The Best TV Shows And Movies Leaving Netflix In April 2024

Earlier this week, we all experienced the first day of spring 2024. We're now fully in the season of rejuvenation, of tossing out the old and bringing in the new, and literally nothing — not the most intense spring cleaning session, or even the most spectacular miracles of nature itself — better represents that than the churn of films and TV shows leaving the Netflix streaming service as its rotating library is partially shaken out and replenished with a fresh round of titles. (Look, we were all thinking it. Somebody just needed to be brave enough to say it.)

We know what movies and shows are arriving in April, but what about the projects that are getting the boot and being scattered into the digital ether, potentially disappearing for a while or perhaps popping up on some other streaming service altogether? Thankfully, we have that information at our fingertips as well. And with just a few days left in the month, consider this a ticking clock reminder to check out some movies and shows you never got around to watching.

Ron Howard's 1995 space drama "Apollo 13" is a terrific example of a mid-budget movie made for adults that used to be the bread and butter of Hollywood. If you've never seen it, or it's been a while since you've checked it out, I highly recommend remedying that and catching up with this before it leaves Netflix. Tom Hanks leads a fantastic supporting cast of guys like Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kevin Bacon, and the late, great Bill Paxton, and while some of Howard's movies can tip over into being too schmaltzy, this one has just the right amount of schmaltz.

And not to intentionally spoil the real-life events depicted in this movie, but if you're a fan of movie scenes in which people in a control room or briefing room dramatically erupt into celebration after a tense situation, you will be extremely pleased.

This is it. This very article officially marks the moment where Shane Black's noir comedy "The Nice Guys" can no longer be considered a little underdog movie that no one really talks about. /Film has been hyping this film up since before its release in 2016, and while it did not perform well at the box office, there have since been so many articles singing its praises and positioning it as a great secret comedy you've never heard of that the movie has now officially risen out of underdog mode and graduated to one level above that in the cultural consciousness. Even if you've never seen it, chances are you've either read that sentiment about it or had a friend trying to spread the word about this hilarious L.A. mystery featuring a hilarious Ryan Gosling performance and Russell Crowe doing some of the best work of his career.

It's always a good time to check back in with these lovable doofuses, and if you're only familiar with Gosling as the guy from movies like "The Notebook" or "Drive," right now, post-"Barbie," now is the perfect time to revisit this Gosling performance specifically to see a glimmer of where his Oscar-nominated Ken performance came from.

"Step Brothers" may be the purest distillation of the era when Judd Apatow and Adam McKay ruled the comedy landscape. It's about a couple of overgrown man-children who get up to some wacky antics, but there's also a surprising beating heart to the proceedings. Much has been said about how great Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are in this film since its 2008 debut, and it's true — they're both pretty much note-perfect here. But on my most recent rewatch, I was struck by how wonderful Richard Jenkins is as Reilly's character's father. He has a comparatively difficult part to play as the authority figure in this absurd situation, and watching his frustration build and his spirit nearly be completely broken by these idiots made me realize how effortless and natural he makes it look. Some other actor may have felt the need to compete comedically with the leads, which could have been tonally disastrous, but Jenkins, ever the pro, plays it straight, and the film truly sings because of it.

Damien Chazelle's breakout classic came out ten years ago, and it's still as riveting as ever. J.K. Simmons is absolutely terrifying as Fletcher, the abusive, tough-as-nails band instructor who makes life a living hell for a young drummer named Andrew (Miles Teller). It'd be easy for a writer/director to portray this dynamic as clearly wrong, but instead, Chazelle makes a much more interesting choice with the legendary ending, which I won't spoil here but made /Film's list of the best movie moments of 2011-2020. As cringe-worthy as Fletcher's dehumanizing, epithet-laden take-downs can be, was it all worthwhile? That's the question this film asks, and because it's such a provocative one, we're still thinking about it a decade later.

As Chazelle finds himself in some dire straits as a filmmaker following the financial failure of his also-phenomenal Hollywood epic "Babylon," revisit the film that made him a household name.

Leaving 4/4/24

Day of the Dead: Bloodline

Imposters: Seasons 1-2

Leaving 4/7/24

Marshall

Leaving 4/8/24

The Nice Guys

Leaving 4/9/24

Horrible Bosses 2

Leaving 4/11/24

Deliver Us from Evil

Leaving 4/15/24

Rush

Synchronic

The Zookeeper's Wife

Leaving 4/22/24

The Meg

Train to Busan

Leaving 4/24/24

The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight: Extended Version: Season 1

Leaving 4/25/24

Kung Fu Panda 3

Leaving 4/26/24

Malignant

Leaving 4/30/24

13 Going on 30

27 Dresses

30 Days of Night

Apollo 13

Barney and Friends: Seasons 13-14

Elvis

Erin Brockovich

The First Purge

Fried Green Tomatoes

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Joker

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park III

Kindergarten Cop

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

The Purge: Election Year

Silver Linings Playbook

Step Brothers

Twins

Whiplash