You might’ve been hurt, viewers
That ain’t no lie
You’ve seen too many shows come and go, oh
I remember you told me
That This Is Us makes you cry
As it says goodbye
And everything little thing Netflix does
Like canceling the The Baby-Sitters Club
Makes you so mad
But it’s not so bad
I know you don’t want to attached again
But these shows are not like them
Because guess what…
It’s gonna be May!
Just a little ‘NSYNC tune to kick off this month of So Much Television. May has always been a busy month for TV as network shows say their goodbyes for the summer. This Is Us signs off for the last time on May 24 and Grey’s Anatomy is sure to have a season finale that leaves viewers hanging on May 26. In addition, Peacock’s hilarious Girls5Eva is back for a second season on May 5, the long-awaited premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi is May 27 on Disney+, and the fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things lands May 27.
But! We’re here to tell you about the shows you may not be as familiar with. So say bye-bye-bye to April, and get ready for the five new under-the-radar shows you can’t miss this May.
1. Ten Percent
Executive Producers: John Morton
Stars: Jack Davenport, Lydia Leonard, Maggie Steed, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Chelsey Crisp, Hiftu Quasem, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Rebecca Humphries, Harry Trevaldwyn, Tim McInnerny, Natasha Little, Edward Bluemel , Eleonore Arnaud and Jim Broadbent
Premiere Date: May 1 on BBC America with one episode every Sunday thereafter
Based on the French series Call My Agent, this comedy follows agents at the London-based Nightingale Hart agency (the “ten percent” refers to their cut of any deal their clients make). Richard (Jim Broadbent) and Sheila (Maggie Steed), who started Nightingale Hart decades ago, are constantly adjusting to the ever-changing entertainment world. Richard’s son Jonathan (Jack Davenport) gets frustrated with his dad’s archaic ways (like his insistence on driving into the city) while Rebecca (Lydia Leonard) has very little tolerance for her assistants. The series is a charming delight and, in an added bit of veracity, is full of guest stars playing themselves. In the premiere Dan (Prasanna Puwanarajah) has to deliver difficult news to Kelly Macdonald. Keep an eye out for Helena Bonham Carter, Olivia Williams, Dominic West, Emma Corrin, Himesh Patel, David Oyelowo, and Jessica Oyelowo in future episodes. The series was also made available on the streaming platforms Sundance Now and AMC+ April 29.
2. The Porter
Executive Producers: Marsha Greene, Annmarie Morais, Arnold Pinnock, Bruce Ramsay
Stars: Aml Ameen, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Mouna Traoré, Loren Lott, Olunike Adeliyi and Alfre Woodard
Premiere Date: All eight episodes premiere May 5 on BET+
This series, based on real events and set in the 1920s, follows train porters Junior Massey (Aml Ameen) and Zeke Garrett (Ronnie Rowe Jr.) as they both pursue better lives for themselves. Junior looks to less-than-legal ways of making money while Zeke organizes his fellow Black porters to form a union. These very different paths soon come in conflict and set the two former best friends against each other. If you don’t have BET+, the streaming platform offers a free seven day trial so this may be just the series to watch to test it out.
3. Bosch: Legacy
Executive Producers: Michael Connelly, Eric Overmyer, Tom Bernardo, Henrik Bastin, Pieter Jan Brugge, Titus Welliver, and Zetna Fuentes.
Stars: Titus Welliver, Mimi Rogers, Madison Lintz, Denise Sanchez
Premiere Date: The first four episodes premiere on May 6 on Amazon FreeVee followed by two episodes a week until the season finale on May 27
The list of unfortunately named streaming services is long. And now there’s a new entry in the mix. On April 27, IMDbTV became—and I promise you I’m not making this up—Amazon FreeVee. The good news is, as the name suggests, you don’t need a subscription to watch Amazon FreeVee. The really good news is that Bosch: Legacy is the newly named Amazon FreeVee’s first original series. Picking up where the series finale of Bosch left off last June, Bosch (Titus Welliver) has left the police force to become a private investigator. His daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz) is now a rookie police officer and Bosch has formed an unlikely alliance with attorney Money Chandler (Mimi Rogers) who is still recovering from being shot. In the premiere, Bosch meets Whitney Vance (William Devane), a new client with a dying request for Bosch. The spin-off remains as entertaining and engaging as the original. Added bonus: All seven seasons of Bosch are also now available on Amazon FreeVee.
4. The Quest
Executive Producers: Bertram van Munster, Elise Doganieri, Mark Dziak, Rob Eric, Michael Williams, David Collins
Premiere Date: May 11 on Disney+
If your children are anything like mine, they love fantasy book series. The new reality series The Quest takes this one step further, dropping eight teenagers—called Paladins on the series and ranging from 13 to 16 years old—into a fantasy world known as Everealm. These real-life teenagers interact with actors who make Everealm come alive. The teens must band together to fight an evil Sorceress named Tovara (Melissa Mehrabian) and save the kingdom. If this all sounds vaguely familiar, ABC aired a series of the same name and same concept with adult players back in 2014. Doganieri and van Munster were executive producers on that one too so this show should be a lot of fun.
5. Children Ruin Everything
Executive Producers: Kurt Smeaton, Chuck Tatham, Mark Montefiore
Stars: Meaghan Rath, Aaron Abrams, Ennis Esmer, Nazneen Contractor, Logan Nicholson, Mikayla SwamiNathan, Dmitry Chepovetsky, Veena Sood, Lisa Codrington and Darius Rota.
Premiere Date: All 8 episodes premiere May 13 on The Roku Channel
Did you like Kim’s Convenience and Schitt’s Creek? Well I have great news. Kurt Smeaton, who wrote for both those comedies, has now created a new series about the joys and challenges (if you know, you know) of being parents to young children. Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) try to balance raising two children with… everything else! The series is hilarious, optimistic, and already a big hit in Canada. The first season will now air on The Roku Channel and a second, 16-episode season has already been ordered and is set to begin filming this spring.
Amy Amatangelo, the TV Gal®, is a Boston-based freelance writer and a member of the Television Critics Association. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter (@AmyTVGal).
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