It's May. Spring is springing, the birds are singing, but who has time to enjoy that when there's so much good TV to watch? Consider this your one-stop guide to all the best sci-fi and fantasy shows to watch over the coming month. And the fun starts immediately:
1. Doctor Who season 2 — Disney+ (May 3)
Doctor Who is currently in the midst of its second season...or its 15th...or its 41st, depending on how you reckon. Anyway, it's Ncuti Gatwa's second season as the Fifthteenth Doctor, zipping through space and time going on adventures with his companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu).
The newest episode has already dropped on Disney+ (and on the BBC in the U.K.). In "Lucky Day," the Doctor will reunite with his companion from the previous season, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), who's being tracked by some kind of vicious monster. It's just another day in the very long life of the Doctor.
2. The Last of Us season 2 — HBO (May 4)
The second season of The Last of Us marches forward. There are only seven episodes this season, so this Sunday's new episode — the fourth — will mark the halfway point. But The Last of Us is making every one count. Ellie (Bella Ramsey) has suffered a huge loss, and she won't rest until the person responsible lies dead. Neither distance nor weather nor waves of deadly infected can stop her.
The Last of Us is polished to a mirror sheen in the grandest HBO tradition, with impressive production values and terrific performances from the likes of Ramsey, Pedro Pascal, Isabela Merced, and others. It's also a genre show based on a series of popular video games. A lot of trends are converging here, making for a must-watch experience.
3. The Walking Dead: Dead City — AMC (May 4)
Zombies rule May. Over on AMC, we'll be watching the second season of The Walking Dead: Dead City, a spinoff of the ground-breaking original series. This one revolves around Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who travel to zombie-infested Manhattan. Negan finds himself back in a position of power, which may well bring out the worst in him.
4. Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld — Disney+ (May 4)
This is the third show on our list dropping an episode of May 4. It's especially appropriate in the case of Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, since May the Fourth is Star Wars Day. If you don't get it, read it out loud.
Anyway, this is actually the third seson of the Star Wars: Tales series. The first season, Tales of the Jedi, came out in 2022. There, we got a series of discrete, standalone episodes all about the noble Jedi order. The next season, Tales of the Empire, dropped in 2024 and shifted focus to the bad guys. This new season will focus on fan favorite rouges like Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane, who operate outside the bounds of the law.
5. Star Wars: Andor season 2 — Disney+ (May 6)
Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld begins on May 4. Star Wars: Andor continues a couple days later. This show has been praised as the most mature Star Wars show (or movie) ever produced. It follows several people on both sides of a growing rebellion. Some characters, like Cassian Andor, are coming into their own as rebel agents willing to give everything for the cause. Others, like Imperial bureaucrat Syril Karn, will do whatever they can to stop him.
This second season of Star Wars: Andor is also its last. There are 12 episodes in total, but Disney is releasing them in chunks of three, and we've already seen six. So in a couple of weeks, Andor will be over forever; best savor it while we can.
6. The Handmaid's Tale season 6 — Hulu (May 6)
The Handmaid's Tale is a grim story about a dystopian society where fertile women are kept as breed stock, called handmaids, following a fertility crisis. We've been watching June (Elizabeth Moss) try to take down the theocratic empire of Gilead for six seasons now. One way or another, her story will come to an end in this sixth and final season.
The Handmaid's Tale is the final ongoing series our list. Everything else from here on out is brand new:
7. Love, Death + Robots season 4 — Netflix (May 15)
Like Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, Love, Death + Robots is an anthology show, with each episode taking place in a different place and time, with a different set of characters. Each episode tells a different sci-fi story; it's kind of like an animated version of Black Mirror, only not as depressing.
Love, Death + Robots ups the ante by employing different animation studios from around the world, so not only does no episode feel the same, no episode looks the same. There's always something new around the corner with Love, Death + Robots.
8. Murderbot — Apple TV+ (May 16)
Here's something brand new to capture your imagination. Based on a series of acclaimed books by Martha Wells, Murderbot stars Alexander Skarsgård as a security robot who hacks itself to remove its directive to always obey humans...but it can't let the humans know that, lest they take it apart.
That premise could go in one of a few ways; in Murderbot, things get funny. Murderbot may find humans baffling, but it doesn't want to make war on them. Mostly it just wants to be left alone to enjoy its favorite soap opera Sanctuary Moon, and loathe be to anyone who criticizes his favorite show.
With a premise like that and a pedigree like this, Murderbot could be something very special when it lands on Apple TV+, a streaming service that's built a reputation for high-quality sci-fi.
9. Rick and Morty season 8 — Adult Swim (May 25)
Rick and Morty started way back in 2013. It was a wacky animated sitcom about a nihilistic, super-genius senior citizen and his hapless, wide-eyed granchild...and eight seasons later, not much has changed. Rick is still being reckless and Morty is still being dragged all over the universe and seeing things no child should see. The series has heart, sometimes, but also a lot edgy jokes and screaming. It's worked for over a decade and will probably keep working when the show returns.
10. The Librarians: The Next Chapter — TNT (May 25)
Finally, TNT is readying a spinoff of The Librarians, its cult hit series about an ancient organization dedicated to shielding Earth from the dangers presented by an alternate reality just outside the veil of perception. It's the only fantasy show on our list, so we have to give it a vote of confidence!
There are a couple other series coming out in May worth noting, like the next season of quirky detective show Poker Face (Peacock) on May 8 or the '70s-set crime show Duster (HBO) on May 15. But we're trying to focus on sci-fi and fantasy, so they only get honorable mentions here. You have plenty of options in the month to come!
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