14 Films and TV Shows Not To Be Missed in May 2026

Welcome, May! This month, get ready for action thrillers with the arrival of Spider-Noir and Citadel season two, feel-good K-dramas such as The Wonderfools and My Royal Nemesis, 2PM’s Taecyeon in a BL series, and more. Ahead, here are the best films and TV shows in May 2026 to add to your watchlist.

Making Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure

When and where: 3 May 2026 on BBC (UnifiTV channel 501, Astro channel 554) and BBC Player

Watch if: You think he is a living treasure

Starring: David Attenborough

The legendary David Attenborough turns 100 this year, and what better way to celebrate his legacy than with a documentary that chronicles his trailblazing natural history series, Life on Earth? Chronicling a three-year journey to film over 600 species across 40 countries, this programme takes viewers behind the remarkable story behind Attenborough’s pioneering natural history documentary and the countless challenges he and his team faced to bring these incredible creatures to our screens. 

Watch here.

Citadel Season 2

When and where: 6 May 2026 on Prime Video

Watch if: You’re pleasantly surprised this show made a comeback after so long

Starring: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Richard Madde, Stanley Tucci

When a terrifying new threat emerges, Mason Kan, Nadia Sinh, and Bernard Orlick—three elite operatives of a legendary agency destroyed by Manticore—are pulled back into action. Now, they must recruit an unlikely team of skilled new operatives and launch a globe-spanning mission to stop a conspiracy that could reshape humanity.

Watch here.

My Royal Nemesis

When and where: 8 May 2026 on Netflix

Watch if: You want an intense enemies-to-lovers trope

Starring: Lim Ji-yeon, Heo Nam-jun, Jang Seung-jo

A Joseon-era villain doomed to die opens her eyes in modern-day Seoul—where a ruthless chaebol heir, who matches her fiery personality, may be her last chance to rewrite her fate.

Watch here.

The Legend of the Kitchen Soldier

When and where: 11 May 2026 on HBO Max

Watch if: You want a visually and literally appetising show

Starring: Park Ji-hoon, Yoon Kyung-ho, Han Dong-hee, Lee Hong-nae

After enlisting in the military, a young man from a poor background begins receiving game-like commands that appear only to him, transforming him into a legendary cook serving the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. From the cookhouse to the training grounds, armed with kitchen utensils, he completes missions across the base and uncovers the unit’s hidden problems. 

Watch here.

Off Campus

When and where: 13 May 2026 on Prime Video

Watch if: Heated Rivalry has you looking for more hockey romances

Starring: Ella Bright, Belmont Cameli, Josh Heuston, Mika Abdalla, Antonio Cipriano

In college, sparks fly between the quiet aspiring songwriter Hannah and Briar University’s all-star hockey athlete, Garrett. As an intense romance begins, two people from different worlds must grapple with love, heartbreak, and self-discovery, forging deep friendships and enduring bonds as they navigate the complexities of transitioning into adulthood. 

Watch here.

The Punisher: One Last Kill

When and where: 13 May 2026 on Disney+

Watch if: You want to see more of this Marvel character

Starring: Jon Bernthal, Chelsea Brea, Colton Hill

As Frank Castle searches for meaning beyond revenge, an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight and his old life.

Watch here.

Soul Mate

When and where: 14 May 2026 on Netflix

Watch if: You want a compelling boys’ love series

Starring: Hayato Isomura, Ok Taec-yeon, Ai Hashimoto

Haunted by guilt and doubt, Ryu flees Japan for Berlin and is saved by South Korean boxer Johan. Their chance encounter binds their destiny into a decade-spanning romance that will force them to redefine everything they know about life and love.

Watch here.

The Wonderfools

When and where: 15 May 2026 on Netflix

Watch if: You like the sound of “X-Men, but make it Korean comedy”

Starring: Park Eun-bin, Cha Eun-woo, Kim Hae-sook, Choi Dae-hoon, Im Seong-jae, Son Hyun-joo

Set in 1999, a period when doomsday panic was prevalent, a goofy group of neighbourhood misfits unexpectedly discover they have superpowers and fight villains who threaten Haeseong City’s peace.

Watch here.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed 

When and where: 20 May 2026 on AppleTV+

Watch if: You want to get stuck in with a good mystery 

Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Jake Johnson, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill

Newly divorced mom Paula falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder, and the trials and tribulations of youth soccer when she is convinced she witnessed a crime. While simultaneously struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis, Paula begins her own investigation, one that could unravel a greater conspiracy while also holding the keys to rebuilding her family and sense of self.

Watch here.

Fifties Professionals

When and where: 22 May 2026 on HBO Max

Watch if: 

Starring: Shin Ha-kyun, Oh Jung-se, Heo Sung-tae

Three ordinary middle-aged men—formerly a top intelligence agent, an elite operative, and a prominent underworld figure—are thrust back into action when their paths collide. As their past catches up, an intense battle erupts, forcing them to weigh their loyalties and restore their reputations.

Watch here.

Ladies First

When and where: 22 May 2026 on Netflix

Watch if: You feel Taylor Swift’s “F*** the patriarchy” with all your being

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant

A ladies’ man finds his life upended when he wakes up in a parallel world dominated by women. With the rules of engagement changed, he goes head-to-head with a fiery female colleague in a playful satire about what happens when the script is flipped.

Watch here.

Spider-Noir

When and where: 27 May 2026 on Prime Video

Watch if: You’ll watch every Spider-Man variant out there

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Li Jun Li, Lamorne Morris, Brendan Gleeson

Ben Reilly, a seasoned, down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York, is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s only superhero.

Watch here.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Season 2

When and where: 27 May 2026 on Netflix

Watch if: The first season got you hooked for more

Starring: Emma Myers, Zain Iqbal, Henry Ashton

Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi is drawn back into investigations when Jamie Reynolds, a key witness in the upcoming trial of Max Hastings, goes missing. The amateur sleuth must race against time to find him, confronting the dark, high-stakes consequences of her previous case and challenging her own morality.

Watch here.

Star City

When and where: 29 May 2026 on AppleTV+

Watch if: You’re a fan of its inspiration, For All Mankind

Starring: Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O’Casey, Alice Englert

Star City follows the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race, when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon. But this time, it explores the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts, the engineers and the intelligence officers embedded among them in the Soviet space program, and the risks they all took to propel humankind forward.

Watch here.

For more recommendations on what to watch, head here.