What to stream in May?

Spring is here and with it come allergies, rising temperatures and, of course, the streamers’ pre-summer slate. Streaming services are rolling their big guns out

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Sometimes, the only thing you need to say to convince me to watch a show is just a few words. Especially if those words are: “wise, gentle octopus delivers life lessons about loss, and it is voiced by Alfred Molina.”

Good enough for me.

One of the more unusual literary adaptations in recent memory, Remarkably Bright Creatures arrives on Netflix as a feature film based on Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel. The story centres on Tova, a widow working night shifts at an aquarium, who forms an unlikely bond with a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus.

Grief, loneliness and the slow, arduous reassembly of a life after loss. The narrative pivots around a mystery tied to Tova’s past, gradually uncovered through her connection with both the octopus and a drifter searching for family.

Starring the always-welcome Sally Field.

Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies gets its first-ever streaming adaptation, landing on Netflix as a four-episode series. The setup remains intact: a group of schoolboys stranded on an island, attempting to organise themselves before descending into tribalism and violence.

What’s new is the framing. Creator Jack Thorne has positioned this version as a modern reflection on masculinity, isolation and social breakdown, themes that feel aggressively current rather than purely allegorical. The manosphere goes tropical, if you will.

The cast is largely made up of newcomers, which works in its favour. No distracting star power, just a slow collapse into chaos.

Short, contained and likely uncomfortable viewing. Oh, and don’t speak if you don’t have the conch.

The Roast of Kevin Hart

Let the short jokes begin.

The Roast of Kevin Hart is a live comedy special centred around Kevin Hart being dismantled by a lineup of comedians, with the added unpredictability of a live broadcast.

Netflix has been leaning harder into live programming, and roasts are a natural fit: chaotic energy, minimal structure and a built-in social media afterlife.

If you’ve seen one roast, you know the rhythm: brutal jokes, fake outrage, then a closing speech pretending everyone is still friends. If the last live roast is anything to go by – the one with Tom Brady – friendships might actually end that night.

Still, Hart is a solid target. There’s material there. Hosted by the hilarious and brutal Shane Gillis, there is still no info on the lineup, but you can bet they will raise the bar. So Kevin Hart can’t reach it.

Dead Man’s Wire

The almost incredible true story of Greek-American immigrant Tony Kiritsis, who in 1977 walked into a mortgage company and put a shotgun to the head of its manager, kidnapping him. Kiritsis then took the man for a stroll in downtown Indianapolis while surrounded by cops, stole a police car, holed up in his apartment, and then proceeded to give one of the most bizarre press conferences ever.

Starring Bill Skarsgård as Tony Kiritsis, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed tells the story of a suburban mom who thinks she’s witnessed a crime. The problem is no one else seems to agree. The bigger problem is she might be right.

Between awkward youth soccer sidelines, a messy custody battle, and the creeping realisation that her life has quietly fallen apart, she decides to do what any reasonable person would do: she starts investigating. On her own.

What follows is a spiral into blackmail, murder and a conspiracy that feels way too big for someone who is concerned about parent-teacher conferences.

Star City

Out of seemingly nowhere, Apple TV+ became the place to watch good sci-fi series. For All Mankind, the alt-history sci-fi series where the Soviet Union beats the US to the Moon in the 1960s and creates a butterfly effect that changes history, is wrapping up its fifth season on May 29, making way for the spin-off Star City.

The series, starring Rhys Ifans, focuses on how exactly the Soviet Union managed to become the first country to send a person to the Moon. The trailer gives off a strong Cold War vibe, complete with paranoid state officials, spies, secret photos and people disappearing into the night.