The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix in May

Every month, Netflix adds movies and TV shows to its library. Here are our picks for some of May's most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.)

'A Man in Full'

Starts streaming: May 2

Tom Wolfe's best-selling 1998 novel "A Man in Full" is adapted into a six-part mini-series by the prolific TV writer-producer David E. Kelley, who brings his experience with running buzzy legal dramas like "Ally McBeal" and "The Practice" to Wolfe's unique mix of political satire and potboiler plotting. Jeff Daniels stars as Charlie Croker, an Atlanta real estate mogul under investigation for gross financial mismanagement, who tries to bargain his way out of trouble by trading favors with the city's power elite. The all-star cast includes Diane Lane as Charlie's ex-wife, Martha, Lucy Liu as Martha's best friend and William Jackson Harper as Atlanta's mayor, who is need of a few favors of his own.

'Unfrosted'

Starts streaming: May 3

In his stand-up comedy heyday, Jerry Seinfeld would occasionally make jokes about the junk food of his youth — including Pop-Tarts, which is now the subject of his feature film directing debut. Like a Seinfeld stand-up set in motion picture form, "Unfrosted" uses the comedian's obsessions with old toys, TV shows and snacks as the foundation for a colorfully absurdist version of the 1960s, populated by famous American business moguls and advertising mascots. Seinfeld plays Bob Cabana, a Kellogg's executive who desperately wants to beat the Post cereal company in the race to produce a delicious, shelf-stable toaster pastry. The movie's cast of dozens features a well-known actor or comedian in nearly every role; and while "Unfrosted" is a wildly exaggerated version of the Pop-Tarts origin story, many of the broader details are (sort of) true.

'Bodkin' Season 1

Starts streaming: May 9

Will Forte stars as the oddly cheery true-crime podcaster Gilbert Power in this dark dramedy, set in a small Irish town named Bodkin, where decades ago multiple young people disappeared during a Samhain festival. Teamed up with the capable researcher Emmy (Robyn Cara) and the hard-boiled investigative journalist Dove (Siobhan Cullen), Gilbert sets out to capture the wonders and mysteries of Bodkin — only to find that the locals aren't exactly eager to have their community probed, even by an upbeat and gullible American. The series's creator, Jez Scharf, presents a winding tale of provincial malevolence, similar to "Only Murders in the Building" in that it doesn't really spoof the true-crime genre so much as lean into its widespread appeal.

'Power'

Starts streaming: May 17

The documentarian Yance Ford earned an Oscar nomination for his 2017 film "Strong Island," in which he reflected on the role racism played in how the criminal justice system treated his brother's killer. Ford shifts to a bigger picture take on law and order for his essay film "Power," which draws on the work of academics and historians — many of whom are interviewed for this movie — to trace the history of policing in America from the slavery era to now. "Power" challenges the common presumptions about what law enforcement is for and how it works, with Ford frequently aiming to shock the audience by showing provocative old news clips of cops in violent conflict with citizens.

'Eric'

Starts streaming: May 30

In this dark suspense mini-series, the writer-producer Abi Morgan (best-known for the period drama "The Hour") returns to the uneasy New York City of the early 1980s, to offer a complex mystery plot involving a missing kid, police corruption and a possible human trafficking ring. When a nine-year-old boy disappears while walking to school, the incident sparks a crisis in the already crumbling life of his father, Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch), a prickly puppeteer famous for creating a popular children's TV show. The details of the case allow Morgan to take a trip through New York's sleazier side, as well as to take an intimate look at the brilliant but difficult Vincent, who copes with his son's disappearance by having imaginary conversations with one of the child's creations: a seven-foot-tall puppet named Eric.

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