Can you believe we’re four months into 2024? We can’t either. At least a new month means new TV. The Newsroom‘s Jeff Daniels finds himself financially and morally bankrupt in the revenge dramedy A Man in Full. Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch returns to the small screen to play a puppeteer who loses his son and his sanity in Netflix’s mysterious Eric. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are back for Season 3 of Hacks on Max. The Tattooist of Auschwitz adapts the bestselling novel inspired by a true World War II story. Shardlake has Sean Bean solving a Turdor-era murder mystery. Modern day podcast journalists tackle an Irish cold case in Bodkinwhile BritBox’s After the Flood layers climate change concerns with a small-town murder.
Speaking of Britain! Dear friend‘s first season of Doctor Who launches on Disney+. Not to be outdone by another long-standing sci-fi franchise, Lucasfilm debuts Tales of the Empirethe animated pseudo-sequel to 2022’s Tales of the Jedi. If you’re missing 3-Body ProblemApple TV+ has you covered with Dark Mattera thriller about alternate dimensions and evil dopplegangers. Finally, fan favorites return for new seasons, including Interview with the Vampire, Welcome to Wrexham, My Hero Academia, and the big one: Bridgerton Season 3.
Constitution: The Diamond Bazaar
Release Date: May 1 on Netflix
“Love and rebellion are the same.” In 1940s Pakistan, a group of courtesans hold great sociopolitical power. Armed with their influence, intelligence, and their revolutionary hearts, these women strive to overthrow the ruling British Raj and end England’s colonialist occupation. Inspired by the Indian independence movement, a historical fight that spanned almost 100 years, Constitution: The Diamond Bazaar comes from award-winning filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Shardlake
Release Date: May 1 on Hulu
16th-century England teeming with death and religious tension? Sounds about right. During the reign of King Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean), Henry’s right-hand man, hires Matthew Shardlake (Arthur Hughes) to suss out the guilty behind a murder. Shardlake practices law and the newly established Anglican faith, but things might change in these tumultuous times. Stephen Butchard adapts author C. J. Sansom‘s bestselling series of the same name, while Justin Chadwick directs. (Knowing Thomas Cromwell’s fate, we must ask: will Shardlake keep the “Sean Bean’s characters always die” meme alive?) Shardlake also stars current TV king Anthony Boylewho’s coming off of Manhunt and Masters of the Air.
A Man in Full
Release Date: May 2 on Netflix
Real estate tycoon Charlie Croker (Jeff Daniels) is on top of the world… until he isn’t. Bankruptcy comes calling, and with his wealth in ruins, his enemies descend, intending to destroy him. He has lots of them, including his ex-wife Martha (Diane Lane). But if Charlie is going to go down, then sugar, he’s going to go down swinging. The producer behind Big Little Lies teams with actress-director Regina King and The West Wing director Thomas Sludge for a morally ambiguous ride through one mogul’s (possible) downfall.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Release Date: May 2 on Peacock
Based on Heather Morris‘ New York Times best-selling novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is itself based on the life of Lale Sokolov (Jonah Hauer-King and Harvey Keitel), a Slovakian Jew who was imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp for three years. Forced to tattoo the prisoners with identification numbers, a love story develops between Lale and Gita (Anna Próchniak), a fellow Slovakian captive. Tali Shalom-Ezer directs the limited series that’s jointly composed by Hans Zimmer and Kara Winterwith none other than Barbra Streisand lending her voice to a song. Melanie Lynskey co-stars as Heather Morris.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire
Release Date: May 4 on Disney+
If you love bad girls, this one’s for you. Tales of the Empirethe second season of the Star Wars: Tales anthology series, fills in the blanks for two of the Empire’s most compelling characters: Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger). Set during the Empire’s early days, Morgan plots her revenge by allying with the mighty Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). Barris, a fallen Jedi apprentice and Ahsoka Tano’s former friend, finds herself under the tutelage of the Grand Inquisitor (Jason Isaacs, returning from Star Wars: Rebels). May the Fourth be with you, indeed.
Dark Matter
Release Date: May 8 on Apple TV+
What if every choice mattered more than you thought? Apple TV+’s string of sci-fi shows continues with Dark Matterbased on the 2016 book by Blake Crouch. When masked assailants kidnap physicist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) one rainy night, they transport him to an alternate reality. Once he realizes that he’s switched places with a “different Jason,” he races against time and space to protect his family. Unfortunately, Jason’s worst enemy is himself. A thriller inspired by the “many-worlds interpretation” (a kind of Butterfly Effect theory for the multiverse), Dark Matter co-stars Jennifer Connelly and Alice Braga.
Bodkin
Release Date: May 9 on Netflix
Enthusiastic true crime podcaster Gilbert Power (Will Forte), his dutiful assistant Emmy (Robyn Cara), and cranky journalist Dove (Siobhan Cullen) travel to the imaginary coastal town of Bodkin, Ireland — also known as “the arse-end of nowhere.” The trio want to solve a 21-year-old cold case. The problem? Uncovering the truth is a tricky business. Even if our heroes’ intentions are good, the residents don’t want their lives exploited. Plus, there might be a murderer hiding out in Bodkin. Creator Jez Scharf and director Nash Edgerton helm Netflix’s crime dramedy.
Doctor Who
Release Date: May 10 on Disney+
Did someone call for a Doctor? After debuting as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who‘s 60th-anniversary holiday specials, Sex Education‘s Ncuti Gatwa steers the TARDIS onto Disney+. With companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) at his side, there’s no shortage of adventures ahead for the time travelers. Specifically, dinosaurs, Regency ballroom dancing, and meeting the Beatles at Abbey Road. (Sign me up, please!) Russell T. Davieswho relaunched Doctor Who in 2005, returns as showrunner and head writer after 14 years.
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After the Flood
Release Date: May 13 on BritBox
Joanna Marshall (Sophie Rundle), a pregnant police officer with promotion on her mind, discovers a corpse in an elevator. A natural disaster has already struck her small town, flooding the streets with polluted water. At first glance, it seems the man died in the flood. Joanna soon suspects there are darker secrets at work, and her unauthorized investigation might unravel her vulnerable town. Actor and writer Mike Ford weaves climate change into a sinister mystery under Azhur Saleem‘s direction.
The 8 Show
Release Date: May 17 on Netflix
How long would you wait for money? In creator Han Jae-rim‘s The 8 Show, Squid Game meets reality TV. Eight people navigate an oddly designed eight-story building and the dangerous games on each floor. Unlike Squid Gameif someone dies, the game ends. The goal isn’t just to survive, but to wait, because the longer the contestants stay in the building, the more money they get when it’s all over — whatever this is, to begin with.
The Big Cigar
Release Date: May 17 on Apple TV+
In 1974, movie producer Bert Schneider (Alessandro Nivola) smuggled Black Panther Party founder Judge P. Newton (Andre Holland) into Cuba. How? Schneider pretended he was making a movie. The Easy Rider producer was a friend of Newton’s and a prominent counter-cultural figure. When Newton was wanted for murder, he turned to Schneider, his Hollywood friend. Based on Joshuah Bearman‘s Playboy article “The Big Cigar,” Apple TV+’s 6-episode miniseries features Tiffany Boone and Moses Ingram. Don Cheadle directed the first two episodes.
Tires
Release Date: May 23 on Netflix
Stand-up Netflix comedian Shane Gillis continues his partnership with the streamer by launching TiresGillis’ first fictional series. Netflix’s logline describes the series as a workplace comedy driven by the push-pull between Steven Gerben‘s Will, “the nervous and unqualified heir to an auto repair chain,” and Gillis’ Shane, Will’s combative “cousin and new employee.” That’s got to be awkward.
Eric
Release Date: May 30 on Netflix
Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch), a 1980s puppeteer, slowly loses his grip on reality after his son, Edgar, vanishes without a trace. Grieving and guilt-ridden, Vincent sees visions of a giant sentient puppet named Eric. Somehow, Eric is the key to Edgar’s rescue. But is this seven-foot-tall monstrosity real? Is this nightmare all in Vincent’s head? Only director Lucy Forbes and scribe Abi Morgan can answer that question.
New Seasons
May 1
Acapulco (Season 3, Apple TV+)
May 2
Hacks (Season 3, Max)
Welcome to Wrexham (Season 3, FX)
May 4
My Hero Academia (Season 7, Crunchyroll)
May 8
Reginald the Vampire (Season 2, SYFY)
May 9
Blood of Zeus (Season 2, Netflix)
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School (Season 2, Max)
May 12
Interview with the Vampire (Season 2, AMC)
May 16
Bridgerton (Season 3 Part 1, Netflix)
Outer Range (Season 2, Prime Video)
May 22
Trying (Season 4, Apple TV+)
May 23
Evil (Season 4, Paramount+)
May 30
We Are Lady Parts (Season 2, Peacock)