Here's what's worth streaming in May 2025 on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Disney+ and more

Here’s what’s worth streaming in May 2025 on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Disney+ and more

written by TheFeedWired

May 7, 2025

By Mike Murphy Get ready for new seasons of 'Poker Face' and 'And Just Like That…' and the debuts of 'Murderbot' and 'The Four Seasons' The price of everything seems to be going up, but that doesn't mean you need to splurge when streaming this May. After years of dealing with stubborn inflation, consumers are likely to soon start feeling a further pinch from tariffs as they take effect. But the streaming industry appears to be relatively recession-proof, as experts predict people will – at least at first – cut back on dining out and making big purchases, while keeping streaming services on hand for a cheaper night in.

While a lot of this spring's prestige shows are winding down ("The Last of Us," "Hacks" and "Andor" will all wrap up their seasons in the coming weeks), there's still an intriguing batch of upcoming premieres, including a new season of Peacock's "Poker Face," Netflix's adaptation of "The Four Seasons" and the debut of Apple's sci-fi comedy "Murderbot." And with a bit of strategic churning – that is, adding and dropping services month to month – it's actually possible to watch the best of the best while keeping your monthly streaming budget under $50. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month.

Also read: The future of streaming television is starting to look an awful lot like cable TV Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget – rating the major services as "play," "pause" or "stop," similar to investment analysts' traditional ratings of buy, hold and sell – and picks the best shows to help you make your monthly decisions. Here's a look at what's coming to the various streaming services in May 2025, and what's really worth the monthly subscription fee: Max ($9.99 a month with ads, $16.99 with no ads, or $20.99 'Ultimate' with no ads) Max has been our top streaming choice for a few months in a row, and it's only bolstering its case in May. The mesmerizing surfing docuseries "100 Foot Wave" (May 1) is back for its third season, following big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara and his cohorts as they expand their adventures to Morocco, O'ahu and Cortes Bank, 100 miles off the mainland.

Featuring stunning cinematography and inspirational (though at times insane) personal journeys, it's an Emmy winner for good reason. There's also the second installment of the comedy travelogue "Conan O'Brien Must Go" (May 8), as the late-night veteran visits Spain, New Zealand and Austria; "Duster" (May 15), a 1970s-set crime drama from J.J. Abrams, reunited with "Lost" co-star Josh Holloway as a getaway driver caught between a Southwest crime syndicate and the FBI; and Season 3 of the "Sex and the City" sequel "And Just Like That…" (May 29), with Rosie O'Donnell, Cheri Oteri and Patti LuPone joining the cast to hang out with Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis). There's also "Mountainhead" (May 31), a satire movie from "Succession" creator Jesse Armstrong about a group of tech billionaires (Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef) on a snowy, mountain retreat as the world burns; the two-part documentary "Pee-Wee as Himself" (May 23), featuring a soul-baring interview with the late Paul Reubens; and movies like the indie comedy "Adult Best Friends" (May 2) and Oscar-winner "The Brutalist" (May 16).

Don't forget new episodes every week of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"; the series finale of the televangelist comedy "The Righteous Gemstones" (May 4); the jaw-dropping post-apocalyptic thriller "The Last of Us" (season finale May 25); Nathan Fielder's surreal "The Rehearsal" (season finale May 25); and the Emmy-winning comedy "Hacks" (season finale May 29). Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) Max also has the NBA playoffs (May 1-31), the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs (May 10-30), MLB games every Tuesday, NASCAR races on Sundays, French Open tennis (May 19-31) and U.S. men's soccer vs. China (May 31).

Programming note: While Season 8 of "Rick and Morty" premieres on Adult Swim on May 15, the cult-favorite animated show won't hit Max until Sept. 1. Speaking of Adult Swim, the animated conspiracy thriller "Common Side Effects" has been renewed for a second season. Season 1 is on Max and well worth a watch.

Play, pause or stop? Play. Once again, you could just get Max as your only streamer this month and be perfectly happy.

Remember, it also has a ton of comfort-food shows from HGTV, Food Network and Discovery. Apple TV+ ($9.99 a month) Apple (AAPL) is the place for highbrow sci-fi, and looks to pad its credentials with "Murderbot" (May 16), a thriller/comedy series starring Alexander Skarsgård as a combat robot that gains self-awareness and free will, but has to hide it from humans as it carries out dangerous missions while wishing it could just binge-watch TV (relatable). It's an adaptation of Martha Wells' bestselling book series, and looks like a ton of fun.

Director Guy Ritchie has a new movie, "Fountain of Youth" (May 23), starring John Krasinski and Natalie Portman as bantering, globe-trotting sibling adventurers seeking the mythical Fountain of Youth. It doesn't look great, and appears destined to be the latest Apple movie to vanish from pop-culture consciousness after about a week, if that. There's also "Long Way Home" (May 9), the fourth docuseries about the motorcycle adventures of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, who this time are navigating their way through 17 European countries; "Deaf President Now!"

(May 16), a documentary about deaf civil-rights protests at Gallaudet University in 1988; and "Bono: Stories of Surrender" (May 30), a documentary "reimagining" of the U2 frontman's one-man stage show. There are also weekly episodes of "The Studio" (season finale May 21), which, surprisingly enough, may be the funniest show of the year; the surreal but uneven comedy "Government Cheese" (season finale May 28); and "Your Friends & Neighbors" (season finale May 30), which at times feels like an extended commercial for luxury brands, yet is breezy and charming and Jon Hamm-ey enough that you may not care how much it fetishizes the wealthy excesses it's supposed to be satirizing. Despite its flaws, the show succeeds almost solely on vibes and charisma.

Play, pause or stop? Play. "Murderbot" looks good, "Your Friends & Neighbors" is good enough and "The Studio" is fantastic.

It's a solid $10 investment. Disney+ ($9.99 a month with ads, $15.99 with no ads) Disney (DIS) will celebrate Star Wars Day (aka May the Fourth) with "Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld" (May 4), an animated miniseries featuring gunslinging outlaw Cad Bane and assassin/bounty hunter Asajj Ventress. That's in addition to new episodes of the gritty resistance drama "Andor" (series finale May 13), which has earned its place as one of the best pieces of "Star Wars" lore ever made.

There's also NatGeo's new food-and-travel series "Tucci in Italy" (May 19), which is basically a continuation of Stanley Tucci's canceled CNN docuseries "Searching for Italy"; the 2023 animated movie "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" (May 1); and new episodes of "Doctor Who" (season finale May 31). Also look for various shows from Hulu and ESPN+, including the 1880s London boxing drama "A Thousand Blows," classic shows like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "King of the Hill" and "White Collar," and sports-talk mainstay "Pardon the Interruption." Play, pause or stop?

Play. "Andor" alone is worth a subscription, and you won't need to be a "Star Wars" or Marvel nerd to appreciate the visually lush, drool-inducing "Tucci in Italy." Peacock ($7.99 a month with ads, or $13.99 with no ads) After a two-year layoff, Rian Johnson's delightful mystery-of-the-week series "Poker Face" (May 8) is back for its second season.

Natasha Lyonne returns as Charlie, a human lie detector on the run from the mob, who gets into weekly adventures with a sprawling cast of guest stars, including Awkwafina, John Mulaney, Katie Holmes, Cynthia Erivo, Giancarlo Esposito, Margo Martindale, Justin Theroux, Melanie Lynskey, Rhea Perlman and many more. The show is a blast – pure, simple, escapist fun in the vein of '70s mysteries like "Columbo," and it's (almost) worth a Peacock subscription all by itself. Peacock also has the streaming premieres of Steven Soderbergh's spy thriller "Black Bag" (May 2) and the Ke Huy Kwan action movie "Love Hurts" (May 9), along with the annual Eurovision Song Contest (May 13-17) and four new series under its Emerging Artists Series banner, from social-video creators: Charlie Curtis-Beard's "The Warehouse Phase," Serena Kerrigan's "Older Hotter Wiser," Katie Florence's "The Kouncil" and Daren Vongirdner's "People Like Me" (all May 19).

There'll also be new episodes of NBC and cable shows like "Below Deck Down Under," "Law & Order," "Night Court," "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," "Saturday Night Live" and "Top Chef." Sports-wise, Peacock has the Kentucky Derby (May 3) and the Preakness (May 17), the final few weeks of English Premier League soccer, golf and motorsports. Programming note: Hallmark Channel shows and movies will be leaving Peacock on May 1, as their three-year content-sharing agreement expires.

Hallmark originals, like "When Calls the Heart," "The Way Home" and a slew of holiday movies, got exposed to a much bigger audience on Peacock, but the company is now trying to push its own Hallmark+ streaming service. Play, pause or stop? Pause and think it over.

"Poker Face" really is that good, and "Top Chef" is still top-notch. Add "Black Bag" for less than the price of a movie ticket, and suddenly Peacock looks pretty appealing. Keep in mind you can probably get Peacock for free if you get Comcast (CMCSA) cable or internet.