The Best Movies and TV Shows New to Netflix in May

Every month, streaming services will add a new batch of movies and TV shows to its library. Here are our picks for May.

MAY 1

‘Hollywood’

In the writer-producer Ryan Murphy’s latest mini-series — set in the olden days of showbiz — there are actors playing Rock Hudson (Jake Picking), Hattie McDaniel (Queen Latifah) and Vivien Leigh (Katie McGuinness). But “Hollywood” isn’t really a historical drama. Instead, Murphy and his co-creator Ian Brennan reshape the 1940s studio era, imagining what might have happened if movie actors then were openly gay, and if women and people of color were allowed into positions of power. Darren Criss, Patti LuPone, Jim Parsons, Dylan McDermott and Samara Weaving help flesh out this fantasy, which shifts the controversies and conflicts of the 21st century back into the middle of the 20th.

MAY 5

‘The Eddy’

Set in a struggling Parisian nightclub, “The Eddy” stars André Holland as Elliot Udo, a once-popular jazz musician who stepped away from his piano and is now channeling his creative ambitions into micromanaging his club’s house band. Though this mini-series was created and written by Jack Thorne, the dynamic visual style is clearly the work of the executive producer Damien Chazelle, who directed the first two episodes and gave them a restless energy that recalls his films “Whiplash” and “La La Land.” In “The Eddy,” the tensions involved in making music, managing a business and maintaining relationships are as nail-biting as any thriller.

‘Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill’

For the past few years, Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix shows have been fairly meta. He’s commented on the craft of comedy in the interview series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” and in the retrospective experiment “Jerry Before Seinfeld.” Now the comedian puts theory into practice with his stand-up special “23 Hours to Kill.” Though Seinfeld’s been doing club dates and concerts steadily for decades, this will be his first recorded set with new material in over 20 years.

MAY 12

‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt vs. The Reverend’

Netflix’s latest adventure in interactive TV also serves as a coda to one of the subscription service’s most popular sitcoms. In “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt vs. The Reverend,” the eternally upbeat Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) is about to get married, but first needs to be sure her former abductor (played by Jon Hamm) doesn’t have other victims who need rescuing. The show’s co-creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock will undoubtedly have fun with this special’s format, which allows viewers to decide what the characters do at crucial points.

MAY 19

‘Hannah Gadsby: Douglas’

In Hannah Gadsby’s follow-up to the acclaimed and controversial stand-up special “Nanette,” the Australian comedian reflects on what’s happened in her life since that show — much of which has involved spending time in America and learning more about her self-identity. “Douglas” isn’t as confrontational as “Nanette,” in which Gadsby declared she was done with telling jokes forever. But it’s smart and challenging, with some genuinely funny punch lines woven into the self-analysis and social commentary.

MAY 22

‘The Lovebirds’

“The Big Sick” star Kumail Nanjiani reunites with that film’s director Michael Showalter for “The Lovebirds,” a screwball comedy about a happy couple whose relationship gets tested when they’re implicated in a murder. Nanjiani and Issa Rae play the fugitives, who try to dig themselves out of trouble by finding the real killer. Over the course of one strange night, they discover a creepy criminal underworld and they find out whether their passion for each other can survive extreme pressure .

MAY 29

‘Space Force’

Two of the main creative talents behind “The Office” — the writer-producer Greg Daniels and the producer-star Steve Carell — re-team for the offbeat workplace sitcom “Space Force,” about a U.S. Army officer who takes a prestigious assignment he quickly regrets. The show’s satire is rooted in reality, imagining what might be going on behind the scenes of the United States Armed Forces’ newest branch. More specifically, it’s about the widespread confusion and conflicting signals regarding what Space Force is actually supposed to do. A top-shelf comedy cast includes John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Lisa Kudrow and Fred Willard.

Also arriving: “All Day and Night” (May 1), “The Half of It” (May 1), “Into the Night” (May 1), “Mrs. Serial Killer” (May 1), “Reckoning” (May 1), “Rick & Morty” Season 4 part 2, “Workin’ Mons” Season 4 (May 6), “Scissor Seven” Season 2 (May 7), “Dead to Me” Season 2 (May 8), “The Hollow” Season 2 (May 8), “Restaurants on the Edge” Season 2 (May 8), “Rust Valley Restorers” Season 2 (May 8) “Valeria” (May 8), “Bordertown” Season 3 (May 11), “Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics” (May 11), “Trial By Media” (May 11), “True: Terrific Tales” (May 12), “The Wrong Missy” (May 13), “Magic for Humans” Season 3 (May 15), “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” Season 5 (May 15), “White Lines” (May 15), “The Big Flower Fight” (May 18), “Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything” (May 19), “Sweet Magnolias” (May 19), “Ben Platt: Live from Radio City Music Hall” (May 20), “Control Z” (May 22), “History 101” (May 22), “I’m No Longer Here” (May 27), “Somebody Feed Phil” Season 3 (May 29).