David Farnor | On 26, May 2024

Netflix. Amazon Prime Video. BBC iPlayer. NOW. Apple TV+. Paramount+. All 4. There’s so much TV to watch these days in so many places that it can be hard to keep up. Every month, we boil down what’s on the box to the essentials you need in your streaming queue.

We’ve sorted through All The TV to bring you your May 2024 UK TV highlights – what’s worth watching and where you can stream it online in the UK.

Week 1

 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Season 1

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the story of one man, Lali (Jonah Hauer-King), a Slovakian Jew, who, in 1942, is deported to Auschwitz, the concentration camp where over a million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Shortly after arrival, Lali is made one of the Tätowierer (tattooists), charged to ink identification numbers onto fellow prisoners’ arms. One day, he meets Gita (Anna Próchniak) when tattooing her prisoner number on her arm, leading to a love that defies the horrors around them. So begins a courageous and unforgettable story. Under constant guard from a volatile Nazi SS officer Stefan Baretzki (Jonas Nay), Lali and Gita become determined to keep each other alive. Around 60 years later, Lali (Harvey Keitel) now in his 80’s, meets aspiring writer Heather Morris (Melanie Lynskey). Recently widowed, Lali finds the courage to tell the world his story. In recounting his past to Heather, Lali finally confronts the traumatic ghosts of his youth and relives his memories of falling in love in the darkest of places. All episodes arrive at once.

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire: Season 1

This six-episode journey into the fearsome Galactic Empire follows two warriors on divergent paths, set during different eras. After losing everything, young Morgan Elsbeth navigates the expanding Imperial world toward a path of vengeance, while former Jedi Barriss Offee does what she must to survive a rapidly changing galaxy. The choices they make will define their destinies. All episodes arrive at once.

Week 2

 

The Responder: Season 2

Written by ex-police officer Tony Schumacher and produced by Dancing Ledge Production, the Liverpool-set drama stars Freeman as Chris, an urgent response officer who is paired with a rookie, Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo). After Season 1 asked whether they would save or destroy each other, Season 2 picks up as Chris is trying to stay on the straight and narrow. But when he crosses a top drug dealer, he starts to fall back into old, corrupt ways.

Dark Matter: Season 1

Based on the novel by Blake Crouch, this nin-part sci-fi thriller is a story about the road not taken. The series will follow Jason Dessen (played by Joel Edgerton), a physicist, professor and family man who — one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago — is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the mind-bending landscape of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself. Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi and Oakes Fegley co-star. Episodes 1 and 2 arrive together, followed by new episodes weekly until the finale on 26th June.

Abbott Elementary: Season 3, Part 1

In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children. All episodes of Part 1 arrive at once.

Inside No 9: Season 9

The anthology of darkly comic twisted tales by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith returns for its final season. It begins with a group of late-night passengers getting stuck in a tunnel when their train breaks down, featuring guest stars Siobhan Finneran, Mark Bonnar and Susan Wokoma. Episodes arrive weekly.

Doctor Who: Season 14

Ncuti Gatwa return as the Fifteenth Doctor, alongside Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. It comes after they made their debut on Christmas Day in The Church on Ruby Road. From UNIT’s new Avengers-styles HQ to the Beatles an da playful nod to Bridgerton, expect a whole lot of fun. Episodes arrive weekly at midnight on BBC iPlayer, to match the time it drops on Disney+ in the USA. It begins with a double-bill.

Eurovision 2024

Following Loreen’s victory in Liverpool with the song Tattoo, the 68th edition of the Contest will be taking place in Sweden, culminating in the Grand Final which will be broadcast live from Malmö Arena. This will be the seventh time Sweden hosts the Contest and this year it’ll be hosted by a Hollywood star and an iconic Eurovision-veteran; Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede will together lead the three broadcasts, live from Malmö Arena. The two semi-finals air on BBC One on 7th and 9th May, before the grand final on the Saturday.

Week 3

 

Tokyo Vice: Season 2

In the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo, a US journalist dares to break open the violent world of the yakuza. But to get the story, there’s always a cost. All 10 episodes arrive at once.

The Gathering: Season 1

A violent attack on a teenager at an illegal beach rave sends shockwaves of suspicion through a Merseyside community. From the producers of Line of Duty, Save Me and Vigil, the series is written by novelist Helen Walsh (The Lemon Grove, Once Upon A Time In England) in her first original screenplay for television. The cast includes Eva Morgan as working-class student Kelly, who is attacked at an illicit rave on a tidal islet alongside Sadie Soverall (Saltburn) as Jessica, a friend, Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point) stars as Jessica’s controlling and toxic mother, Warren Brown (The Responder) as Kelly’s hard working father and Richard Coyle (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) as a successful solicitor. Each of the six episodes privileges a different character’s lens to give insight into the respective worlds of these teenagers and their families and allows the viewer to speculate who committed the crime.

Bridgerton: Season 3, Part 1

Season 3 will bring to the centre-stage Penelope (Nichola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), with Miss Featherington certainly fatigued by the misleading actions of Colin. Part 2 will arrive on 13th June.

Orphan Black: Echoes: Season 1

Set in the near future, this spin-off from the sci-fi drama follows a group of women as they weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unravelling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal. Starring Krysten Ritter and Keeley Hawes.

Outer Range: Season 2

Outer Range centers on Royal Abbott (Josh Brolin), a rancher fighting for his land and family, who discovers an unfathomable phenomenon at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness, in the form of a dark void. The mystery surrounding the enigmatic void on the west pasture of the Abbott family ranch deepens in Season Two, as Royal and his wife Cecelia (Lili Taylor) struggle to keep their family together in the aftermath of their granddaughter’s sudden disappearance. The stakes have never been higher for the Abbotts, who now face threats on multiple fronts. Outer Range’s second season propels its characters deeper into the void with profound and unforeseen circumstances that could shake the very foundations of time itself. All episodes arrive at once.

The Big Cigar: Season 1

Based on the magazine article by Joshuah Bearman (Argo), who will also serve as executive producer, this six-part drama is the incredible true story of Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution: it’s a wild caper of Black Panther founder Huey P Newton (André Holland) escaping from the FBI to Cuba with the assistance of famed producer Bert Schneider in an impossibly elaborate plan — involving a fake movie production — that goes wrong every way it possibly can. And somehow, it’s all true. Mostly. Episodes 1 and 2 arrive together, followed by new episodes weekly until the finale on 14th June.

Rebus: Season 1

Richard Rankin (Outlander, The Replacement) steps into the shoes of John Rebus in this new series based on Ian Rankin’s novels. Written for screen by Gregory Burke (’71, Six Four), Rebus reimagines the iconic character John Rebus as a younger Detective Sergeant, drawn into a violent criminal conflict that turns personal when his brother, Michael (Brian Ferguson), a former soldier, crosses the line. Lucie Shorthouse (Line of Duty, Ten Percent) co-stars as Rebus’s investigation partner, Detective Constable Siobhan Clarke. The series airs on BBC One on Saturday 18th May, but premieres on BBC Scotland on Friday 17th May, at which point all episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer.

Week 4

 

The Cleaning Lady: Season 2

No time to waste… we’re heading straight into the second season of the hit US crime drama just one week after the first season concludes. Season 2 picks up with Thony desperately trying to find her son, Luca, after he was kidnapped by his father Marco. With nowhere else to turn, she enlists the help of FBI Agent Garrett Miller to track him down before they leave the country. Meanwhile, an incident involving Chris forces Fiona to shield her son by any means necessary. Episodes arrive weekly.

Insomnia

Based on the novel by bestselling author Sarah Pinborough, Insomnie follows successful career woman Emma Averill (Vicky McClure), who fears she might be losing her mind, when her hard-won dream life starts to turn into a nightmare. Tom Cullen co-stars. Episode 1 and 2 arrive together followed by weekly episodes.

Trying: Season 4

In the fourth season of the adoption comedy, we fast-forward six years, discovering that Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) are experienced adopters having built a lovely little nuclear family, enriched by an extraordinary support network. However, as their teenage daughter, Princess (Scarlett Rayner), starts to yearn for a connection with her birth mother, Nikki and Jason find themselves confronted with the ultimate test of their parenting skills. Episodes 1 and 2 arrive together, followed by new episodes weekly until the finale on 3rd July.

Week 5

 

The Famous Five: The Eye of the Sunrise

As the summer comes to an end, George sets in motion a final adventure to protect a circus magician from an unscrupulous doctor who wishes to make use of his powers in the clinic.

The Sympathizer: Season 1

Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over. Starring Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le, Alan Trong, Vy Le, and Ky Duyen, with Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr. All episodes arrive at once.

Eric: Season 1

Created by Abi Morgan, this six-part series follows Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch), a desperate father as he battles his demons on the vibrant, dangerous, and intoxicating streets of 80s New York in a race to bring home his missing son.

The Outlaws: Season 3

The Outlaws follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol. As series three begins, with crime boss The Dean (Claes Bang, Bad Sisters) behind bars awaiting trial, The Outlaws are moving on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret, hurling them back into mortal danger. As a murder manhunt closes in on the gang, can they prove their innocence before The Dean’s case collapses, and he comes looking for revenge? Stephen Merchant (The Office) returns as Greg, along with Rhianne Barreto (No Escape, Hanna) as Rani, Gamba Cole (Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle, Hanna) as Ben, Darren Boyd (Killing Eve, Trying) as John, Clare Perkins (Silo, The Wheel of Time) as Myrna, Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark, The Couple Next Door) as Lady Gabby, Charles Babalola (Black Mirror, Shaka: King of the Zulu Nation) as Malaki, Tom Hanson (Brassic) as Spencer and Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Dune: Part Two) as Frank. Meanwhile, Community Payback Officer Diane (Jessica Gunning) is now a fully qualified PCSO, and is training up an eager protégé, Stan (Harry Trevaldwyn).

We Are Lady Parts: Season 2

Nida Manzoor’s anarchic and irreverent music comedy about a Muslim female punk band – called Lady Parts – returns. Season 2 sees the band return with a renewed artistic mission after the high of their first UK tour, only to find a rival band threatening their delicate status quo. But as the reality of chasing success sets in, Lady Parts embarks on recording their first album, juggling personal ambitions and questioning whether ‘making it big’ is really what they want…

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) reunite for this epic love story of two characters changed by a changed world. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they’ve ever known before?

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