It’s May. The weather’s getting warmer. You might feel an awful temptation to, gasp, go outside. But wait: A new month also means a fresh crop of new titles streaming on Netflix. And it looks like there should be plenty of reasons to stay indoors thanks to these items that are both original and vintage. Let’s check out a few highlights.
Grace and Frankie: Season 2 (5/6)
It’s no secret that Netflix has excelled at original programming in recent years, and though a few series tend to steal the spotlight — your House of Cards and Kimmy Schmidts — there’s no shortage of compelling series a little lower on the Netflix marquee. Starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie returns to confirm that reuniting 2/3 of the leads of 9 to 5 was a good idea.
Bloodline: Season 2 (5/27)
Bloodline similarly returns for a second season of mystery, intrigue, and Kyle Chandler in the Florida Keys. The first season helped confirm Ben Mendelsohn as one of the best actors out there. With luck, the second season will offer a similar revelation.
Lady Dynamite: Season 1 (5/20)
Those shows are proven quantities. The one to circle the calendar for is Lady Dynamite, starring the incomparable comic Maria Bamford in a show created by Mitch Hurwitz. However you felt about Arrested Development‘s fourth season, it’s hard to deny that Bamford was a highlight and it’s great to see her get a well-deserved starring vehicle.
To Catch A Thief (5/1)
As Netflix has evolved into a great source for television, it’s gotten spottier as a go-to for films, especially classic films. Until recently, it had every episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents but not Hitchcock movies. To Catch a Thief changes that. Released in 1955, it’s one of Hitchcock’s breeziest, sexiest efforts, a romantic thriller set along the Riviera and starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. It’s frothier than much of Hitchcock’s other works, but still a delight, and one driven by the stars’ chemistry and the master’s expected command of suspense sequences.
Pleasantville (5/1)
Also delightful: Gary Ross’ fantasy about two teens (Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon) transported into the seemingly idyllic black-and-white world of a ’50s TV show where they find the seemingly perfect vision of America’s past has its limits. Its central metaphor might be a little obvious, but it’s beautifully played by both the kids and the adults (William H. Macy, Joan Allen, and Jeff Daniels) and Ross brings a lot of subtlety and stylistic grace to what could have been a simple conformity-is-bad movie.
Available May 1, 2016
A Study in Sherlock (2016)
Admiral (2015)
Ava’s Possessions (2015)
Bring It On (2000)
Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)
Easy Living: Seasons 1-3
El Critico (2013)
FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue (1998)
Finger of God (2007)
Gary Gulman: It’s About Time (2016)
Great Expectations (1998)
I Am Road Comic (2014)
Jesus Town, USA (2014)
Just Friends (2005)
Kevin Hart Presents Keith Robinson: Back of The Bus Funny (2015)
Kevin Hart Presents Lil Rel: RELevent (2015)
Kevin Hart Presents: Plastic Cup Boyz (2015)
LoliRock: Season 1 (2014)
My Last Day Without You (2011)
The Nutty Professor (1996)
Off the Map (2013)
Palm Trees in the Snow (2015)
Shark Lake (2015)
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (2014)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Sugar Coated (2015)
Terra (2015)
Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)
To Catch a Thief (1955)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream (2007)
Who’s Driving Doug (2016)
Available May 2
The Replacements (2000)
Available May 3
Submerged (2015)
Available May 4
The Keeping Room (2015)
Shanghai Knights (2003)
Available May 5
Fourth Man Out (2015)
Marseille (Netflix Original)
Available May 6
Ali Wong: Baby Cobra (Netflix Original)
Baby Daddy: Season 5
Grace and Frankie: Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Young & Hungry: Season 3
Available May 8
The Chosen Ones (2015)
Available May 9
A Stand Up Guy (2015)
Available May 10
Eisenstein in Guanajuato (2015)
Available May 11
Chelsea (Netflix Original)
Goosebumps (2015)
They Look Like People (2015)
Available May 12
Bleeding Heart” (2015)
Available May 15
We Are Still Here (2015)
Yo Soy la Salsa (2014)
Available May 17
American Dad!: Season 10
Kindergarten Cop 2 (2016)
Slasher: Season 1 (2016)
Available May 18
A Girl Like Her (2015)
Available May 19
Benders: Season 1 (2015)
Available May 20
Lady Dynamite: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Available May 22
David and Goliath (2015)
The Letters (2014)
The Ouija Experiment 2: Theatre of Death (2015)
Available May 23
Electricity (2014)
Available May 26
Graceland: Season 3
The Last Man on the Moon (2016)
Available May 27
Chef’s Table: Season 2, Part 1 (Netflix Original)
The Do-Over (2016) (Netflix Original)
Mako Mermaids: Season 4 (Netflix Original)
Available May 28
Hell on Wheels: Season 5
