From 'Bridgerton' to 'Hacks' to 'Wrexham,' here's what's worth streaming in May 2024

By Mike Murphy

For the first time in a while, it seems each streaming service has something worth watching this month, amid Emmy push

It's time to enjoy Emmy season by splurging on an extra streaming service or two this May.

With the 2024 Emmy eligibility window closing May 31, streaming services are pushing many of their most prestigious series now, and that means a rare month when every pretty much every streamer has something worth watching.

That can be hard on the wallet, considering streaming prices have soared over the past year, but it's precisely where a strategy of churning - that is, adding and dropping services month to month - comes in. It takes some planning, but pays off in monthly savings. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month.

Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget - rating the major services as "play," "pause" or "stop," similar to investment analysts' traditional ratings of buy, hold or sell - and picks the best shows to help you make your monthly decisions.

Here's a look at what's coming to the various streaming services in May 2024, and what's really worth the monthly subscription fee:

Netflix ($6.99 a month for basic with ads, $15.49 standard with no ads, $22.99 premium with no ads)

The smash hit romantic period drama "Bridgerton" (May 16) returns with Part 1 of its third season (the second half will land June 13). This season's storyline focuses on the budding relationship between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), which will no doubt be complicated by her gossip-columnist alter ego, Lady Whistledown.

Netflix (NFLX) also has "A Man in Full" (May 2), a drama series starring Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane in David E. Kelley and Regina King's adaptation of the Tom Wolfe novel about a flamboyant real-estate mogul fighting for his survival as his empire crumbles around him; Jerry Seinfeld's Pop Tarts comedy movie "Unfrosted" (May 3), which stars the comedy legend alongside Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer and an all-star cast; "Bodkin" (May 9), a very promising-looking dark comedy/thriller series about a trio of podcasters investigating decades-old disappearances in a small Irish town, starring Will Forte, Siobhán Cullen and Robyn Cara; "Mother of the Bride" (May 9), a rom-com movie starring Brooke Shields and Benjamin Bratt; "Atlas" (May 24), an AI thriller starring Jennifer Lopez and Simu Liu; and "Eric" (May 30), a psychological thriller miniseries starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

There are also a bunch of comedy events centered around the "Netflix Is a Joke" festival (May 2-12) in Los Angeles, including the six-night live event "John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in L.A." (starting May 3), as the comedian explores the city with some of the biggest names in comedy; the standup special "Katt Williams: Woke Foke" (May 4); "The Roast of Tom Brady" (May 5), a star-studded live event hosted by Kevin Hart; the "Mark Twain Prize Award" (May 11), which will be presented to Hart; and comedy specials from Udom Taephanich (May 1) and Rachel Feinstein (May 21).

Also on the way are all six seasons of Reba McEntire's early-2000s sitcom "Reba" (May 6) and all 13 seasons of FX's animated spy spoof "Archer" (May 13).

Believe the hype: Released with little fanfare in April, "Baby Reindeer," the psychosexual drama about two broken people struggling to find connection, has become a global sensation thanks to word of mouth as much as Netflix's algorithm. The semi-autobiographical story about an aspiring comedian (Richard Gadd) and the woman who's stalking him (Jessica Gunning) is at once fascinating and horrifying, as it becomes clear he's as obsessed with her as she is with him. It's a stunning piece of writing by Gadd, with dashes of humor balancing raw honesty about his trauma and sexuality, and shows remarkable empathy. And at seven episodes at roughly a half hour each, it's a quick - though intense - binge.

Must watch: Last month's column mentioned how gorgeous "Ripley" looked, and having now finished it, it's worth saying again. It may be the most beautifully shot TV show ever made, all in moody and atmospheric black and white. It's a captivating character study of a sociopath, paying meticulous detail to his every move. Props as well to Andrew Scott, who's unsettling in almost every scene. It'll win some Emmys later this year.

What's in the library? New movie additions include the hit rom-com "Anyone But You," "The Best Man Holiday," the original "Jumanji," "Traffic," "Sing Street" and "A Simple Favor." Among the massive number of series, try recent releases like "The Tourist," "Dead Boy Detectives," "3 Body Problem," "The Gentlemen" and "Somebody Feed Phil."

Play, pause or stop? Play. Netflix remains as strong as ever, with a massive library offering something for everyone.

Hulu ($7.99 a month with ads, or $17.99 with no ads)

The soccer docuseries "Welcome to Wrexham" (May 3) is back for its third season, as the once-hapless Welsh team and its long-suffering fans learn to deal with success, and the Red Dragons face new challenges after finally getting promoted to a higher league. It will be curious to see how long the series can milk drama out of a team that's vastly outspending its opponents and becoming much less of a Cinderella story. But last season's shared focus on the women's team was a good start, which hopefully continues.

Hulu has a grab-bag of other new offerings in May, including the Tudor-era murder-mystery drama "Shardlake" (May 1); the three-part docuseries "Black Twitter: A People's History" (May 9); a new season of "The Kardashians" (May 23); the documentary film "The Contestant" (May 2), about a twisted, "Truman Show"-like Japanese reality show where a man was left naked in a room for a year; and the timely teen rom-com movie "Prom Dates" (May 3), starring Antonia Gentry ("Ginny & Georgia") and Julia Lester ("High School Musical: The Musical: The Show") as best friends looking for - you guessed it - prom dates.

Hulu also has new episodes every week of the spy thriller "The Veil," starring Elisabeth Moss, and the crime drama "Under the Bridge" (finale May 29), starring Lily Gladstone and Riley Keough.

Catch up: The spectacular miniseries "Shogun" just concluded, and there's no excuse for not watching it. With powerhouse performances, stunning cinematography and storytelling that trusts the intelligence of viewers, it's easily the best show of the year so far.

What's in the library? Hulu's adding movies such as "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," "Rushmore," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Sideways" and "13 Going on 30," and has bingeable series including "Abbott Elementary," "Extraordinary," "Animal Control," "New Girl" and "Sherlock."

Play, pause or stop? Play. Much like Netflix, there's something for everyone - and much of that is very, very good.

Max ($9.99 a month with ads, $15.99 with no ads, or $19.99 'Ultimate' with no ads)

One of television's best comedies returns as "Hacks" (May 2) kicks off its third season. The show picks up a year after the main characters parted ways (well, one fired the other), with Deborah (Jean Smart) reaching new heights after her hit standup special and struggling writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) pursuing new opportunities in L.A. But the pair will be drawn back together as Deborah closes in on her dream to host a late-night show. Sharp and scathing, "Hacks" is driven by the chemistry between the outstanding ensemble cast, and it's not afraid to blow up its status quo, making its path ahead all the more interesting. It should be a highlight of the TV year.

Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) Max also has the teen-drama spinoff series "Pretty Little Liars: Summer School" (May 9); the 1984 Talking Heads concert movie "Stop Making Sense" (May 3), restored for its 40th anniversary; the standup special "Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die" (May 11); the travel/booze docuseries "Thirst with Shay Mitchell" (May 23); and the documentaries "Stax: Soulville USA" (May 20), about the underdog soul-music record label, and "MoviePass, MovieCrash" (May 29), about the rise and spectacular fall of MoviePass.

There are also new episodes of the offbeat and compelling Vietnamese spy drama "The Sympathizer" (season finale May 26), and the solid but slightly superfluous true-crime docuseries "The Jinx: Part Two" (finale May 26), as well as weekly installments of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."

Meanwhile, Max has a full slate of games as the NBA playoffs and the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs get into full swing, along with MLB games Tuesday nights and a host of cycling events, including the Giro d'Italia (May 4-26).

Worth the wait: There was apprehension about "Tokyo Vice" after Season 1 ended with every loose end left untied and uncertain chances of a second season ever getting made. But after a two-year layoff, Season 2, which ended in early April, pays off masterfully, ratcheting up tension episode by episode as the personal and professional stakes get higher and higher, while managing to pull off both a gripping newsroom drama and a tense crime thriller. The cast, which includes So Kasamatsu, Ken Watanabe and Ayumi Tanida, is fantastic, but Rinko Kikuchi really steals scenes, providing an emotional center to the season as a veteran newspaper editor determined to stay true to her moral and ethical compass - unlike pretty much everyone else. While there's apparently a possibility of a third season, it doesn't need one - the story ends almost perfectly, with each season serving as half of a very satisfying whole.

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05-03-24 1130ET

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