What to watch on Netflix in May

The surfeit of streaming options today can often overwhelm those looking to settle in front of the TV for an evening, from the casual viewer to the aficionado of the arthouse. So, with time being precious, after all, especially in an age in which attention spans are being buffeted by the day, we’ve done the bulk of the research for you by focusing specifically on Netflix and creating a tightly considered selection of the best films, series and documentaries that will be added to the platform in the month ahead…

This new comedy series brings together Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Colman Domingo in a fresh take on the 1981 big-screen rom-com by Alan Alda. Here, three couples from the suburbs holiday together every season – but their dynamic is blown up when one duo separates and the husband brings a younger partner to the next getaway.

Conan O’Brien did much to cement his name as a modern comedy great with his Oscars-hosting debut earlier this year. For this event, some of the funniest stars in the world gather to raise a glass to the late-night stalwart as he receives the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Will Ferrell and John Mulaney are expected to appear in the showing.

Following the passing of his mother, Joe Scaravella (Vince Vaughn) decides to honour her memory by opening an Italian joint run by local grandmothers. Based on a real story and also featuring Susan Sarandon, Joe Manganiello and Talia Shire.

In this hour-long show, comedy legend Sarah Silverman reflects on the death of her parents, finding humour ‘in the darkest corners of life’ and using her singular style to help navigate the grieving. It is her second stand-up special for the streamer.

The lives of a rookie police officer and a stunt rider who turns to a life of crime overlap and interweave over a decade and a half, with their sons eventually brought into the fold. Starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes.

Nineties sci-fi cult classic with Arnold Schwarzenegger as a man who dreams of one day visiting the human colonies on Mars. A memory implant is put into effect – but unravels a series of harrowing events.

Charlie Brooker’s dystopian series will see its seventh instalment in April, and will feature Rashida Jones, Peter Capaldi and Awkwafina, as well as a follow-up to the ever-popular episode USS Callister.

Following an upended drug heist, ‘bruised detective’ Walker, played by Tom Hardy, dives deep into the criminal underbelly to bring back a politician’s estranged son. Also starring Jessie Mei Li and Forest Whitaker.

In celebration of its tenth anniversary, Chef’s Table is releasing a new season dedicated to some giants of the culinary game: Jamie Oliver, José Andrés, Thomas Keller and Alice Waters.

Based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s peerless Italian novel, this upcoming limited series is set to the backdrop of 1860s Italy as it goes through the period of unification. The main role, Don Fabrizio Corbera, the prince of Salina, lives a cosseted existence – but with the peninsula going through seismic change, and with Giuseppe Garibaldi’s Redshirts on the advance, the parameters of his and his family’s lives are threatened to be upended.

With the new Formula 1 campaign set to kick-off in Melbourne on 16 March, we recommend you rev into the mood with the latest instalment of the fan-favourite Drive to Survive. The series follows the 2024 season – a year that saw Max Verstappen claim his fourth world championship – and features driving lodestars Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc.

The Yellowstone prequel, starring Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, goes back a few generations in the Dutton family, where the post-Civil War period sees the original patriarch and matriarch, James and Margaret, travel through the Great Plains to Montana in hope for a better life. Watch out for the Tom Hanks cameo.

Stephen Graham can’t help being drawn to chilling TV dramas (This Is England; Boiling Point) – and in Adolescence, he plays the father to a 13-year-old boy who’s accused of murder. “One of our aims was to ask, ‘What is happening to our young men these days, and what are the pressures they face from their peers, from the internet, and from social media?’” Graham told Netflix. “And the pressures that come from all of those things are as difficult for kids here as they are the world over.” Each of the four episodes was filmed in one continuous shot.

In mid-March, comedy favourite John Mulaney will launch a new talk show on the streamer, with the hook being that “We will be live globally with no delay… We will never be relevant. We will never be your source for news. We will always be reckless. Netflix will always provide us with data that we will ignore.” It will initially run for 12 consecutive weeks.

This marquee Netflix miniseries takes a look at the muddy, unchecked waters of social-media advice as it depicts Kaitlyn Dever as Belle Gibson, the one-time wellness guru who alleged that she cured her terminal brain cancer via diet and alternative medicine therapies. With a cult following built, it eventually turned out that Gibson had never, in fact, been diagnosed with a brain tumour in the first place.

A deep-dive into one of sport’s greatest, most intense clashes, this docuseries traces both teams’ complex history and ‘uncertain present on the pitch.’ It is perfect timing, with India set to play Pakistan, in Dubai, on 23 February.

24 years since the release of Ridley Scott’s Oscar-winning Black Hawk Down, the director’s production company now focuses the camera on the real servicemen and Somali people associated with the Battle of Mogadishu. ‘This documentary blends raw, immersive storytelling with first-person interviews from both sides’, states Netflix.

Starring Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Victor Wembanyama, one of the latest Netflix sports docs takes a behind-the-scenes look at the medal contenders (US, France, Serbia and Canada) who were challenging for men’s basketball gold at Paris 2024. There are interviews with the likes of Dwyane Wade and Steve Kerr, with Barack Obama making an appearance in the trailer.

In his first lead in a TV series, Robert De Niro – as only great actors of his ilk would do in a debut of this kind – takes on the part of a fictional former US president, George Mullen, who comes out of retirement to help deal with a cyberattack on the nation. The show has been shaped by Eric Newman (Griselda, Narcos, Narcos: Mexico) and Noah Oppenheim (President, Jackie), with both creators’ experience formulating a wonderful mix of grit and political suspense.

The latest documentary by Chris Smith (Fyre) takes a look at Bryan Johnson, a monied entrepreneur looking to parry away the aging process via his intense wellness regime, which includes plasma exchanges. His ultimate goal, as according to his 2023 interview with The Guardian: “Don’t die.”

Given the brutal hit of the January blues, it’s always smart to cosset yourself with familiar comforts. Mad Men, with its gentle pace, rich mid-century sets and hedonistic scenes, is a pretty fine way to ease your pains.

Hyperrealistic at times and rather jumpy throughout, Baz Luhrmann’s epic take on the 20th century’s greatest entertainer thrusted Austin Butler into the titular role and, ultimately, into global stardom. An absolute buffet of sound and colour, bar Tom Hanks’s questionable performance.

Originally released in March, 2023, The Night Agent has since been dubbed one of Netflix’s sleeper hits. The follow-up to the debut season sees Peter Sutherland, a one-time FBI agent, return to the screen, this time fully folded into secretive organisation Night Action – “We’ll be in a different part of the world exploring different characters than we had in season 1,” creator Shawn Ryan told comicbook.com. “Essentially we’re going to be telling a whole brand-new story, which is exciting and scary.”

Featuring Marcus Smith, Duhan van der Merwe and George North, the sequel to last year’s series will arrive just in time for the Six Nations 2025, which kicks-off on 31 January.

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