May Newsletter

Hi there, and welcome to the latest edition of Substream! Your go-to source for honest, unpretentious streaming news, reviews and recommendations.

In this month’s newsletter:

• All the series to look out for in May

• What I watched in April with reviews

• Industry news and announcements

Don’t forget, you can always check out this newsletter or past newsletters here.

NEW THIS MONTH
Clarkson’s Farm, Welcome to Wrexham, Network Finales, & New Spring Dramas

Thursday, May 1
The Four Seasons (Netflix, new comedy series)**

Sunday, May 4
Miss Austen (PBS, new period piece drama)
The Equalizer (CBS, finale)

Monday, May 5
The Neighborhood (CBS, finale)
NCIS (CBS, finale)

Thursday, May 8
Poker Face (Peacock, season 2, episodes 1-3)
Forever (Netflix, new Judy Blume adaptation series)
Octopus! (Prime Video, two-part documentary special)
Ghosts (CBS, finale)*
Elsbeth (CBS, finale)

Friday, May 9
Nonnas (Netflix, new Vince Vaughn comedy film)
Long Way Home (Apple TV+, travel documentary series)

Sunday, May 11
Tracker (CBS, finale)*
Watson (CBS, finale)

Tuesday, May 13
Andor, (Disney+, season 2 finale)
Bad Thoughts (Netflix, new dark comedy series)

Thursday, May 15
Overcompensating (Prime Video, new college-set ensemble comedy series)
Duster (Max, new 70s crime-thriller series)
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (CBS, finale)
Welcome to Wrexham (FX, available on Hulu the next day)*
Tucci in Italy (National Geographic, new travelogue series)

Friday, May 16
Murderbot (Apple TV+, new sci-fi action comedy series)
The Chi (Paramount+ with Showtime, season 7)

Wednesday, May 21
Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu, season 2, episodes 1-2)*
The Studio (Apple TV+, finale)

Thursday, May 22
Sirens (Netflix, new dark comedy limited series)**

Friday, May 23
Clarkson’s Farm (Prime Video, season 4, episodes 1-4)*

Sunday, May 25
The Last of Us (Max, season 2 finale)*

Tuesday, May 27
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu, series finale)

Thursday, May 29
Hacks (Max, season 4 finale)*
The Better Sister (Prime Video, new thriller limited series)**

Friday, May 30
Your Friends and Neighbors (Apple TV+, finale)

*Substream Top Pick
**Substream Most Anticipated New Series

APRIL REVIEWS
To Binge or Not to Binge

Dying for Sex
Wowowow. Surprisingly charming and funny, Dying for Sex follows Molly Kochan (Michelle Williams) after receiving a Stage IV cancer diagnosis through a journey of self-discovery with best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate) by her side. The show deals with some heavy themes, but I laughed more than I cried, and would do it all over again. Now streaming in full on Hulu.

Ted Lasso
My month got off to a stressful start, so I found comfort in rewatching my all-time favorite, Ted Lasso. If you need joy or calm in your life, do yourself a favor and watch this. Seasons 1-3 streaming now on Apple TV+ with season 4 officially in the works!

Etoile
A new comedy-drama series about the dancers and artistic staff of two world-renowned ballet companies. From the creators of Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, you’ll recognize the same quick wit, frequent pop culture references, and quirky sense of humor here. Overall, I really enjoyed this—but it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. All episodes streaming now on Prime Video with season two in-the-works.

Adolescence
This four-part limited series out of the UK was a smash hit for Netflix with a Rotten Tomatoes 99%. The psychological crime drama follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller after being accused of a classmate’s murder. Uniquely-written, brilliantly acted, and phenomenally shot, this was excellent. The creators and producers have expressed interest in turning the show into an anthology series after its huge success.

The Life List
Is it still PC to use the term chick-flick? Because that’s what this is. A warm and fuzzy, nuanced rom-com that will make you laugh, cry, and is a few steps up from a Hallmark movie. Netflix.

Ransom Canyon
A brand new, contemporary, western, drama series from Netflix starring Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly. Complete with love triangle, new-to-town bad boy, dark secrets, and developers, fans of shows like Virgin River will really enjoy this one.

1923
Leave it to Taylor Sheridan to provide some perspective. I’m so grateful for central heating and cooling, modern transportation, and generally how far society has come since the 20s. Though dark and very slow, the second and final season still delivered. All episodes streaming now on Paramount+.

STREAMING NEWS
Harry Potter Series Casting, Wednesday Season 2, Emily in Paris Updates & More

Harry Potter Casting Updates
HBO has finally confirmed casting for the upcoming series: John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, and Luke Thallon as Professor Quirrell. The show is set to start filming this summer with the first season airing as early as next year. Harry, Ron, and Hermione have yet to be cast.

Wednesday
She’s back! The wildly popular mystery comedy series finally returns for season two. Part one is coming to Netflix August 6, with part two coming September 3. You can watch the trailer here.

Emily in Paris
Oh mon dieu! Netflix has announced that production on season five is set to start in May, first in Rome, then in Paris for a late 2025 premiere. Netflix also confirmed the returning cast which most notably will include Lucas Bravo (Gabriel), Lucien Laviscount (Alfie), and Eugenio Franceschini (Marcello). Not returning is Camille Razat (Camille) after packing up and leaving at the end of season four.

Star Wars: Starfighter
Director Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling officially announced a new installment in the Star Wars franchise set five years after The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Production is set to begin this fall for a May 2027 theatrical release.

MobLand
The new drama series is officially the streamer’s biggest global series premiere week in Paramount+ history with its first episode seeing 8.8M viewers in the first seven days. The cast includes Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren, among other familiar faces. Season one consists of 10 episodes airing weekly through Sunday, June 1.

Pride & Prejudice
A 6-part limited series based on the classic Jane Austen novel is in the works at Netflix. Jack Lowden (Slow Horses), Olivia Coleman (The Bear), and Emma Corrin (The Crown) set for leading roles as Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Bennet, and Elizabeth Bennet. Production is set to take place in the UK later this year.

The Bodyguard
Warner Bros has plans to remake the 1992 romantic drama starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Sam Wrench of ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ is set to direct. There is speculation that Taylor Swift will take on the lead alongside Idris Elba, but casting has yet to be confirmed.

Clueless
Alicia Silverstone is set to reprise her iconic role as Cher in a new sequel series to the 1995 movie from Peacock. More to come.

Carrie Soto Is Back
Serena Williams is set to executive produce the series adaptation of the best-selling tennis-themed novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This should be a good one. Read the book if you haven’t already!

The Last of Us
The hit HBO post-apocalyptic drama was renewed for a third season even before the second premiered on April 13.

ABC Series Renewals
Popular ABC series 9-1-1, Grey’s Anatomy, The Rookie, Shifting Gears, and Will Trent have each been renewed for another season.

Royal Pains
NBC is developing a reboot of the popular USA Network series about an on-call doctor in the Hamptons that ran for eight seasons from 2009-2016. Mark Feuerstein is set to return to star as Hank Lawson and executive produce.

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