the 1980s, called The Newsreader. Roku debuted it on March 18.
“Amidst the frantic and chaotic world of broadcast news,” Roku explains, “the real story of The Newsreader is about the unorthodox relationship between a young quirky reporter who longs to become a newsreader and is paired for the next three months with the network’s star female newsreader who is notorious for being rigid.
“The ‘will they won’t they’ storyline between the two co-anchors draws in the audience’s attention as they illustrate the complexities of pivotal historical events (from) the AIDS epidemic to the explosion of the Challenger in space, while overcoming their own hardships and triumphs as the world as they know it is changing.”
Finally, below, you’ll find a list of the additional movies and TV shows that are coming to The Roku Channel in April.
Movies:
- A Civil Nation
- Bride Wars (2009)
- Country Strong
- Courage Under Fire
- Coyote Ugly
- Cruel Intentions
- Duece Bigalow: European Gigolo
- Exodus: Gods and Kings
- Jennifer’s Body
- Mosley (Exclusive – launches 4/22)
- Mr. 3000
- Risen
- Robots (2005)
- Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
- Searching (2018)
- Something to Talk About
- The Bank Job
- The Bodyguard
- The End of Us (Exclusive)
- The Nut Job
- The Shining
- The Spy Who Dumped Me
- When Harry Met Sally
- You’ve Got Mail
TV Series:
- American Princess
- Arctic Vests S2 (4/22)
- Brothers & Sisters
- Cardinal
- Colombo
- New Colombo
