Monthly Archives: May 2026

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of May 15 – May 21

Twain twang, another ‘Yellowstone’ spinoff & monsters in a retirement home!

Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser return in the new spinoff of ‘Yellowstone.’

FRIDAY, May 15
It’s Not Like That
Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes star in this character-driven family drama about love, loss, and starting over, from the producers of Parenthood (Prime Video).

Dutton Ranch
Both a spinoff and a sequel, this new series stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser reprising their Yellowstone roles as the Duttons fight to build a new future far from where they used to be (Paramount +). 

SATURDAY, May 16
Faith & Forgiveness: A Duck Dynasty Love Story
This tale of a love tested, broken and ultimately rebuilt is based on the real-life couple, Lisa and Al Robertson, from TV’s Duck Dynasty family (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, May 17
The Academy of Country Music Awards
Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Zach Top and Cody Johnson lead the nominees for these annual honors, live from Las Vegas and hosted by Shania Twain (Prime Video).

Naked and Afraid: Global Showdown
They’re naked, they’re afraid (especially of losing out on the show’s biggest cash prize ever!), they’re all previous winners, and they come from all over the world to try to outlast each other in Africa (8 p.m., Discovery).

MONDAY, May 18
You’re Killing Me
Brooke Shields stars in this six-episode murder-mystery drama series about a bestselling novelist who forms an unlikely alliance with an aspiring writer to find the killer of a close friend (Acorn TV).

TUESDAY, May 19
W.E.B. Dubois: Rebel with a Cause
Stirring doc about the late, great civil rights activist, who died just before the March on Washington in 1963, but whose legacy continues to resonate and inspire today (9 p.m., PBS).

Forever Young: A Grammy Tribute to Rod Stewart Live
Two-hour TV special honors the GRAMMY Award-winning two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and one of the best-selling artists in music history, bringing viewers on stage and behind the scenes for an all-access concert experience (8 p.m., CBS).

WEDNESDAY, May 20
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
New dark-comedy thriller stars Tatiana Maslany as a mom who thinks she’s witnessed a crime and starts her own investigation, but falls down a rabbit hole of blackmail, murder…and youth soccer (Apple TV).

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War
John Krasinski returns for another season as the iconic supersleuth on a new international covert mission that unravels a deadly conspiracy (Prime Video).

THURSDAY, May 21
Alien: Romulus
2024 sequel in the hit sci-fi franchise (the seventh film in the Alien series) stars Cailee Spaeny in the latest tale of space scavengers encountering the deadliest beastie in the universe (Hulu).

The Boroughs
Residents in a retirement community (Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard and Bill Pullman) deal with a little problem plaguing their placid golden years in the sun-drenched desert of New Mexico—and it involves monsters (Netflix).

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Based on a popular videogame, season two of the Amazon Prime sci-fi series Fallout takes its characters (Ella Purnell, Kyle McLachlin, Walton Goggins and Frances Turner) into a post-apocalyptic hellscape that was once Las Vegas. (Amazon MGM Home Video)

In The Yeti (Well Go USA), a team of explorers runs across a terrifying oversized monster in a remote region of Alaska. It’s a creature feature on ice! With Brittany Allen, Eric Nelsen and Corbin Bernsen.

Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon and Matthew Fox star in the zippity live-action Speed Racer (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the latest incarnation of the 1960s Japanese TV series.

The latest adaptation of the classic Wuthering Heights is a steamy affair, with a pair of eye-candy stars (Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi) in the leading roles as their intoxicating romance turns toxic. Directed by Emerald Fennell, whose proclivity for provocation put the spice in Saltburn and Promising Young Woman. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment).

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The Bride is much more than just Frankenstein’s sweetie. Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale star in director Maggie Gyllenhaal’s gruesomely fem-centric take on the familiar Gothic horror story. With Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal and Penélope Cruz. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment).

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Elvis fans will love dropping the needle on the double-disc vinyl set of Epic (Legacy Records), the soundtrack to the hit documentary—with a title that noted it stood for “Elvis Presley in Concert.” Tracks include “I Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Hound Dog,” “Polk Salad Annie,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight” and some two dozen more Elvis in-concert staples.

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It took more than a bunch of miners and gold-rushers to settle California, as you’ll learn in Unsung Heroines (City Lights Publishing). Journalist Rae Alexandra puts the spotlight on 35 largely overlooked women who made important, impactful strides in San Francisco and northern California across the centuries.

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! Week of May 8 – 14

Sally Field and an octopus, Johnny Knoxville brings the fear & a new ‘Amadeus’

FRIDAY, May 8
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Sally Field, Lewis Pullman and an octopus (yes, you read that right) star in this adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s mystery drama, above (Netflix).

Amadeus
Will Sharpe stars as Mozart, and Paul Bethany as his jealous rival Salieri, in this new adaptation of the play that was previously made into a hit movie in 1984 (Starz).

SATURDAY, May 9
K-Everything
Daniel Dae-Kim explores the cultural impact of Korea’s explosive global influence (CNN).

SUNDAY, May 10
America’s Funniest Home Videos
Ten of the season’s biggest winners vie for a $100,000 cash prize. Hilarious highlights include birthday blunders, summer snafus and kids saying the silliest things (7 p.m., ABC).

Mothers’ Day Marathon
Celebrate with mom-centric programming, including hand-picked episodes of Friends and Modern Family (begins 8:30 a.m., TBS)

MONDAY, May 11
BBQ Brawl
If you love ‘cue, you’ll dig digging into the new season of the team competition to find the ultimate pitmaster, hosted by Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan and Brooke Williamson (9 p.m., Food Network). 

TUESDAY, May 12
Squatters
Homeowner-rights advocate Flash Shelton and his team take on high-stakes missions to run squatters out of their roosts and help property owners reclaim their homes (10 p.m., A&E).

Chopped Castaways
Twelve elite chefs are “stranded” on a remote island in this new food competition series, where their culinary talents must align with basis survival skills (9 p.m., Food Network).

WEDNESDAY, May 13
Off Campus
College-based soap based on the bestselling book series by Elle Kennedy follows the “opposites attract” romance of an elite ice hockey star and a quiet songwriter, starring Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli, above (Prime Video).

Mistakes That Made America
Host Michael McBride explores the unexpected accidents, mishaps, and misunderstandings that ended up changing the course of American culture (on History’s YouTube channel and available on history.com).

THURSDAY, May 14
Fear Factor: 48 Hours of Fear
Johnny Knoxville (above) is the ringleader as six contestants compete in epic challenges testing their endurance, with one critical catch: no sleeping! (9 p.m., Fox)!

Nemesis
What happens when an unstoppable force (an expert criminal) meets an immovable object (a brilliant police detective)? Find out in this new series starring Matthew Law and Y’lan Noel (Netflix).

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Trees: A Rooted History (Abrams Books) is an illustrated tree-riffic treasury of just about everything related to trees, from the many ways the benefit our world to their roles in lore and legend, and their vital importance to our global ecosystem. 

Launch your imagination into orbit with Space Journal: Art, Space & Cosmic Inspiration (Thames & Hudson), which weaves together memorabilia, revolutionary experiments and spectacular scenes to celebrate space exploration through the imagination of great dreamers—artists, photographers, filmmakers, rocketeers, astronauts, cosmonauts and scientists—across the centuries.

How did “soap operas” get to be such a pop-cultural touchstone? In Love in the Afternoon, and Evening (W.W. Norton), authors Charlotte Druckman and Mayukh Sen dig into the roots, and the reach, of so-called daytime dramas, the “art” of TV storytelling, and why soaps so often aren’t taken seriously.

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Shutterbugs, you’ll love Brooke DiDonato: Take a Picture, It Will Last Longer (Thames & Hudson), packed with beguiling pics by the highly creative photographer who loved looking at “normal” things through a lens of the fantastical and surreal—like a bouquet of flowers overflowing from a toilet, a nude body covered in books on a fireplace mantle, or a woman balancing brooms on her neck.

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Get down with your bad self, and get watching Soul To Soul (MVD Entertainment Group), a new DVD of the 1971 cross-cultural concert film—recorded in South Africa—featuring Wilson Pickett, Santana, Ike & Tina Turner, the Staple Singers and more.

The totally rockin’ reissue of 1972’s The J. Geils Band “Live” Full House (Rhino) reminds me of how much I loved hearing front man Peter Wolfe and crew tear through high-energy rave-ups like “First I Look at the Purse,” “Whammer Jammer” and “Lookin’ for a Love.” With new liner notes from Wolf, and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, it’s a whammer jammer, indeed!

The Entertainment Forecast

What to watch, and more! May 1 – May 7

Body-swapping critters, ’60s beefcake brawlers and a month of Mayberry!

FRIDAY, May 1
Swapped
Animated film about a small creature (voiced by Michael B. Jordan) that switches bodies with another animal—and learns a valuable lesson. Additional voices by Juno Temple, Tracy Morgan and Cedric the Entertainer (Netflix).

Lucky Chow
Experience the food of Europe through Berlin, Paris, London, Copenhagen, and Northern Italy, with host Danielle Chang (PBS.org).

SATURDAY, May 2
Kidnapped in Her Own Home: The Martha Carelli Story
A woman finds herself locked in an intense psychological battle when she discovers an escaped convict hiding in her basement (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, May 3
Hercules, Samson & Ulysses
Worlds collide! Set your DVR! This 1963 beefcake brawl (above) brings a pair of Greek heroes together with the Biblical strongman! Starring Kirk Morris, Richard Lloyd and Liana Orfei (5:30 a.m., Turner Classic Movies).

MONDAY, May 4
Month of Mayberry
Tune in tonight for the beginning of four weeks of Andy Griffith Show episodes, above, with special “themed” programming featuring Aunt Bee, Barney Fife and Opie (8:30 p.m., MeTV).

American Idol: 20 Year Reunion
Tonight fan favorites from 2006 return, plus special guests and some smooth-move ballroom flair from the pros of Dancing with the Stars (8 p.m., ABC).

TUESDAY, May 5
The Pusher Trilogy
Gritty acclaimed Danish film series spanning 1996-2005 set in the gritty criminal world of Copenhagen, starring Mads Mikkelsen—who made his acting debut in the first film (Magnet).

Funny AF with Kevin Hart
Vote tonight on who gets the top prize tonight in the comedy star’s cross-country quest to find the next ha-ha susperstar (Netflix).

WEDNESDAY, May 6
The Other Bennett Sister
The often-overlooked sibling in Jane Austen’s iconic Pride and Prejudice gets her own period-piece series, starring Ella Bruccoleri (from Bridgerton and Call the Midwife) (Britbox). 

Life on Earth: David Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure
A chronicle of the famed explorer and his three-year global odyssey, spanning 40 countries to document more than 600 species, which began in 1976 (8 p.m., PBS).

THURSDAY, May 7
M.I.A.
New series about drug-running in the dangerous underbelly of Miami. Starring Shannon Gisela (Peacock).

The Terror: Devil in Silver
Horror abounds in this tale of a man (Dan Stevens) wrongfully committed to a psychiatric hospital where other patients work against him, doctors hold grim secrets and maybe even the Devil himself is afoot. With Judith Light and CCH Pounder (Shudder).

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The sequel to the 2018 faith-based film based on the MercyMe song, I Can Only Imagine 2 (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) stars John Michael Finley, Milo Ventimiglia and Sophie Skelton, with appearances by Trace Adkins and Dennis Quaid.

The killer clown known as Pennywise is back in IT: Welcome to Derry: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) of the hit HBO series based on author Stephen King’s 1986 novel It. Follow the terrifying adventures of a couple in the 1960s who move to Maine, just before very bad things begin to happen in their little town of Derry.

Mark Ruffalo leads an FBI task force in rural Pennsylvania looking for the connections between a kidnapped child, a string of burglaries and a brutal biker gang. And what does a garbage man (Tom Pelphrey) have to do with it? It’s all in the pulse-pounding season one of the HBO series Task (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

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You’re heard about the famed designer Yves Saint Laurent, right? But did you ever hear how he designed the first tuxedo for women, femininizing a garment that had previously been the exclusive domain of men? You can read (and see) all about it in The Yves Saint Laurent Revolution (Thames & Hudson), a stylish graphic novel that tells all about the tux and the rebellious women who first wore it.

Here, kitty kitty! In Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known (W.W. Norton), NPR radio host Scott Simon waxes on creatures (including cats) great and small and their marvelous tales (and tails!) Pet lovers of all kinds will purr with the wisdom, whimsy, joys, worries, love, humor and hijinks found between the covers.

Learn all about history’s prime plunderers and most fearsome explorers in Vikings (Osprey), a colorful exploration of the wide-ranging voyagers and their weaponry, boats, at-home lifestyle and legacy.

In Do You Believe in Magic? (Abrams Books) author Laura Krantz shows young readers how “magic” and “science” are often two sides to the same coin, bridging the gaps between sorcery, sleight-of-hand, myth and reality.