NOW critics pick the best titles coming to Canadian streaming platform Crave in May 2021, including Tenet, RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, season four of In Treatment and Ziwe Fumudoh’s new sketch show.
What we can’t wait to watch
In Treatment (season 4)
If ever there were a TV series tailor-made for filming (and watching) during a pandemic, it’s this one. Small casts, intimate scripts, no crowd scenes. Plus, mental illness, anxiety and depression are top of mind for many of us. The original American-made series (it was based on an Israeli property), starring Gabrielle Byrne as a therapist whose own life was coming apart, ended in 2010 after three seasons. Now three-time Emmy winner Uzo Aduba (Orange Is The New Black) plays Dr. Brooke Taylor, who sees her patients both in person and through Zoom. The diverse cast includes Anthony Ramos (Hamilton, the new In The Heights movie), Quintessa Swindell (of the Netflix teen drama Trinkets) and the Tony-winning veteran queer actor John Benjamin Hickey. Two episodes will drop each week. May 23
That Damn Michael Che
Michael Che has been one of the best things about SNL, ever since he started co-anchoring the Weekend Update segments with Colin Jost. Now he’s got his own six-episode series, a mix of sketch and vignettes that explore the day’s issues from his unique perspective. He’ll occasionally be joined by SNL’s Jost, Cecily Strong, Colin Quinn and Ellen Cleghorne, with a starring guest list that includes Omari Hardwick, Billy Porter and Method Man. May 6
Ziwe
Brooklyn comedian Ziwe Fumudoh, best known for asking baiting questions about race to white celebrities on her weekly Instagram Live comedy show, now has her own sketch/variety series on Showtime. Having mastered the art of pointed comebacks, Fumudoh’s brand of cringe-comedy is perfectly plugged into the moment on this series the list of guests along for the ride include Fran Lebowitz, Julio Torres, Jane Krakowski and Bowen Yang. May 9
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under
Drag Race season 13 ends, a new spinoff series begins. The Australia and New Zealand edition of the reality competition juggernaut sashays on to the airwaves this month, with judges RuPaul, Michelle Visage comedian Rhys Nicholson joined by special guests Taika Waititi, Kylie Minogue and Dannii Minogue. But burning questions remain: Will there be a Xena: Warrior Princess challenge? A Lorde lip-sync? Men At Work puns? Ten queens will compete over eight episodes so you now have Saturday night plans for the next two months. May 1
The Girlfriend Experience (season 3)
If you think Noah Hawley’s Fargo does some odd stuff with its source material, you should take a look at this Starz series, ostensibly spun out of Steven Soderbergh’s 2009 movie starring Sasha Grey as a sex worker but really an excuse for a series of creators to meditate on the transactional nature of human relationships. The third season is written and directed by Anja Marquardt, whose 2014 feature She’s Lost Control explored similar territory; it’s set in London, where a neuroscience student (Julia Goldani Telles) discovers that moonlighting as an escort offers her “a compelling edge in the tech world.” Sundays from May 2
The Crime Of The Century
Given just how many awful things have happened in the last 21 years, “crime of the century” is a term that could be applied to a lot of stuff: 9/11, the invasion of Iraq, the subprime mortgage Jenga that triggered the financial meltdown of 2008, the Brexit scam, six or seven things Donald Trump did that we don’t even know about yet, and so on. Alex Gibney thinks it’s the way Big Pharma created (and marketed) the synthetic opiate crisis, and he makes his case in this two-part HBO documentary, which is airing over two consecutive nights. Sadly, he’s probably onto something. May 10
Way Over Me
If you’ve ever seen the brilliant Quebecois actor Pascale Bussières in anything – Patricia Rozema’s When Night Is Falling, Denis Villeneuve’s Maelström, Manon Briand’s Chaos And Desire – you know she’s uniquely suited to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. (It’s something about her eyes.) This six-part psychological thriller – available to English viewers in dubbed and subtitled versions – casts her as a psychologist specializing in emergency cases who begins a relationship with one of her patients (Vincent Leclerc), which is a terrible idea for a doctor but a pretty decent starting point for a thriller. May 7
Legendary (season 2)
HBO’s voguing reality competition is back for a second round, upping the number of houses competing for the trophy and a $100,000 cash prize from eight to 10. Master of ceremonies Dashaun Wesley is returning alongside judges Megan Thee Stallion, Leiomy Maldonado, Jameela Jamil and Law Roach. The list celebrity guests in the mix include Tiffany Haddish, Taraji P. Henson, Demi Lovato and more. May 6
Solid bets
Tenet
What’s left to say about Tenet? John David Washington looks great in it! It goes forward! It goes backward! A lot of it was shot with IMAX cameras to make the forwarding and backwarding even more impressive! (That’s probably why just it won the Oscar for best visual effects, come to think of it.) Christopher Nolan is very disappointed that you didn’t go see this in a theatre last year, but there were some very good reasons for that, and now you can watch it on your phone just to really stick it to him. May 7
Sound Of Metal
Darius Marder’s knockout drama about a noise-metal drummer trying to cope with a sudden, devastating hearing loss lands on Crave fresh from picking up Oscars for best sound and best film editing – though Riz Ahmed’s riveting leading turn went unrewarded. Which is a shame, because it’s the best performance of the last couple of years, and Marder knows exactly how to package it. Watch this on your biggest screen, and play it loud. May 14
I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight
The polar opposite of the gargantuan Tenet, Sean Garrity’s little Winnipeg love story stars Hera Nalam and Kristian Jordan as Iris and Simon, twentysomethings trying to get past their own issues as they meet, fall into bed and wind up building a relationship. It’s a romantic comedy with unexpectedly sharp elbows and a fine sense of texture when it comes to depicting its characters’ respective worlds, and both Nalam and Jordan are naturals. Give it a shot. May 14
The full list of new titles available on Crave in May 2021 by date is below. The + symbol indicates a TV show or movie that is only available on Crave+ . The * symbol indicates a TV show or movie that is only available with the Starz add-on.
TV shows
May 1
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 19, episode 14)+
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under (season 1, episode 1)
May 2
City On A Hill (season 2, episode 6)
Confronting A Serial Killer (season 1, episode 3)*
Desus & Mero (season 3, episode 24)
The Girlfriend Experience (season 3, episodes 1-2)*
The Gloaming (season 1, episode 7)*
The Nevers (season 1, episode 4)+
Mare Of Easttown (season 1, episode 3)+
May 3
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (season 8, episode 10)+
May 4
The Bold And The Beautiful (season 34, episodes 144-148)
May 5
The Handmaid’s Tale (season 4, episodes 3-4)
May 6
The Big Shot With Bethenny (season 1, episodes 3-4)+
Dark Side Of The Ring (season 3A, episode 1)
Desus & Mero (season 3, episode 25)
Ellen’s Next Great Designer (season 1, episode 4)+
Legendary (season 2, episodes 1-3)+
May 7
A Black Lady Sketch Show (season 2, episode 3)+
MTV’s The Challenge (season 36, Reunion Part 1 & 2)
Shrill (season 3)
Step Up: High Water (season 1, episode 10)*
Wow! Wow! Wubbzy (season 1)*
May 8
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 19, episode 15)+
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under (season 1, episode 2)
May 9
City On A Hill (season 2, episode 7)
Confronting A Serial Killer (season 1, episode 4)*
The Girlfriend Experience (season 3, episode 3)*
The Gloaming (season 1, episode 8)*
The Nevers (season 1, episode 5)+
Mare Of Easttown (season 1, episode 4)+
Ziwe (season 1, episode 1)
May 10
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (season 8, episode 11)+
The Crime Of The Century (part one)+
May 11
The Bold And The Beautiful (season 34, episodes 149-153)
May 12
The Crime Of The Century (part two)+
The Handmaid’s Tale (season 4, episode 5)
The Voice (season 20, episodes 12-13)
May 13
The Big Shot With Bethenny (season 1, episodes 5-6)+
Dark Side Of The Ring (season 3A, episode 2)
Ellen’s Next Great Designer (season 1, episode 5)+
Legendary, (season 2, episode 4)+
May 14
A Black Lady Sketch Show (season 2, episode 4)+
Doing The Most With Phoebe Robinson (season 1)
Step Up: High Water (season 2, episode 1)*
Wipeout (season 1, episodes 1-5)
May 15
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 19, episode 16)+
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under (season 1, episode 3)
May 16
City On A Hill (season 2, episode 8)
Confronting A Serial Killer (season 1, episode 5)*
The Girlfriend Experience (season 3, episode 4)*
The Nevers (season 1, episode 6)+
Mare Of Easttown (season 1, episode 5)+
Run The World (season 1, episode 1)*
Ziwe (season 1, episode 2)
May 17
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (season 8, episode 12)+
May 19
The Handmaid’s Tale (season 4, episode)
The Voice (season 20, episodes 14-15)
May 20
The Big Shot With Bethenny (season 1, episodes 7)+
Dark Side Of The Ring (season 3A, episode 3)
Ellen’s Next Great Designer (season 1, episode 6)+
Legendary (season 2, episode 5)+
May 21
A Black Lady Sketch Show (season 2, episode 5)+
MasterChef Canada (season 7)
Step Up: High Water (season 2, episode 2)*
May 22
The Girlfriend Experience (season 3, episode 5)*
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 19, episode 17)+
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under (season 1, episode 4)
May 23
Black Monday (season 3, episode 1)
The Chi (season 4, episode 1)
Flatbush Misdemeanors (season 1, episode 1)
In Treatment (season 4, episodes 1-2)+
Mare Of Easttown (season 1, episode 6)+
Run The World (season 1, episode 2)*
Ziwe (season 1, episode 3)
May 24
Axios (season 4, episode 7)+
Dark Side Of The Ring (season 3A, episode 4)
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (season 8, episode 13)+
In Treatment (season 4, episodes 3-4)+
May 26
The Handmaid’s Tale (season 4, episode 7)
The Voice (season 20, episodes 16-17)
May 28
A Black Lady Sketch Show (season 2, episode 6)+
Combination Plates (season 1)
MTV’s Floribama Shore (season 4)
In Treatment (season 4, episodes 5-6)+
Lavell Crawford: The Comedy Vaccine
Mare Of Easttown (season 1, episode 7)+
Step Up: High Water (season 2, episode 3)*
May 29
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under (season 1, episode 5)
May 30
Black Monday (season 3, episode 2)
The Chi (season 4, episode 2)
Flatbush Misdemeanors (season 1, episode 2)
The Girlfriend Experience (season 3, episode 6)*
Run The World (season 1, episode 3)*
May 31
Axios (season 4, episode 8)+
In Treatment (season 4, episodes 7-8)+
Ziwe (season 1, episode 4)
Movies
May 3
The Human Voice*
May 5
I Am Bruce Lee *
May 7
Cats & Dogs 2: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore+
Field Of Dreams+
From Prada To Nada*
Garfield Gets Real+
Garfield’s Fun Fest+
Garfield’s Pet Force+
How To Train Your Dragon 2+
I Heart Huckabees*
Inception+
Kama Sutra: A Tale Of Love*
My Dog Skip+
Odd Man Rush+
Oliver!+
The Purge*
Rambo*
Stuart Little+
Stuart Little 2+
Super Troopers*
Tenet+
War*
Way Over Me (Sortez-Moi De Moi)
May 12
Incendies*
May 14
American Pie *
American Pie 2*
American Pie Reunion*
Breaking Surface+
Fred Claus+
The Goonies+
The Iron Giant+
My Cousin Vinny*
Operation Avalanche*
Sound Of Metal+
Racing Stripes+
Remember Me*
Robots+
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride+
Turbo+
Unaccompanied Minors+
Unbroken*
May 19
Laurence Anyways*
May 21
A Christmas Carol (1984)*
Despicable Me*
Dog Days+
I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight+
Knowing*
Mirror Mirror*
My Girl*
Nancy Drew*
Open Season*
Parental Guidance*
Supergirl*
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze*
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III*
Thunderstruck*
Wander Darkly*
Wonder Woman 1984+
May 24
I Am Hitchcock+
May 26
Owning Mahowny
May 28
The Climb+
Dave*
New Jack City*
The Next Three Days*
The Personal History Of David Copperfield+
You’re Next*
Last Chance
Movies and TV shows leaving Crave in May 2021.
May 4
2018 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction
May 5
Picnic At Hanging Rock (season 1)
May 9
Shaft
May 10
Journey Into Dyslexia
Red Joan
May 11
Brightburn
Halo: Nightfall
Killers Anonymous
May 15
Blippi
May 16
Annabelle Comes Home
May 17
Men In Black: International
May 19
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
May 20
Stockholm
May 27
All Is True
May 30
Tipped
May 31
47 Ronin
About Schmidt
Air Force One
Argo
Big The Big Interview With Dan Rather (seasons 6-7)
Corrina, Corrina
The Dead Don’t Die
The Descendants
Driven
Firewall
French En Amerique
In A World…
In The Valley of Elah
Independence Day
It Follows
John Q
Magic Mike
The Meddler
Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life
Deeds
Nymphomaniac Vol. I
Nymphomaniac Vol. II
Octavio Is Dead!
Paul
Philadelphia
Predator
Premonition
Repo Men
Robot And Frank
Roxanne
Santa Fake
The Squid And The Whale
A Star Is Born (1954)
Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
Trouble With The Curve
White Men Can’t Jump
X Men: Dark Phoenix
Yesterday