May has delivered its fair share of must-watch releases. A gripping British undercover thriller has quickly established itself as one of the year’s standout series; The Handmaid’s Tale sequel offers a compelling new chapter in Gilead; Rivals returns with even more gloriously excessive 1980s chaos; and Stanley Tucci is once again eating his way through Italy, which is frankly all the recommendation anyone should need. Here’s what’s worth streaming right now.
Legends
When & Where to Watch: Netflix
Starring: Tom Burke, Steve Coogan, Hayley Squires, Aml Ameen
Based on the remarkable true story of a group of ordinary British Customs employees who were sent undercover in the early 1990s to infiltrate the country’s most dangerous drug gangs, with no training and no safety net. Created by Neil Forsyth (The Gold), the performances are superb, the pacing is immaculate, and it’s the most compulsively watchable British crime drama in years. Coogan, playing against type, is outstanding. Six episodes, all available now, clear the evenings.
Half Man
When & Where to Watch: Neon
Starring: Jamie Bell, Richard Gadd, Neve McIntosh, Charlie de Melo
Richard Gadd’s follow-up to Baby Reindeer is a six-part limited series about two stepbrothers — one fierce and loyal, the other meek and mild — whose relationship spans thirty years of violence, love and damage. When Ruben (Gadd) turns up at Niall’s (Jamie Bell) wedding, an explosion of violence catapults us back through their shared past. Unrelenting, psychologically charged, and brilliantly acted — particularly by Bell, who is extraordinary — it’s the kind of television that stays with you for days. Not easy viewing, but essential.
Off Campus
When & Where to Watch: Prime Video
Starring: Ella Bright, Belmont Cameli, Mika Abdalla, Josh Heuston
Based on Elle Kennedy’s bestselling book series, this college romance follows a hockey-hating music major and Briar University’s star athlete as a fake relationship becomes something rather more real. Already renewed for a second season before the first even dropped, it’s smarter, spicier and more emotionally satisfying than it has any right to be. If you liked Heated Rivalry, this is your next obsession.
The Testaments
When & Where to Watch: Disney+
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri & Ebon Moss-Bachrach
The sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, based on Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel, shifts the story to a new generation of women growing up inside Gilead. Ann Dowd returns as Aunt Lydia — now running an elite school for commanders’ daughters — while newcomers Chase Infiniti and Lucy Halliday carry the series with real conviction. The tone is more hopeful and visually vibrant than its predecessor, but no less sharp. You don’t need to have seen every episode of The Handmaid’s Tale to appreciate this — but it helps.
Widow’s Bay
When & Where to Watch: Apple TV
Starring: Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, Dale Dickey
A horror comedy from Katie Dippold (Ghostbusters, The Heat) that has been one of the best-reviewed new series of the year — and earned every bit of it. Matthew Rhys plays the hapless mayor of a cursed New England island town who, against all local advice, tries to attract tourists. Things go exactly as badly as the superstitious locals predicted. Directed in part by Hiro Murai (Atlanta), it’s beautifully made, genuinely funny, and just creepy enough to keep you up. Think Jaws meets Parks and Recreation.
Nemesis
When & Where to Watch: Netflix
Starring: Matthew Law, Y’lan Noel, Cleopatra Coleman, Gabrielle Dennis
From Courtney A. Kemp, the creator of the Power universe, comes a Los Angeles crime thriller about a relentless LAPD detective and a master thief locked in a cat-and-mouse game of escalating stakes. Comparisons to Heat are inevitable — and not entirely unearned. The two leads are magnetic, the action set-pieces are slick, and at eight episodes, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. A satisfying binge for anyone who misses a properly ambitious crime drama
Tucci in Italy: Season 2
When & Where to Watch: Disney+
Starring: Stanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci returns to Italy to eat, cook and talk to the people who make the food — and once again it is completely wonderful. This season visits Naples and Campania, Sicily, Le Marche, Sardinia and Veneto, exploring how each region’s history ends up on the plate. Unhurried, beautifully shot and utterly charming, it’s the kind of television that makes you book a flight. All five episodes are available now — perfect weekend viewing with a glass of something Italian.
Rivals: Season 2
When & Where to Watch: Disney+
Starring: David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, Nafessa Williams
The gloriously scandalous Jilly Cooper adaptation is back — bigger, bolder, and with even more shoulder pads. Season two picks up immediately after that bloody cliffhanger, with Tony Baddingham (David Tennant, deliciously villainous) hell-bent on destroying Venturer Television, the rival network founded by Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner). Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett join the cast this season. Twelve episodes across two batches, the first six airing now. Utterly addictive.
Unconditional
When & Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Starring: Liraz Chamami, Talia Lynne Ronn, Amir Haddad, Evgenia Dodina
An Israeli thriller with an international scope. When 23-year-old Gali is arrested for drug smuggling in Moscow during a mother-daughter holiday, her mother Orna refuses to accept the charges — and her fight for Gali’s freedom pulls her into a deadly web of crime and corruption that stretches from Moscow to India. Shot across Israel, Georgia and India, it’s tense, tightly plotted and propelled by a fierce central performance from Liraz Chamami. For fans of Tehran and False Flag.
