The following sentence is a bit of a stretch, but it nonetheless is true: If you want to know what's on your favorite streaming service in May 2020, you'll get answers like Michelle Obama, and Patton Oswalt, and Joker, and Catherine the Great, and Mandalorians, and Steve Carrell. Yes, that's all those people in the same sentence. (But not on the same service — even that would be too much to ask.)
But while we're all still continuing to spend a little more time at home than perhaps we'd like, it's worth noting that May on the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO and Disney+ is going to be pretty awesome.
Here's a look at what's coming to each service in May 2020:
What's new on Netflix in May 2020
The funny thing about Netflix in May is that — well, actually, everything is funny on Netflix this May. Like, there's a ridiculous amount of funny. More funny than usual.
And that's a good thing. Because we could really use the funny right now.
The funny includes the third season of Magic for Humans. And the incredible Hannah Gadsby (you should remember her from Nanette). And Patton Oswalt. And a new season of Workin' Moms. And The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. And Steve Carrell in Space Force.
And also that Seinfeld guy.
So, yeah. May on Netflix is bringing the funny.
But it's also bringing something a bit more serious in the form of one Michelle Obama in the documentary companion to her book of the same name. Becoming drops on May 6.
See everything new on Netflix in April
What's new on Amazon Prime Video in May 2020
Strap in, folks. May on Amazon Prime Video is going to be quite the ride.
First, there's the new series Upload from Greg Daniels (the writer from a couple little shows called The Office and Parks and Rec) that asks the question: What happens when we die ... and heaven is basically inside your phone?
Then there's Kristen Stewart in Seberg, a biopic that's pretty much guaranteed to the your blood boiling, one way or another.
Or how about Ansel Elgort in The Goldfinch? Or a new season of Homecoming, this time with Janelle Monáe leading the way.
See everything new on Amazon Prime Video in May
What's new on Hulu in May 2020
How much do you know about Catherine the Great? Wait — scratch that. ... How much do you actually know about Catherine the Great?
Or are you like us and you didn't actually know anything about Catherine the Great? And what's that have to do with what's new on Hulu in May? OK, it has to do with The Great — the new series on the rise of Russia's longest-ruling woman, played by the always awesome Elle Fanning.
Here's how Hulu puts things:
Season One is a fictionalized, fun and anachronistic story of an idealistic, romantic young girl, who arrives in Russia for an arranged marriage to the mercurial Emperor Peter. Hoping for love and sunshine, she finds instead a dangerous, depraved, backward world that she resolves to change. All she has to do is kill her husband, beat the church, baffle the military and get the court onside. A very modern story about the past which encompasses the many roles she played over her lifetime as lover, teacher, ruler, friend, and fighter.
OK, then. And maybe the best part? Hulu says the series incorporates facts "only occasionally." Should be a good ride.
See everything new on Hulu in May
What's new on Disney+ in May 2020
The first five months or so of Disney+ have been huge, thanks in no small part to its standout show The Mandalorian. And now, with the debut of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian we're getting a look at how the series was shot.
And it's fascinating.
We're all used to green screens. But in 2020 things have gone even more high tech. Screens on the ceiling. Screens on the walls. Backgrounds so real that you could swear they were actually there.
Plus, May sees the launch of the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It ends an epic run that has served as an incredible complement to the main franchise.
See everything new on Disney+ in May
What's new on HBO in May 2020
I could try to describe the trailer above, but doing it justice without making too small a deal of things is just too damn hard. So here's how HBO puts things:
Following triumph from a piece of writing that garnered internet acclaim, Arabella Essiuedu (Coel) — easily distracted, non-committal and carefree — finds herself feted as the "voice of her generation," with an agent, a book commission and a helluva lot of pressure. After being sexually assaulted in a nightclub, her life changes irreversibly and Arabella is forced to reassess everything: her career, her friends, even her family. As Arabella struggles to come to terms with what has happened, she begins a journey of self-discovery.
It's not going to be an easy watch. But it's going to be a great one. Pair that with all the great movies and series on HBO — plus the launch of HBO Max — and May's definitely a busy one.
