The first full week of May brings more new shows premiering this week on Netflix, Max and other streaming services, as well as broadcast and cable TV.
This week's new TV lineup holds something for everyone. For a silly spectacle filled with songs, Eurovision 2024 is here. Want time-traveling sci-fi adventure? Hop into the TARDIS with "Doctor Who" season 14 or tune into "Dark Matter" on Apple TV Plus. If you're in the mood for a dark comedy/mystery, check Neflix's "Bodkin." Here's our guide on the top new TV shows to check out this week.
Eurovision Song Contest (Peacock)
The sometimes stunning, sometimes silly but always sizable spectacle that is the annual Eurovision Song Contest returns for its 68th edition, this time held in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory last year with the song "Tattoo" by Loreen. Thirty-seven countries are participating in the semi-finals on May 7 and 9, including Luxembourg for the first time in 31 years. The top 10 vote-getters, the “Big Five” automatic qualifiers and host country Sweden will then vie for the ultimate honor in the final on May 11. Switzerland’s “The Code” by Nemo and Croatia’s “Rim Tom Tagi Dim” by Baby Lasagna are the early favorites.
Premieres Tuesday, May 7 at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock
‘Dark Matter’ (Apple TV Plus)
Author Blake Crouch adapts his own sci-fi novel for the screen, where it joins fellow Apple shows like “Foundation,” “Silo” and the recent “Constellation.” Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) is a Chicago-based physicist and professor who is husband to Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and father to teen son Charlie (Oakes Fegley). One night while walking home, Jason is abducted into an alternate version of his life, where he sees “what might have been.” He embarks on a harrowing journey to return to his original reality and his family so that he can save them from a fearsome foe: himself.
Premieres Wednesday, May 8 at 12 a.m. ET on Apple TV Plus
‘Black Twitter: A People’s History’ (Hulu)
Based on Jason Parham’s Wired articles, this docuseries examines how Black users on Twitter (now called X) collectively grew into an influential force in American culture and politics. It chronicles the birth — from the earliest hashtag #UKnowUrBlackWhen — and rise of Black Twitter through the eventual backlash. Former “Insecure” showrunner Prentice Penny helms the adaptation and gives the spotlight to a number of prominent Black voices, including stand-up comic W. Kamau Bell; authors Roxane Gay and Luvvie Ajayi; journalists Jemele Hill, Wesley Lowery and April Reign; trans activist Raquel Willis; academics; and former Twitter executives.
Premieres Thursday, May 9 at 12 a.m. ET on Hulu
‘Bodkin’ (Netflix)
This dark comedic thriller takes a page out of the “Only Murders in the Building” playbook by featuring a trio of podcasters investigating a mystery. American podcast host Gilbert (Will Forte) and researcher Emmy (Robyn Cara) team up with Dublin-born journalist Dove (Siobhán Cullen) to look into mysterious disappearances decades earlier in the titular idyllic, coastal Irish town. When they arrive during Samhain, a traditional Gaelic harvest celebration, the trio discovers Bodkin might be small but holds very big secrets.
Premieres Thursday, May 9 at 3 a.m. ET on Netflix
‘Pretty Little Liars: Summer School’ season 2 (Max)
The second season of the “Pretty Little Liars” spinoff gets a new subtitle and new villain, who may or may not have a connection with A. Picking up where “Original Sin” left off, “Summer School” draws inspiration from classic slasher flicks like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Tabby, Noa, Imogen, Faran, and Mouse are forced to haunt the halls of Millwood High instead of having fun in the sun. Even so, it’s not all work and no play, as Imogen meets a new love interest and Noa reunites with a past one. But a terrifying figure called Bloody Rose will put all the girls to the test — and not all of them might make it to fall.
Premieres Thursday, May 9 at 3 a.m. ET on Max
‘Doctor Who’ season 14 (Disney Plus)
In a 60th anniversary special last fall, “Sex Education” alum Ncuti Gatwa was first introduced as the Fifteenth Doctor, becoming the first Black actor to play the iconic role. Now, he officially steps into the TARDIS for adventures across space and time with Millie Gibson as companion Ruby Sunday. Doc and Ruby are headed to places as far and wide as Regency-era England, the 1960s with the Beatles and war-torn future worlds. Along the way, they will encounter friends and foes, including Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson), the Duchess (Indira Varma), Paul McCartney (George Caple) and John Lennon (Chris Mason) and a mysterious character played by Jonathan Groff.
Premieres Friday, May 10 at 7 p.m. ET on Disney Plus
‘Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire’ season 2 (AMC)
The dark, dangerous and sexy story continues in season 2 as vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) recalls his past in an interview with journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). After the events in 1940 in New Orleans, Louis and teen fledgling Claudia (Delainey Hayles) head to Europe on a quest to discover Old World Vampires and the Theatre Des Vampires in Paris. There, Louis encounters vampire Armand (Assad Zaman), and their resulting love affair will have devastating consequences in the past and future.
Premieres Sunday, May 12 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC (via Sling or Fubo)
