May 3
May Streaming? Say Less
Andrea Marks Joseph READ TIME: 10 MIN.
As the sun shines brighter and summer approaches, May brings more reason than ever to be tuned in to what's on our streaming screens.
Lesbian lure and toxic age-gap obsession dark comedy "Sirens" sees Meghann Fahy as an out-of-place older sister on a downward spiral trying to save her little sister (Milly Alcock) from a billionaire philanthropist played by Julianne Moore in Prime Video's queer college-set comedy (with new Charli xcx music and celeb cameos for days!).
"Overcompensating" was created by comedian Benito Skinner, a.k.a. Benny Drama, playing a fictional version of himself who is desperately overcompensating to hide his queerness. And Tina Fey's remake of rom-com classic "The Four Seasons" is made modern and queer, with Colman Domingo playing a husband to his good friend, Marco Calvani, as a couple in a happily open marriage.
This month's literary adaptations include a live-action reimagining of Japanese manga "Kakegurui," set at a private school ruled by gambling hierarchy and author Martha Wells' genderless security system "Murderbot," which secretly hacked itself and is trying to understand its place in the world by watching soap operas. We've got a stylish and stacked cast (including three Cynthia Erivos!) as Natasha Lyonne murder mystery "Poker Face" returns for Season 2. Also in May: Che Diaz is gone and Carrie's voiceover is back on Season 3 of "And Just Like That..."
The range of questionable, unlikable characters is vast and varied this month: Nicole Kidman and her new wig invite nine new people to the Austrian Alps for a wellness retreat that will ruin their lives; four billionaires get together to go skiing and laugh at the struggles of regular people in the new movie from "Succession" creator Jesse Armstrong; and an ensemble cast of "codependent housemates" fumble their way through their twenties in Hulu series "Adults." Happy Streaming!
"The Four Seasons" Season 1
We can't wait to get into Tina Fey's chaotic, heartfelt modern reimagination of Alan Alda's 1981 big-screen romantic comedy of the same name. The show focuses on the ups and downs of married life by following the longtime friendship of three couples, across spring, summer, fall, and winter. Their decades-long friendship (and their commitment to quarterly getaways) is tested when one couple divorces. Danny (Colman Domingo) and Claude (Marco Calvani, out actor, Italian playwright, writer-director of gay romance "High Tide," and good friend of Domingo, whose real-life husband recommended Calvani audition to play Domingo's fictional partner) are the show's queer couple. Domingo said he "felt ready for some comedy, to have fun and wear sweaters and talk about sweet things and hard things about relationships." Per Netflix, "Danny and Claude are in an open relationship – and even scroll through hookup apps together – the non-monogamy is the least of their issues as a couple." Fey said they "We wanted to explore that dynamic: An open relationship which is not the source of their marital strengths or weaknesses." Colman Domingo directs episode six!
"The Four Seasons" Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
"Poker Face" Season 2
While every "Poker Face" episode is a wild, stylish ride of mystery and surprising cameos, we've got the statement from this season's teasers to build anticipation: "Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) is back on the run, and in Season 2 we've taken her journey to the next level, one murder mystery at a time. From minor league baseball to big box retail, from funeral homes to alligator farms and even a grade school talent show, Charlie navigates her crime solving existential road-trip with deadpan wit, human empathy, and her signature uncanny lie-detecting ability." Queer actors Cynthia Erivo (in triplicate!) and Alia Shawkat join the cast this season. Guest stars for this run include queer comedians Sherry Cola and Patti Harrison, "Yellowjackets" actor Melanie Lynskey, Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, and "The Afterparty" star Sam Richardson.
"Poker Face" Season 2 premieres May 8 on Peacock.
"Ru Paul's Drag Race: All Stars" Season 10
With a game-changing format shift, and the largest group of contestants in the franchise's history, this season of "Drag Race: All Stars" will have twelve episodes of magnificent, messy, major competition. The 18 competing queens include Ginger Minj, Irene the Alien, Kerri Colby, Olivia Lux, and Tina Burner. They will be divided into three groups of six for the first three episodes. At the end of each bracket, the top 3 queens will advance to the semi-finals, where they'll go head to head with the top queens from the other groups in another round of fierce competition. "The tournament will then culminate in an epic Lip Sync Smackdown for the Crown grand finale episode, where the finalists will battle it out for a grand prize of $200,000 and a place in the coveted Drag Race Hall of Fame."
"Ru Paul's Drag Race: All Stars" Season 10 premieres May 9 on Paramount+.
"Overcompensating" Season 1
Created by and starring comedian Benito Skinner (a.k.a. Benny Drama), "Overcompensating" is a college-set ensemble comedy about "the chaotic journey of a closeted former football player and homecoming king, an outsider on a mission to fit in at all costs." Benny (Skinner) is navigating college while living his coming-of-age story and desperately trying to hide the queerness of it all. "The White Lotus" actor Adam DiMarco plays an obnoxious "campus legend" who is dating Benny's sister and takes Benny under his wing, while Benny builds a genuine friendship with Carmen (Wally Barum), who supports him as they hilariously "juggle horrible hookups, flavored vodka, and fake IDs. Deeply funny and personal, the show explores the lengths to which we all overcompensate while on the path to finding out who we really are." There are tons of queer comedians and rising star actors you'll recognize on this show, just as many queer celeb cameos (Megan Fox, Lukas Gage, Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, and many more!), and original Charli xcx music alongside a cameo from her.
"Overcompensating" Season 1 premieres May 15 on Prime Video.
"Bet" Season 1
Developed, written and directed by Simon Barry (who made sapphic action series "Warrior Nun"), this revenge thriller is based on the Japanese manga "Kakegurui" and set at an elite boarding school where the power structure revolves around each students' gambling skills. This hierarchy is overturned with the arrival of Yumeko, a mysterious transfer student with a brutal revenge plan and highly-trained gambling skills. Threatening the school's status quo puts her in danger, but she looks like she can more than hold her own. Actors Ryan Sutherland and Rami Khan are queer, and several of their castmates have played queer characters before, so we're quite certain that some gay drama will be thrown into the mix of all that's going on at this school!
"Bet" Season 1 premieres May 15 on Netflix.
"Murderbot" Season 1
This show is based on Martha Wells' bestselling book series "The Murderbot Diaries," which fans love for its genderless lead and super-queer cast. Though we're unsure if AppleTV+ has stayed true to its queer roots, this will be a fun watch. "Murderbot" is a sci-fi comedy and thriller about a self-hacking security robot "construct" who has secretly hacked its system, and is brought along on an important mission due to budget constraints. Alexander Skarsgård is Murderbot, and queer comedian Sabrina Wu plays Pin-Lee, a scientist and legal counsel to the team. The titular entity, Murderbot, "must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe." However queer this show gets, it's feeling like relatable content.
"Murderbot" Season 1 premieres May 16 on AppleTV+.
"Deaf President Now!"
Out actor, Deaf man, and breathtakingly gorgeous model Nyle DiMarco's directorial feature debut is a powerful documentary that's close to his heart. "Deaf President Now!" tells the story of eight days of historic protests held at Gallaudet University in 1988, which began in response to the school's board of trustees appointing a hearing president over several very qualified Deaf candidates. "After a week of rallies, boycotts and protests, the students of Gallaudet University triumph as the hearing president resigns and beloved dean Dr. I. King Jordan becomes the university's first Deaf president. The protests marked a pivotal moment in civil rights history, with an impact that extended well beyond the Gallaudet campus, and paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)." "Deaf President Now!" features exclusive interviews with the five key figures of the movement: Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Tim Rarus and Greg Hlibok, known as Gallaudet Four, and Dr. I. King Jordan. The documentary incorporates "an experimental narrative approach" called Deaf Point of View, which uses intricate sound design to "thrust the audience into the Deaf experience."
"Deaf President Now!" premieres May 16 on AppleTV+.
"Nine Perfect Strangers" Season 2
A new Nicole Kidman wig has entered the villa! And a whole new cast joins the show as unsuspecting victims of Kidman's character, unhinged guru Masha Dmitrichenko, and her outrageous methods to "achieve healing." The official logline tells us that the nine strangers who were mysteriously invited to join a "transformational" wellness retreat in the Austrian Alps are "connected in ways they could never imagine." These strangers include a queer couple played by queer actors Maisie Richardson-Sellers and King Princess, as well as out actor Murray Bartlett ("The White Lotus"), Christine Baranski, Henry Golding, and Annie Murphy ("Schitt's Creek.") "Over the course of a week," the logline continues, "she takes them to the brink. Will they make it? Will she? Masha is willing to try anything in the interest of healing everyone involved, including herself." We cannot even imagine where this show is gonna take us but, unlike her guests, we are ready and willing to go along for the ride.
"Nine Perfect Strangers" Season 2 premieres May 21 on Hulu.
"Sirens" Season 1 on Netflix
The "toxic age-gap yuri" cult energy is strong in this show! There are lesbians online knocking at Netflix's door waiting for the episodes to drop and deliver more delicious scenes like the moment Julianne Moore's character, billionaire Michaela, tells her besotted personal assistant, Simone (Milly Alcock, "House of the Dragon") to take her gum, which she does, right before putting it directly into her own mouth, to which Moore smiles, satisfied. The entire premise of "Sirens" – which takes place over one "explosive" weekend at Michaela's lavish beach estate – seems to be that Devon (Meghann Fahy, "The White Lotus") finds her sister (Alcock) in this perplexing, comedic-but-disturbing-if-it-was-your-sister luxurious lesbian situation and tries to 'snap her out of it,' which may not even be possible because, as we all know from both real life and fiction over the past few decades, you don't just 'get over' Julianne Moore. We, too, would be so transfixed by her that we'd do anything she said and give our all to impress her even marginally. Michaela, a philanthropist and animal activist, is described as the woman who "reigns supreme on the island and in Simone's heart." "Sirens" creator Molly Smith Metzler ("Maid") says the series comes with "a Greek mythology vibe," and an "incisive, sexy, and darkly funny exploration of women, power and class." As a bonus: "The Other Two" favorite Josh Segarra has a recurring role in the series as Devon's longtime, on-and-off toxic boyfriend.
"Sirens" Season 1 premieres May 22 on Netflix.
"Fear Street: Prom Queen"
In a new, horrifying installment of the beloved, blood-soaked, and blessedly queer "Fear Street" franchise, Netflix brings us into prom season for Shadyside High's class of '88. The school's It Girls fight viciously to win prom queen votes, (the killer ensemble cast includes "Barbie" actor Ariana Greenblatt, queer actor Suzanna Son; and "Paper Girls" actor Fina Strazza) but they'll be running and fighting for their lives on prom night – when, one by one, teenagers in the running for prom queen disappear from the dance, and "all hell breaks loose" when a night of dressing up and dancing to '80s hits turns into one filled with deadly screams.
"Fear Street: Prom Night" premieres May 23 on Netflix.
"And Just Like That..." Season 3
Season 3 of the scandalous spinoff series begins its post-Che era, and brings us back home to an era of episodes soundtracked by Carrie Bradshaw's voiceovers. This season is all about newness, Executive producer Michael Patrick King told Entertainment Weekly: Fresh starts, new apartments, "new obstacles for old loves," new characters (out actor Rosie O'Donnell; and Patti LuPone's character will have a significant story arc), and, of course, new tempting, swoony love affairs. Season 3 sees Carrie pivot to writing fiction, tapping into the popularity of the "romantasy" genre with a novel whose working title may or may not be "Sex and the Cauldron." Sebastiano Pigazzi, who plays Giuseppe, Anthony's (out actor Mario Cantone) boyfriend was promoted to a series regular for Season 3, so we're looking forward to seeing more of them. Dolly Wells is also a series regular this season, playing BBC producer Joy, Miranda's (out actor Cynthia Nixon) love interest, so we expect more fun adventures from their relationship, too. With all this and the fabulous, colorful outfits everyone's wearing in the trailer, there's lots to look forward to!
"And Just Like That..." Season 3 premieres May 29 on Max.
"Adults" Season 1
We've been due a fresh, fun ensemble show about the chaos and comedy of surviving your twenties. "Adults" follows a group of codependent housemates navigating adulthood and "doing their best to become people," while being deeply flawed and underprepared. Per the official logline, they'll be "sharing meals, anxiety, and, from time to time, toothbrushes. The series puts a spotlight on the highs and lows of starting out in the adult world, whether these characters are trying to get ahead at work, navigating the healthcare system, hosting a dinner party, or dating in the age of Find My Friends." We're beyond thrilled to see out actor Owen Thiele ("Theater Camp") playing one of the leads. Queer icon Julia Fox and queer comedian Grace Kuhlenschmidt guest star.
"Adults" Season 1 premieres May 29 on Hulu.
"Mountainhead"
Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef, and queer actor Cory Michael Smith play four despicable billionaire friends in "Succession" creator Jesse Armstrong's new movie. They get together "against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis," which they occasionally check in on through news updates – between going skiing, contemplating whether to accept a call from the president, and casually eating extravagant food. Honestly, we don't know how much appetite we have for more unlikable billionaires on our screens while we regular people struggle through something close to what is depicted on their fictional news channels, but Armstrong somehow made us care about the Roy family as if they were our own, so we'll be checking "Mountainhead" out in their honor.
"Mountainhead" premieres May 31 on Max.
