The best new TV shows to stream in May

Looking for something new to stream between the weekly drops of The Last of Us, Your Friends and Neighbours and The Handmaid’s Tale? There’s plenty to add to your viewing list for May – from a Gen Z spin on Friends to Alexander Skarsgård as a cyborg.

Netflix

My top Netflix recommendation is Sirens (May 22).

When does a diligent employee become a cult member? This dark comedy, adapted by Molly Smith Metzler from her acclaimed 2011 play Elemeno Pea, unfolds over a weekend at a luxury retreat where Devon (Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus) decides it’s time to separate her younger sister Simone (Milly Alcock, The House of the Dragon) from the controlling boss who has taken over her life, socialite Michaela (Julianne Moore, Mary & George). It’s not a spoiler to say it doesn’t go to plan. This is a juicy study of work boundaries, female solidarity and wealth envy with a cast – Kevin Bacon plays Michaela’s husband – that should feast on the material.

Also on Netflix: If you obsessively study writing credits (guilty as charged!), you get very excited when you see Scott Frank’s name on a project. The screenwriter (Out of Sight, Logan) turned creator (Godless, The Queen’s Gambit) is one of Hollywood’s finest. His latest series is Department Q (May 29), a police thriller about an Edinburgh cold case unit staffed by a team of misfits (Slow Horses vibe?).

In adapting Jussi Adler-Olsen’s series of Nordic noir crime novels, Frank has transposed the action from Denmark to Scotland. Matthew Goode, an actor whose best work is too often supporting roles (The Crown, The Offer), takes the lead as emotionally scarred detective Carl Morck, with Kelly Macdonald (Giri/Haji) as his foil, therapist Dr Rachel Irving.

If you’ve been craving more Tina Fey on screen since her turn as a haughty podcast queen in Only Murders in the Building, The Four Seasons (May 1) will hit the spot. The former 30 Rock dynamo co-created this bittersweet comedy, which is based on Alan Alda’s 1981 film of the same name, about a trio of couples whose holidays together over a year turn into a series of turning points that test their individual relationships and joint friendship. Looking to hit the sweet spot between funny and sad is a cast that includes Steve Carell (The Office), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), and Will Forte (MacGruber).

April highlights: The talk-show format got an unhinged update from Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney, Pulse was the latest medical drama dedicated to the ER, and North of North was a delightful Inuit romantic-comedy.

Disney+

My top Disney+ recommendation is Adults (May 29).

Figuring out who you are in your 20s is never easy, and when you add in the pressures of New York City – finding a decent job, paying insane rent, making sense of dating via apps – it gets even more complicated. Created by Rebecca Shaw and Ben Kronengold, writers on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, this ensemble comedy follows five friends crammed into one home, trying to figure out what adulthood actually is. The outline makes me think of both Friends and Girls, which is a mash-up I’d actually be into. Who could be the young cast’s breakout star? Keep an eye on Owen Thiele as Anton.

Also on Disney+: Here’s a title that makes me salivate – Tucci in Italy (May 19). Over the last 15 years, the character actor best known for The Devil Wears Prada and Spotlight has turned his lifelong passion for food into a burgeoning, complementary career. There’s been a best-selling memoir (Taste: My Life Through Food); a documentary dedicated to his family’s heritage (Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy); and a droll, kitchen-first social media presence. For his new series, Tucci returns to Italy, seeking to understand its diverse regions through the glorious food and storied traditions. What a tough gig.

April highlights: Michelle Williams gives an all-time performance in the transcendent fatal illness comic-drama Dying for Sex, while Andor continues to be the essential Star Wars series.

Max

My top Max recommendation is Duster (May 16).

This 1970s crime thriller is defined by partnerships. On-screen, Rachel Hilson (This Is Us) plays the FBI’s first Black, female agent, who is trying to bring down a crime syndicate with the uncertain aid of a compromised getaway driver played by Josh Holloway (Lost’s resident rebel, Sawyer). Off-screen, this series is a collaboration between creators J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost) and LaToya Morgan (Shameless, Into the Badlands). We’re talking muscle cars, juicy 1972 wardrobe options, and violent double-crosses. After the high-concept likes of The Last of Us and Andor, some down-and-dirty felonies could be the ideal palate cleanser.

Also on Max: Pee-Wee as Himself (May 24) was a lifetime in the making. From cult stage show to hit movies, Pee-Wee Herman was one of the most unique cult characters on our screens in the 1980s and 1990s, and one of the most misunderstood. An unruly man-child with an unforgettable voice and an absurd take on the avant-garde, Pee-Wee was the alter-ego of comic performance artist Paul Reubens. The boundaries between the two were never clear, whether living through Hollywood fame or public scandal. Reubens passed from cancer in 2023 at the age of 70, but beforehand he gave the soul-baring interviews that form the basis of this two-part documentary series.

April highlights: Post-apocalyptic zombie drama The Last of Us returned for a harsh new season, soon pulling off a plot twist that challenged audiences, while Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal continues to be a one-of-a-kind mix of deadpan documentary and absurd humour.

Apple TV+

My top Apple TV+ recommendation is Murderbot (May 16).

No contemporary star is more determined to subvert their leading-man looks than Alexander Skårsgard. The Swedish actor is drawn to the likes of a domestic monster (Big Little Lies), a grimly vengeful Viking (The Northman), and the nerdy prime minister of Canada (Long Shot). The obvious next step? Playing a cyborg in this futuristic action-comedy. Digitally enhanced in post-production, Skarsgård plays the titular machine, who works in private security but must hide the fact that he has hacked his own programming, obtained free will, and figured out that humans are mostly idiots. An interplanetary mission with a team of scientists tests Murderbot’s limits, and theirs.

Also on Apple TV+: Drawing on a lineage of big-screen thrills that plainly takes in Raiders of the Lost Ark and National Treasure, Fountain of Youth (May 23) is the new feature film from the prolific Guy Ritchie. The king of geezer gangsters gets his Dan Brown on in this streaming exclusive, which stars John Krasinski (Jack Ryan) as Luke Purdue, a treasure hunter with big dreams, and Natalie Portman (Jackie) as his sister, Charlotte, who is done with her brother’s grandiose quests but nonetheless gets roped into his latest globe-trotting quest. The question is whether Ritchie can pull off the set-piece sequences and ancient wonders this genre requires? His choice of baddie pursuing the Purdue siblings: Eiza González (3 Body Problem).

April highlights: Jon Hamm had his best role since Mad Men in the sharp-edged drama Your Friends and Neighbours, while David Oyelowo headlined the period satire, Government Cheese.

Stan*

My top Stan recommendation is Poker Face (May 8).

The first season of this idiosyncratic murder-mystery was some of the best fun on screen in 2023, and likely little has changed in 2025. Created by filmmaker Rian Johnson (Knives Out), each episode is both a ‘howcatchem’ – a twist on the ‘whodunit’ where the audience see the crime first and watch the detective subsequently piece it together – and a showcase for star Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll). Her Las Vegas cocktail waitress, Charlie Cale, is living as a fugitive while using her innate ability to tell when someone is lying to solve murders. Every episode was a new locale, a new case and a new collection of guest stars. The second season maintains the format and amps up the guest list, casting Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Katie Holmes (Dawson’s Creek), and many more.

Also on Stan: The Walking Dead spin-offs have breathed some welcome new life into the undead franchise. The first season of The Walking Dead: Dead City (May 5) gave us a post-apocalyptic New York, with eerie John Carpenter vibes and a wholly different urban landscape than the original show’s rural roads canvas. Long-time adversaries Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) had to form an uneasy alliance in the face of survivor warfare and zombie hordes, with the show’s second season picking up from the conclusion of the first. You don’t need to be across The Walking Dead’s vast backstory to appreciate Dead City – it has a redemptive resilience in the face of horror strength of its own.

April highlights: The camaraderie and competition of knowing comedy Hacks still cuts to the bone, while Australian murder mystery Scrublands returned for a second season.

Amazon Prime Video

My top Amazon Prime recommendation is The Better Sister (May 29).

Sibling rivalry gets a horrifying charge in this thriller about a pair of estranged sisters. Chloe (Jessica Biel, The Sinner) is a high-profile media executive with a glossy magazine lifestyle and picture-perfect family, while Nicky (Elizabeth Banks, Mrs America) struggles to make ends meet on her own while dealing with addiction issues. But when a shocking event befalls Chloe, it’s Nicky she instinctively turns to, as the pair try to make sense of each other’s lives and their shadowy family legacy. Australian filmmaker Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) is the lead director, and hopefully the twists will come with some black humour.

Also on Amazon Prime: The TikTok and Instagram kids are graduating to streaming. Following in the footsteps of Brian Jordan Alvarez, whose English Teacher on Disney+ was the best new comedy of 2024, Overcompensating (May 15) is a showcase for Benito Skinner. The comedic actor and content creator assembled and stars in the show, playing a closeted former football star at an American college named Benny, who forms an alliance with Carmen (Wally Baram), a lifelong outsider looking to embrace conformity. In this comedic drama neither is ready for campus culture, especially the bro-down scene they aspire to, in what will be a frank, frisky coming-of-age tale.

Nicole Kidman really enjoys an exotic accent and a wild wig. The Australian returns as mysterious Russian wellness guru Masha Dmitrichenko in a second season of Nine Perfect Strangers (May 22). Adapted from a Liane Moriarty novel, the knotty psychological mystery’s first lockdown-era season had Masha helping, and sometimes hindering, the ensemble cast’s collection of troubled souls. With a new setting of the Swiss Alps, the fresh intake of clients features roles for Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus), Christine Baranski (The Good Fight), and Mark Strong (Dune: Prophecy).

April highlights: Jacob Elordi starred in the hard-to-forget World War II drama The Narrow Road to the Deep North, plus Holland was an offbeat movie choice from Nicole Kidman.

ABC iview

My top iview recommendation is Bergerac (May 4).

In the broadcast television era, the original Bergerac was a reliable late-night alternative. Airing from 1981 to 1991, the British crime drama followed police detective turned private eye Jim Bergerac, who lived, worked and worried on the Channel Island of Jersey (a self-governing British territory adjacent to but not part of Great Britain). That distinct sense of place and sturdy writing helped make the show a success then, and a reboot candidate now. The new Bergerac stars Damien Molony (Brassic, The Split) in the title role, and is a mix of the old and new: Bergerac stills struggles with alcohol and drives a vintage red Triumph Roadster, but the six episodes cover a single case, allowing for a deeper dive into the story and characters.

April Highlights: Veteran TV sleuth Vera got the send-off she deserved, plus new episodes of the literally bloody crime-scene comedy The Cleaner.

SBS On Demand

My top SBS On Demand recommendation is Sherlock & Daughter (May 8).

It’s apparent that we’re always going to have a variant or spin-off of Sherlock Holmes in production or on the air at any given time, so best we celebrate the ones that try something fresh with the legacy of Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional sleuth. Set in Victorian-era London, this new edition stars Blu Hunt (Another Life) as a young Native American woman who seeks out Holmes (David Thewlis, The Artful Dodger) with two theories: that her mother was murdered, and that he is her long-lost father. The master detective agrees to help investigate the former, but denies the latter. It’s very much a two-hander, full of adolescent fizz.

April highlights: Mussolini: Son of the Century was a pulsating period drama with contemporary parallels about the appeal of authoritarianism.

Other streamers

My top recommendation for the other streaming services is Binge’s Strife (May 8)

Based on Mia Freedman’s book of the same name, the first season of this darkly comic study of the work-life imbalance of online publisher Evelyn Jones (Asher Keddie) broke viewing records for Binge when it launched in December 2023. In frank, funny ways it dug deeply into what Evelyn wanted, having moved out of the family home, and how she came to acknowledge – although not master – her imperfections. There’s plenty to explore in the second season, which has the likes of Tim Minchin (Upright) and Mary Coustas (Rake) joining the supporting cast. Fingers crossed for another celebrity cameo as excruciatingly good as Dannii Minogue’s.

Also: Now this is a saucy history lesson. The niche streaming service Brollie, which specialises in classic Australian TV and film content, is bringing back Number 96 (May 16). Launched in 1972, the soap was groundbreaking, referencing topics previously considered taboo on Australian television including homosexuality, drug usage and nudity. The show was initially broadcast in black and white, but only 18 of those 584 episodes still exist. Brollie, an ad-supported platform which is otherwise free to watch, will be putting those surviving instalments up, with latter colour episodes to follow.

April highlights: Tom Hardy got his London gangster on in Paramount+’s MobLand, 7plus’s medical drama Doc put a memory-loss spin on the genre, and Binge’s Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light was a telling sequel to the acclaimed 2015 British historical drama.

* Nine owns Stan and this masthead.

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