Satanic mental hospitals, Danish serial killers and unraveling soccer moms highlight May’s TV offerings
New and returning series for fans of everything from comedy to horror
Studios never take a breath these days, especially in an uncertain and highly competitive streaming environment. And once again, the current month is teeming with intriguing new and returning series for fans of everything from comedy to horror.
‘The Terror: Devil in Silver’
Three years after the short-lived Apple TV+ adaptation of “The Changeling,” horror novelist Victor LaValle gets another crack at the small screen with the third season of this anthology series, based on his 2012 novel of the same name. Dan Stevens (“Legion”) is Pepper, a man wrongfully committed to New Hyde, a psychiatric institution, for 72 hours.
There he meets fellow patients Dorry (Judith Light), Coffee (Chinaza Uche) and Loochie (b), all of whom may be dealing with the devil himself roaming the halls. Karyn Kusama (“The Invitation”) directs. The series “excels with its raw depictions of paranoia, delusion and appropriately enough, terror through creative, claustrophobic camerawork,” said Daniel Kurland at Bloody Disgusting. (May 7 on AMC+)
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‘The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek’
The Danish serial killer procedural “The Chestnut Man,” part of a wave of Nordic and Arctic noir entries, was one of the great, if unheralded, shows of 2021. The crime-solving duo of Europol’s Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) and Copenhagen detective Naia Thulin (Danica Curcic) is one of the genre’s best pairings, as Mark’s talents and personal struggles become clear over the course of the season alongside their crackling chemistry.
In this season, the storyline of a grieving mother, Marie Holst (Sofie Grabol), and a new killer intersect, as Mark and Naia race to prevent more bodies from piling up. The show has “evolved in the years it was away, and the result is what I believe to be one of the best seasons for any show on Netflix,” said Felipe Rangel at ScreenRant. (May 7 on Netflix)
‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’
The Apple TV+ hit comedy “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” won’t be the streamer’s only take on the OnlyFans economy this spring. In “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”) is a newly minted divorcee and single mom named Paula who develops a habit of spending time with Trevor (Brandon Flynn), a so-called “camboy.”
When she appears to witness a kidnapping on Trevor’s stream, all hell breaks loose even while she fights for custody of her daughter, Hazel (Nola Wallace), with her ex, Karl (Jake Johnson) — and coaches a youth soccer team. The show’s “plot is confidently off the wall, knows exactly what it’s doing and won’t feel the need to apologize for any of it,” said Carissa Pavlica at TV Fanatic. (May 20 on Apple TV+)
‘The Boroughs’
Executive-produced by the Duffer Brothers (“Stranger Things”), “The Boroughs” is billed as a cross between the 1985 sci-fi classic “Cocoon” and “Stranger Things.” Claire (Jena Malone) is getting her father, Sam (Alfred Molina), situated in a retirement community where there may be more than bingo and romance happening.
Jack (Bill Pullman), Judy (Alfre Woodard) and Renee (Geena Davis) are fellow retirees battling some kind of supernatural entity trying to steal their remaining time on the planet. The series will explore the “perspectives of people who so often aren't the heroes of these tales, because society often regards aging as a moral failure rather than an opportunity to tell fresh stories that draw on age and experience,” said Aimee Hart at Polygon. (May 21 on Netflix)
‘Deli Boys,’ season 2
One of the best comedies of 2025, creator Abdullah Saeed’s “Deli Boys” returns to Hulu for a second season. In the first season, feckless fail-sons Mir (Asif Ali) and Raj (Saagar Shaikh) inherit their father’s convenience-store-based drug trafficking empire and work with their Aunt Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan) to keep it afloat, which turns out to be both bloody and hilarious as they try to stay one step ahead of both the cops and their competitors.
In the second season, Fred Armisen (“Portlandia”) joins the cast as Lucky’s love interest, casino magnate Max Sugar. The first season is “full of hijinks and heart, centering on fully realized, flawed South Asian protagonists whose culture is seamlessly integrated,” said Saloni Gajjar at The AV Club. (May 28 on Hulu)
