The 7 Best New Shows on Netflix in May 2024
It’s May, dear readers, which is historically a month flush with ambitious, exciting television. So let’s hop in the way-back machine and compare Netflix’s monthly new releases from five years ago to today. Then, there was a limited series that arrived with serious awards sway: Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us.” Now, there are two limited series that certainly carry Emmy aspirations – Benedict Cumberbatch in “Eric” and Jeff Daniels in “A Man in Full” — but the former has yet to generate much anticipatory buzz and the latter was already met with scathing reviews. But hey, it’s early. Maybe the limited series about a puppeteer who builds a puppet to find his lost son can match the 16 Emmy nominations (and two wins) of DuVernay’s powerful true story. (“A Man In Full”…. no, I can’t see it.)
So what else is on the docket? How about a genre-bending, curiosity-spiking comedy? In 2019, we got the first season of “Tuca & Bertie,” an animated sitcom from a first-time creator… that Netflix quickly canceled, yet was so beloved Adult Swim produced two more seasons anyway. In 2024, we’re getting “Bodkin,” a live-action drama with dashes of comedy from a first-time creator about a true-crime podcasting team’s Irish investigation. Topical? You bet. Curiosity spiking? Of course. So now we just need to wait and see what the future holds for our latest Netflix original.
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In terms of acquisitions, 2019 brought in FX’s “Pose” alongside a slew of CW shows, while 2024 ushers in FX’s “Archer” and another Benedict Cumberbatch series (“Patrick Melrose”), but the comparisons narrow from there. What’s left are contradictions. Five years ago, subscribers got a second season of Spike Lee’s sneaky great “She’s Gotta Have It” series, the third season of Joe Swanberg’s star-studded Chicago odyssey “Easy,” and the first season of “Dead To Me.” All these shows, in addition to “When They See Us” and “Tuca and Bertie,” were either awards heavyweights, critics’ favorites, or both. The closest we have today is “Bridgerton” Season 3, which won’t even be eligible for this year’s Emmys because Netflix is splitting the season into two releases (one before the eligibility deadline and one after). If that move doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about the world’s most dominant entertainment service, I don’t know what does.
Pointing out that Netflix has cut down on prestige TV in favor of “gourmet cheeseburgers” isn’t exactly news, but it’s important to remember what you’re paying for: Every month, dear reader, you decide who gets your entertainment dollars, and that means every month, you should be aware of what your money is buying. As you can see below, there are several intriguing offerings among Netflix’s May 2024 TV lineup. Are they enough? Are they what you want to watch? That’s up to you. Just don’t take for granted that yesterday’s favorites guarantee more of the same tomorrow.
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