All the returning and premiering TV shows worth shunning the sun for in May
The sun is finally out and cracking the sidewalks, which means it’s officially the start of BBQ and lawn party season. It’s also the beginning of all your last minute excuses as to why you can’t actually make it to such sun soaked events. Why? Probably because you’ll be drawing the curtains and catching up on your shows instead. To help you stay organized so you know to avoid such awkward social commitments with Susan from accounting or your old college friends you have nothing in common with anymore, we’ve made a list of all the TV shows returning and premiering in May. There are some absolute essential shows in here and more than enough that are worth shunning the sun for to enjoy a solid bingewatch instead.
Cobra Kai: Season 1 (YouTube Red)
The Karate Kid reboot sees Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) reopening the Cobra Kai dojo and revisiting the old faithful wounds of his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). Set thirty years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, you can expect plenty of karate shenanigans and hopefully more scenes in which bullies get their asses handed to them. The series premiered May 2, 2018 on YouTube Red before moving to Netflix and concluded after Season 6 in 2025.
Colony: Season 3 (USA)
The sci-fi action adventure returns to screens for Josh Holloway fans everywhere to continue swooning emphatically whenever he moves his hair out of his eyes ever so dramatically.
The Rain: Season 1 (Netflix)
Netflix’s highly anticipated survival horror series is one you’ll definitely want to add to your calendars. The post apocalyptic Scandi-horror follows a band of young survivors seeking safety and answers within a bleak and harrowing landscape after a brutal virus wipes out most of the population. Season 1 premiered May 4, 2018 and the full series ended with Season 3 in 2020.
Dear White People: Season 2 (Netflix)
School is back open at Winchester, ladies and gentlemen, and the second season of Dear White People looks ready to read society with an even more irreverent take on racial politics, queer identity, and college conflicts than the first did. Logan Browning (Powers), DeRon Horton (Burning Sands), and Brandon P. Bell (Insecure) are all returning, as are the snappy, sharp takedowns of modern culture. Season 2 premiered May 4, 2018 and the series concluded with Season 4 in September 2021.
I’m Dying Up Here: Season 2 (Showtime)
David Flebotte’s dramedy series is back for S2 to explore even more of the struggles, darkness, and damaged personas behind the infamous LA stand up comedy scene of the 70s.
Sweetbitter: Season 1 (Starz)
Stephanie Danler adopts her bestselling novel of the same name in this half-hour drama about the service industry. Starring Ella Purnell (Kick-Ass 2), Evan Jonigkeit (Whiskey Tango Foxtrot), Caitlin Fitzgerald (Always Shine), and the perpetually brooding Tom Sturridge (Far from the Madding Crowd), the show should hit all the right notes for anyone who loves a solid recipe of high drama and food with a side of complicated romance.
Vida: Season 1 (Starz)
We can’t wait for this half-hour drama show about two Mexican-American sisters (Mishel Prada & Melissa Barrera) confronted by their family’s past. With queer Latinx stories at the forefront of the series alongside explorations of LA gentrification, Vida looks like one of the most essential debuts of the season. Season 1 premiered May 6, 2018 and the series ran three seasons before concluding in 2020.
SuperMansion: Season 3 (Crackle)
The irreverent animated comedy show is back for more superhero antics and absolute lunacy with voices from Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Keegan-Michael Key (Keanu), Seth Green (The Italian Job), and Yvette Nicole Brown (Community).
Bill Nye Saves the World: Season 2 (Netflix)
The bow tie wearing science lover will be bringing more of his entertaining insights (and those of his celebrity guests including Drew Carey, Karlie Kloss, Ali Wong, and Zach Braff) about politics, the environment, and life as we know it in his inimitable way. The series had three seasons in total and ended in 2018.
Little Women: Miniseries (PBS)
Louisa May Alcott’s cherished literature classic will see Willa Fitzgerald (Scream: The TV Series), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies), and Annes Elwy (Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams) portraying the irrepressible March sisters in this limited series for PBS.
Picnic at Hanging Rock: Season 1 (Amazon Prime)
Based on Joan Lindsay’s Australian historical fiction novel about a group of female students who went missing while on a Valentine’s Day picnic, Amazon’s anticipated adaptation of the story sees a cast including Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones), Lola Bessis (Swim Little Fish Swim), and Lily Sullivan (Mental) as the young woman who seemingly vanished without reason in 1990. The limited series premiered May 2018 and completed its single season.
The Bachelorette: Season 14 (ABC)
A whole new batch of (probably terrible) suitors await new Bachelorette, Becca Kufrin. So don’t pretend to be cool, okay? Just order yourself a massive takeaway, crack open an enormous bottle of wine, and wear your sloppiest clothes so you can enjoy the insanity of the premiere as the TV Gods intended.
Queen Sugar: Season 3 (OWN)
Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed relationship drama show is coming back for S3 with an all female directing team, a new showrunner (Kat Candler), and a two-episode premiere spread over two nights. Season 3 premiered May 29, 2018 and the series ran seven seasons total before ending.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 4 (Netflix)
The fourth season of Tina Fey’s cartoonish NYC comedy show will be broken up into two parts but will still feature the rib-tickling talents of Ellie Kemper (Bridesmaids), Tituss Burgess, Carol Kane (The Princess Bride), and Jane Krakowski (30 Rock). According to co-showrunner Robert Carlock, the first half of the season will also be tackling the #MeToo movement. The season premiered May 30, 2018 and concluded January 2019 with a split release.
May 2026 Streaming Highlights
Current May calendars keep the same binge-ready energy alive. Lord of the Flies landed on Netflix on May 4 and Citadel Season 2 dropped on Prime Video on May 6. The Terror limited series bowed on AMC+ and Shudder on May 7, rounding out a month that mixed prestige drama with fresh unscripted titles. Industry trackers confirm a packed slate of scripted returns and new series that kept viewers indoors even as temperatures climbed.
Reality TV and Unscripted Returns
The Bachelorette Season 14 launched May 2018 with Becca Kufrin and the franchise has continued annually with new leads. May 2026 calendars included multiple reality premieres such as Zillow Gone Wild on HGTV, showing that unscripted formats still claim prime real estate in the month’s schedule. Viewers who enjoy watching strangers navigate manufactured drama found plenty of fresh material alongside the scripted slate.
Animated and Family-Friendly Fare
SuperMansion Season 3 premiered May 7, 2018 on Crackle with voice cast including Bryan Cranston. May slots often feature family-oriented or animated content alongside prestige drama, giving households lighter options when the mood calls for something less intense. The pattern continued into 2026 with additional animated and youth-skewing titles filling out the month’s offerings.
What Happened to These Shows?
Multiple listed series have reached their conclusions since the original May 2018 slate. Cobra Kai, Dear White People, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Vida, and The Rain wrapped with final seasons years ago. Queen Sugar extended to seven seasons before ending. Picnic at Hanging Rock remained a single-season limited series. Bill Nye Saves the World completed three seasons total. The list now serves as a snapshot of a particular moment in television rather than an ongoing watchlist.
May remains a reliable month for new and returning series that give viewers a solid reason to stay inside. Whether revisiting completed favorites or sampling current premieres, the calendar still offers a steady stream of scripted and unscripted choices that reward the decision to skip the patio and queue up something fresh.
