New on Netflix UK in May 2023: best TV & film to watch, from Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story to Queer Eye

A guide to everything that’s new on Netflix UK in May 2023, organised into a list of dramas, comedies, documentaries, films, and international series
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As ever, a new month means new television to watch – and on Netflix in particular that means a deluge of originals, exclusives, and old favourites to wade through.

It can be difficult to make sense of what’s coming to Netflix, so we’ve organised the streaming service’s May releases into a list of dramas, comedies, documentaries, films, and international series. 

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Here’s your guide to everything that’s new on Netflix UK this May, with a few highlighted top picks to help you decide what to watch. And, as ever, don't forget that you can sign up for Netflix right here.

Drama

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Luke Brunner in Fubar, walking away from a small explosion (Credit: Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix)Arnold Schwarzenegger as Luke Brunner in Fubar, walking away from a small explosion (Credit: Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix)
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Luke Brunner in Fubar, walking away from a small explosion (Credit: Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix)

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | Thursday 4 May

A Bridgerton prequel that charts the story of how the young Queen's marriage to King George sparked a grand love story and a prompted sudden social chage, transforming the world of the Ton forever. India Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest star in the latest series from Shonda Rhimes. 

FUBAR | Friday 25 May

A veteran spy on the verge of retirement agrees to take on one last job and rescue a young agent in trouble. Forced to go back into the field, he discovers a secret that had been kept from him for decades: his daughter is a spy as well - and she is who he's been sent to save. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro star in this eight episode dramedy. 

Comedy

Tim Robinson in I Think You Should Leave, wearing a hot dog costume, with the text "We're all trying to find the guy who did this" along the bottom of the image (Credit: Netflix)Tim Robinson in I Think You Should Leave, wearing a hot dog costume, with the text "We're all trying to find the guy who did this" along the bottom of the image (Credit: Netflix)
Tim Robinson in I Think You Should Leave, wearing a hot dog costume, with the text "We're all trying to find the guy who did this" along the bottom of the image (Credit: Netflix)

Hannah Gadsby: Something Special | Tuesday 9 May

Hannah Gadsby is back for their third Netflix comedy special, talking about their recent wedding, more than one traumatic encounter with a bunny, and much more. Filmed at the Sydney Opera House.

Wanda Sykes: I'm An Entertainer | Tuesday 23 May

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Wanda Sykes returns for her second Netflix comedy special, discussing the difficulties that come with raising Gen Z teens to the challenges of being a liberal in the modern political climate.

I Think You Should Leave S3 | Tuesday 30 May

Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin return for a third series of their hit comedy sketch show, bringing their idiosyncratic wit to the bizarre side of life's most mundane moments.

Documentary

President Obama bothers a woman and her young daughter while grocery shopping in a scene from Working: What We Do All Day (Credit: Netflix)President Obama bothers a woman and her young daughter while grocery shopping in a scene from Working: What We Do All Day (Credit: Netflix)
President Obama bothers a woman and her young daughter while grocery shopping in a scene from Working: What We Do All Day (Credit: Netflix)

Queen Cleopatra | Wednesday 10 May

Queen Cleopatra is one of history's most famous women - and also one of its most misunderstood. This four-part docudrama from Jada Pinkett-Smith, featuring an examination of Queen Cleopatra’s often overlooked heritage, and argues that the notoriety of Cleopatra's romances have overshadowed her intellect in the pubic imagination.

Missing: Dead or Alive? | Wednesday 10 May

A four-part documentary series following South Carolina sheriff’s department as they urgently search for missing individuals who disappeared under troubling circumstance. 

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me | Tuesday 16 May

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An uncompromising look at the life and death of Vickie Lynn Hogan – or, as she's better known, the model and actress Anna Nicole Smith. From her first appearance in Playboy in 1992, Anna Nicole’s sharp ascent was perceived by many as the picture of the the American dream - before it was brought to a tragic halt with her untimely death in 2007. From director Ursula Macfarlane (Untouchable). 

Working: What We Do All Day | Wednesday 17 May

Barack Obama responds to Studs Terkel’s 1974 book Working, asking ordinary people what they do all day and offering intimate, behind-the-scenes portraits of people’s lives from service jobs all the way up to the C-suite. A four-part documentary series in which the former President leverages his multi-million dollar Netflix deal in the hope he can give viewers a new understanding of and appreciation for the jobs they do each day.

MerPeople | Tuesday 23 May

MerPeople dives into the fascinating world of underwater performers who have turned their love for the mystical sea creatures into real-world careers. From putting on dazzling small-town shows in Florida to the crowning of the King and Queen of the Seas in the Bahamas, this series will take you on a journey of passion and perseverance to a world where fantasy becomes reality.

Victim/Suspect | Tuesday 23 May

Journalist Rae de Leon travels nationwide to document a shocking pattern: young women tell the police they’ve been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, they’re charged with the crime of making a false report. Arrests and at times even imprisonment follows, and these young woman are discarded and mistreated by the system that should protect them.

Family

XO, Kitty | Thursday 18 May

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Teen matchmaker Kitty Song Covey thinks she knows everything there is to know about love. But when she moves halfway across the world to reunite with her own long-distance boyfriend, she quickly realises that relationships are more complicated when they're your own. Anna Cathcart stars in this spinoff of To All The Boys I Loved Before from creator Jenny Han.

Reality & Light Entertainment 

Vanessa Papa and Xander Boger in The Ultimatum Queer Love (Credit: Netflix)Vanessa Papa and Xander Boger in The Ultimatum Queer Love (Credit: Netflix)
Vanessa Papa and Xander Boger in The Ultimatum Queer Love (Credit: Netflix)

Love Village | Tuesday 2 May

16 singles relocate to a house in the mountains to see if love might spark in a tranquil and idyllic setting, secluded away from the realities of the world. Will participants find everlasting love by showing their real faces: crying, laughing and quarrelling? A new Japanese dating show.

Jewish Matchmaking | Wednesday 3 May

Jewish Matchmaking features singles in the US and Israel as they turn their dating life over to a top Jewish matchmaker. Will using the traditional practice of shidduchim (i.e. introductions and arranged relationships) dating help them find their soulmate in today’s world? A new series from the producers of Indian Matchmaking.

Queer Eye S7 | Friday 7 May

Across seven new episodes, The Fab Five transform the lives of New Orleans residents.

Selling Sunset S6 | Friday 19 May

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New agents? New drama. The Oppenheim Group realtors return with chic penthouse listings, personality clashes, and pregnancies — and throw enough shade to cover every cabana in Los Angeles. 11 episodes.

The Ultimatum: Queer Love | Wednesday 24 May

Five new couples, all women and non-binary people, are at a crossroads. One is ready for marriage; the other has doubts. An ultimatum is issued. In just eight weeks, each couple will either get married or get out after they each choose new potential partners in a life-changing opportunity to get a glimpse of different futures. New episodes weekly.

Internationals

Roderick Kabanga as Roni in Dance Brothers (Credit: Netflix)Roderick Kabanga as Roni in Dance Brothers (Credit: Netflix)
Roderick Kabanga as Roni in Dance Brothers (Credit: Netflix)

The Tailor | Tuesday 2 May

Peyami, a young and famous tailor, inherited his talent and successful business from his grandfather – but, with the death of his grandfather and the arrival of mysterious runaway Esvet, Peyami’s biggest secret threatens to emerge…

Sanctuary | Thursday 4 May

A juvenile delinquent becomes a sumo apprentice and finds himself on a collision course with a voiceless wrestler carrying a secret. Sanctuary offers gritty look into the underbelly of professional sumo, a world full of young men with ambitions for money, women, fame, and power. 

Dance Brothers | Wednesday 10 May

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Brothers Roni (Roderick Kabanga) and Sakari (Samuel Kujala) struggle to make a living as professional dancers. To help finance their dance dreams they decide to start their own club, which quickly brings them fame – but soon their artistic ambitions and personal relationships collide with commercial demands. In a clash of business versus passion, the loyalty and love the brothers have for each other will be tested by the one thing that always united them – dance.

Royalteen: Princess Margrethe | Thursday 11 May

Last year’s prom ended in major drama for Princess Margrehte, and she doesn’t dare tell anyone about what happened the night she was hospitalised. But, when the Danish royal family announce plans to visit Norway, Princess Margrethe will finally get to meet the handsome Danish prince that she's been chatting with for months – soon finding herself lost between taking care of her family, portraying herself as a strong princess, and being vulnerable in her quest for love.

Ultraman Season 3 | Thursday 11 May

Shinjiro begins to realise he can no longer keep his abilities under control and struggles to contain them. When his power is unleashed beyond his control, the city is destroyed, and people are hurt. Society begins to condemn Ultraman as a “disaster of mankind” – lost and alone, Shinjiro finds himself isolated in the middle of a maelstrom of fate as an ominous alien force moves in secret…

Black Knight | Friday 12 May

In a dystopian future devastated by air pollution, the survival of humanity depends on a group of deliverymen known as the Black Knights who navigate the wastelands using unconventional means.

Rhythm & Flow France S2 | Wednesday 17 May

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French rappers freestyle battle their way to a game-changing 100,000 euro prize in a music competition series judged by SCH, Shay and Niska.

Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune | Thursday 18 May

Akira Ihotsu is a young man who spends his days rebelling against an oppressive society on a future Earth, which is ruled and controlled by the Pan-Star System Trade Federation. One day, he volunteers to join the planetary orbital infantry force “Yakitori” — a brutal unit whose missions average a shocking death rate of 70% - and makes a stand against his pre-determined fate. Adapted from a brand-new military science fiction novel from Carlo Zen (The Saga of Tanya the Evil). 

Blood & Gold | Friday 26 May

Desperate to return home to his daughter in the final days of World War II, a German deserter finds himself caught in a battle against SS troops on a mission to uncover hidden gold. Robert Maaser stars in this German-language film from director Peter Thorwarth. 

Netflix Original Films

Lucy Paez as Zoe and Jennifer Lopez as The Mother in The Mother (Credit: Eric Milner/Netflix)Lucy Paez as Zoe and Jennifer Lopez as The Mother in The Mother (Credit: Eric Milner/Netflix)
Lucy Paez as Zoe and Jennifer Lopez as The Mother in The Mother (Credit: Eric Milner/Netflix)

The Mother | Friday 12 May

On the run from dangerous men, a deadly assassin comes out of hiding to protect the daughter that she gave up years before. Jennifer Lopez stars in this action thriller from director Niki Caro (Mulan, The Zookeeper’s Wife). 

Old Favourites

Freaky (2021) | Thursday 4 May

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After swapping bodies with a violent serial killer, a high-school student learns that she has less than 24 hours before the change becomes permanent. Vince Vaughn (Dodgeball) and Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania) star in this Freaky Friday style horror movie.

The Football Factory (2004) | Friday 5 May

Tommy Johnson is a member of the Chelsea Firm. His life revolves around alcohol, drugs, and violence, but whose new nightmares every time he goes to sleep makes him question his choice of life. Danny Dyer stars in this cult classic.

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