5 New Movies and Shows You Need to Stream This Week on Netflix and Beyond (May 5-8)
May’s first week belongs to streaming: HBO Max, Netflix and more are dropping fresh film premieres and all-new series. Watch With Us rounds up the top picks so you can hit play now.
First week of May is basically telling you to stay home and open your apps. A handful of buzzy premieres are landing across Netflix, Peacock, and Hulu between May 4 and May 8, and there is real range here: classic literary doom, an octopus with opinions, South Florida crime, Tasmanian zombies, and a 90s undercover yarn with Steve Coogan. Here’s what to queue up and when.
- Lord of the Flies (Season 1) — Netflix — May 4
- M.I.A. (Season 1) — Peacock — May 7
- Legends (Season 1) — Netflix — May 7
- Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026 ) — Netflix — May 8
- We Bury the Dead (2025 ) — Hulu — May 8
Lord of the Flies (Netflix) — May 4
Yes, that book from English class. Netflix’s new take on William Golding’s novel is the third TV/film adaptation, and it leans into the nightmare: a plane crash strands schoolboys on a deserted island; they try rules and leadership, and it all slides into fear, power grabs, and escalating violence. Still timely. Still unsettling.
Nerdy detail that actually matters: this one was made between England and Australia and already aired there back in February, so what you’re getting is the U.S. streaming premiere. Early critical buzz has been strong, with shoutouts for the look and mood of the show, the psychological bite, and some very good work from a mostly unknown young cast.
M.I.A. (Peacock) — May 7
South Florida crime thriller alert. Executive producer Bill Dubuque (co-created Ozark) is behind this one, with Karen Campbell (Outlander, Dexter) as showrunner and EP. The story centers on Etta Tiger Jonze (Shannon Gisela), whose life implodes when her family ’s drug-running outfit collapses after a tragedy. She’s pulled into Miami’s underworld, forced to evolve in nasty ways as she figures out what she’s capable of and who she can’t trust.
Cast is stacked with familiar faces: Cary Elwes, Danay Garcia, Brittany Adebumola, Dylan Jackson, Alberto Guerra, Maurice Compte, Gerardo Celasco, and Marta Milans. On paper, the pedigree plus the setting has promise; let’s see if it bites as hard as it wants to.
Legends (Netflix) — May 7
From Neil Forsyth (The Gold, Bob Servant Independent, and the Scottish mystery-thriller Guilt), this is a 90s-set crime series inspired by real UK customs operations that infiltrated heroin-smuggling networks. Steve Coogan plays Don, a detective who recruits a ragtag team and sends them deep undercover. Identities blur, cover stories start to own them, and the big sting slides out of control.
Supporting cast: Tom Burke, Hayley Squires, Aml Ameen, and Jasmine Blackborow. If you like your British crime with moral grey zones and mounting dread, this is squarely in that lane.
Remarkably Bright Creatures (Netflix, 2026) — May 8
Based on Shelby Van Pelt’s hit novel, this Netflix original follows Tova (Sally Field), a widow working the night shift at an aquarium, who forms a bond with Marcellus, a frighteningly smart octopus. As their odd friendship grows, the story quietly digs into grief and loneliness while unspooling a long-buried mystery from Tova’s past.
Olivia Newman (Where the Crawdads Sing) directs. Cast includes Lewis Pullman, Colm Meaney, Joan Chen, Beth Grant, and Alfred Molina as the inner voice of Marcellus. It’s heartfelt and sneaky-effective, and yes, you might rethink ordering octopus after this.
We Bury the Dead (Hulu, 2025) — May 8
Daisy Ridley heads to Tasmania in a zombie drama that is more eerie and emotional than splattery. After a catastrophic military disaster, the region is crawling with the dead — initially passive, then not so much. Ridley’s character, Ava, joins a body recovery unit mostly as cover to search for her missing husband (Matt Whelan), teaming up with a fellow volunteer, Clay (Brenton Thwaites).
It’s not really about mowing down hordes. The film uses the end of the world to probe loss, memory, and what unfinished business does to people. Ridley anchors it with a raw performance, and the restrained direction plus that creeping atmosphere make it hit harder than you expect.