What Are The Must-See Shows For May 2025?

Zombies, citizen detectives, a soap-opera-loving android, and comedy, comedy, comedy. That’s what May has in store for bingewatchers who have already exhausted last month’s supply of undead bounty hunters and revolution seekers. This month, however, a certain apocalypse survivor is reunited with his most cherished friend, so feel free to swan dive into this television abyss.

In no particular order, here are the must-see shows for May 2025.

Murderbot: Season 1 (Apple TV+ series 5/16)

Nobody can deny that Alexander Skarsgård is objectively sexy, but here, he’s portraying an unsexy robot (good luck with that) who would really prefer to bingewatch futuristic soap operas while being taxed with protecting and serving idiotic humans. So far, the fan response (from The Murderbot Diaries readers) is that the above trailer nails the tone and spirit of the source material. And because David Dastmalchian is in every cool project these days (including Dexter: Resurrection), you know he is in this, too. Whew.

Poker Face: Season 2 (Peacock series 5/8)

Natasha Lyonne is doing Columbo-inspired things again while reeling in “a truly gonzo parade of guest stars” this season. They include John Mulaney, Alia Shawkat, Cynthia Erivo, Katie Holmes, Giancarlo Esposito, Haley Joel Osment, Melanie Lynskey, Taylor Schilling, Justin Theroux, and Kumail Nanjiani. If anybody had guessed five years ago that Lyonne would be collaborating with Rian Johnson in such an addictive way, would you have believed? Fortunately, we can thank Russian Doll (and Oatmeal the cat and maybe The Last Jedi) for bearing this mystery-solving fruit.

Sirens: Season 1 (Netflix series 5/22)

Another darkly comedic mystery series is upon us, this time starring Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Meghann Fahy, and Milly Alcock, who portray screwed-up characters on a Labor Day weekend holiday within murkier waters than expected at a luxury island destination. The project will explore class, power, and an attempted intervention when one character cannot seem to get enough of either of those concepts, and if you didn’t already guess from the title, the story will take cues from Greek mythology.

The Walking Dead: Dead City: Season 2 (AMC/AMC+ series 5/4)

Remember how Maggie screwed Negan over in the most recent season finale? Well, she’s apparently having second thoughts, but Negan has already reacquainted himself with an old friend, so get ready for Crazy Negan to fully come back. In other words, Maggie’s rescue mission doesn’t go as planned because Negan doesn’t seem to need rescuing. He’s got Lucille 2.0 on his side, and his showman self is back in control with his former “eeny meeny miny moe” chant back in menacing action. Kim Coates and Dascha Polanco also join the franchise full of hot walker action.

The Chi: Season 7 (Showtime series 5/18)

Lena Waithe’s no-holds-barred slice at Chicago will soon return for, in the words of Nina L. Diaz, President of Content and Chief Creative Officer, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks, more of the this show’s customary “authentic and unflinching narratives in The Chi resonate deeply, offering a powerful lens into both the complexities of life in Chicago as well as the Black experience in America.”

Nine Perfect Strangers: Season 2 (Hulu series 5/21)

Nicole Kidman found some spare moments to revisit her mysterious guru character, Masha, who is now selling her brand of shady wellness at a fancy resort in the Swiss Alps. David E. Kelley cannot seem to miss, so expect this new cast (including Christine Baranski, Murray Bartlett, Mark Strong, Annie Murphy, and Henry Golding) to be going through it while drugged in the interest of “therapy” while potentially murderous shenanigans go down.

Rick and Morty: Season 8 (Adult Swim series 5/25)

Dan Harmon’s brainchild will be delving deeper into the standalone vs. serialized struggle this year while also adding to canon in significant ways, but don’t worry, those classic adventures will remain top priority. As they should.

Conan O’Brien Must Go: Season 2 (Max series 5/8)

Conan might be the most fitting awards show host of the decade, but he’s now trotting around the earth when he’s not podcasting (via his Needs A Friend show). He’s no Anthony Bourdain, of course, and he never claimed as much, but this show has already been renewed for a third season, so he’ll be taking in local cuisine while surprising fans for the foreseeable future.

The Four Seasons: Season 1 (Netflix series 5/1)

This tried and true “couples trip”-type formula receives a new permutation in this series, which sees a couple divorce and mess up the “quarterly weekend getaways” dynamic of their long-running friendship with two other couples. Tina Fey co-created and stars in this series along with Steve Carrell and Colman Domingo, so at least you know that they filled the show with a stellar cast who will go several extra miles for both “funny” and “heartwarming.” (And if this trailer doesn’t simulate a mini-gut punch in you over how marriages can slowly crumble, consider yourself lucky.)

Love, Death & Robots (Netflix series 5/15)

Deadpool director Tim Miller, Mindhunter executive producer David Fincher, and supervising director Jennifer Yuh Nelson are back with another editing of bleeding-edge animation shorts, this time with stories about “dinosaur gladiators, messianic cats,” and “string-puppet rock stars.” No matter what, you’re sure to find experiences here that will both please and offend, so dive into the abyss, y’all.

Dept. Q (Netflix series 5/29)

The Queen’s Gambit won’t receive a second season, but writer and director Scott Frank is here with a followup show about a brilliant, sarcastic cop, Carl, who simply cannot get along with his colleagues. After he is exiled to a different unit, Carl builds his own support gang and takes on cold cases with much more success than expected. And as The Night Agent viewers can attest, basement banishments can really backfire on authority.

Criminal Minds: Evolution: Season 18 (Paramount+ series 5/8)

You might be wondering why this series, especially concerning a double-digits season, appears on this list? Well, Matthew Gray Gubler is finally returning to the franchise as Spencer Reid. Granted, he will only appear in one episode, but that’s plenty enough, and Gubler will also soon be starring in his own series, Einstein, in which he portrays the ultimate academic nepo baby.