May 2024 is apparently all about returning TV heavy hitters, with the month boasting the comebacks of beloved shows like the Jean Smart-led Hacks, Shonda Rhimes’ popular period romance, and AMC’s sexy take on Anne Rice’s novels. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ drops two new thrillers, Benedict Cumberbatch leads an emotional drama, and Ncuti Gatwa properly begins his run as Doctor Who. Here is everything you need to get you excited about May TV.
Shardlake, a 16th-century whodunit based on C.J. Sansom’s Tudor-era novels, centers on a sheltered lawyer, Matthew Shardlake (Arthur Hughes), who’s sent to investigate a mysterious death in the small town of Scarnsea. Failure isn’t an option for Shardlake, who’s under pressure to solve the case quickly to help save the political career of Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean). Anthony Boyle, Paul Kaye, and Irfan Shamji co-star in the four-part drama. [Saloni Gajjar]
Jean Smart is gunning for another Emmy win with the return of Hacks. The nine episodes of season three take place a year after season two, with Smart’s Deborah at the peak of her stand-up career after her comedy special becomes a huge hit. Her former head writer, Ava (Hannah Einbinder), pursues different opportunities after being let go. (Hopefully, Hacks won’t keep the charming duo apart for too long.) The ensemble also includes Meg Stalter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Paul W. Downs, Kaitlin Olson, Poppy Liu, and Mark Indelicato. [Saloni Gajjar]
Based on Tom Wolfe’s novel, A Man In Full is David E. Kelley’s latest TV gift to us all. And it has one hell of a stacked lineup, with Jeff Daniels, Lucy Liu, Diane Lane, William Jackson Harper, and Sarah Jones all featured. In the six-episode series, Daniels plays Charlie Croker, a real-estate tycoon facing sudden bankruptcy who must defend his empire as his political and business interests collide. [Saloni Gajjar]
Inspired by the true story, The Tattooist Of Auschwitz chronicles Lale Sokolov (Jonah Hauer-King), a Jewish prisoner at the concentration camp in charge of tattooing ID numbers on his fellow inmates. There, he meets and falls in love with Gita (Anna Próchniak), and their relationship prospers despite being under constant guard. Sixty years later, an older Lale (played by Harvey Keitel), narrates his history to writer Heather Morris (Melanie Lynskey). The show notably boasts original music from Hans Zimmer, with Barbra Streisand performing a song he co-wrote for it. [Saloni Gajjar]
Two major questions are swirling around Netflix’s new event series John Mulaney: Everybody’s In L.A.: 1.) Do audiences want appointment TV on streaming, in the form of a live broadcast of famous comedians palling around in California? and 2.) How y’all feeling about John Mulaney these days? Both questions will be tested as Mulaney and some as-yet-unconfirmed comics “explore Los Angeles” in six live programs, all centered around the Netflix Is A Joke festival. Deliberately ephemeral and unclear in its aims, the show is going to live or die pretty much entirely on how much you trust Mulaney to carry off the premise—a question that’s a lot more complex in 2024 than it was when he launched a similarly oddball project like The Sack Lunch Bunch back in 2019. [William Hughes]
Apple TV+ loves nothing more than a niche, promising sci-fi drama. (See For All Mankind, Silo, Invasion, Foundation, See, and Constellation for proof.) Joining the lineup is Dark Matter from creator Blake Crouch, who adapts his 2016 novel for the small screen. Joel Edgerton stars as a physicist, Jason Dessen, with Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Daniella. When Jason’s reality warps into an alternate version of his life, he needs to return to normalcy before his loved ones are harmed. Alice Braga and Jimmi Simpson co-star in the show. [Saloni Gajjar]
Dark Irish comedies have been killing it over the last few years, what with Sharon Horgan’s very entertaining whodunit Bad Sisters and now Bodkin, a show starring the great Will Forte as a smiley American podcaster and Siobhán Cullen as a sour journalist. The odd-couple duo pair up to get to the bottom of murders that took place in a tiny coastal town, and this project marks the first scripted Netflix series for the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions. [Tim Lowery]
Ncuti Gatwa debuted as the Fifteenth Doctor in a special Doctor Who episode last year and now he gets to charmingly prove why he was the right choice to be the next lead of the beloved British sci-fi drama. The eight new episodes focus on the Time Lord’s adventures alongside his companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). The supporting cast includes Yasmin Finney, Golda Rosheuvel, Indira Varma, Siân Philipps, and Jinkx Monsoon. [Saloni Gajjar]
It’s hot vampire season again. Season one of AMC’s Interview With The Vampire was a revelation, so let’s hope this new batch continues the trajectory. Based on Anne Rice’s novels, the show centers on the toxic dynamic between Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid). The new episodes pick up in 1940, with Louis living in Paris with his love, Armand (Assad Zaman). Still, he can’t fully stop thinking about Lestat, who worms his way back into Louis’ life. Delainey Hayles, Eric Bogosian, Ben Daniels, John DiMaggio, Chris Stack, and Kalyne Coleman round out the cast. [Saloni Gajjar]
Members of the ton, it’s time to fall in love with “Polin,” a.k.a. Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), who take center stage in Bridgerton. Colin teaches Pen how to attract potential suitors for marriage but begins to develop feelings for her instead. The timing sucks because Pen has finally overcome her lifelong crush on Colin and is ready to move on...or is she? The third season also follows up with Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley), but don’t expect to see Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) or the Duke (Regé-Jean Page) this time around. Four episodes drop on May 16, while the other four arrive on June 13. [Saloni Gajjar]
André Holland leads the six-episode The Big Cigar as Huey P. Newton, the founder of the Black Panther Party. With the FBI hot on his tail, Huey uses the help of Hollywood producer Bert Schneider (Alessandro Nivola) to try and escape to Cuba. Their plan includes an elaborate fake movie production, only for things to get messed up in every possible way. The biographical thriller’s cast includes Tiffany Boone, P.J. Byrne, Glynn Turman, Noah Emmerich, Moses Ingram, Jaime Ray Newman, and Marc Menchaca. [Saloni Gajjar]
Robert and Michelle King’s weird, cool TV show is sadly ending—but not before delivering what’s sure to be a zany final season. In the series, psychologist Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), Catholic priest David Acosta (Mike Colter), and technical expert Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi) team up to determine if supernatural forces are behind the cases they solve. The new episodes follow up on Kristen’s missing egg/potential demon baby she keeps dreaming about. (Thanks for that nightmare, Leland [Michael Emerson]). [Saloni Gajjar]
After a controversial Saturday Night Live hosting gig earlier this year, comedian Shane Gillis makes the move from doing stand-up to leading his own TV show. He stars in and executive produces Tires as Shane, who begins working at his cousin Will’s (Steven Gerben) auto-repair shop. The series’ cast also includes Chris O’Connor, Kilah Fox, and Stavros Halkias. [Saloni Gajjar]
A three-year wait for We Are Lady Parts is brutal, but at least we’re finally getting our reward with season two just around the corner. Nida Manzoor’s audacious and heartfelt British comedy is back with six new episodes. The show centers on five Muslim women in a punk rock band navigating friendship, fame, and cultural clashes. Expect more hardcore original songs as well as a cameo from Malala Yousafzai. [Saloni Gajjar]
Abi Morgan, who co-wrote the masterful 2011 film Shame, created and penned this new ’80s-NYC-set miniseries, which follows a puppeteer, Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose son (Ivan Morris Howe) vanishes. Spurred on by his drug intake, Vincent eventually convinces himself that the show’s titular giant puppet is the key to getting his boy back. The cast also boasts Gaby Hoffmann and Clarke Peters. [Tim Lowery]
Acapulco season three (Apple TV+, May 1)
Welcome To Wrexham season three (FX, May 2)
Reginald The Vampire season two (SYSY, May 8)
The Chi season six (Showtime, May 12)
Outer Range season two (Prime Video, May 16)
Trying season four (Apple TV+, May 22)