Everything British Worth Streaming in May 2024

It is the first of May 2024, and for the first time in maybe.... ever(?) streaming is starting to settle out. Those streaming services that will survive are pulling away from the pack. Those who will not survive are becoming obvious due to collapse or showing deeply ugly signs of distress. In the more niche world of British streaming, those committed to the premise are doubling and trebling down. At least if they don't survive, they'll have given it their best shot.

Speaking of streaming services that didn't survive, we've gotten several emails this month from readers asking about BritBox, which folded in the U.K. and was swallowed by ITVX. I want to clarify: That was ITV's BritBox in the U.K. That was not BritBox International, which we have here in the U.S. BritBox was originally one company jointly owned by ITV and the BBC when it launched in 2017. But BritBox split in two in 2022 when ITV bought out the BBC's half of the U.K. version, creating BritBox UK (ITV-owned) and BritBox International (still jointly owned).

The BBC bought out ITV's half of BritBox International two months ago, creating the BBC's BritBox and ITV's BritBox, which only lasted a few weeks. With ITV's version gone, the BBC is making its mark on BritBox, with the longest list of arrivals for the streaming service I've ever written up.

However, BritBox is not the only one with a long list this month. Nearly everyone bringing British content this month seems to be bringing a lot of it. Let's run it all down.

Scrublands

Sundance Now only has one original series arriving in May, which it will share with AMC+ in the Australian series Scrublands. Based on the debut novel of the same name by Chris Hammer, the six-part thriller is set in an isolated town in New South Wales, one year after a charismatic priest (Jay Ryan) commits a mass shooting in his church. However, when an investigative journalist (Luke Arnold) turns up to report on how the town is putting itself back together, the whole story falls to pieces, and his life is endangered as the truth emerges. Two episodes drop on Thursday, May 2, on Sundance Now and AMC+, with one a week to follow.

The Taste of Things

Lest you think that AMC+ is the only taker among the group, Acorn TV benefits from the ongoing series distribution between all the AMC Network brands. For instance, it'll pick up The Ipcress File and The Night Caller from Sundance Now and Shudder this month, respectively, in May. It also gets The Taste of Things, the Juliette Binoche-starring period-piece drama, set in 1899 France from IFC Films, in which her lover convinces her to marry him by cooking for her. The movie lands on Acorn TV on Friday, May 10. 

Harry Wild Season 3

However, Acorn TV's biggest debut this month is the third season of Harry Wild, the comeback show for Jane Seymour, where she plays the titular unlikely crime solver who also happens to be a retired English teacher, and Rohan Nedd plays Fergus, her deeply unlikely sidekick. The series has proven so popular among the Acorn TV crowd that AMC Networks is promoting it to linear and having the six-episode Season 3 run on both Acorn TV and BBC America simultaneously, starting Monday, May 13, with two episodes and then one a week to follow.

Bäckström Season 3

Less popular but interesting enough to warrant mention: Bäckström, the Nordic Noir Swedish series that arrives as a binge this month, a week after Harry Wild's debut. Acorn TV's always had a small nest egg of foreign language series, but it's been a beta product. With the collapse of ViaPlay's attempt at a foothold in the states, it looks like some of the refugees will find homes here. All six episodes arrive Monday, May 20, exclusively on Acorn.

The Truth

Acorn TV closes the month with The Truth, another foreign language series, this time out of Israel, in Hebrew. A story centering on justice, it's brand new, with Acorn getting in on the ground floor and calling it an original. It begins when a new body turns up on the eve of a convicted murderer's appeal, bearing all the hallmarks of the original crime. A copycat or proof of innocence? The series debuts Monday, May 27, as an Acorn exclusive, with two episodes, followed by one a week.

Trying Season 4

With all its major Emmy contenders out, Apple TV+ goes back to the show that hasn't failed it yet, as Trying returns for a fourth season. However, as Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) are no longer trying, the series time jumps ahead six years, as adoptees Princess and Tyler hit middle and high school, and the teenage years hit full force. The eight-episode series debuts on Wednesday, May 22, and streams one episode a week.

The Other Mrs. Jordan

For those worried about BritBox no longer carrying ITV and ITVX shows, now that the American version of the streaming service is wholly owned by the BBC and the UK version on ITV is no longer, worry not. The first new title hitting the streamer is The Other Mrs. Jordan, the ITVX docuseries from October 2023 based on Mary Turner Thompson’s memoir The Other Mrs Jordan: A True Story of Bigamy and Betrayal. The series tells the astonishing accurate tale of William Allen Jordan – bigamist, fraudster, father, conman—and follows the real-time manhunt led by retired US Marshal Tex Lindsey to bring him to justice. All three episodes arrive on Tuesday, May 7.

BAFTA TV Awards

BritBox’s commitment to simulcasting the U.K.’s biggest award shows continues with the other half of the BAFTA Awards, this time the ones for TV. Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan are hosting, which won’t be nearly as fun as David Tennant or Hannah Wadingham, sadly, but the nominees are a who’s who of the shows we’ve covered here at Telly Visions in the last year, from The Lazarus Project and Happy Valley to Nolly and Slow Horses. The awards show streams live on Sunday, May 12, at 3 p.m. ET/12n PT.

After the Flood

The big BritBox original debut series this month is After the Flood, a police procedural series led by Sophie Rundle (Gentleman Jack), who plays PC Joanna Marshall in what looks like a show that’s planned to run for multiple seasons. When an unidentified man was found dead in an underground car park after a devastating flood, PC Marshall is commissioned to investigate the truth of the man’s death in a series that is one part ecological climate change disaster horror, one part murder mystery. The six-part series debuts on Monday, May 13, with two weekly episodes for three weeks.

Make It at Market Season 2

The spinoff of the super popular The Repair Shop (which BritBox recently rescued after Discovery+ left it for dead during the Max merger), the award-nominated reality series Make It at Market returns for a second season. A new crop of amateur makers will be mentored through the practicalities and pitfalls of turning a hobby into a business by expert mentors who guide them through what it takes to transform their hobby into a business, giving them the knowledge and opportunity to transform their lives. All 15 episodes arrive on Tuesday, May 14.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024

A relic of BritBox’s original brief as the streaming service for British ex-pats so they could legally watch yearly specials without needing a VPN, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been a service staple since it launched. Packaged initially along with the Queen’s Jubilee, the 2024 edition is now billed as a standalone exclusive event, “the most prestigious flower show in the world, the highlight of the gardening calendar, and one of Britain’s special Summer events.” The episodes stream daily starting Monday, May 20, with new installments daily through the show’s two-week run.

McDonald & Dodds Season 4

BritBox continues to corner the market on the odd couple buddy cop cozy mysteries, with McDonald & Dodds being one of the latest in the lineup. Season 4 brings viewers back to Bath as mismatched detective duo McDonald (Tala Gouveia) and Dodds (Jason Watkins) are presented with three new emotionally engaging feature-length inventive crimes to solve chock full of guest stars where the most recognizable one is probably the murderer. Since each episode is 120 minutes, BritBox will stream weekly starting Thursday, May 23.

Here We Go Season 2

And finally, BritBox will close out the month by debuting Season 2 of Here We Go, the BBC sitcom from Tom Basden about the Jessop family. The series, which initially debuted as a standalone during the pandemic before being turned into an actual sitcom in 2022, is set in Bedford and seen wholly from the point of view of the handheld camera of teenage son, Sam. Season 2 was broadcast in December 2023 and concluded in February, so this is quite a quick turnaround. All seven episodes arrive on Friday, May 31.

Shardlake

For anyone who every watched Wolf Hall and wanted it to be a murder mystery instead, Shardlake is here for you. Based on the Shardlake series of historical mystery novels by the late CJ Sansom, set in the reign of Henry VIII during the height of Thomas Cromwell's power. The four-episode first season is based on the first book, Dissolution, where Matthew Shardlake (Anthony Hughes) and sidekick Jack (Anthony Boyle) are sent by Cromwell (Sean Bean) to investigate the death of a commissioner dealing with the dissolution of the monasteries in the remote town of Scarnsea. All four episodes arrive Wednesday, May 1, on Disney+ and Hulu for those who subscribe to it as a standalone.

Welcome to Wrexham Season 3

If you just asked yourself if Welcome to Wrexham Season 2 finished last fall, you are correct. It did. Disney+ shoved up Season 3 as the Wrexham team's improvements pushed them up the league standings into a better division; the better to line up episodes to air in line with the actual football season in the UK. It's already paying off, as Wrexham has jumped up again to an even better division all of a week before the show's debut. Welcome to Wrexham Season 3 debuts Thursday, May 2, on FX and streams starting Friday morning on Dinsey+ and standalone Hulu.

Let It Be

As a not-quite follow-up to the Peter Jackson three-part docuseries The Beatles: Get Back that Disney+ debuted in 2021, the streaming service is releasing a restored version of The Beatles' final film, Let It Be. It was originally released in 1970 in the weeks after the band called it quits, became associated with their collapse and, later, John Lennon's passing, and has been stored away in their vault since the 1980s. Jackson's Park Road Post Production used the same technology to make Get Back to restore the film. It arrives exclusively on Disney+ on Wednesday, May 8.

Doctor Who Season 14

Disney's big move into British family-friendly fare that's not Bluey, Doctor Who debuts its first full season since Big Wolf bought 51% ownership in 2022. New streaming service, new ownership, new showrunner, new Doctor, with Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor and Millie Gibson as his companion. Also, a new release pattern with the series debuting two episodes at 7 p.m. ET in the U.S. on Friday night/12mid BT Saturday morning in the U.K., and then airing on the BBC on Saturday evening at 6 and 7 p.m. BT, one episode a week to follow. The first season on Disney+ (which it insists on calling Season 1, but I am calling Season 14, and everyone should be glad I'm not calling Season 40) arrives Friday, May 10/Saturday, May 11.

The Killing Kind

As we wait for Paramount+'s parent company to decide if it will let Skydance buy them out and sell just Paramount+ or let Apollo buy them out and sell all of it for parts, Hulu went and rescued The Killing Kind, one of the shows made for Paramount+ U.K. that got canned before it made it to the U.S. and pulled off the U.K. streamer. Based on the novel of the same name by Jane Casey, it stars Emma Appleton, Colin Morgan, and Elliot Barnes-Worrell, about a barrister who tries to rebuild her life after being stalked by a client whom she got too close to.

Secrets of the Neanderthals

Narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart, Secrets of the Neanderthals takes viewers on a journey from their preconceptions of Neanderthals as dim-witted creatures to a complex and creative people, through the lens of a unique, ongoing excavation and a landmark new discovery - the best preserved Neanderthal skeleton found in over a quarter century. The documentary film debuts on Thursday, May 2.

Bodkin

In words I never thought I'd type here, the new comedy mystery thriller set in Ireland called Bodkin, is from Barack and Michelle Obama. In the darkly comedic thriller, a crew of podcasters (played by Siobhán Cullen, Robyn Cara, and token American Will Forte) sets out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three strangers in an idyllic Irish town, only to discover there's a whole lot of unexplained going on. All episodes arrive on Thursday, May 9.

Living with Leopards

Netflix continues to compete with BBC World, and Nat Geo in pouring money into British-made nature documentary films. Living with Leopards follows a film crew who track two leopard cubs as they make the fascinating journey from infancy into adulthood in this up-close-and-personal nature documentary. The documentary film arrives on Friday, May 10.

Bridgerton Season 3 (Part 1)

Pollin season begins with the return of Bridgerton for Season 3, broken into two parts because Netflix has realized that dropping all episodes of a popular series is actually detrimental to viewership, but it can't outright admit it was wrong. The new season skips ahead past Benedict (thank heavens) to Colin and Penelope as a new crop of debutantes yearns to become the brightest of the ball. It's our favorite wallflower's time to shine as her double life helps her find her light amid secrets and surprises. The first half of Season 3 arrives on Thursday, May 16; the second half will come in June.

Eric

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the limited series Eric, in which he plays a famous puppeteer behind a beloved children's program in New York City. (Any resemblance to persons involved in Children's Television Workshop is strictly coincidental.) The series begins when his nine-year-old son goes missing, and he teams up with a tenacious cop and battles his own demons on the streets of 1980s New York as he searches for his missing boy. All episodes arrive on Thursday, May 30.

Geek Girl

Based on the best-selling coming-of-age book series by Holly Smale, Geek Girl is a Canadian British series that stars Emily Carey as Harriet Manners, an awkward, geeky 16-year-old who has spent her life trying to blend in. However, her whole world changes when she catches the eye of a modeling agent while on a school trip to London Fashion Week. Tightly wound agents, reclusive designers, impossibly high heels, and a handsome young supermodel with a great smile – socially awkward Harriet has no idea what she's in for. All episodes also arrive on Thursday, May 30.

Buying London

Do you love those Selling Sunset shows but wish they were more British? Netflix will debut Buying London in May, following luxury estate agent Daniel Daggers and the team as they navigate London's super-prime market, where the drama is as jaw-dropping as the price tags. Netflix hasn't set a release date, which is typical. The hot reality shows rarely get announced until days before they arrive, which is why we seldom cover them here, but since this is the ground-floor launch, I figured it was worth mentioning.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

A global event from Sky and Peacock, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a six-part limited drama series based on the international bestselling novel of the same name by Heather Morris, which is inspired by the real-life story of Lali (Jonah Hauer-King) and Gita (Anna Próchniak), who met while prisoners in Auschwitz during World War II, fell in love and helped save each other through one of the hellish places on Earth. All episodes debut on May 2.

Eurovision

This year, live from Malmö, The Eurovision Song Contest, aka Eurovision 2024, brings together competitors from 37 countries, most of which are from Europe, to compete peacefully in a universal language, or at least universal among the LGBTQ+ community: Europop! The Semifinals stream live on Tuesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 9; the Grand Final streams live on Saturday, May 11, all at 3 p.m. ET. Remember, Americans can vote in all three rounds this year.

We Are Lady Parts Season 2

Nida Manzoor's anarchic, irreverent musical sitcom We Are Lady Parts, about five Muslim teenagers who start a punk rock band, returns for a second season after three years away with a renewed artistic mission after the high of their first UK tour, only to find a rival band, called Second Wives, threatening their delicate status quo. Listen, if you missed Season 1, go back and watch; we'll wait. I mean, for Season 2, they got Malala Yousafzai to guest star. Trust me, you will want to have caught up. All six episodes arrive on Thursday, May 30.

The Outlaws Season 3

The oddball hit The Outlaws finally returns for a third season from series creator Stephen Merchant, who stars as Greg Dillard, one of seven strangers from different walks of life originally put together to complete a Community Payback sentence. Unfortunately, the group is now forever tied to each other due to having found a bag full of money whose owners are still looking for revenge. All episodes arrive on Prime Video on Friday, May 31.