10 New Shows to Watch in May 2026
May 2026 has a lot of new TV to look forward to. From new spinoffs of popular shows, to animated comedy, crime thrillers, to drama, there’s a lot of variety. The month kicks off with The Other Bennet Sister on May 6, A Pride and Prejudice-inspired period drama following Mary Bennet as she leaves home and finds her own path in Regency-era London. This is followed by the crime thriller M.I.A. on May 7 which sees a woman being pulled into Miami’s dangerous underworld after her family’s drug empire collapses. On May 9, the historical action drama set in late Edo-era Japan, Song of the Samurai, debuts on HBO Max, an adaptation of the manga series, Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem.
The highly-ancitipcated college hockey romance series, Off Campus, based on the popular book series, premieres May 13 on Prime Video and has already been renewed for a second season. Yellowstone fans will want to keep May 15 in mind as Dutton Ranch sees Rip and Beth start over in Texas. The new dark comedy thriller Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed premieres on May 20, following a divorced mom who gets entangled in blackmail, murder, and a conspiracy.
The Duffer Brothers’ The Boroughs brings sci-fi mayhem to a retirement community on May 21 where elderly heroes must confront a growing threat. Nick Kroll is back with a new Netflix adult animated series in Mating Season on May 22 about love and relationships told through a group of forest animals. Nicolas Cage makes his TV debut on may 27 with Spider-Noir, a gritty superhero noir on Prime Video following an aging private investigator in 1930s New York who once lived as a masked vigilante. Closing off the month is another spinoff series, Star City (For All Mankind spinoff) exploring an alternate-history Soviet space race.
Check out the full list below.
The Other Bennet Sister – May 6 (BritBox)
Genre: Period Drama
Cast: Ella Bruccoleri, Maddie Close, Poppy Gilbert, Grace Hogg-Robinson, Molly Wright, Lucy Briers, Richard E. Grant, Tanya Reynolds, Ruth Jones, Ryan Sampson, Indira Varma, Dónal Finn, Richard Coyle, Laurie Davidson, Varada Sethu
Synopsis: “The story begins at Longbourn, the Bennet family home, where Mr. and Mrs Bennet preside over a lively household of five unmarried daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. As society’s pressures mount, the Bennet sisters navigate the glittering yet precarious world of Regency England, where marriage is both aspiration and necessity. While her sisters pursue romance and social triumph, Mary embarks on a very different path. Leaving Longbourn behind, she travels to London to live with her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, in their elegant home on Gracechurch Street. There, Mary begins a journey of self-discovery, stepping out of the shadows and into her own story. Iconic settings from Pride and Prejudice, include the Meryton Assembly Ball and the Netherfield Ball, where fortunes and futures are decided under glittering chandeliers.”
M.I.A. – May 7 (Peacock)
Genre: Crime Thriller
Cast: Shannon Gisela, Cary Elwes, Danay Garcia, Brittany Adebumola, Dylan Jackson, Alberto Guerra, Maurice Compte, Gerardo Celasco, Marta Milans
Synopsis: “Restless in the Florida Keys, Etta Tiger Jonze dreams of a life in Miami’s glittering, sub-tropical kingdom. But when her family’s drug-running business shatters in tragedy, Etta embarks on a dangerous journey through Miami’s neon-lit underbelly that will define who she is and what she’s ultimately capable of.”
Song of the Samurai – May 9 (HBO Max)
Genre: Japanese Period Action Drama
Cast: Yuki Yamada, Ayano Go, Kento Nakajima
Synopsis: “Song of the Samurai is a live-action adaptation that translates this deep legacy to the screen. Set in Kyoto at the end of the Edo period, the story depicts the intense and passionate lives of the Shinsengumi – the iconic samurai force that defended Kyoto in the final years of Japan’s shogunate – through spectacular action and a bold interpretation based on historical facts. The story follows street brawler Toshizo Hijikata (Yuki Yamada), who finds a new kind of family in Isami Kondo and Soji Okita. Hijikata and his comrades in the Shinsengumi forge a bond of loyalty – tested by betrayal, illness, and war – as they fight not only their enemies but their own ideals.”
Off Campus – May 13 (Prime Video)
Genre: Romance Drama
Cast: Ella Bright, Belmont Cameli, Mika Abdalla, Antonio Cipriano, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Josh Heuston, Stephen Kalyn, Steve Howey, Khobe Clarke
Synopsis: “A college soap based on the bestselling book series, Off Campus follows an elite ice hockey team, and the women in their lives, as they grapple with love, heartbreak, and self-discovery—forging deep friendships and enduring bonds while navigating the complexities that come with transitioning into adulthood. Season 1 follows the sexy and fun “opposites attract” romance between quiet songwriter, Hannah, and Briar University’s all-star hockey athlete, Garrett.”
Dutton Ranch – May 15 (Paramount+)
Genre: Yellowstone spinoff – Western Drama
Cast: Kelly Reilly, Cole Hauser, Finn Little, Jai Courtney, J. R. Villarreal, Marc Menchaca, Ed Harris, Annette Bening, Natalie Alyn Lind, Juan Pablo Raba
Synopsis: “Rip Wheeler and Beth Dutton gamble everything on a new life in South Texas, but the promise of building a future far from the ghosts of Yellowstone quickly collides with brutal new realities and a rival ranch that will stop at nothing to protect its empire.”
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed – May 20 (Apple TV)
Genre: Dark Comedy Thriller
Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Jake Johnson, Brandon Flynn, Murray Bartlett, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall, Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg, Nola Wallace, Dolly De Leon
Synopsis: “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed follows newly divorced mom Paula (Maslany) as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer. Convinced she witnessed a crime — while simultaneously struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis — Paula begins her own investigation, one that could unravel a greater conspiracy while also holding the keys to rebuilding her family and sense of self.”
The Boroughs – May 21 (Netflix)
Genre: Sci-Fi Drama
Cast: Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters, Bill Pullman, Carlos Miranda, Jena Malone, Seth Numrich, Alice Kremelberg, Ed Begley Jr., Dee Wallace, Eric Edelstein, Rafael Casal, Mousa Hussein
Synopsis: “In a seemingly perfect retirement community, a grieving newcomer’s monstrous encounter inspires him to join a misfit crew of unlikely heroes who uncover a dark secret that proves their “golden years” are more dangerous, and they are more formidable, than anyone expects.”
Mating Season – May 22 (Netflix)
Genre: Adult Animated Comedy
Cast: Nick Kroll, June Diane Raphael, Zach Woods, Sabrina Jalees
Synopsis: “In the search for love, we’re all animals. From the creators of Big Mouth comes Mating Season, a new adult animated comedy – set in the animal world – about love, sex, relationships, and the universal need to find a partner. Starring horny, lovable forest critters – a bear named Josh (voiced by Zach Woods), a raccoon named Ray (voiced by Nick Kroll), a deer named Fawn (voiced by June Diane Raphael), and a fox named Penelope (voiced by Sabrina Jalees).”
Spider-Noir – May 27 (Prime Video)
Genre: Superhero Noir Drama
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Brendan Gleeson, Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston, Lukas Haas, Joe Massingill
Synopsis: “Spider-Noir is a live-action series based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir. “Spider-Noir” tells the story of Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage), a seasoned, down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero.”
Star City – May 29 (Apple TV)
Genre: For All Mankind spinoff – Sci-Fi Drama
Cast: Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O’Casey, Adam Nagaitis, Alice Englert, Josef Davies, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, Priya Kansara
Synopsis: “A bold new chapter inspired by the critically acclaimed space-race drama, Star City is a propulsive paranoid thriller that takes us back to the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race — when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon. But this time, we explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts, the engineers and the intelligence officers embedded among them in the Soviet space program, and the risks they all took to propel humankind forward.”
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