The 10 Best TV Shows to Stream This Month (May 2026)

While streaming may beryllium the aboriginal of television, the mean itself—much similar its big-screen counterpart—often leans connected acquainted properties, prequels, and reboots to support things moving along. (Which explains wherefore Yellowstone has morphed into a full-on franchise, with 4 existent spinoffs and much connected the way.)

Why does this substance to you? Because May’s champion shows to watercourse are afloat of acquainted titles, from Battlestar Galactica to The Duffer Brothers’ newest project… which sounds a spot similar their astir celebrated project.

Here are our picks for the 10 champion shows to ticker this month.

Battlestar Galactica

More than a twelvemonth earlier Russell T. Davies rebooted Doctor Who for a full caller generation, Ronald D. Moore breathed caller beingness into Battlestar Galactica—Glen A. Larson’s highly anticipated, but yet short-lived, sci-fi amusement from 1978. The revived series, successful which what remains of humanity attempts to stave disconnected extinction astatine the hands of a contention of sentient AI beings known arsenic Cylons, has since go 1 of the astir critically acclaimed and influential sci-fi franchises of each time.

Now, aft a twelvemonth of being MIA, Paramount+ is bringing the full franchise—which was profoundly up of its clip with its exploration of AI, politics, identity, and what it means to beryllium human—to its streaming platform. In summation to the three-hour miniseries that served arsenic the de facto pilot, each 4 authoritative seasons of the series, starring Oscar nominees Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, positive Katee Sackhoff successful her breakout role, are present streaming. As are the Olmos-directed diagnostic film, The Plan, and the 2010 prequel series, Caprica. It’s each present for the bingeing.

Worst Ex Ever

Think your erstwhile spouse was the worst idiosyncratic that ever lived? Give Netflix’s existent transgression docuseries a watch, and past possibly reassess. Using a premix of modular talking caput interviews with authorities and survivors, positive animated recreations of the convulsive actions and crimes being described, the show—which dropped its 2nd play connected May 6—explores the galore ways romanticist relationships tin crook toxic, sometimes with fatal results.

At the aforesaid time, and without calling it retired specifically, each four-episode play highlights the ways successful which exertion has made it easier for perpetrators to terrorize their important others, from utilizing dating apps to people their would-be victims to utilizing societal media to way and harass them.

Rivals

Over-the-top wealth, toxic masculinity, ruthless ambition, and the particularities of the British people strategy are connected afloat show successful this soapy, 1980s-set British dramedy. Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell), a notorious womanizer and Conservative politician, finds himself regularly butting heads—both personally and professionally—with cutthroat tv enforcement Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant).

The 2 conflict it retired for power of the fashionable Corinium Television web astatine a clip erstwhile the (very real) autarkic tv roar was enveloping overmuch of America, England, and Western Europe. Their feud pulls friends, lovers, spouses, and colleagues into an progressively chaotic web of betrayals and powerfulness plays that turns the precocious crust of Margaret Thatcher’s England into a gloriously messy affair. Rivals, which is based connected the 2nd publication successful writer Jilly Cooper’s long-running Rutshire Chronicles series, conscionable returned for a 2nd play connected May 15.

The Punisher: One Last Kill

OK, truthful technically this is not a series. It’s a 50-minute standalone “special presentation” intended to service arsenic a span betwixt Disney+’s Daredevil: Born Again and Frank Castle’s upcoming quality successful July’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But we accidental it counts!

Jon Bernthal reprises his relation arsenic Castle, a US Marine-turned-vigilante known arsenic the Punisher, who is suffering the intelligence effects of years spent exacting revenge connected the gangsters who killed his woman and children. But erstwhile a bounty is placed connected his head, Castle finds himself dragged backmost into the transgression satellite helium truthful desperately wants to escape, but which besides gives him a purpose. For those who abide by canon, One Last Kill is officially portion of the MCU’s Phase Six, which kicked disconnected past twelvemonth with The Fantastic Four: First Steps and volition reason with 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

Tatiana Maslany won a well-deserved Emmy for playing con creator Sarah Manning—and her 16 clones, each 1 with its precise ain chiseled personality—in the cult-favorite Orphan Black. Now the one-time She-Hulk is bringing her chiseled endowment for balancing affectional vulnerability with manic unpredictability to Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed.

The caller Apple TV series, which volition driblet its archetypal 2 of 10 episodes connected May 20, features Maslany arsenic Paula, a suburban ma and caller divorcée who copes with her presumption by entering into an online narration with a camboy, Trevor (Brandon Flynn), lone to witnesser him beryllium violently assaulted during 1 of their video calls. As she attempts to play detective to uncover what happened, she’s pulled further into a unsafe integer satellite she doesn’t afloat understand—and that could endanger everything she holds dear. Of course, successful Maslany’s hands, adjacent the astir genuinely tense mysteries look to travel with a spot of absurdist humor, and fewer actors bash it better.

The Boroughs

Stranger Things whitethorn person officially travel to an extremity aft astir a decennary connected New Year’s Eve 2025, but The Duffer Brothers aren’t sitting connected their hands waiting for the adjacent large thought to onslaught them. In the past 5 months alone, they person had a originative manus successful the motorboat of 3 caller Netflix series: Stranger Things: Tales from '85, an animated spinoff that brings america much from the kids of Hawkins, Indiana; Haley Z. Boston’s terrifying ode to matrimony successful Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen; and the star-packed sci-fi drama-fantasy The Boroughs, which arrives connected May 21.

Like each things Duffer, circumstantial details astir the caller series, which features Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, and Bill Pullman, person been scant. What we bash cognize makes it dependable similar a septuagenarian Stranger Things, with its authoritative synopsis reading: “In a seemingly picturesque status community, a radical of improbable heroes indispensable set unneurotic to halt an otherworldly menace from stealing the 1 happening they don't person … time.”

Rick and Morty

For much than a twelve years, Dan Harmon has been putting the big successful “adult animation” with the Emmy-winning Rick and Morty. The bid follows the adventures of huffy scientist/raging alcoholic Rick Sanchez and his 14-year-old grandson Morty arsenic they question done a bid of caller and bizarre worlds with the usage of Rick’s portal gun, which fires wormholes astatine the interaction of a button. While it often functions arsenic a satire of bushed sci-fi tropes, the series’ clever writing, absurdist humor, and inventive storytelling besides assistance to crushed it successful the real-world issues that we each face, from dysfunctional household dynamics to existential dread. The show’s ninth play premieres connected May 24, with the creators successful aboriginal talks for a imaginable diagnostic film.

Spider-Noir

For arsenic agelong arsenic Nicolas Cage has been acting, Nicolas Cage has wanted to play Superman. And portion helium concisely got the accidental successful DC’s The Flash, helium has had amended luck with plum roles successful the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After voicing Spider-Man Noir, Peter Parker’s gritty, Depression-era superhero, successful Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the Oscar victor is present getting a standalone task for the character, which he’s taking to the streaming world.

In this 1930s-set, live-action Prime Video series, Cage reprises the relation of the superhero-turned-private investigator. And erstwhile a caller lawsuit is dropped into his lap, the aging PI is dragged backmost into the beingness helium near behind—whether helium wants to revisit that clip oregon not. Though it doesn’t officially driblet until May 27, the bid is already generating tons of affirmative buzz for Cage’s breathtaking performance.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Seven years aft Holly Jackson’s YA transgression bid made its work debut, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is inactive picking up caller fans acknowledgment to this BBC-commissioned adaptation. When plucky teen Pip Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers) decides to look into the details surrounding a tragic murder-suicide that has haunted her municipality for years arsenic portion of a schoolhouse project, she gets much than she bargained for.

She besides realizes she’s got a existent knack for this detective thing, particularly arsenic she begins to unravel the information astir what truly happened—and who has been complicit successful hiding the facts. With the assistance of her trusty smartphone, and the integer footprints the mates successful question near behind, Pip uncovers the information astir what truly happened. Pip is backmost for an all-new 2nd play connected May 27.

Star City

Two months aft the accomplishment of a caller play of For All Mankind, Ronald D. Moore’s mentation of what the satellite mightiness look similar had the Space Race Never ended, the Battlestar Galactica creator—plus cocreators Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert—have brought different portion of speculative sci-fi to abstraction fans. In the lawsuit of Star City, the Soviets bushed the US to the Moon, and instrumentality the bragging rights that spell with that. Thus, the bid is told from the position of the cosmonauts and the scientists who enactment with them, arsenic they enactment feverishly to bushed NASA’s champion efforts. Star City arrives connected May 29.