The coming weeks bring series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patricia Arquette, India Amarteifio, Case Walker, Chase Sui Wonders, Teresa Palmer, Guy Pearce.
Looking ahead to May, a host of new television releases will be arriving in living rooms around the world. For starters, we have the long-awaited return of HBO’s irreverent comedy The Other Two, as well as the highly anticipated release of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Another promising premiere is Fubar, the action/espionage series that brings back Arnold Schwarzenegger to our screens. There is certainly a varied selection of titles to choose from.
Here are the new releases you should keep in mind for the month of May:
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Netflix | Season 1 | Release date: Thursday, May 04
The Bridgertons arrived and won over the hearts of its audience. In 2020, this period drama broke streaming records and its fairy tale ending left us wanting more.
Bridgerton fans know that the Netflix hit has plenty of material left to tackle. The show, which returned in early 2022 with season two, has been renewed for third and fourth installments.
In addition to this, there will be a spin-off centered on Her Majesty Queen Charlotte. The spin-off, called Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, will serve as an origin story and will focus on the betrothal of young Charlotte to King George III.
According to a Netflix press release: Charlotte is betrothed to the King against her will and, when she arrives in England, she does not make a good first impression. The story tells how the young queen’s marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and social change. By all accounts, the prequel follows the classic trope of arranged marriage and falling in love.
The show will also explore the origins of Lady Danbury and Lady Bridgerton and how the two were able to foster a lasting friendship with the queen.
India Amarteifio plays the young Queen Charlotte, while Corey Mylchreest is the young King George. Original actresses Golda Rosheuval (Queen Charlotte), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury) and Ruth Gemmell (Violet Bridgerton) will reprise their corresponding roles.
The Other Two
HBO Max | Season 3 | Release date: Thursday, May 04
The Other Two is a television series created by Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. The story follows the lives of two brothers in their thirties who must deal with the sudden fame of their younger brother, who becomes a pop star. In September 2021, the show was renewed for a third season.
This sharp satire of the entertainment industry centers on Chase, a 13-year-old boy whose viral video launches him to fame, which brings some discord to the family circle. The issue is that Brooke and Cary, Chase’s older siblings, feel compelled to prove that they too can be successful.
So far, the show has provided the audience with many laughs, but it has also offered tough and thoughtful moments. The Other Two is about family, the limits of success and adjusting to life’s expectations.
New guest stars for season three include Kiernan Shipka, Lukas Gage, Simu Liu, Ben Platt and Ann Dowd, while Ken Marino, Josh Segarra, Brandon Scott Jones, Kate Berlant and Wanda Sykes return.
Similar to the previous two seasons, the new installment will have ten episodes. It is likely that the episodes will air weekly on Max, with the first two episodes airing on the day of the premiere.
City on Fire
Apple TV+ | Season 1 | Release date: Friday, May 12
City on Fire is an eight-episode crime drama created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. The fiction is inspired by Garth Risk Hallberg’s 2015 novel of the same name.
In Apple TV+’s upcoming drama series, Charlie, a suburban teenager is determined to unravel the mysterious murder of his best friend, Samantha Cicciaro, a New York University student who is shot in Central Park on July 4, 2003. The young woman was alone, there are no witnesses and there is very little physical evidence.
As the crime against Samantha is investigated, it is discovered that she is the crucial connection between a series of mysterious fires affecting the entire city, the downtown music scene and a wealthy Upper East Side family with dangerous secrets.
Schwartz and Savage have written all episodes of the installment and serve as showrunners. Jesse Peretz directs four episodes, while Lis Rowinski participates as co-executive producer.
High Desert
Apple TV+ | Season 1 | Release date: Wednesday, May 17
Apple’s new black comedy stars and is executive produced by Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette. The series follows Peggy (Arquette), an addict, who decides to start over after the death of her beloved mother, with whom she lived in the small desert town of Yucca Valley, California. In the midst of her adjustment process Peggy makes a life-changing decision: she suddenly resolves to become a private investigator.
High Desert is the work of Emmy Award-winning director Jay Roach and creators Nancy Fichman, Katie Ford and Jennifer Hoppe. Ben Stiller serves as executive producer.
High Desert reunites Ben Stiller with Patricia Arquette after Apple Severance’s AFI and WGA award-winning hit series.
The series will debut with the first three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly every Wednesday.
The Clearing
Hulu | Limited series | Release date: Wednesday, May 24
The Clearing is a psychological thriller television series loosely inspired by the Australian doomsday cult The Family.
Shot in Victoria, the eight-part series is described as an emotional thriller that follows the nightmares of a cult and a woman who is forced to confront the demons of her past to prevent the abduction and coercion of innocent children in the future.
The program largely tells the story of Anne Hamilton-Byrne, the leader of the cult. Hamilton-Byrne’s followers believed that she was the reincarnation of Jesus, a living god on par with Buddha and Krishna, who came to Earth to help mankind.
It so happens that Hamilton-Byrne and her husband Bill acquired many children, either through adoption scams or from cult members, and raised them as their own. Isolated from the outside world, the children grew up in a regime of isolation, where they wore matching outfits, had their hair bleached and were allegedly abused.
Directed by Jeffrey Walker and Gracie Otto, The Clearing is based on the best-selling novel by J.P. Pomare and stars Miranda Otto, Teresa Palmer and Guy Pearce.
Jeffrey Walker said: “The Clearing is a haunting psychological thriller, featuring some of Australia’s finest talent in front, and behind, the lens.”
The program will premiere with two episodes on Wednesday, May 24, and then continue with one episode a week through July 5, 2023.
Fubar
Netflix | Season 1 | Release date: Thursday, May 25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6A56zcGeWE
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Luke Brunner, an efficient and lethal CIA agent who is about to retire. Luke thinks he will finally have the chance to spend more time with his family. But, just before his departure, his boss gives him an unforeseen and unavoidable mission.
Reluctantly, Luke agrees to rescue a missing agent and retrieve a weapon of mass destruction along the way. Everything gets complicated when the tough officer discovers a big secret: the captured agent is his daughter, Emma Brunner (Monica Barbaro).
In this latest mission, father and daughter will have to face uncomfortable truths. And the fact is, both have been lying to each other for years about their occupations and their true identities. Between action and humor, the Netflix series will tackle themes of espionage and universal family issues.
It has been rumored that Fubar shares certain espionage qualities inspired by the 1994 film True Lies. It should be added that, this will be the first time the actor and bodybuilder will play a leading role in a television series.
The show’s cast also includes Jay Baruchel, Fortune Feimster, Aparna Brielle, Barbara Eve Harris, Andy Buckley, Gabriel Luna, Milan Carter, Fabiana Udenio and Travis Van Winkle.