The 12 Best Things Coming to Netflix in May 2024

Unfrosted

What’s the deal with Pop-Tarts? Jerry Seinfeld cowrote, directed and stars in this eagerly awaited Netflix original movie about the early ’60s creation of the delightfully tasty, part-of-a-balanced-breakfast treat. Think of it as Mad Men crossed with that Nike Air Jordan movie but with a lot of sugary on-the-go pastries. The bold-faced cast of funny people includes Melissa McCarthy, 53, Jim Gaffigan, 57, Amy Schumer and Hugh Grant, 63.

Coming May 9

Bodkin

Will Forte, 53 (MacGruber), Siobhan Cullen (The Dry) and Robyn Cara (Trying) star in this seven-episode comedy series about a trio of true-crime podcasters who travel to a quirky and remote town in Ireland to investigate a rash of disappearances from 25 years ago. They run afoul of oddball locals and stumble onto a cold case that’s less cold than they think. Barack and Michelle Obama are executive producers.

Mother of the Bride

This one has rom-com crowd-pleaser written all over it. Brooke Shields, 58, grapples with separation anxiety as her daughter (Miranda Cosgrove) is about to walk down the aisle at a destination beach wedding in Thailand. But she snaps out of her funk the second she’s introduced (or reintroduced) to the groom’s dad, who just happens to be the old college boyfriend who broke her heart (Benjamin Bratt). The fact that this was directed by Mark Waters (Freaky Friday, Mean Girls) bodes well.

Coming May 16

Bridgerton, Season 3, Part 1

Fans of Netflix’s swoony blockbuster series have had this date circled on their calendars since, well, since Season 2 ended. The big news at Mayfair this time around appears to be that wallflower Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) has not only blossomed, but is also in the unexpected position of having to fight off multiple suitors. What does this mean for Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton)? Let Lady Whistledown whisper it in your ear.

Coming May 22

Buying London, Season 1

If you’ve ever caught an episode of Million Dollar Listing, you know the drill. A bunch of young, impossibly good-looking real estate agent hotshots earn ridiculous commissions selling luxury homes and apartments to young, impossibly good-looking clients. Only this time, we’re in London and there’s a scrappy new agency in town ready to take on their more established — and more proper — competitors.

Coming May 23

Tires, Season 1

Shane Gillis, the stand-up comic who was fired from Saturday Night Live and then later asked to host Saturday Night Live, stars in a new six-episode workplace comedy series set at an auto repair company. Gillis’ character plays the son of the owner who tries to turn the struggling business around. Yes, this is pretty much the exact same plot as Chris Farley’s Tommy Boy, but we’re willing to give Gillis a shot.

Coming May 24

Atlas

Having just wrapped up her This is Me … Now era, Jennifer Lopez returns to her Netflix action movie star career (see: The Mother) for this sci-fi adventure about a technophobic government analyst (Lopez) who joins a mission in the far reaches of space to capture a renegade robot that she has a personal connection to. The film also stars Sterling K. Brown and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Simu Liu.

Coming May 30

(Left to right) Benedict Cumberbatch and Ivan Howe in "Eric."

Courtesy of Netflix

Eric

Frankly, we’ll watch anything with Benedict Cumberbatch in it. But this psychological thriller set in New York in the ’80s sounds promising anyway. In this six-episode series, the actor plays a desperate father whose nine-year-old son disappears one day on his way to school. He comes to believe that his one hope to save his child is to bring one of his drawings to life on TV. Expect heavy emotions, frayed nerves and even, yes, puppets.