With another month comes another thirty-something days to pass the time as we navigate our new normal as a result of COVID-19. But in between dreaded Zoom conference calls and daily FaceTime check-ins to make sure at-risk members of our families haven’t ventured out of their homes unnecessarily, everyone’s asking: What should I watch next? Well, we’re glad you asked.
This month is shaping up to be a great one for our Strong Black Leads and we’ve put together the only viewing guide you need. From series premieres and season finales to movie releases you can stream, here’s what you should be watching throughout May.
01
May 1: Hollywood (Netflix)
Laura Harrier (BlacKkKlansman) and Jeremy Pope (Broadway’s Ain’t Too Proud and Choir Boy) are part of the main cast of Ryan Murphy’s latest Netflix project, a purposeful rewriting of the Golden Age of Hollywood. An actress who wants to play more than maids and an aspiring screenwriter who happens to be gay, respectively, the pair’s characters help the limited series answer the question of what the industry might look like today if those traditionally on its margins were in charge.
02
May 1: Upload (Amazon Prime)
Singer Andy Allo takes center stage in this Amazon Prime sci-fi series about the digital afterlife, where people can upload themselves into their desired eternal resting place. She plays a living woman who is also the handler of a newly-deceased man in his version of heaven. Comedian Zainab Johnson also stars.
03
May 5: mixed-ish (ABC)
Season one of the black-ish spinoff starring Tika Sumpter and narrated by Tracee Elliss Ross comes to an end. It has not yet been picked up for a second season.
04
May 8: The Eddy (Netflix)
Perennial fave André Holland plays an ex-pianist who runs a struggling Parisian nightclub in this musical drama miniseries from the director of La La Land. Amandla Stenberg also stars in the Netflix project.
05
May 14: How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
After six heart-palpitating seasons, Viola Davis’ Annalise Keating and her frazzled band of law students bid goodbye to the ABC series.
06
May 17: Snowpiercer (TNT)
Tony Award-winner Daveed Diggs, of Hamilton fame, leads this ensemble-rich, television adaptation of the 2013 film of the same name. Set seven years after the world froze over, the TNT dramatic thriller follows the remnants of society that survived, all of whom are passengers on a perpetually-moving train where social injustice and class warfare persist.
07
May 22: Homecoming (Amazon Prime)
The critically-acclaimed Amazon Prime Video series starring Stephan James as a war vet transitioning into civilian life is back for a second season. Janelle Monae has replaced Julia Roberts as the series’ female lead, playing a woman who wakes in a rowboat in the middle of a lake with no memory of how she got there or who she is.
08
May 22: The Lovebirds (Netflix)
Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani star in this interracial romantic comedy as a couple navigating a defining moment in their relationship when they suddenly become entangled in a murder mystery. It’s now being released on Netflix as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
09
May 27: On the Record (HBO Max)
This hotly-debated documentary centering testimonies of several women who’ve accused the hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual assault will stream on the HBO’s new platform, HBO MAX.
10
May 27: Legendary (HBO Max)
A voguing dance competition series inspired by the world of ballroom, this HBO MAX show features rapper Megan Thee Stallion, stylist Law Roach and ballroom icon Leiomy Maldonado on its judging panel. It’s hosted by choreographer and ballroom legend Dashaun Wesley.
11
May 29: Ramy (Hulu)
Hulu’s Golden Globe-winning series, about a first generation Egyptian-American (Ramy Youssef) navigating his spirituality in a politically divided New Jersey neighborhood, returns for its sophomore season. This time, Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali joins the cast as as the titular chracter’s spiritual guide in what promises to be another season of nuanced portryals of Muslim identity.
