From 'Fallout' to 'Bridgerton,' these are the TV shows really worth watching this spring

The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and your TV watching queue is getting longer.

That's right, spring has officially sprung, which means the days are longer, the weather is more beautiful and there are a few dozen new shows to choose from for those rare moments you return inside. And while the sunshine and roses might make you smile, the kinds of stories premiering in spring 2024 might wipe that grin right off your face.

Don't get me wrong: There are great shows worth watching in the next few months. But the subjects are mostly heavy and include several series about the Holocaust, post-apocalyptic nightmares and true-crime dramas. The comedies are few and far between.

Still, if you have the capacity for dark but very well-made stories, streamers and networks have you covered. Here are the five new shows most worth watching this spring, plus a few returning favorites to remember.

'We Were the Lucky Ones' (Hulu)

March 28, streaming Thursdays

Most stories about the Holocaust focus on the perpetrators or saviors: the Nazis committing atrocities and the soldiers or everyday people who stood up to them. It is rare to see a story from the perspective of a Jewish family, particularly one with a happy ending. But Hulu's adaptation of Georgia Hunter's 2017 book (based on stories from her own family) offers a perspective on history you've likely never seen before. Separated by the war as the Nazis invade Poland in 1939, the Kurc family spends years trying to survive and reunite. A great cast, including Joey King and Logan Lerman, and a thoughtful and sensitive script brings the harrowing story to life.

'Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show' (HBO)

March 29, Fridays, 11 EDT/PDT

You won't find any "Real Housewives" in this new unscripted series from the Emmy-winning comedian. While fans of Carmichael, who famously came out as gay in his 2022 HBO stand-up special "Rothaniel," are used to hearing about his personal life, the new series provides an even more intimate view. Carmichael scrolls Grindr, confronts his friends and deals with his religious mother in this very personal (and occasionally very awkward) reality series.

'Mary & George' (Starz)

April 5, Fridays, 9 EDT/PDT

Starz is known for great historical dramas, and it has returned to castles and courts of 17th-century England for this latest period piece starring Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine ("Purple Hearts," "Red, White & Royal Blue"). The limited series tells the true story of Mary Villiers (Moore), Countess of Buckingham, who schemed and manipulated until her attractive son George (Galitzine) became the much favored lover of King James I (Tony Curran), thus making her the most powerful woman in England. Sexy, clever and full of as many double entendres as the writers could cram in, the series will delight fans of royal drama past and present.

'Fallout' (Amazon)

April 12

Based on the post-apocalyptic video game, "Fallout" is set in a retro-futuristic world, 200 years after atomic bombs destroyed most of the planet. Starring Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins and Kyle MacLachlan, "Fallout" has its own weird and interesting aesthetic, complete with 1950s-style bunkers, religions based around steel and disturbing physical mutations, all meshed into one weird but really interesting show.

'Under the Bridge' (Hulu)

April 17, streaming Wednesdays

"Killers of the Flower Moon" star Lily Gladstone leads this true-crime series as a Canadian police officer investigating the death of a teen girl, presumptively killed by a group of other teens. The series, which also stars Riley Keough ("Daisy Jones and the Six"), is dark and somber, but it has that can't-look-away feeling great crime dramas can deliver.

Don't forget about these TV shows returning in spring ...

• "Star Trek Discovery" (Paramount+, April 4): The final season of Paramount+'s first "Star Trek" returns with one last trip in the final frontier with the crew of the USS Discovery.
• "Hacks" (Max, May 2): Jean Smart and Hanna Einbender are back for Season 3 of this sharp series about a grand dame of comedy and her new young writer.
• "Doctor Who" (Disney+, May 10): Ncuti Gawa is the new doctor in this long-running British sci-fi series, which returns with new adventures in time and space.
• "Interview with the Vampire" (AMC, May 14): The second season of AMC's adaptation of Anne Rice's vampiric novels introduces new characters and romances that will leave fans wanting more.
• "Bridgerton" (Netflix, Thursday, May 16): Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) take center stage in Season 3 of the Regency romance drama, which will be sure to bring plenty of gossip and gowns.