May TV Preview

Limited Documentary Series
Premieres May 1 on Criterion Channel

Filmed over the course of eight years, this five-part docuseries from Winter's Bone director Debra Granik examines America's prison-industrial complex through the eyes of ex-con Coss Marte as he goes about rebuilding his life after incarceration by opening a New York City gym. After screening in part at various festivals (including Sundance) over the past two years, the complete series finally reaches the public this month as a Criterion Channel exclusive.

Limited Drama Series
Premieres May 4 on Netflix

Making its American debut next week after previously airing in the UK (where it received extremely positive reviews), this four-episode adaptation of William Golding's classic 1954 novel about a group of English schoolboys who turn to savagery after being stranded on a desert island (and, really, who could blame them—they weren't even allowed to bring their 10 favorite albums with them) comes from Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne.

New Drama Series
Premieres May 6 on BritBox

The BBC's series adaptation of Janice Hadlow's 2020 novel that brings new depth to the life of Pride and Prejudice middle sister Mary Bennet as she leaves her family home and heads to both London and the Lake District—finding love along the way—stars Ella Bruccoleri, Ruth Jones, Richard E. Grant, and Indira Varma. The first three half-hour episodes stream at launch, with the remaining seven arriving one per week. The series received mixed-to-very positive reviews from the UK press, as did another May BritBox newcomer: Twenty Twenty Six (May 1), which finds Hugh Bonneville returning as Ian Fletcher for a World Cup-themed follow-up to the Olympics comedy series Twenty Twelve.

Limited Drama Series
Premieres May 7 on Netflix

Based on a true story, this six-part British crime drama follows a group of ordinary UK customs officials selected for a dangerous undercover mission to infiltrate several major drug smuggling gangs in the early 1990s. The series comes from Neil Forsyth (The Gold) and stars Tom Burke and Steve Coogan.

Returning Horror Anthology Series
Premieres May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder

A streaming exclusive for now (with a cable debut on AMC expected this fall), this third installment in AMC's horror anthology series The Terror (which last aired in 2019) adapts Victor LaValle's novel The Devil in Silver. The six-episode adaptation comes from Chris Cantwell (Halt & Catch Fire) and LaValle and stars Dan Stevens as a moving man who is wrongly committed to a hellish psychiatric institution, where he must plot a path to escape. CCH Pounder, Judith Light, Stephen Root, Aasif Mandvi, Marin Ireland, and John Benjamin Hickey also star, while directors include Karyn Kusama.

Limited Drama Series
Premieres May 8 on the Starz app

Making its American debut (after airing in the UK last year) on May 8 with the first of five episodes, period drama Amadeus finds Will Sharpe rocking the title role as composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, while Paul Bettany plays his rival, Antonio Salieri. The miniseries, like Miloš Forman's Best Picture-winning 1984 film of the same name, is adapted from Peter Shaffer's 1979 play.

Streaming Movie
Premieres May 8 on Netflix

Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Dan Payne, Kathy Baker, Joan Chen, Sofia Black-D'Elia, and Colm Meaney star in an adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt's best-selling novel about a widow who forms a bond with a giant Pacific octopus (and some humans, too) while working at an aquarium. Olivia Newman (Where the Crawdads Sing) directs from a script that she co-wrote with John Whittington (Sonic the Hedgehog 2 & 3).

Drama Special
Premieres May 12 on Disney+

The latest standalone Marvel Cinematic Universe television special finds Jon Bernthal returning as Frank Castle/Punisher, the character he has played in numerous projects over the past decade starting with the second season of the Netflix series Daredevil. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard), who also co-wrote the script with Bernthal, One Last Kill finds Castle seeking another source of meaning in his life other than revenge, only to find himself pulled into yet another conflict.

New Drama Series
Premieres May 14 on Netflix

Matthew Law and Y'lan Noel, play a brilliant Los Angeles police detective and a criminal mastermind, respectively, in a cat-and-mouse heist drama from Courtney A. Kemp, the creator of the Starz hit Power (and its many spinoffs). Cleopatra Coleman, Tre Hale, Domenick Lombardozzi, and Gabrielle Dennis also star. All eight episodes stream at launch, including a pair directed by Mario Van Peebles.

New Drama Series
Premieres May 15 on Paramount+

The fourth new Taylor Sheridan-produced series to arrive in the first half of this year, Dutton Ranch is also yet another spinoff (the fourth!) from Yellowstone. The new drama finds Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprising their roles as Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, respectively, though now they are in South Texas, where they do battle with a ruthless rival rancher. Ed Harris, Annette Bening, Jai Courtney, Finn Little, Juan Pablo Raba, and J.R. Villarreal also star. Showrunner/creator Chad Feehan has already departed the production, but that probably won't prevent Dutton Ranch from getting a second-season renewal.

Returning Drama Series
Premieres May 15 on Hulu

A bit under the radar in the U.S. but one of the best Hulu exclusives to date, this soapy but extremely fun British series adapted from Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name (or of a different name, Players, in the States) centers on rivals and neighbors in Cooper's fictional Cotswolds county of Rutshire in 1986: an Olympic athlete turned Tory politician played by Alex Hassell, and an independent TV station director played by the BAFTA-nominated David Tennant. Aidan Turner, Victoria Smurfit, and Katherine Parkinson (also BAFTA nominated) also star. If you need to catch up on the first season, it's just an eight-episode watch, and note that only half of S2 will stream in May—the remaining episodes should arrive in the fall.

Streaming Movie
Premieres May 20 on Prime Video

John Krasinski (who also co-wrote the screenplay) returns as Tom Clancy's hero Jack Ryan in this feature film follow-up to the recently concluded Prime Video series that finds Ryan teaming with an MI6 officer (Sienna Miller) to confront a rogue black-ops unit. Also returning from the series are Wendell Pierce, Michael Kelly, and Betty Gabriel. It's the feature film debut for longtime TV director Andrew Bernstein, who also worked on the Jack Ryan series (as well as titles like Ozark and Foundation).

New Dramedy Series
Premieres May 20 on Apple TV

Apple's 10-episode, darkly comedic thriller stars Tatiana Maslany as a newly divorced mom caught in "a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer" after she becomes certain she has witnessed a crime and recklessly begins her own investigation. Also starring Jake Johnson, Murray Bartlett, and Brandon Flynn, the series comes from David J. Rosen (a writer on Sugar and Hunters) and counts David Gordon Green among its directors. Two half-hour episodes stream at launch followed by weekly installments through July 15.

New Drama/Sci-Fi/Horror Series
Premieres May 21 on Netflix

Supernatural thriller The Boroughs comes from Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, who previously developed the excellent Dark Crystal sequel series for Netflix in 2019. Set in a seemingly peaceful retirement community, the show follows a misfit group of retirees who band together to battle a mysterious, malevolent force. If that sounds a bit like a Stranger Things for the grey hair set, well, you're right: It is produced by Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers. (Addiss and Matthews also cite the film Cocoon as an influence.) The excellent ensemble is led by Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters, Bill Pullman, and Denis O'Hare and also includes Ed Begley Jr., Jena Malone, Karan Soni, Rafael Casal, Dee Wallace, and Jane Kaczmarek. All eight episodes stream on day one.

New Animated Comedy Series
Premieres May 22 on Netflix

A raunchy new adult animated comedy from the team behind Netflix's long-running hit Big Mouth, Mating Season focuses on love, sex, and relationships ... among forest faunae. Nick Kroll, Zach Woods, June Diane Raphael, and Sabrina Jalees head the voice cast.

New Drama Series
Premieres May 25 on MGM+ and May 27 on Prime Video

The first regular TV gig for Nicolas Cage—and the first live-action Spider-Man series since the 1970s—finds him voicing Ben Reilly/The Spider, a grizzled, down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York, where he's also the city's only superhero. The adaptation of the Spider-Man Noir comics is produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (among others) and also stars Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Jack Huston, and Brendan Gleeson. All eight S1 episodes stream on Prime Video on May 27—rather unusually, in both color and black-and-white versions—while the season will also air weekly episodes on Mondays on MGM+ starting on May 25.

Returning Comedy Series
Premieres May 28 on Hulu

Lauded by critics for its first season in 2025, the Hulu crime comedy centers on two Pakistani-American brothers (Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh) who inherit their family's deli business after their father's sudden death ... only to discover that the business was actually a front for a criminal drug empire. Fred Armisen, Alfie Fuller, Brian George, and scene-stealer Poorna Jagannathan also star, while Season 2 features Kumail Nanjiani, Robin Thede, Andrew Rannells, and Lily Singh in guest roles. All six episodes stream at launch.

New Drama/Sci-Fi Series
Premieres May 29 on Apple TV

A spinoff from For All Mankind, Apple's latest sci-fi series examines the same basic story as its predecessor but from the perspective of the Soviet Union, with this first season serving as a prequel that depicts the USSR's frantic efforts to land a man on the moon ahead of the Americans in an alternative-history 1960s. Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Alice Englert, and Agnes O'Casey head the cast. The first two (of eight) episodes stream at launch.

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For a full list of upcoming TV titles, visit our frequently updated TV Premiere Calendar.