What are you going to be watching this month? We round up everything coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ+.
The biggies
White House Plumbers (weekly on Neon from May 2)
Veep is one of my all time favourite shows, but as the seasons drew on and the real world became weirder than the show’s world, it lost some of its bite. And that’s exactly why I am hyped for White House Plumbers. The five-part miniseries is created by some of the key people responsible for Veep, but this time they’re taking on a true story. Starring Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux and a bunch of other big names, this HBO series takes a crooked look at those charged with stopping leaks to the media – the titular plumbers – during the time of the Watergate saga. It promises to be funny and factual in equal measures./ Stewart Sowman-Lund
The Gone (on TVNZ+ from May 7)
This new mystery drama is a Kiwi-Irish collab, featuring an international cast and set in both New Zealand and Ireland. When an Irish couple go missing while on holiday in rural New Zealand, an Irish detective flies out and teams up with the New Zealand police to solve the mystery. Filmed in Auckland, Te Aroha and Dublin, the six-part series follows the detectives as they must contend with small-town hostilities and a possible link to a series of historic murders. The international cast is impressive, including Michelle Fairey (Game of Thrones), Richard Flood (Grey’s Anatomy) and Acushla-Tara Kupe (Mr Corman). / Tara Ward
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (on Netflix from May 4)
Haters be damned, if you give me more Bridgerton I will watch more Bridgerton! This prequel series expands on the steamy romance franchise, telling the story of the imperious Queen Charlotte (played in the OG series by Golda Roshueval, and here by newcomer India Amarteifio) and her rise to prominence and power in the court of King George. Early reviews for this one have been good, especially by Bridgerton standards, so it might be worth tuning in even if you don’t care for the rest of the franchise. But if, like me, you’re already corset-deep in love with Bridgerton, you’ll be binging this entire thing come this weekend. / Sam Brooks
City on Fire (weekly on AppleTV+ from May 12)
From the producers of Gossip Girl and The OC comes Apple TV+’s new mystery thriller, based on the 2015 novel by Garth Risk Hallberg. When college student Samantha Ciccaro is shot in Central Park in 2003, there are no witnesses to the crime and no motives for the killing. The investigation into her seemingly random murder begins to uncover a link between a series of mysterious fires, the New York music scene and a wealthy family where nothing is as it seems. Expect plenty of twists and turns, with Jemima Kirke (Girls) and Nico Tortorella (Younger) starring. / TW
The notables
Silo (weekly on AppleTV+ from May 5)
Give me anything set in a confined space and I will love it. Netflix’s Oxygen, M Night Shyamalan’s Devil, Matt Damon’s The Martian and TV series Under the Dome and Wayward Pines all seem like inspiration for Silo, Apple TV+’s bleak sci-fi series about humanity’s last survivors living in an underground bunker. Rebecca Ferguson leads the cast, early reviews are positive, and the first trailer looks like an eerily prescient apocalyptic message for all of us if we can’t sort out climate change. Get thee to a bunker, stat. / Chris Schulz
American Born Chinese (weekly on Disney+ from May 25)
This new series, adapted from the 2006 graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, is centred on high schooler Jin Wang (Ben Wang). Jin meets Taiwanese exchange student Wei-Chen (Jim Liu) and, before long, he finds himself thrown into the middle of a battle between the gods of Chinese mythology. Don’t you hate it when that happens?! Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu and Ke Huy Quan also star. / SB
Fubar (on Netflix from May 25)
Have you missed the very specific comic stylings of Arnold Schwarzenegger? Then your luck is in. Spy comedy FUBAR brings the action icon to the small screen for the first time. He and Monica Barbaro star as a father-daughter duo who both work for the CIA without realising it, and once the truth comes out they realise they actually don’t know each other at all. I imagine hijinks will ensue. / SB
Bouncers (on Neon from May 17)
From editor Madeleine Chapman’s review of the show: “Bouncers is a show that could and should be a prime-time series in New Zealand, with quotable lines and lovable characters. It showcases Daymond’s ability to tell compelling narratives, with a show that feels more polished than you’d expect from a first go at scripted, funded television.”
The movies
Millie Lies Low (on Neon from May 17)
This local gem from 2021 stars a tremendous Ana Scotney as Millie, an anxiety-ridden architecture grad who misses her flight to her prestigious New York internship. Rather than own up to her mistake, in classic millennial fashion she doubles down, and decides to fake being in the US while scrounging around her home town to gather funds for another ticket. / SB
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (on Neon and Amazon Prime Video from May 25)
For my money, you could spend no more pleasant 115 minutes of your May than with this delightful Lesley Manville vehicle from last year. The plot is as lightweight as a Hermes scarf – a housewife in post-war London unexpectedly receives a war widow’s pension, which she uses to achieve her dream: a haute couture Dior dress. It’s fluffy, it’s frothy, and it’s surprisingly moving. I can’t recommend it higher. / SB
Hannah Gadsby: Something Special (on Netflix from May 9)
Another year, another Hannah Gadsby special. The Australian comedian went global with the absolutely devastating Nanette, and follow-up Douglas twisted the knife in the wound that show created. Something Special is a more classic special, with Gadsby delivering a comparatively traditional hour of build-up-and-pay-off comedy. I saw a bit of this in person live last year, and while it’s not their best hour, it’s definitely a worthy follow-up to those other legendary specials. / SB
The rest
Netflix
May 1
Scream 4
May 2
Love Village
The Tailor
May 3
Jewish Matchmaking
May 4
Sanctuary
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Larva Family
May 8
Spirit Rangers: Season 2
May 9
Hannah Gadsby: Something Special
May 10
Dance Brothers
Queen Cleopatra
Missing: Dead or Alive
May 11
Royalteen: Princess Margrethe
Ultraman: Season 3
May 12
Black Knight
Mulligan
Queer Eye: Season 7
The Mother
May 15
The Blacklist: Season 10
Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain
May 16
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me
Aftertaste: Season 1
May 17
Rhythm + Flow: France
Fanfic
Faithfully Yours
Working: What We Do All Day
McGregor Forever
May 18
XO, Kitty
Kitti Katz
Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune
May 19
Muted
Selling Sunset: Season 6
Young, Famous and African: Season 2
Kathal – A Jackfruit Mystery
May 22
The Creature Cases: Chapter 3
May 23
Wanda Sykes: I”m an Entertainer
Victim/Suspect
MerPeople
May 24
The Ultimatum: Queer Love
Hard Feelings
Mother’s Day
May 25
FUBAR
May 26
Turn of the Tide
Barbecue Showdown: Season 2
Siren: Survive The Island
Blood and Gold
Tin and Tina
May 30
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson: Season 3
May 31
Mixed by Erry
Neon
May 1
Adrift
May 2
White House Plumbers
Get Carter
May 3
Kiri and Lou: Season 2-3
May 4
Louis Theroux Interviews
Armageddon Time
May 5
Somebody Somewhere: Season 2
May 7
After Ever Happy
May 8
Nights in Rodanthe
May 9
Bullet Train
May 10
Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday
May 11
Duncanville: Season 3
Halloween Ends
May 13
The Great: Season 3
The Jackal
May 14
The Nutcracker and the Magic Flute
May 15
Generator Rex
May 16
Fear the Walking Dead: Season 8a
Tom and Jerry: Snowman’s Land
May 17
Bouncers
Millie Lies Low
May 18
East New York
Romeo Must Die
May 19
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
May 20
2012
May 23
Orphan: First Kill
The Railway Children Return
May 24
Overdrive
May 25
The Equalizer: Season 3
Bros
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris
May 26
Mayans MC: Season 5
The Invitation
May 27
Good Mourning
May 30
Crag of the Creek
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies
May 31
The Heights: Season 1-2
TVNZ+
May 1
Friday Night Dinner: Season 6
Groundhog Day
Maid in Manhattan
Monster House
Delfin
Identifying Features
Uprooted: The Olympic Tribe
Megalodemocrat: The Public of Rafael Lorenzo-Hemmer
Trashed
Rescuing Rex
Prison for Profit
Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini
Temptation Under the Sun
Burned by Love
Pom Poms and Payback
Hollywood Weapons: Season 4
For the Love of DILFs
Never Apart: Season 7
The Villbergs Wedding Chronicles: Season 2
Drag Heels: Season 3
Access All Areas: The AAA Girls Tour
OUTspoken: Coming OUt in Politics
Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie and Tupac
Back in Time
Brabham
Wrinkles the Clown
May 4
Bupkis
May 5
I Am Legend
District 9
Salt
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Desperado
Dredd
Harry Brown
Safe
Transporter 3
Apocalypto
Get the Gringo
St Elmo’s Fire
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Big Chill
Steel Magnolias
Black Sheep
Love Birds
We Were Soldiers
Buried
May 6
Doctor Thorne
May 7
The Gone
May 9
Riptide
May 11
The Bold Type
Girl, Interrupted
Almost Famous
Made in Dagenham
The Mist
Go
Spring Breakers
Wild Things
May 12
Kavos Weekender
May 13
Killer Siblings
Mark of a Killer: Season 2
May 15
Flack: Season 1-2
May 18
Rabbit Proof Fence
A River Runs Through It
The Descent
Hotel Mumbai
Insidious
Like Minds
May 25
Bleed For This
Stepmom
Poetic Justice
Triangle
Liberal Arts
The Road
Mr. Right
Paranormal Activity
May 28
Still Alice
The Tree of Life
A Single Man
Hunger
May 19
Bad Behaviour
May 20
Accident, Suicide or Murder
May 24
Black Snow
May 27
Some Girls
May 29
Orphan Black
May 30
Turn up the Volume
May 31
The Devil’s Playground
Disney+
May 2
A Small Light
May 3
Ed Sheeran: The Sum Of It All
PSY Summer Swag
Pose: Season 1-2
WWII Secrets from Above
May 4
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures
Star Wars: Vision
May 5
Intertwined Live!
Taste the Nation with Padma Laksmi: Season 2
Charles: In His Own Words
May 10
The Muppets Mayhem
Lambert vs Lambert
Time Switch
Impuros: Season 3
America’s Funniest Home Videos: Season 20-22
May 12
Crater
May 17
Secrets of Sulphur Spring: Season 3
May 19
White Men Can’t Jump
May 24
The Clearing
American Born Chinese
Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life: Season 2
May 25
The Kardashians: Season 3
May 26
Mafia Confidential
Wild Life
May 31
The Actress
Amazon Prime Video
May 2
Jimmy O. Yang: Guess How Much?
May 4
Armageddon Time
May 5
Tommy Little: Pretty Fly for a Dickhead
May 7
After Ever Happy
May 9
Bullet Train
The Invitation
May 11
Halloween Ends
May 12
The Legend and Butterfly
May 16
Zarna Garg: One in a Billion
May 18
Neighbours: Season 20
May 19
Plane
May 24
James May: Oh Cook S2
May 25
Der Greif
A+
Bros
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Carnifex
May 30
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies
Apple TV+
May 5
Silo
May 12
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
City on Fire
May 17
High Desert
May 24
Platonic
Acorn
May 1
Balthazar
May 15
The Other Wife
May 22
Shattered
Shudder
May 12
Huesera: The Bone Woman
May 18
Sissy
May 26
Influencer