What do a cancer patient on a quest to have lots of sex before she dies, a washed up pro golfer risking everything on a teenage prodigy and a robot navigating its existence after overriding its controls have in common?
On the surface, nothing; but they’re all protagonists in TV series debuting in the next weeks that Ìýcentre on reinvention and transformation — states of being traditionally associated with spring.
Television itself, of course, is in a constant state of renewal as streamers and broadcasters seek to freshen their content to gain, and retain, viewers and subscribers.
The series cited above — “Dying for Sex,”Ìý “Stick” and “Murderbot” — may not be completely original; what TV show is, given that pop culture endlessly recycles archetypes?Ìý
But they diverge from the tried-and-true crime procedural/medical drama/superhero saga/sci-fi franchiseÌýmoulds while giving us heroes who are grappling with new states of being, whether they’reÌýundead bounty hunters (“The Bondsman”) orÌýnewly minted movie company bosses (“The Studio”).

Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd as the title character in “Murderbot.”Ìý
Steve Wilkie/Apple TV PlusTake “Murderbot” (debuting May 16 on Apple TV Plus), a comedy-drama based on the award-winning Martha Wells “Murderbot Diaries” books. Its protagonist is a sentient security android programmed to obey humans implicitly. But when he (and I’m using “he” because I can’t call Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd “it”) manages to hack his controls he has to figure out who he now is in relation to the humans he serves. He discovers new things about the beings he previously disdained while also hiding the fact he has obtained free will.Ìý
Chris Weitz (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”) and brother Paul (“About a Boy,” “Mozart in the Jungle”) created the series. There are some fun things about it that I can’t share yet, but SkarsgÃ¥rd (also an executive producer), known for serious entertainments like “Big Little Lies” and “The Northman,” has proven he can handle comedic material in the campy “True Blood.”Ìý
Kevin Bacon also steps into the realm of unreality with his latest series, “The Bondsman” (April 3, Prime Video).
Created by TV newcomer Grainger David and produced by horror movie experts Blumhouse, the show stars Bacon — who counts horror classic “Friday the 13th” among his earliest roles —Ìýas Hub Halloran, a bounty hunter who is resurrected by the devil in exchange for tracking down demons who’ve escaped from Hell. His newly undead state gives Hub a second chance at things he messed up the first time he was alive.Ìý
Bacon, who has shown he can command the small as well as the big screen with series like “City on a Hill” and “The Following,” is joined by Beth Grant (“The Mindy Project”)Ìýas his mama; singer-actor Jennifer Nettles (“The Righteous Gemstones”) as his ex and Damon Herriman (“Justified”) as his nemesis.
Another film actor steps into a leading TV role this spring with the dramedy “Stick” (June 4, Apple TV Plus), in which Owen Wilson plays washed-up pro golfer Pryce Cahill, who’s divorced, broke and spinning his wheels at a job in a sporting goods store.Ìý

Owen Wilson, Judy Greer and Peter Dager in “Stick.”Ìý
Justine Yeung/Apple TV PlusWhen Pryce discovers a teen golf prodigy (Peter Dager, “WITS Academy”) he bets everything on turning the kid into a superstar and thereby finding a way out of his own rut.
The series, created by Jason Keller (“Ford v Ferrari”), is billed as “a heartfelt, feel-good comedy,” which is on brand for Wilson. Besides boasting proven talents like Marc Maron (“GLOW”), Timothy Olyphant (“Justified”) and Judy Greer (“Archer”) in the cast, “Stick” will feature appearances by real golf stars.
Speaking of stars, plenty of the Hollywood persuasion pop up as themselves in “The Studio” (March 26, Apple TV Plus), including A-list directors Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard and Canadian Oscar winner Sarah Polley.
The comedy, which was co-created by Canucks Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg alongside “Veep” writers Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck, is both a satire of and a love letter to the business of moviemaking.
Rogen stars as Matt Remick, who gets his dream job as head of fictional Continental Studios but then has to thread the needle between his film nerd desire to make great art and the imperative to make money, all while managing the demands and egos of his celebrity clients and staff (including Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders and Kathryn Hahn). Canadian treasure Catherine O’Hara of “Schitt’s Creek” co-stars.
In another Apple TV Plus entry, “Your Friends and Neighbors” (April 11), it’s not a new job that kick-starts the protagonist’s transition, but the loss of an old one.

Jon Hamm and Hoon Lee in “Your Friends and Neighbors.”Ìý
Jessica Kourkounis/Apple TV PlusJon Hamm of “Mad Men” dons another expensive suit as Andrew Cooper, a hedge fund manager who’s fired after an indiscretion and starts stealing from his wealthy neighbours to keep himself, his ex-wife (Amanda Peet) and their kids in the style to which they’ve become accustomed.Ìý
The drama was created by Jonathan Tropper (“Banshee”) andÌýHamm also executive produces. Apple seems to have a lot faith in this one since it has already been renewed for a second season.Ìý
Finally, a couple of women steer the reinvention plot in “Dying for Sex” (April 4, Disney Plus).
This one Ìýoriginated as a podcast, which is based on the true story of Molly Kochan who, after receiving a stage 4 metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, left her husband and went on a journey of sexual discovery that involved nearly 200 hookups, with the help of her best friend, Nikki Boyer.Ìý

Michelle Williams as Molly and Jenny Slate as Nikki in “Dying for Sex.”Ìý
Sarah Shatz/FXIn portraying Molly, movie star Michelle Williams returns to her TV roots — “Dawson’s Creek,” remember? Plus she’s an Emmy winner for “Fosse/Verdon.” Jenny Slate plays Nikki and Jay Duplass is Molly’s husband, Steve.
The comedy-drama was created by Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth MeriweatherÌý(“New Girl”).Ìý
Here are some other spring shows I’m recommending, either because I’ve sampled them or they sound promising.
•Happy Face (March 20, Paramount Plus): This drama draws from the true crime well with Annaleigh Ashford starring as the daughter of the Happy Face Killer (Dennis Quaid).Ìý
•The Residence (March 20, Netflix): The formidable Uzo Aduba (“Orange Is the New Black”) plays a brilliant but eccentric detective trying to solve a murder inside the White House.
•Small Town, Big Story (March 27, StackTV): A comedy from Chris O’Dowd (“The IT Crowd”), starring Christina Hendricks of “Mad Men” and Paddy Considine of “House of the Dragon” about a Hollywood TV show taking over a small Northern Irish town? Sure, why not?
•The Last Anniversary (March 30, AMC Plus): Another Liane Moriarty novel hits the screen, this one a family and mystery drama set in her native Australia.
•Mobland (March 30, Paramount Plus): I didn’t care for Guy Ritchie’s last TV outing, “The Gentlemen,” but I’ll give this one a chance based on the cast, which includes Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and Tom Hardy.
•Art Detectives (June 9, Acorn TV): Once a “True Blood” fan always a “True Blood” fan, so I’m curious to see how Stephen Moyer, a.k.a. vampire Bill Compton, fares as a cop solving murders connected to art and antiquities.Ìý
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