Also, a new riff on “The Lord of the Flies” from the creator of “Adolescence.”

7 bingeable shows coming to Netflix in May 2026 — including the return of Pop Culture Jeopardy

Also, a new riff on "The Lord of the Flies" from the creator of "Adolescence."

By Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer, and many other publications.

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May 1, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

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'Pop Culture Jeopardy'; 'Mating Season'; 'Lord of the Flies'. Credit:

Tyler Golden/Netflix; NETFLIX; Lisa Tomasetti/Eleven/Sony Pictures Television

Summer looms, and a sunny array of new shows are rising on Netflix in May.

The all-star cast of *The Four Seasons*, for example, is back for another round of exotic (and exhausting) vacations. Meanwhile, a new adaptation of William Golding's *The Lord of the Flies* will bring a bit of unpleasantness to an otherwise scenic island.

Also on the docket? A new horror show produced by the creators of *Stranger Things*, as well as a reality series about mischievous college grads in the luxe foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Read on to learn about seven series you won't want to miss on Netflix this May.

Lord of the Flies

'Lord of the Flies'.

J Redza/Eleven/Sony Pictures Television

**Available to stream:** May 4

One of the best dystopian books of all time, William Golding's 1954 classic *Lord of the Flies *explores* *"a corrupt society formed in the ashes of disaster" with its tale of boys seeking order after being stranded on a tropical island.

Golding's story has been adapted (and parodied) numerous times over the years, but Jack Thorne, the Emmy-winning co-creator of *Adolescence*, wants to center the boys' humanity with his new adaptation.

Speaking with the BBC, Thorne said he finds the book "a remarkably tender portrait" of young boys, which clashes with its reputation as a "brutal and pessimistic story."

Director Marc Munden put it thusly: "The world's still full of those confused little boys creating chaos in the world in the guise of men and hopefully this is a little microcosm of that which helps us understand that."

**Creator:** Jack Thorne

**Cast: **Lox Pratt, David McKenna, Winston Sawyers, Ike Talbut, Thomas Connor.

Pop Culture Jeopardy

Colin Jost hosting 'Pop Culture Jeopardy'.

Tyler Golden/Netflix

**Available to stream:** May 11

*Pop Culture Jeopardy*, a pop culture-centered *Jeopardy* spinoff hosted by *Saturday Night Live*'s Colin Jost, pivots to Netflix this month after its previous run on Amazon Prime Video.

The tournament-style spinoff has contestants competing in teams as they crush questions about movies, TV shows, books, and other media-centric topics. Episodes air every weekday from May 11 through June 5.

**Host: **Colin Jost

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Matthew Law and Y'lan Noel on 'Nemesis'.

Saeed Adyani/Netflix

**Available to stream:** May 14

Courtney A. Kemp, the creator of Starz's venerable *Power* franchise, is behind Netflix's *Nemesis, *which she co-created with Tani Marole.

Described as a "subversion of the heist drama," the series follows a savvy criminal and a cerebral detective in a story "amped by thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics, and explosive action." (If you're a *Heat* fan, your ears are probably perking up.)

The top-notch cast is led by Matthew Law and Y'lan Noel, and rounded out by the compelling likes of Michael Potts, Domenick Lombardozzi, Cleopatra Coleman, and Tre Hale.

**Creators:** Courtney A. Kemp and Tani Marole

**Cast: **Matthew Law, Y'lan Noel, Domenick Lombardozzi, Cleopatra Coleman, Tre Hale, Michael Potts

The Boroughs

Denis O'Hare, Alfred Molina, and Alfre Woodard on 'The Boroughs'.

Courtesy of Netflix

**Available to stream:** May 21

Is *The Boroughs* just *Stranger Things* for seniors? Not quite.

Sure, *Stranger Things* creators Matt and Ross Duffer are executive producers on this eight-episode series, which thrusts seniors at a retirement community into an otherworldly mystery (and confronts them with a monster).

But creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (*The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance*) have created something wholly original, with a cast that's anchored by film and TV veterans Alfred Molina, Bill Pullman, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, and Clarke Peters.

Mortality is a theme that permeates, Matthews previously explained to EW. "What are you gonna do with the time you have left? How do you deal with aging? That's true for the monster, too. How old is the monster, really? That's part of what our characters are struggling with. We didn't want it to feel like a show that has a monster. We wanted to feel like it's a show where the heroes and the villains are all on the same arc because then they're all someone you can root for, even if they're bad guys."

**Creators:** Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews

**Cast: **Alfred Molina, Bill Pullman, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodaerd, Denis O'Hare, Clarke Peters

Mating Season

'Mating Season'.

**Available to stream:** May 22

*Big Mouth* fans, rejoice. The team behind Netflix's filthy animated hit is back with a new series to make you clutch your pearls. But it might also warm your soul.

Per the synopsis, *Mating Season* is an "adult animated romantic comedy — set in the animal world — about love, sex, relationships, and the universal need to find a partner and perpetuate the species — starring bears, raccoons, deer, foxes, and a host of other horny, lovable forest critters."

"Ultimately, I think all these animals want to find love, and that was the thing we really realized as we were constructing our first season," executive producer Jennifer Flackett recently told Cracked. "I think we thought the show was going to be more about looking for sex, but no, it’s really about looking for love. We’re all softies, too. So, as we realized that and decided to really lean into the romantic comedy of it all, that’s when we really began to understand what the show was."

**Creators:** Andrew Goldberg, Nick Kroll, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett

**Cast: **Nick Kroll, Zach Woods, June Diane Raphael, Sabrina Jalees

The Four Seasons

Kerri Kenney-Silver as Anne, Marco Calvani as Claude, Tina Fey as Kate, Colman Domingo as Danny, and Will Forte as Jack in 'The Four Seasons' season 2.

Emily V. Aragones/Netflix

**Available to stream:** May 28 (season 2)

An all-star cast comprised of Tina Fey, Will Forte, and Colman Domingo leads this comedy series, which was inspired by Alan Alda's 1981 film of the same name.

Like season 1, the follow-up will track a trio of married couples across a year's worth of vacations, each of which alters the intricacies of their relationships.

Fey spoke with *Deadline* last year about pushing beyond the borders of Alda's film in season 2. "Now we’re figuring out, okay, without the template of the original movie, what can happen that still feels in scale and realistic, but also entertaining," she said. "So it’s coming along."

**Creators:** Tina Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield

**Cast:** Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marco Calvani, Erika Henningsen, Colman Domingo**

Calabasas Confidential

'Calabasas Confidential'.

Courtesy of Netflix

**Available to stream:** May 29

Do you enjoy watching rich people behave badly? You're in luck. *Calabasas Confidential* is a new reality series following old pals, exes, and enemies who reignite their old friendships and feuds after returning to the titular (and wealthy) California city after four years apart.

"Fresh out of college, they’re plunged right back into the drama they thought they left behind," reads the synopsis. "As they settle back into their families’ sprawling mansions and slip into the familiar circuit of parties, La La Land catch-ups, and beach hangs, these young adults are forced to reckon not only with who they were but also with who they’re becoming — in the town that raised them."

**Cast:** Alexie Olivo, Ben Favaedi, Dylan Wolf, Emilie Nelson, Emma Medrano, Hercy Miller, Jemma Durrant, Jodie Woods, Preston Pippen

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