The Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch on Prime This Month

Prime is celebrating springtime by premiering Fallout, a big-budget show based on the video game series; a second season of anthology horror series THEM: The Scare; Música, an auteur romantic-comedy from internet celebrity Rudy Mancuso; and way more. Check below for the best new shows and movies on Prime in April, with a few timeless movie recommendations for fun.

Fallout

The Fallout video games are practically revered among gamers, so there will be a lot of critical eyes turned toward Prime’s TV series based on them. Luckily, Fallout’s executive producer Jonathan Nolan knows how to adapt a dystopian science fiction story—he created HBO’s Westworld. In classic Fallout style, the series is set 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse obliterated humanity, and begins with the hero, Lucy (Ella Purnell), stepping out of a Vault-Tec vault into a bombed-out Los Angeles. She’ll encounter gun-slinging ghouls, the power-suited Brotherhood of Steel soldiers, a Mr. Handy robot, and all kinds of “hey, I recognize that!” material from the games. Hit play to see if it lives up to its legacy.

Start streaming April 11

Dinner with the Parents

Don’t discount this original comedy series because it’s on FreeVee. Dinner with the Parents’ cast includes some of the funniest people who have ever been seen on a screen, including Dan Bakkedahl, Michaela Watkins, and Carol Kane—there’s even a YouTube star, Daniel Thrasher, for the kids. Adopted from wildly popular British sit-com Friday Night Dinner, each episode of Dinner with the Parents revolves around a family meal at the eccentric Langer family’s house, a meal that inevitably descends into chaos.

Starts streaming on FreeVee on April 18

Música

Camila Mendes from Riverdale and internet personality Rudy Mancuso star in this Amazon original romantic comedy. Mancuso co-wrote the screenplay and composed the music in Música too. Described as an “untraditional romantic comedy that moves to its own infectious beat,” Música tells the story of Rudy (natch) a charismatic Brazilian street performer with synesthesia—he experiences everyday noises as music. Rudy’s directionless life is turned inside-out when he meets Isabella (Mendes), a beautiful woman who works at a fish market and seems to understand him much better than his girlfriend.

Starts streaming April 4

THEM: The Scare

The second season Little Marvin’s horror anthology series is set in 1991 Los Angeles and stars Deborah Ayorinde as Dawn Reeve, an LAPD detective investigating a particularly grisly series of murders. With the city teetering on the edge of chaos, Reeve tracks down the killer, but begins to suspect that something worse than human evil may be behind the crimes, and it’s targeting her and her family. THEM: The Scare also stars Pam Grier as Athena Reeve, and that’s reason enough to check it out.

Starts streaming April 25

How to Date Billy Walsh

If you’re in the mood for a teenage love story, check out How to Date Billy Walsh. Set at a posh British boarding school, Billy Walsh tells the story of Archie’s lifelong crush on his best friend Amelia (Charithra Chandran). Just when Archie is ready to tell his pal how he feels, Amelia meets Billy Walsh, a handsome, charismatic American transfer student, and she falls hard. Complications, as they say, ensue, as Amelia tries to date Billy and Archie tries to secretly keep them apart. It may not be the most original story for a teen comedy, but it’s presented here with sincerity and wit.

Starts streaming April 5

Going Home with Tyler Cameron

This reality/renovation show chronicles former Bachelorette and current handsome boy Tyler Cameron’s quest to start a construction business in his hometown of Jupiter, Florida. We are meant to believe that Cameron has always dreamed of working in construction, and now that he no longer stars in a top-rated television show where a gaggle of attractive women compete for his affection, he is finally free to pursue his real passion: renovating other people’s houses. Each of the eight episodes of Going Home features a remodeled home, and the series also boasts appearances from reality TV stars like Matt James, Rachael Kirkconnell, Jason Tartick, and Hannah Brown.

Ong Bak – The Muay Thai Warrior (2003)

I sometimes forget how great martial arts movies can be, often for years, but then I’ll watch something like Ong-Bak and go, “wait, why do I ever watch any other kind of movies?” Tony Jaa turns in a performance on the level of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan with his portrayal of Ting, who sets out from his small village to retrieve a stolen statue of Buddha. That plot, though, is secondary to the fight sequences. Shot in pre-digital, no-wire-work times, Jaa and the rest of the cast’s stunts and choreography will have you saying “Goddamn” or shaking your head in pure disbelief.

Starts streaming April 1

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

One thing I’ll say for him, Jesus is cool. A screening of Jesus Christ Superstar is an Easter tradition in my house, and it should be in yours too. The story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus told through hippie-era acid rock, Jesus Christ Superstar works as both campy rock opera and as straight story-telling—the source material is pretty solid. Packed with great music by Andrew Lloyd Weber and featuring performances from talented long-hairs like Ted Neeley as Jesus Christ and Carl Anderson as Judas, Jesus Christ Superstar is so great, it almost makes me forget I’m an atheist.

Starts streaming April 1

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

If you’re the kind of person who can separate an artist from their work, watch (or re-watch) Rosemary’s Baby, a masterpiece horror movie from director Roman Polanski. It’s strange that a criminal and reprobate like Polanski could have made a movie as progressive and pro-feminist as Rosemary’s Baby, but art is sometimes weird like that. Rosemary’s Baby’s pregnant-with-the-devil story works on the surface as a creepy slow-burn suspense/horror tale, but underneath is a scathing critique of the patriarchy, with powerless Rosemary systemically victimized and violated by everyone and everything in her supposedly perfect life. It’s still hard-hitting 55 years later, and it features stand-out performances from Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Ruth Gordon.

Starts streaming April 1

The Holdovers (2023)

I can’t say enough positive things about The Holdovers. A character-driven drama directed by the great Alexander Payne, The Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, a hardass classics instructor at a New England boarding school. Tasked with babysitting a crew of poor-little-rich-boys with nowhere to go over Christmas vacation, Hunham strikes up an unlikely friendship with troubled-but-intelligent delinquent Angus Tully (played by Dominic Sessa) and the school’s cook, Mary Lamb (a role for which actor Da’Vine Joy Randolph won an Academy Award). It’s the kind of movie that you know will make you cry about five minutes in, but the tears are honest, man.

Starts streaming April 29

Last month’s picks

Ricky Stanicky

Wrestler-turned-movie-star John Cena is always funnier than you think he’ll be, and Ricky Stanicky gives Cena the chance to sink his teeth into a hammy role as the title character. In this Amazon-produced comedy from director Peter Farrelly, Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler play Dean, JT, and Wes, lifelong pal who and have been pretending to have a friend to use as an alibi or scapegoat since they were kids—if they want a night out with the guys, they just say they’re visiting Ricky Stanicky in the hospital. When their partners become suspicious and demand to meet Stanicky, the trio hire “Rock Hard” Rod (John Cena), a washed-up actor who specializes in x-rated celebrity impersonations, to portray Ricky. Things quickly spiral out of control as Ricky refuses to drop the role and insinuates himself into every aspect of their lives.

Starts streaming March 1.

Road House

In the original Road House, Patrick Swayze played against type as the bouncer in rough Southern saloon. In the remake, it’s a jacked-up Jake Gyllenhaal doing the honors. He plays Elwood Dalton, a nice-seeming dude who used to be a UFC fighter. Down on his luck, Dalton takes a gig as security at a rundown roadhouse in the Florida Keys, but his new gig quickly leads beyond bouncing drunks toward confrontations with dangerous criminals. In his first acting job, MMA champion Conor McGregor plays the heavy, and finding out if he can act is enough reason to watch Road House by itself.

Starts streaming March 21.

Invincible, Season 2, Part 2

This animated superhero show has built up a large following for its R-rated action and compelling story, so the second half of season 2 appearing on Amazon is cause for celebration in nerd-circles. Invincible’s main character is 17-year-old Mark Grayson, a second-generation superhero living under the shadow of his famous dad, Omni-man, the most powerful man on the planet. According to Prime’s official show description, in the second part of season 2, “Mark goes back to college, reads his dad’s books, and nothing bad happens to him or his family. This is a very official synopsis.” So I’ll go with that.

Starts streaming on March 14.

Frida

This documentary explores the life and work of iconic artist Frida Kahlo using her own words taken from journals, letters, interviews and other primary source material, all illustrated with animations inspired by Kahlo’s art. First-time director Carla Gutiérrez had access to material never presented to the public before, and uses it to create a film that aims to go deeper than an art history lesson or just-the-facts biography.

Starts streaming March 14.

Boat Story

In this BBC-produced action series, a pair of down-on-their-luck strangers happen upon a shipwrecked boat that’s packed to the rafters with pure cocaine. They decide to sell it, but their get-rich-through-drug-sales scheme goes haywire when they get mixed up with the police, masked assassins, and “The Tailor,” a hardened gang-boss who wants his shipment of cocaine back. Boat Story was created by the people who made the excellent Netflix show The Tourist, and if even comes close to measuring up to that show, you won’t want to miss it.

Starts streaming on March 12.

Tig Notaro: Hello Again

Emmy and Grammy award-winning comedian Tig Notaro’s best jokes come from mining everyday life for comedy gold, and delivering it with a laid-back, friendly style. In Hello Again, she takes on domestic life, misunderstandings with clerks at the airport, and more.

Starts streaming on March 26.

Five Night At Freddy’s (2023)

The Five Nights at Freddy’s video games are considered best-of-the-best by many horror game fans, so the movie adaptation was eagerly awaited, particularly since the game’s creator is a producer and co-writer of the film. But does the tale of a kids’ pizza place haunted by animatronic monstrosities work as a movie? Depends on who you ask. Critics hated it, giving it a measly 32% on rotten tomatoes, but fans loved it, earring it an 87% audience score. All you can do is give it a shot and see where you land.

Starts streaming on March 5.

Minions: The Rise Of Gru (2022)

Everyone loves minions, but what even are they? Rise of Gru answers that and many other questions by presenting Gru’s origin story and his meet-cute with the minions, taking us back to the 1970s, when Gru was just a boy dreaming of world domination from his suburban bedroom. Minions: The Rise Of Gru features voice acting from Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Michelle Yeoh, and Julie Andrews as Gru’s mom, and the animation by best-in-the-world-except-Pixar animation company Illumination,

Starts streaming on March 26.

The Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch on Netflix This Month

Netflix is opening the floodgates and unleashing a torrent of interesting and notable original movies and TV shows for April, including Ripley, a series based on the novel The Talented Mr. Ripley; The Scargiver, the second film in Zack Snyder’s epic space opera Rebel Moon; and Scoop, a look behind the BBC interview that took down a prince. There’s also a reboot of Good Times, Dead Boy Detectives, and more, more, more.

Ripley

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, this series stars Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn, and Andrew Scott in the title role as Tom Ripley, a grifter and conman with too much charm and not enough morality. Director Steven Zaillian’s moody black-and-white visuals set the tone of Ripley’s chilling but glamorous life. After being hired by a wealthy industrialist to retrieve his wayward son from Italy, the ever-scheming Mr. Ripley sees an opportunity, and inserts himself into Dickie’s life, leading to a dark spiral of psychological abuse, mayhem, and murder. If you like plot twists and stylish wickedness, you’ll be very into Ripley.

Starts streaming April 4

Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver

The climax of Zack Snyder’s epic science fiction story promises a breakneck pace, larger-than-a-galaxy action sequences, and heroic characters battling impossible odds with everything on the line. Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver continues the story of Kora and her surviving allies as they face off against Admiral Atticus Noble and the Imperium legion. With the collective force of the Realm gathered to destroy them, this rag-tag band of rebels mounts a last stand to free the villagers of Veldt. In other words, it’s rip-roaring space adventure.

Starts streaming April 19

Scoop

This ripped-from-the-headlines films tells the story of how BBC’s Newsnight secured the TV interview with Prince Andrew that led to his downfall. Based on the account of Newsnight’s booker Sam McAlister, Scoop takes us behind the scenes of the scoop of the century, detailing how McAlister (played by Billie Piper) secured an “un-gettable” interview with Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell), and how journalist Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) grilled the prince on air about his connection to Jeffery Epstein, leading to his withdrawal from official royal duties.

Starts streaming April 5

Dead Boy Detectives

The ghosts at the center of Dead Boy Detectives don’t spend time haunting people; they solve crimes instead. Based on the comic from Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, and set in Gaiman’s Sandman universe, Dead Boy Detectives follows Edwin and Charles (George Rexstrew and Charles Rowland), best dead friends spending their afterlives solving supernatural crimes. With the help of their clairvoyant pal Crystal (Kassius Nelson), the Dead Boys will face off against witches, monsters, and other supernatural enemies to solve the earthly realms most baffling mysteries.

Starts streaming April 25

Good Times

With the help of executive producer Seth MacFarlane, Netflix has revived Norman Lear’s seminal 1970s sitcom Good Times and re-imagined it as an R-rated animated series. Featuring the voices of J.B. Smoove, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jay Pharoah, and more, Good Times tells the story of the latest generation of the Evans family who are scratching and surviving, hanging and jiving, in a Chicago housing project. The details have been modernized, but the theme of togetherness in the face of hard times remains the same.

Starts streaming April 12

Unlocked: A Jail Experiment

This documentary tells the fascinating story of a radical experiment conducted in an Arkansas jail. Faced with deteriorating conditions, mistreatment of prisoners, and a high recidivism rate, Sheriff Eric Higgins ordered all the cell doors opened and gave the prisoners the authority to make decisions about how the jail should be run. The goal was to see whether autonomy would result in a greater sense of community, a more humane lock-up, and fewer accused criminals returning to the clink. Check out Unlocked: A Jail Experiment to see how well it worked.

Starts streaming April 10

Baby Reindeer

This dark comedy series illustrates the adage “no good deed goes unpunished.” Written, directed, and starring comedian Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer is a fictionalized version of real events in his life. Gadd plays bartender Donny Dunn, who shows kindness to a troubled customer named Martha. Dunn’s innocent altruism leads to Martha becoming obsessed and throwing both of their lives into chaos. Baby Reindeer consciously avoids the typical tropes of stories about stalkers, choosing to focus on the reality of what it’s like to be the center of an unhinged person’s world.

Starts streaming April 11

Files of the Unexplained

If you’re in the right mood, a docuseries about eerie encounters, unexplained disappearances, haunted houses, and UFOs hits the spot. Files of the Unexplained features eight episodes, with each exploring a different perplexing mystery including alien abduction, a spate of human feet washing up on beaches, and people seemingly vanishing into thin air. There’s probably a rational explanation for these events, but what if there isn’t?

Starts streaming April 3

Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen

If you like stand-up comedy but you’re sick of the same old shizz, check out Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen. The Scottish standup, podcaster, and writer’s unique life story, personality, and neurodivergence guarantees unique and screamingly funny takes on sex, drinking, autism, feminism, and everything else.

Starts streaming April 22

What Jennifer Did

When a Vietnamese immigrant couple is brutally slain in their home, police are baffled. The sole survivor of the crime, the couple’s daughter Jennifer, lays the blame on masked intruders on a rampage, but there’s something suspicious about her account. What Jennifer Did digs deeply into this shocking crime through interrogation footage of Jennifer and interviews with the people involved, revealing a story with unexpected twists, baffling motives, and a most unlikely perpetrator.

Starts streaming April 10

The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem

This Netflix documentary pulls open the metaphorical cabinet of 4Chan so we can watch the online roaches scurry. As told by The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem, 4chan started as an online hangout for creative homebound miscreants but devolved into a hive of scum and villainy that pierced the veil between the online and real worlds, turning our entire culture into a message board flame war in the process.

Starts streaming April 5

Our Living World

Cate Blanchett narrates this family-friendly nature documentary that travels the world to explore the interconnectedness of nature. Our Living World’s stunning wildlife photography, breathtaking locations, and timely and trenchant observations about the beauty and fragility of the natural world probably won’t slow mankind’s destruction of the planet by a single second, but you never know, and we might as well look at it while it’s here.

Starts streaming April 17

Last month’s picks

3 Body Problem

Created by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and based on the novels of Chinese writer Cixin Liu, the Netflix series 3 Body Problem is science fiction on a massive scale. Over its eight episodes, this series details an extraterrestrial invasion of Earth unfolding in slow motion. It begins with a spate of prominent scientists disappearing and continues through the upheaval the imminent occupation brings to earth when humanity divides into people who want to stop the occupation and those who welcome humanity’s new overlords.

Starts streaming on March 21

Shirley

This Netflix original biopic casts Oscar-winner Regina King as Shirley Chisholm, the first Black congresswoman, and details her groundbreaking run for president in 1972. Written and directed by John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, American Crime, Needle in a Timestack) and based on extensive interviews with Chisholm’s family and friends, Shirley gives viewers a you-are-there look at Chisholm’s courageous run.

Starts streaming on March 22

Spaceman

Adam Sandler is best known for his wacky comedies, but he’s a great actor when he feels like it. Netflix original Spaceman shows off Sandler’s deeper side, casting him as Jakub, an astronaut adrift in both outer space and his personal life. Six months into a solitary research mission on the fringes of the solar system, Jakub realizes his earthbound marriage is crumbling, and finds solace and advice from an unlikely source: Hanuš, an ancient, spider-like alien hiding in his ship. The film comes from director Johan Renck, who won an Emmy for HBO’s Chernobyl, and co-stars Carey Mulligan.

Starts streaming on March 1

The Gentlemen

There are tons of TV shows and movies that glamorize the golden age of the British aristocracy, but inheriting a title and an estate is a new kind of nightmare in The Gentlemen. When Eddie moves into his family’s ancestral mansion, he finds it a crumbling money pit with a drug dealing gang squatting on the crumbling estate. With no serfs to burn to keep warm, Eddie turns to crime to get by. Netflix advertises this series as “Old money meets drug money,” and that’s good enough for a click from me, but the show was created and directed by Guy “Two Smoking Barrels” Ritchie, so I might even click it twice.

Starts streaming on March 7.

Damsel

Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown plays Elodie in Damsel, a fantasy movie that turns fairytale tropes upside down. After her betrothal to a prince, Elodie learns that her fate isn’t to live happily ever after, but to be sacrificed to a dragon. To survive (and bring down the evil royal family who cast her into the dragon cave) Elodie will have to face the fire-breathing beast herself. No knight in shining armor is coming to save the day.

Starts streaming on March 8.

Irish Wish

To contrast the science fiction and fantasy, Netflix is dropping an old-fashioned romantic comedy, Irish Wish, just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day. Lindsay Lohan plays Maddie Kelly, a shy, lonely book editor and perpetual bridesmaid pining for her best friend’s fiancé. At her friend’s destination wedding in Ireland, Maddie makes a wish that magically comes true, and wakes up in an alternative reality where she’s the one set to walk down the aisle. As you might guess, Maddie soon learns the true meaning of the old adage “be careful what you wish for.”

Starts streaming March 15.

The Netflix Slam

Netflix is launching its live coverage of tennis with a blockbuster exhibition match that might go down in sports history. Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, two Spanish athletes with a history and a classic rivalry, will face off in Las Vegas. Nadal is a veteran champion; his rival Alcaraz is a fiery young upstart looking to take the crown. Classic drama played out on the court.

The Netflix Slam airs live at at 12:30pm PST on March 3.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

You won’t find many better movies to watch this month (or any month) than Bonnie and Clyde. Arthur Penn’s 1967 crime drama stars Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as the title characters, and it practically invented the pulp-noire genre. The story of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker’s crime spree/love affair set the blueprint for stylishly violent flicks to come like Natural Born Killers, Thelma & Louise, and everything Tarantino ever shot. If you want to hear the other side of the B&C story, Netflix’s The Highwaymen portrays the dudes who caught Bonnie and Clyde (but it’s only so-so as a film.)

Starts streaming on March 1.

The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping

This unsettling documentary details the scary world of the “troubled teen” industry, where children are kidnapped and forced to live in horrendous conditions in often abusive institutions, all with the blessing of their parents. Through interviews with traumatized survivors, The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping digs up copious dirt on The Academy at Ivy Ridge in Ogdensburg, NJ, a “disciplinary boarding school” that was rocked with accusations of abuse and torture before being shuttered in 2009.

Starts streaming on March 6.

Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda

Award-winning comedian Hannah Gadsby hosts some of earth’s funniest genderqueer comics at London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre in Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda. The program includes sets from ALOK, Chloe Petts, DeAnne Smith, Ashley Ward, Jes Tom, Mx. Dahlia Belle, and Krishna Istha. Reading all the negative comments on the YouTube trailer made this into a must-see for me; if these jerks are being triggered, Netflix must be doing something right.

Starts streaming March 5.

Full Swing, Season 2

I’m morally and professionally opposed to golf and all things golf-related, but I’m willing to change my mind. A lot of people enjoy the sport, and this docuseries following a diverse group of professional golfers competing at the sport’s biggest events might be enough to change my opinion. To add to the drama: This is a Ryder Cup year, and the PGA is in a state of flux after its agreement to partner with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, backers of LIV Golf.

Starts streaming March 6.

Supersex

Supersex is a Netflix original bio-series detailing the life of porn star Rocco Siffredi, who rose from humble roots in a small Italian village to the heights of a unique kind of fame as an iconic, international sex celebrity. The series was created and written by Francesca Manieri, whose previous show, We are Who We Are, was as inclusive, woke, and feminist as anything, so this should be a very interesting take on Siffredi’s life and profession.

Starts streaming on March 6.

Chicken Nugget

In this straight-from-Korea Netflix comedy, a father accidentally transforms his daughter into a chicken nugget. I didn’t make that up; that’s really what happens in Chicken Nugget. I haven’t seen it yet, but I feel confident proclaiming Chicken Nugget the greatest movie ever made.

Starts streaming March 15.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Director Halina Reijn’s Gen-Z horror movie Bodies Bodies Bodies is like Euphoria with murder. A group of stylish, callow rich people travel to a remote mansion to party, but things go violently wrong. It’s a well-worn premise but it’s presented in an up-to-the-second style, with stars like Pete Davidson, Maria Bakalova, and Rachel Sennott playing the kinds of love-to-hate characters you don’t mind seeing get murdered.

Starts streaming on March 20.

Is it Cake?, season 3

Sometimes you want to watch a TV show about whether or not various things are cake, and Is it Cake?is by far the best series ever made based on that concept. Incredibly skilled bakers from around the country compete for cash prizes by creating realistic-but-edible versions of everyday objects in hopes of fooling a panel of guest judges. Saturday Night Live’s Mikey Day returns as host, and guest judges include Jay Pharoah, Lauren Lapkus, London Hughes, Oscar Nuñez, and many others.

Starts streaming March 29.

Readout of Meeting with Agricultural Stakeholders on the Port of Baltimore and Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse

Today, senior leadership from the White House, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) convened a meeting of federal, state, agricultural, and food industry stakeholders to discuss impacts to the agriculture and food sectors from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and partial closure of the Port of Baltimore.

Google Just Revealed When Apple Will Officially Adopt RCS

Did Google just preempt a big announcement from Apple? The Android developer just published an updated landing page for Google Messages, showing off key features ranging from customization, privacy and security, and, of course, AI.

On this landing page, there are different sections for each feature set, including one for RCS. As spotted by 9to5Google, if you expand this list of RCS features and scroll to the bottom, you see a section on “Coming soon on iOS: Better messaging for all.” That’s no surprise: We’ve known Apple was adopting RCS since November. However, it’s the next line that brings the news: “Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024.”

Has it? Sure, the company has committed to bringing RCS to iPhones, but the last time it discussed the topic, it only said support would be coming later this year. The company never specifically said when during the year we’d be getting RCS, so Google’s announcement here, however subtle, is big news.

Why is RCS on iPhone such a big deal?

Currently, Apple only supports the long outdated SMS and MMS protocols when texting non-Apple smartphones. (AKA green bubbles.) SMS/MMS results in low quality images, terrible quality videos, issues with group chats, and, worst of all, poor security, as it isn’t end-to-end encrypted (E2EE). RCS, on the other hand, is a newer messaging protocol that comes with modern features like E2EE, typing indicators, high-quality images and videos, and streamlined group chats. Unlike iMessage, it’s also not platform specific: So long as your texting app and carrier support RCS, you can message other numbers on the platform with ease.

Apple does not currently support RCS, however, so it’s SMS/MMS until they do. This reluctance to drop SMS is the reason texting an Android from an iPhone is such a pain. It’s not your friend’s fault: It’s Apple’s. You can read more about RCS on iPhone and why it’s such a big deal here.

RCS could be an iOS 18 feature

If Apple is indeed planning a fall 2024 launch for RCS, that strongly suggests the adopting will be a feature of iOS 18. Apple usually releases its major iOS update in September, so it’s likely the company is planning on RCS support as part of that launch. Of course, it could always come with an update like iOS 18.1 or 18.2, but let a guy hope: If RCS is a part of iOS 18, that means it could be in the iOS 18 beta, which Apple will seed to developers (and anyone daring enough to install it) after they announce the software at WWDC 2024.

There is a chance—a chance—we could have RCS support on iPhone starting June 10. If that’s true, you can be sure I’ll be installing iOS 18 Developer Beta 1 as soon as it drops.

StackSkills Unlimited Courses Are $35 Right Now

You can get lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited courses on sale for $34.97 right now (normally $600) until April 2. StackSkills Unlimited is an online learning platform that offers thousands of training courses. They aren’t a replacement for college courses, degrees, or certifications—instead, think of them as a way to learn about a subject you didn’t take or pay enough attention to in school. StackSkills Unlimited has courses in IT, web design, coding, language learning, Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, business, marketing, and more. You’ll get instant access to over a thousand courses, with over 50 new courses added each month.

You can get lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited courses on sale for $34.97 right now (normally $600) until April 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT, though prices can change at any time.

This Amazon Smart Thermostat Is on Sale for $25

Smart home devices can make life easier and more convenient (and might even save you some money on your utility bill). A smart thermostat is a great place to begin if you’re new to the smart home world because they’re easy to install and fairly affordable. The Amazon Smart Thermostat is all those things, plus it can connect to the Alexa app to be voice controlled.

Amazon Smart Thermostat

Woot is selling refurbished Amazon Smart Thermostats for $29.99 (originally $79.99), (and until midnight on Friday, you can apply a $5.00 coupon with code “SMARTFIVE” at checkout). The sale goes until April 9 at 1 a.m. ET or until the thermostats run out. Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states in the U.S. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll be $6 to ship. Keep in mind that the thermostat is refurbished, so it might come with signs of wear, but it was serviced and given the thumbs-up to work properly.

The installation is simple, and you can do it yourself. All you need to do is some basic rewiring on your current thermostat. If you’re not sure what that entails, you can follow along on the video below. The Alexa app also guides you through the process of installation.

PCMag rated this thermostat as an “excellent” device for its price, support for the Alexa ecosystem, and ability to track and manage your HVAC system, potentially saving you some money on your utility bill. Don’t expect all the fancy features that you can get from other, more premium smart thermostats, like motion detection, remote control, and support for other smart home systems. But for $24.99, it’s a good value.

I Tested Three AI Essay-writing Tools, and Here’s What I Found

Writing essays can be draining, tedious, and difficult, even for me—and I write all day long for a living. If writing isn’t your special skill, it’s even harder, which is why there are so many sites and products out there that are designed to help you get your homework done. Some of them are pretty unethical, and I’m not going to recommend hiring someone else to write your papers for you, but there are some cool AI tools that can give you a hand that are worth considering. (The essay-writing businesspeople are probably using these, too, so you’re better off eliminating the middleman and using them on your own.)

The best AI essay-helper tools

I have an essay due next week on the history and impact of a federal law, 21 U.S.C. S856, which outlaws the operation of any building where drugs are made or used. I won’t lie: I’m excited to work on it this weekend, but that’s just me. I tested out a few of the more popular AI essay-helper tools, pretending I wasn’t excited about it, to see how they worked. Here’s my assessment.

Grammarly

First up was Grammarly, which prompted me to fill out a personalization quiz before I could use it. I told the site I was a grad student, interested in improving the vocabulary I use in my work, and looking to brainstorm topics for my essay. I used the text-input section to type a quick introductory paragraph and selected “Generative AI” from the list of options. When I hit the “Improve It” button, Grammarly showed me a revised version that added a bunch of words, but still said the same thing as my more concise entry. To me, that’s annoying, but if you’re trying to hit a word count, this could be useful. I was also given options like “Make it assertive,” “Make it persuasive,” and “Make it confident.” When I selected “Make it more detailed,” the generative AI did expand the information pretty significantly, but it didn’t add any citations and I’m not convinced it drew on material outside of what I inputted. When I hit “Make it persuasive,” the AI automatically assumed the bias should fall in favor of the law, but when I added more detail to my original paragraph, suggesting for argument’s sake that the law has curtailed efforts to reduce drug overdoses throughout the country, the AI assistant said, “Grammarly assistance is unavailable for this prompt because it may result in sensitive content.”

Overall, this wasn’t great for my needs, as my topic’s content was too “sensitive” and the generative AI really only added a bunch of words. This one would be most useful for someone trying to hit a word count.

Cramly

Next I tested Cramly, which I hadn’t heard of before. Before upgrading to a $4/month plan, you do get to try five free prompts, so I pasted my basic intro paragraph in there and, after a few seconds, got five paragraphs in return. It was obvious the AI was pulling from external sources somehow, as it mentioned fines and prison sentences associated with the law that I hadn’t specified, but it didn’t actually cite those sources. Still, the information it provided was helpful, so this one would be great if you’re not sure how to frame or expand on a topic and need a general idea of what your essay could look like. You’ll just have to go through everything it spits back at you and look it up independently, finding solid sourcing.

EssayGenius

EssayGenius is extremely easy to use. It asked me to type what I’m writing about into a box. I simply inputted the name of the law and, about 10 seconds later, got 10 paragraphs back, some with subheadings like “historical background” and “implications in criminal law and public policy.” Again, there were no citations here, but the service provided not only a lot of details that could be used as a springboard to find more, but a solid outline for what the paper could look like. The AI played both sides, objectively presenting the cases for and against the law, then provided a conclusion that made it easy to narrow down where to go with the topic. Impressively, I was able to generate all that for free, but if you want to write up to 10 essays per month, it’ll cost you $9.99 a month.

JotBot

Finally, I tried out JotBot, which I have seen advertised on social media. It asked me what I was writing about, plus if I wanted an outline, but also gave me an opportunity to upload my old essays so it could replicate my writing style. As scary as it was, the paragraphs it generated after reading some of my older work did sound more like me than standard AI does. It give me subtopic suggestions, like “impact,” “historical background,” and “controversies,” which I could select from a sidebar and, if I liked the paragraph it wrote, drag into the essay itself. From there, I could accept or reject sentences one by one as it generated new ones. I could write in the essay editing section, too, and it generated more suggestions based on what I was typing. Frankly, this one was really cool and I can see how it would help beat writer’s block with ease, since you can type and get suggestions as you go. There was a learning curve, though, and I didn’t realize how quickly I was blowing through my 10 free daily “credits,” since it’s unclear what, exactly, costs credits and how many it costs to, say, accept one suggestion. You can unlock unlimited credits, unlimited autocomplete, unlimited sources, and more for $14 per month.

Conclusions

Overall, EssayGenius and JotBot were the best AI tools I tested. I was impressed by EssayGenius’s ability to research the topic on its own and JotBot’s mimicry of my own writing style. They do cost money, but that might be worth it if you’re someone who struggles with idea generation, outline creation, or getting into the flow of writing overall.

Bear in mind these are not meant to churn out entire essays for you and you shouldn’t use them to do that. I don’t mean because it’s unethical, but I mean because it’s pretty easy for professors to catch you doing it. Even if you do use an AI tool to generate a whole paragraph or more, try to write it in your own voice and think of it more as a way to study and learn about your topic than have the writing done for you.

Or, pay nothing and just use ChatGPT to generate outline ideas. I do that all the time and never have to worry about getting in trouble, cheating myself out of an education, or paying for anything. I just asked ChatGPT to generate an outline for an essay on 21 U.S.C. §856 and its impact on American harm reduction efforts and got eight sections, each with three subsections, and an easy roadmap I could follow to write my paper on my own. Doing it this way ensures I’ll actually research and learn about the topic, which is important to me, but also avoid the risk of going down for plagiarism or cheating, which is probably important to you.

No matter what you end up doing, always run your work through a plagiarism checker (like Grammarly’s, which is better than its AI essay-writing tools) and ZeroGPT to make sure you’re not turning in something that’s going to get you in trouble.

How I Cleaned My Stainless Steel Sink Without Spending Extra Money

There is a wide variety of ways to clean and buff a stainless steel sink. Some require the purchase of specialty products, and others are more reliant on household materials and DIY hacks.

While I won’t dissuade you if you want to choose a ready-made, store-bought solution like Bar Keepers Friend or Weiman Stainless Steel Sink Cleaner, I did some testing to determine whether or not the cheaper methods work—and experienced some success. It turns out all you may need to clean your stainless steel sink is a melamine sponge and regular old baking soda.

How to clean a stainless steel sink with baking soda

Because I am a renter, my sink, like everything else in my apartment, came to me “pre-loved”—and it shows. It shows some serious scratches, evidence of its long history of being used to clean up cookware messes I can only imagine. A big part of cleaning stainless steel involves scuffing out minor scratches, which is why the internet is filled with recommendations for using abrasive cleaners or other granular agents. I opted for baking soda as my cleaning agent.

I next had to choose my cleaning implement. Perennial wisdom may tell you that you can use lemon wedges to remove stains, but in my experience, lemon-based hacks are hit or miss. I split the difference by choosing a lemon-scented S.O.S. steel wool pad.

Before!
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

The first step to cleaning the sink is removing any dishes and wiping away any obvious residue. Since I just did a massive dish-cleaning session, my sink was extra grimy, so I pulled out a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Ultra Foamy and scrubbed every inch.

Next, I sprinkled plain baking soda all over the sink. It’s abrasive, but mildly, so it’s perfect for removing light scratches and polishing the steel. I scrubbed the baking soda with the Magic Eraser, then rinsed and looked for lingering, more serious scratches or stains. I then used my S.O.S. pad to lightly buff at those spots, and saw a little improvement. Obviously, it’s hard to remove deep scratches by hand, but what little polishing I did had a noticeable effect.

I then rinsed out the sink again, and dried it with a soft cloth before applying a light layer of baby oil as a cheap, efficient polish.

After!
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Overall, I was pleased with my low-cost, minimal effort results. If you’re dealing with more stubborn stains, you can spring for an abrasive specialty cleaner like Bar Keepers Friend, but it’s hard for me to justify the purchase when I only deep clean my sink every month or so. The baking soda worked perfectly well at buffing and shining my stainless steel sink, and I didn’t have to spend anything to do it, since I used products I already had on hand.

Strange Tax Deductions You Might Not Know About

While most of us are familiar with the common tax deductions like mortgage interest, charitable donations, and retirement contributions, there are plenty of unexpected deductions and other little-known uses for pre-tax money.

Tax deductions you might not be aware of

Andy Phillips, Director of H&R Block’s Tax Institute, says that with the April 15 deadline fast approaching, his tax experts are getting plenty of unconventional questions from filers looking to maximize every deduction available to them. Phillips shared some of the strangest tax deductions people have claimed and actually gotten away with:

Gambling losses. While gambling winnings are taxable income, the IRS allows taxpayers to deduct their gambling losses up to the amount of their winnings. This deduction is often claimed by professional gamblers and those who frequent casinos.
Snacks. Daycares can deduct set amounts for the breakfast, lunch, and snacks provided to children in their care.
Your pool or hot tub. If you are self-employed and use your backyard pool or hot tub to entertain clients or employees, you may be able to deduct a portion of your operating costs and even the initial installation. Just make sure to carefully document the business uses.
Tampons. Menstrual care products like tampons and pads are qualified expenses you can pay with your health savings account.
Pet food. For the most part, deducting medical expenses for pets is not allowed as a medical expense on your tax return. The only exception would be when an animal is a certified service animal, like a guide dog, to assist you. Service animals generally aren’t considered pets though. If you have a physical disability or are hearing or visually impaired, you can deduct medical expenses for your pets if they are certified service animals. Expenses that may be covered include purchasing, training and maintenance of the animal which includes food, grooming and medical care.
Some cosmetic surgeries. A taxpayer can deduct as medical expenses amounts paid for cosmetic surgery necessary to improve a deformity arising from, or directly related to, a congenital abnormality, a personal injury resulting from an accident or trauma, or a disfiguring disease. Breast reconstruction after cancer is an example of a deductible surgery. Vision correction surgery is another example of a deductible procedure.
Clarinet lessons. Believe it or not, the IRS has allowed deductions for clarinet lessons as a medical expense in certain circumstances where the lessons were recommended by a doctor to help treat a health condition like stammering or neurological issues. You’ll need a physician’s letter to claim this one.
EV chargers. If you install an electric vehicle charger in your home, you may be eligible for a tax credit.
Construction expenses. If you build a house, construction expenses you can include in the basis of your home include land, materials, architect fees, building inspection fees, and building permit fees.

Phillips shares some more unexpected facts about deductions; for instance, people who are wrongfully incarcerated may be able to exclude settlement money they receive to compensate them. If you’re at least 65 years old or blind, you can claim an additional standard deduction on your tax return. And if you’re just starting to repay your student loans for the first time, you might not know that most taxpayers can deduct up to $2,500 of student loan interest payments each year.

Remember to keep accurate records and consult with a tax professional if you have any questions or concerns. While the above deductions might not apply to you, there are still plenty of deductions to make sure you’re taking advantage of—like home office perks or retirement contributions. And if you want to avoid the April 15 scramble, be sure to check out the best filing services for 2024.

You Can Get an Apple Vision Pro for $200 Off, If It Fits

The Apple Vision Pro, arguably the most impressive virtual reality and augmented reality headset available for public consumption, is seeing its first significant discount. Woot is selling new 256 GB Apple Vision Pros for $3,299—a $200 discount—but only in the small Solo Knit Band size and 21W Light Seal.

Apple Vision Pro

$3,299.00
at Woot

$3,499.00
Save $200.00

Get Deal

$3,299.00
at Woot

$3,499.00
Save $200.00

This sale on the Apple Vision Pro will go on until the end of February. If you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping; otherwise, it’ll be $6 to ship. (Heads up, though: Woot only ships to the 48 contiguous states in the U.S.)

Of course, $3,299 is still a whopping amount of money and not everyone’s head will fit in the small band and 21W seal. If you have an Apple store close by, you can go and get yourself measured to see if the small band and 21W seal will fit you. If you’re not that patient, you can see Apple’s breakdown of what each measurement means in the screenshot below.

Credit: Screenshot from Apple website

The /r/VisionPro Reddit page also has a helpful breakdown of the sizes. And if you’re more of a visual person, this video does a good job of giving you an idea of what to expect from the different sizes.