The It List: Quibi launches mobile streaming shows from big names like Chrissy Teigen and J.Lo, ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ air final episodes, ‘Parasite’ comes to Hulu and the best in pop culture the week of April 6, 2020

Great news, you don’t have to sponge off your brother’s HBO password for a while! In possibly the single coolest move we’ve seen from any major entertainment player since the coronavirus outbreak (non-donation or relief-related, that is), the cable giant is offering dozens of free series as part of its #StayHomeBoxOffice campaign that started this past Friday. Non-subscribers can now watch classic shows like The Sopranos and The Wire, the recently wrapped comedy favorite Veep, and even on-going favorites like Succession and Barry for free. Bravo, HBO, bravo. — K.P.

Watch HBO shows for free on HBO NOW or HBO GO.

WATCH IT: The smart and funny Insecure is the friend we need right now

Issa Rae’s show about a thirtysomething black woman struggling with friendships, love and all kinds of relationships is like a dinner with your best friends — you know, those friends who remember all those embarrassing things you did back in the day. The Emmy-nominated series hasn’t been on the air since September 2018 and no one’s said when it will end, so enjoy it while it lasts. As for the new season, co-creator and executive producer Rae has summed it up as “the fallout that happens when turning 30.” — R.S.

Insecure Season 4 premieres Sunday, April 12 at 10 p.m. on HBO.

BINGE IT: Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Twin Peaks with some damn good coffee and cherry pie

One could argue that we would never have arrived at the Peak TV era without the premiere of Twin Peaks three decades ago. David Lynch and Mark Frost’s signature series premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and revolutionized television storytelling practically overnight. While Peaks only lasted two seasons, future creators took inspiration from its serialized narrative, moody tone and stylistic flourishes; you can see its influence on such diverse shows as The X-Files, The Sopranos and, most recently, Devs. In fact, apart from little things like the absence of cell phones and the prevalence of big hair, Twin Peaks has an out-of-time quality that makes it as fresh today as it was thirty years ago. It’s a testament to Lynch and Frost’s creative prowess that when they did bring the series back in 2017 — this time on Showtime — it was both a continuation of what came before and something entirely new. It’s just a damn fine show… damn fine! — E.A.

The first two seasons of Twin Peaks are currently streaming on Netflix and Hulu; Twin Peaks: The Return is available on Hulu with a Showtime add-on. 

STREAM IT: All rise! The Good Fight is back in session

If the prospect of Christine Baranski’s steely Diane Lockhart squaring off against new cast member John Larroquette didn’t already have you on board for The Good Fight’s fourth season, perhaps a supersized free CBS All Access trial — which has been expanded to 60 days in the era of social distancing — will sweeten the pot. Now that we’re all sequestered like jurors on a high-profile murder case, the Good Wife spinoff’s crafty blend of whip-smart comedy, political intrigue and courtroom drama is even more welcome, especially with returning guest star Michael J. Fox and blast-from-the-past David Lee (played by Zach Grenier) on the docket. Season 4 sees the fine folks of Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart struggling with new owners, as well as taking on a fresh batch of ripped-from-the-headlines cases. In addition to Larroquette and Grenier, Hugh Dancy has joined the cast, though Rose Leslie (aka Maia Rindell) won’t be returning. — Erin Donnelly

Season 4 of The Good Fight premieres Thursday, April 9 on CBS All Access.

WATCH IT: So long and thanks for all the laughs — Schitt’s Creek shuts its doors 

Schitt’s Creek may have entered U.S. homes as a cult Canadian comedy six short seasons ago, but it’s leaving the airwaves as a genuine phenomenon. A true family affair, father/son co-creators and stars Eugene and Daniel Levy (along with producer Fred Levy and co-star Sarah Levy) created a fictional town that’s become a genuine second home to the show’s devoted fanbase. Heading in to the series finale, the biggest question — will they stay or will they go? — seems to have been resolved, with the Rose clan headed in separate directions: Moira and Johnny to California, Alexis to New York and David down the road to the local Holiday-esque cottage he’ll be sharing with soon-to-be hubby, Patrick. So all that’s left is to throw one big farewell party; you’d better believe we’ll be RSVPing our attendance. — E.A.

The Schitt’s Creek series finale airs Tuesday, April 7 at 8 p.m. on Pop, followed by an hourlong documentary special. 

HEAR IT: The Strokes return with the aptly titled The New Abnormal

New York’s finest are back with their Rick Rubin-produced sixth album — their first full-length studio effort since 2013 — to bring us a nostalgic indie/garage rock fix just when we need it most. This is it. — Lyndsey Parker

Download/stream The Strokes’s The New Abnormal on Apple Music.

WATCH IT: Sundance breakout Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always hits hard on-demand

Escapist entertainment, this ain’t. Eliza Hittman’s devastating drama Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always was one of the biggest breakouts of both the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and Berlinale Film Festival, and after a brief theatrical run cut short by the coronavirus, is now streaming everywhere. The story follows a smalltown Pennsylvania teen (Sidney Flanigan) who, upon discovering she’s pregnant and with the help of her cousin (Talia Ryder), embarks on a desperate odyssey to New York City to have an abortion. Like the anti-Juno in both its tone and resolution (but certainly not quality), it’s one of those quietly potent films that’s driven not by just dialogue but story, emotion and superbly understated performances by its two leads. And what a punch it packs. This one will haunt you for days. — K.P.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always is available to rent from digital services like iTunes.

WATCH IT: Throw your own Jellicle Ball at home now that Cats is available on Blu-ray

And we all say, “Was there ever a film as crazy as Cats?” One of the biggest box-office belly flops of 2019 arrives on Blu-ray as one of the must-watch movies of 2020. In bringing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s notoriously weird Broadway musical to the big screen, director Tom Hooper preserves — and even enhances — the Rocky Horror Picture Show-like oddity through such kooky additions as “digital fur technology” and Idris Elba’s magical ability to teleport by saying his name. The Oscar-winning director explains himself in what’s sure to be a fascinating commentary track, while multiple making-of featurettes offer a peek at how things unfolded on set. You’ll find a meow-in reasons to re-watch this movie at home. — E.A.

Cats is available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital at Amazon and Walmart. 

STREAM IT: The Paley Center entertains with TV about your favorite shows

The Paley Center for Media’s locations in New York City and Los Angeles are closed at the moment, but tons of free content is still available on its YouTube channel. Through its program Paley@Home on YouTube, the TV-obsessed can watch newly available content every week, beginning with previously taped conversations among cast members of fan favorite shows Black-ish, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Schitt’s Creek. Binge-watchers can also now check out special blocks of programming airing there each week, such as the Paley Family Comedy Block, on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., celebrating comedies for the whole family, and Paley Date Night, spotlighting discussions about TV shows that focus on relationships on Fridays at 8 p.m. — R.S.

The Paley Center’s new content is available on its YouTube channel.

READ IT: Don Winslow’s new collection of novellas will thrill and shatter you in equal measure

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One of America’s foremost purveyors of crime stories spins six new yarns in Broken, which take place in different regions of the country — from New Orleans to Hawaii to Texas — but weave together to depict a U.S. that’s been brought to the breaking point by social, political and economic distress. Told in his trademark staccato style, Don Winslow’s addictive narratives include a Border Patrol agent who takes it upon himself to help an immigrant child held in a teeming detention center, a cop and a robber connected by the famed Pacific Highway and a New Orleans officer on a bloody mission of revenge. While the book’s grim title is a preview of the overall tone, there are some moments of levity. Fans of the author’s 2010 novel, Savages, are treated to another prequel story starring the star-crossed trio Ben, Chon and O, while an Elmore Leonard-dedicated story is Winslow’s version of a romantic comedy, complete with a meet cute between a San Diego cop and a reality-show obsessed primate specialist. It’ll break you… with laughter. — E.A.

Broken is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart starting Tuesday, April 7.

HEAR IT: Maddie & Tae give you all the Feels

Maddie Marlow and Tae Dye were ahead of their time six years ago when they broke out with “Girl in a Country Song,” a barbed commentary on the bro-country trend and marginalization of female artists in country music. While the country landscape had sadly not changed that much since 2014, as the duo finally release their second album, The Way It Feels, they’re poised to take their place alongside current game-changers like Kacey Musgraves and Maren Morris. — L.P.

Download/stream Maddie & Tae’s The Way It Feels on Apple Music.

READ IT: Gotham High takes DC’s Bat-gang back to school

In the comic publisher’s latest YA-geared graphic novel, author Melissa de la Cruz and illustrator Thomas Pitilli provide a previously unseen peek at the adolescence of brooding Bruce Wayne, a pre-Catwoman Selina Kyle and “class clown”/future Joker Jack Napier, among other classic Bat-characters, as they deal with the typical teen relationships… and a shocking school kidnapping. Think Riverdale meets The Dark Knight. — Marcus Errico

Available April 7 in both physical and digital form at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.