Netflix: best new shows & films streaming May 2026

Discover the best new shows & films to stream in May 2026 on Netflix with this guide.
The Four Seasons Season 2. Image: Netflix.

Netflix: new in May

You, Always – 1 May

Film (2026). Jen and Ethan have been best friends since high school. But when new romance enters their lives, their feelings for one another face the ultimate test.

Starring Adrian Grenier, Jessica De Gouw and Desmond Chiam.

Remarkably Bright Creatures – 8 May

Remarkably Bright Creatures. Image: Netflix.
Remarkably Bright Creatures. Image: Netflix.

Film (2026). While working nights at a small-town aquarium, a widow bonds with a clever octopus and an adrift young man in this moving drama based on the bestseller.

Starring Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Colm Meaney and Alfred Molina.

Under a Bamboo Sky – 8 May

Under A Bamboo Sky. Image: Netflix.
Under a Bamboo Sky. Image: Netflix.

Documentary. This documentary explores the survival of Australian Allied soldiers held prisoner and forced into gruelling labor in Southeast Asia during World War II.

Marty, Life is Short – 12 May

Documentary. Martin Short looks back on a life fueled by joy in this documentary with classic clips, fresh interviews and star-studded, never-before-seen home movies.

Starring Martin Short.

Perfect Match Season 4 – 13 May

Series. More swaps. More sparks. More drama. Reality stars from Love Is Blind, Love Island and more shake up the game, but who’ll find their perfect match?

Starring Nick Lachey.

Ronda Rousey Vs. Gina Carano – 16 May

Live at 11:00AM AEST. Legendary MMA trailblazers Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano return to the cage for a highly anticipated super fight from Most Valuable Promotions.

Starring Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano and Francis Ngannou. 

The Boroughs – 21 May

Series. In a seemingly perfect retirement community, a crew of unlikely heroes must stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don’t have: time.

Starring Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard and Denis O’Hare.

Mating Season – 22 May

Series. From the creators of Big Mouth comes this wildly raunchy adult animated comedy about love, sex and relationships set in the animal world.

Starring Brooklyn Davey Norstedt and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport.

The Four Seasons Season 2 – 28 May

The Four Seasons Season 2. Image: Netflix.
The Four Seasons Season 2. Image: Netflix.

Series. The friends reunite for four new seasonal get-togethers, as they process a personal loss and embrace the regrets and reinventions of middle age.

Starring Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Colman Domingo, Will Forte and Kerri Kenney-Silver.

Rafa – 29 May

Series. In this documentary series, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Rafael Nadal, reflects on his career, legacy and final season on the court.

Starring Rafael Nadal.

Netflix: recent highlights

Apex – 24 April

Apex. Image: Netflix.
Apex. Image: Netflix.

Film (2026). A grieving woman pushing her limits on a solo adventure in the Australian wild is ensnared in a twisted game with a cunning killer who thinks she’s prey.

Starring Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton and Eric Bana.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 – 23 April

Stranger Things: Tales From 85. Image: Netflix.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85. Image: Netflix.

Series. Winter 1985. Hawkins. Welcome back to a town crawling with secrets, where beloved heroes are facing fresh mysteries… and an all-new breed of strange.

Starring Brooklyn Davey Norstedt, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport and Luca Diaz.

Beef Season 2 – 16 April

Beef Season 2. Image: Netflix.
Beef S2. Image: Netflix.

Series. At an elite country club, two young employees film an alarming fight between their boss and his wife – and ignite a blackmail war neither side can win.

Starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Charles Melton.

XO, Kitty Season 3 – 2 April

Xo, Kitty Season 3. Image: Netflix.
XO, Kitty S3. Image: Netflix.

Series. With her love life heating up, Kitty’s all set to kick off an iconic senior year. But will secrets, scandals and her own insecurities get in her way?

Starring Anna Cathcart, Choi Min-yeong, Gia Kim and Sang Heon Lee.


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Paul Dalgarno is author of the novels A Country of Eternal Light (2023) and Poly (2020); the memoir And You May Find Yourself (2015); and the creative non-fiction book Prudish Nation (2023). He is Head of Content at ArtsHub & ScreenHub. Insta: @dalgarnowrites