And just like that, May has arrived. Things are certainly looking up in the entertainment department, with a refreshing slate of releases to await this month. Whether you’re an animation junkie, a musical theatre lover or simply can’t deny yourself a good classic, there’s something for everyone.
Top of the list? A show that feels like real life, especially when you’ve got a motley crew of friends you’ve always depended on through the years. Here comes The Four Seasons, led by a stellar cast of Tina Fey, Steve Carell and Colman Domingo, and produced by Fey, alongside her fellow 30 Rock writer-producers Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield. Based on the eponymous rom-com film by Alan Alda in ‘81, this eight-part Netflix series brings the joy, warmth and comfort of six old friends who are enjoying vacations through all four seasons.
The kitchen brings more than a little delight to the screen this month too. In K-drama land, there’s Tastefully Yours, starring Kang Ha-neul and Go Min-si as food heir conglomerate Han Beom-woo and talented small town chef Mo Yeon-joo. Think romantic comedy infused into what might have started as a sneaky chaebol‘s plot devised to steal away recipes from the latter. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ turns up the heat with Carême. Telling the story of Antonin Carême—the chef who was considered “the Napoleon of the kitchen” and cooked for Europe’s reigning royalty—the fictional period retelling goes beyond his rag-to-riches fame of whipping up delicious pastries, but also serves up a dark, sensual side of the aristocratic class with some politics to beat.
As for fan-favourite seasonal returns? The trusty And Just Like That makes a beeline for Season 3 this month, bringing back our favourite New Yorkers to the screen. A Vogue-approved watchlist of what to watch on Apple TV+, Max and Netflix this May, below.
1 / 9
The Four Seasons
There couldn’t be a more perfect cast. Helmed by Tina Fey and the writer-producer pair of 30 Rock, The Four Seasons is a series adaptation of the romcom film by Alan Alda with the same name. An old but golden crew of friends who’ve lived through the ups and downs of life itself go on vacations through the seasons—and pay homage to the intimacy and feelings that underlie long-term relationships, platonic or not. For what it’s worth? We can definitely count on its cast—of Fey herself, Colman Domingo, Steve Carell, Will Forte, Marco Calvani, Erika Henningsen and Keri Kenney-Silver—to deliver a refreshing perspective on the film.
Watch The Four Seasons on Netflix.
2 / 9
Tastefully Yours
Kang Ha-neul has a knack for bringing serious life to his on-screen characters. This time around, he’s taking the rich chaebol character on its head—humanising Han Beom-woo, the successor to one of South Korea’s biggest food conglomerates, in Tastefully Yours. Devising a plan to snatch the ingenious recipes of a small town chef in Jeonju, Mo Yeon-joo (played by Go Min-si), they make an unlikely pair who’s only bound to fall for each other in the end. It’s your classic enemies-to-lovers plot, but with a humorous twist.
Watch Tastefully Yours on Netflix from 12 May.
3 / 9
Carême
Oh, the steamy splendour that is Carême. There’s a story to be told about the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême, the leading French patisserie chef who rose to culinary fame in a post-French revolution Europe. Born to a poor family and working his way up through an apprenticeship, his exquisite pastries were known to have reached the likes of European royalty. And with what little knowledge is known of the chef’s real past, creator Ian Kelly took creative liberties with his narrative, giving it a lot more sauce—think plenty of politics, maddening skills (and sexual tension) in the kitchen, as well as one brooding leading man, played by Benjamin Voisin.
Watch Carême on Apple TV+.
4 / 9
And Just Like That Season 3
More wild New York fashion from Carrie Bradshaw awaits. Drama included too, of course. The third season of And Just Like That will soon meet its eagerly waiting audience, with most of the cast—from Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon to Kristin Davis and John Corbett—reprising their on-screen roles for the beloved sequel. As always, longtime Sex and the City fans will constantly flirt with the slim but never impossible possibility that Kim Cattrall might return to the fold for good as Samantha, especially after that buzzy cameo from Season 2.
Watch And Just Like That on Max from 30 May.
5 / 9
Sirens
It’s giving Midsommar. Picture the modern day horror: when your entire sense of self feels lost to your posh, untouchable boss. Sirens follows Devon (Meghann Fahy) who goes to visit her sister Simone (Milly Alcock) at her workplace on a lavish island—where flowers bloom in mansion gardens and everything is designed to perfection. But she senses something is amiss when she meets her diamond-cut boss—lensed by the legend Julianne Moore herself—who seems to have a hold on everything Simone does, and she plans to stage an intervention.
Watch Sirens on Netflix from 22 May.
6 / 9
Love, Death + Robots
A psychedelic and erratic world of animation? Count us in. Love, Death + Robots brings its fourth season to the fore and the anthology series will once again put the spotlight on various art styles and narratives across its ten original shorts. This time around, the promise is that there will be T-Rex gladiators, household appliances who’ve got a mind of their own, foul fights instigated by suspicious felines and a whole lot of dark humour.
Watch Love, Death + Robots on Netflix from 15 May.
7 / 9
Our Unwritten Seoul
Fans of Park Bo-young will get to see the South Korean actress flex her acting prowess in Our Unwritten Seoul, as she takes on the double act of twin sisters—one, a former sprinting prodigy and the other, a reserved individual, who assume each other’s identities. Along the way, complications arise when a love interest, played by Park Jinyoung of GOT7, comes into the mix.
Watch Our Unwritten Seoul on Netflix from 24 May.
8 / 9
Wicked
Still haven’t gotten over the Wicked mania? Well, neither have we. Seems like the film adaptation of the beloved theatre production will continue to live in the cultural consciousness rent free—and for good reason. Directed by Jon M. Chu, let yourself be whisked away by the magic of the musical led by the inimitable pair that is Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Grande plays the ever-popular Glinda the Good Witch, who begins the film by telling the story of an unlikely and beautiful friendship between her and Erivo’s character, the green-skinned and misunderstood Elphaba, otherwise known as the Wicked Witch of the West.
Watch Wicked on Max from 31 May.
9 / 9
Dear Hongrang
As far as historical Korean drama leads go, Lee Jae-wook’s made something of a name for himself in the genre. His next venture, Dear Hongrang, sees him as the titular star opposite Cho Bo-ah who plays Jae-Yi, step-sister to Hong-Rang, her alleged younger brother who had gone missing at the age of 8. Over a decade later, he returns to his wealthy merchant family, claiming lost memories from buried years, but Jae-Yi suspects he is not whom he claims to be and something is amiss with his return.
Watch Dear Hongrang on Netflix from 16 May.
