What's new on Netflix in May 2023: TV shows and movies

2023 promises to be a great year for movie and series fans, with plenty of potential blockbusters, remakes, and sequels to look out for. Here you will find the best new films and shows due to premiere on Netflix in May, including "FUBAR," "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," "Black Knight" and so many more.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023)

Release Date: May 4

Duration: 8 episodes

"Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" is the first spin-off of "The Bridgertons" series. This eight-episode miniseries will focus on Charlotte's young marriage to King George III and how this royal engagement was a real social change for its time. "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" will chronicle the rise of Her Majesty, again played by Guyanese-British actress and singer Golda Rosheuvel, whose youthful version will be played by India Amarteifio. In the series, we will discover that the engagement to the mysterious king was arranged against Charlotte's will. Upon arriving in London, the young monarch will have to learn to cope in the palace and in society, becoming one of the most unforgettable regents in Europe. It is known that Queen Charlotte lived from 1744 to 1818 and married the heir to the English throne when she was just a teenager. The young King George was a charismatic and quiet man who used to abide by the crown's restrictions; however, his new wife spurred him to confront his own obscurities. As we saw in season two of "The Bridgerton" series, although King George was a sane man, he was known to have cognitive problems later in life.

Sanctuary (2023)

Release Date: May 4

Duration: 20 episodes of 20 minutes

This story of unprecedented vigor depicts sumo wrestlers' ambitions, fighting spirit, determination, and joy and the beauty of this hermetic and millenary sport. "Sanctuary" follows Saruzakura, a young delinquent whose debts and dysfunctional family force him to join a prestigious sumo school to become a wrestler and earn money. However, once in the sumo stable, the young man will come into collision with a voiceless wrestler who keeps a secret and will approach the more spiritual aspect of this more than 1500 years old practice.

Hannah Gadsby: Something Special (2023)

Release Date: May 10

Duration: 80 minutes

Hannah Gadsby's final comedy show, "Something Special," will premiere on Netflix on May 9, 2023. The special was filmed at the Sydney Opera House and was directed by Jenney Shamash, Gadsby's wife. The show was shot over several performances, allowing Gadsby to experiment with different topics and fine-tune the performance. The trailer for "Hannah Gadsby: Something Special" promises that the special will be a feel-good show as it will be about Gadsby and Shamash's wedding, which they describe as a true "romantic comedy," though not for that reason a run-of-the-mill wedding. 

Queen Cleopatra (2023)

Release Date: May 10

Duration: Miniseries

Under the executive production of Jada Pinkett Smith, a new series of documentaries entitled "African Queens" was launched last February with the aim of shedding light on the lives of the most prominent and iconic queens of this continent. As you may all remember, the first batch of these documentaries was about Njinga, queen of Ndongo and Matamba, in southwest Africa. Now it is the turn of another equally majestic queen: the incomparable Cleopatra. Cleopatra's heritage has been the subject of multiple academic debates, usually ignored by Hollywood, mainly referring to the representation of this ruler as a white woman in all commercial productions when her origin and, therefore, were African. The docuseries "Queen Cleopatra" reevaluates this fascinating part of her history, emphasizing her role as a ruler and her undeniable influence through the ages.

The Mother (2023)

Release Date: May 12

Duration: 118 minutes

For this action flick that promises to leave us on the edge of our seats, Jennifer Lopez becomes a protective mother and cruel assassin. "I'm a killer. But I'm also a mother. And I will die protecting her," JLo's character says at the end of the trailer, which sets the tone for what "The Mother" will bring. According to its synopsis, the story tells how a mother, on the run from dangerous assailants and a contract killer, must come out of anonymity to save her daughter from imminent danger. In addition to the star actress, "The Mother" features another big name actor, Mexico's Gael García Bernal, and is directed by New Zealand's Niki Caro.

Black Knight (2023)

Release Date: May 12

Duration: 6 episodes

After the "Squid Game" success, the streaming giant will premiere another South Korean series. This time, "Black Knight" will take us to an apocalyptic world without oxygen where delivery boys, or black knights, will play an important role. Set in a dystopian future of 2071, the world is short of oxygen. Air pollution has wiped out human civilization, and barely 1% of people survive in shelters requiring constant oxygen and food. In this wasteland of life, the delivery men or "black knights", the only ones who dare to leave the bunkers protected by masks, play an essential role in this new version of the world. As you can imagine, these journeys will not be easy, as looters, thieves and people with bad intentions will try to get their hands on the cargo, and it is precisely they, the knights, who will be in charge of protecting the goods.

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me (2023)

Release Date: May 16

Duration: 98 minutes

"Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me" is a documentary directed by Ursula Macfarlane ("Untouchable") about the life of Anna Nicole Smith and her years in stardom until her tragic death. Anna Nicole Smith, born Vickie Lynn Hogan on November 28, 1967, was an American model, actress, and television personality who captivated the world with her beauty, charisma, and tumultuous life. She achieved fame and fortune as a Playboy model, actress, and reality television star but also faced numerous controversies, legal battles, and personal tragedies. Despite her tragic passing at age 39, Anna Nicole Smith's influence on pop culture and the entertainment industry continues to be felt today. The documentary includes never-before-seen footage, home videos and interviews to document Smith's life from her youth in Houston to her rise to fame.

McGregor Forever

Release Date: May 17

Duration:

This Netflix docuseries follows the successful career of a former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight and lightweight double-champion, Conor McGregor. The series can give an interesting glance into the inner life of a sportsperson and a controversial world star showing what brought him to the path he's been following.

Working: What We Do All Day

Release Date: May 17

Duration: 3 episodes of 60 minutes

"Working: What We Do All Day" is a Netflix documentary directed by Caroline Suh. For some, it's a paycheck. For others, it's a calling. This docuseries explores the meaning of work for modern Americans in a time of rapid change. What gives you joy at work? What gives it meaning? What makes a good job...good? These are the central questions of "Working: What We Do All Day,' a compelling documentary series that explores the ways in which we find meaning in our work and how our experiences and struggles connect us on a human level. Narrated by Barack Obama, who makes appearances alongside ordinary people in their homes and workplaces, the series follows people at all levels of the workforce - from service jobs to senior management - in the home care, technology, and hospitality sectors.

XO, Kitty (2023)

Release Date: May 18

Duration: 10 episodes of 30 minutes

"XO, Kitty" is the first spin-off series from the Netflix original movie "To All the Boys I've Loved Before." The series focuses on the character made popular by Anna Cathcart. Like previous projects in the franchise, the show has author Jenny Han as showrunner. Katherine Song-Covey, who we know as Kitty, is about to embark on a love affair of her own. After helping (in the movie "To All the Boys I've Loved Before") her sister Lara Jean with her dating life, Kitty will find that relationships are a lot more complicated than she thought. Moving to South Korea to be with her boyfriend, the once great connoisseur of the heart, is in for more than one unpleasant surprise.

Kathal - A Jackfruit Mystery (2023)

Release Date: May 19

Duration: 120 minutes

Set in a small town, the film revolves around a local politician whose prized jackfruits (kathals) go missing, and a young police officer named Mahima sets out to solve this bizarre case to prove her worth. This comedy drama stars one of the stars of Bollywood cinema, Sanya Malhotra.

Victim/Suspect (2023)

Release Date: May 23

Duration: 90 minutes

A new Netflix documentary covering the all-time favorite true crime topic. The journalist digs into a case where two women tell the police that they've been sexually assaulted. However, instead of finding justice, the women themselves become the suspects in making a crime of a false report. The documentary was in Sundance official selection of 2023.

FUBAR (2023)

Release Date: May 25

Duration: 8 episodes of 60 minutes

Streaming giant Netflix confirmed the arrival of its new series "FUBAR", starring none other than another acting "giant": Arnold Schwarzenegger. Through a Netflix press release, the actor and former governor of the state of California said that "FUBAR" will kick our asses and make us laugh for a long time since it is not a movie but a series with eight episodes of one hour each. According to the synopsis shared by Netflix, the new series "FUBAR" will follow a CIA agent who, before retirement, discovers an important family secret. As he is forced back into the field to carry out one last mission, the spy will have to deal with the complexities of his particular job and family dynamics. At the end of the preview, you will hear Schwarzenegger's iconic line "I'm back, baby".

Blood & Gold

Release Date: May 26

Duration: 100 minutes

|Blood and Gold" takes place during the last days of World War II and tells the story of a German deserter, Heinrich, and a brave young peasant girl named Elsa. On his way home, Heinrich falls into the clutches of a troop of SS looters. Upon being discovered, the leader of the Nazi group hangs Heinrich from a tree. On the verge of death, the deserter is rescued by Elsa, who hides him on her farm. The troop, searching for a Jewish treasure hidden in a nearby village, encounters unexpected resistance from the villagers, who also want to keep the gold. Without having imagined it, Heinrich and Elsa will be dragged into this treasure hunt that will end in a bloody confrontation in the local church.