What to Watch in May: 23 Notable TV Shows & Streaming Movies

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – April 28, 2022

The month ahead will bring the returns of Stranger Things and Hacks, the latest Star Wars and Star Trek series, Danny Boyle's dramatization of the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols, an adaptation of another Sally Rooney novel from the team behind Normal People, a fictionalized remake of one of TV's best true-crime docuseries, and more. In the gallery on this page, our editors have selected the most interesting TV and movie titles debuting at home in the next month, listed in order by premiere date.

11 of 24 photo by HBO Max

88 Hacks: Season 2

Debuts May 12 on HBO Max

One of the most heralded new shows of 2021, Hacks was nominated for 13 Emmys (winning three) in addition to receiving raves from critics. Now the dark comedy returns for a second season with two new episodes streaming each Thursday through June 2. Emmy winner Jean Smart returns as Deborah Vance, an aging Joan Rivers-type comedian who attempts to revive her stalled career by leaving Las Vegas and traveling across the country to workshop her new stand-up act with the help of her writer/mentee Ava (Hannah Einbinder). Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Jane Adams, Kaitlin Olson, Paul W. Downs, and Poppy Liu are among the other returning faces from season one, while newcomers include Laurie Metcalf (playing Vance's new tour manager), Susie Essman, Ming-Na Wen, Martha Kelly, Devon Sawa, and Margaret Cho. And the season will still spend enough time in Las Vegas to allow for a guest appearance by Wayne Newton.

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