Every month, Netflix adds movies and TV shows to its library. Here are our picks for some of May’s most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.)
‘Lord of the Flies’
Starts streaming: May 4
William Golding’s classic 1954 novel gets the mini-series treatment from the screenwriter Jack Thorne and a cast of uncommonly gifted child actors. Thorne recently won an Emmy for co-writing “Adolescence,” a TV drama that explores similar themes of toxic masculinity among young boys. His “Lord of the Flies” mostly holds close to Golding’s text, telling the story of a group of British children — ranging in age from grade school to preteen — who survive a plane crash on a remote island. While waiting to be rescued, they try to stay disciplined and organized. They quickly fall victim to the common social dynamics of their age group, including a grudging deference to anyone who is strong, handsome, privileged or cruel.
‘Legends’ Season 1
Starts streaming: May 7
Based on a true story, this British crime series is set in the early 1990s, at a time when the Margaret Thatcher administration touted its war on drugs, aimed at the heroin trade. Steve Coogan plays Don, who recruits a group of bored, underutilized customs officers to go undercover, hoping the new agents’ ordinariness will make it easier for them to earn the dope dealers’ trust. Tom Burke plays Guy, who draws the toughest assignment, having to convince a Turkish kingpin that he is an experienced importer-exporter. “Legends” is a story about the sometimes intoxicating danger of undercover work, where quick thinking and keen observation can mean the difference between busting a criminal or ending up dead in an alley.
‘Marty, Life Is Short’
Starts streaming: May 12
The Canadian comedian Martin Short has had a life marked by tragedy. His father, mother and oldest brother all died before Short turned 20; and his wife of 30 years died of ovarian cancer in 2010. Lawrence Kasdan’s documentary “Marty, Life Is Short” covers all of that (the death in February of Short’s daughter, Katherine, is not included), but its story is more about how this man finds and spreads joy. Filled with clips from Short’s long career — from his early days on Canadian television to his breakout success on “Saturday Night Live” and beyond — Kasdan’s film is an appreciation of its subject’s upbeat energy and outsized performing style. Short’s friends (including Steve Martin, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Tom Hanks and the late Catherine O’Hara) talk about what it’s like to be around him, and how his everyday zest has carried him through some of the toughest times imaginable.
‘Nemesis’ Season 1
Starts streaming: May 14
Courtney A. Kemp, the creator of Starz’s long-running “Power” franchise, is a co-creator of this “Heat”-like crime series, about an Los Angeles police detective obsessed with tracking down the elusive leader of a high-end heist crew. Matthew Law plays the cop, Detective Isiah Stiles, who jeopardizes his career and his marriage to chase a case his superiors think is too messy. Y’lan Noel plays Coltrane Wilder, a master criminal who plans his jobs meticulously to maximize profits and minimize exposure. As was the case with “Power,” “Nemesis” isn’t just about the criminal underworld. It’s also about how people who make a living from violence balance their work and their families — and how their loved ones pressure them to leave that life behind.
‘The Boroughs’ Season 1
Starts streaming: May 21
In this science fiction series, Alfred Molina plays Sam, a recent widow who has just moved — reluctantly — to a high end retirement community in the desert. There he finds a group of friendly, eccentric neighbors (played by Geena Davis, Bill Pullman and Alfre Woodard, among others) and a possible conspiracy, involving missing residents and shadowy monsters. Executive produced by the “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer, “The Boroughs” concerns a group of people who feel isolated and underestimated, put out to pasture prematurely by their families and society. When they discover the wonders and the terrors of their neighborhood, they get a chance to prove that they are still relevant.
Also arriving:
May 1 “The Breakfast Club” “Burn After Reading” “La Brea” Seasons 1-3 “My Dearest Señorita” “Schindler’s List” “Son-in-Law” “Starship Troopers” “Swapped” “Under the Skin”
May 4 “Dr. Seuss’s Horton!” Season 2
May 6 “Worst Ex Ever” Season 2
May 7 “The Chestnut Man” Season 2 “My Dearest Assassin” “USA 94: Brazil’s Return to Glory”
May 8 “My Royal Nemesis” “Remarkably Bright Creatures” “Thank You, Next” Season 3
May 11 “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” Season 2
May 12 “Devil May Cry” Season 2 “Untold UK: Jamie Vardy”
May 13 “The Bus: A French Football Mutiny” “Perfect Match” Season 4 “Roosters” Season 2
May 14 “Soul Mate” Season 1
May 15 “Berlin and the Lady With an Ermine” Season 1 “The Crash” “The WONDERfools” Season 1
May 16 “Black Phone 2”
May 18 “Nope”
May 19 “Untold UK: Liverpool’s Miracle of Istanbul” “Wanda Sykes: Legacy”
May 20 “Carizzma” Season 1
May 21 “James”
May 22 “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” “Ladies First” “Mating Season” Season 1
May 26 “Untold UK: Vinnie Jones”
May 27 “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” Season 2
May 28 “The Four Seasons” Season 2 “Murder Mindfully” Season 2
May 29 “Brazil ’70: The Third Star” “Calabasas Confidential” Season 1 “Rafa”
May 31 “The 51st A.F.I. Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy”
The post The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix in May appeared first on New York Times.
