Pride Month is still 31 days away, but it’s May now and the weather’s already getting warmer, so we’re calling it: Pride Season has officially begun.
Need proof? Just check out all of the great queer and queer-adjacent series, films, and specials coming to streaming this month.
Across the major platforms, this month will see the premiere of a brand “Ru” season of Drag Race All Stars, a hilarious new special from one of comedy’s biggest queer talents, a new streaming home for a soapy throwback, and the finals of the global camp music competition, Eurovision.
Whether you use Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, or Peacock (or some combo of the six), Queerty has your can’t-miss recommendations for each.
So, get those watch lists ready; it’s going to be a very gay May.
Jump to your streaming platform of choice:
Netflix • Amazon Prime Video • HBO Max • Hulu • Paramount+ • Peacock
What’s new and gay on Netflix in May 2023
Spotlight: Wanda Sykes: I’m An Entertainer (May 23)
Oh Wanda, we love ya! For over 35 years, Sykes has built an incredible career in stand-up, film, television, and beyond, becoming one of the most beloved and fiercely outspoken voices in comedy. I’m An Entertainer is her follow-up to the Emmy-nominated 2019 special Not Normal, and it’s a brand-new hour of material (filmed in February of this year), said to cover everything from parenting Gen Z kids to the trouble with being a loud and proud queer liberal in today’s politically charged climate. Whenever Wanda’s got the mic, we’re all ears.
Also Don’t Miss:
- Queer Eye, Season 7 (May 12): The Fab Five head on down to New Orleans to glam up The Big Easy, taking on a frat house and so much more.
- Muted (May 19): Elite “lovers” Manu Ríos and Arón Piper reunite for this shocking thriller series.
- The Ultimatum: Queer Love (May 24): Netflix’s get-hitched-or-go-home reality series enlists an all-queer cast for its most chaotic season yet.
Amazon Prime Video’s LGBTQ+ offerings in May 2023
Spotlight: Dynasty, Complete Series (May 4)
There might not even big Drag Race if it weren’t for Dynasty. A primetime soap about a wealthy oil family, the series’ nine drama-filled seasons went on to define ’80s television, and became a favorite of Mama RuPaul herself—so, if you’ve got plans to compete on her show, you better brush up, honey! But beyond that, there’s so much to love about Dynasty, from the melodrama to the campy catfights to its decade-specific idea of glamour, all big hair, gowns, and diamonds, darling. It made Linda Evans, Joan Collins, and many more into TV royalty.
Also Don’t Miss:
- Bound, 1996 (May 11): Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon link up for this sexy, kinky neo-noir, which happens to be The Wachowskis’ feature debut.
- Dallas Buyers Club, 2013 (May 1): Jared Leto casting aside, the late Jean-Marc Vallée’s award-winner still tales a true-life tale about fighting for access to AIDS medication in the ’80s.
- Thelma & Louise, 1995 (May 1): Between Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon intimate friendship and Brad Pitt at peak hotness, this crime movie has something for all the baby gays.
What’s gay on the way to HBO Max in May 2023
Spotlight: The Other Two, Season 3 (May 4)
You can quote us on this: There’s no comedy on TV right now that understands gay men better than The Other Two, lovingly skewering our pop culture obsessions, bad dating habits, and general self-absorption. We feel seen. After two seasons of living in the shadows of the younger pop star brother (Case Walker) and daytime talk-show mogul mother (Molly Shannon), Cary (Drew Tarver) and Brooke (Heléne Yorke) are finally getting a taste of their own success… and starting to realize it’s maybe not all it’s cracked up to be.
Also Don’t Miss:
- Heartbreakers, 2001 (May 1): This one might’ve received middling reviews back in the day, but Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt as mother-daughter con artists is a total blast.
- Some Like It Hot, 1959 (May 1): Do all the conservatives trying to ban drag have a problem with this Marilyn Monroe classic, too?
- Love To Love You, Donna Summer (May 20): She has a complicated legacy with the gays, but she sure made hits that got us dancing, and now her story’s told in this new documentary.
The best and queerest on Hulu this May 2023
Spotlight: Elton John: Farewell From Dodgers Stadium (May 5)
Not unlike fellow pop queen Cher, it feels a bit like Elton John’s been “retiring” most of his life—not that we’re complaining! For the final show of his final American tour, a camera crew was on hand at LA’s Dodgers Stadium (the very place that cemented his superstardom) to film the legend’s farewell spectacle, a rollicking setlist of hits from over the past five decades. After a special live streaming event last fall—featuring special guests like Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile, and Kiki Dee—the show arrives on Hulu, where the magic can be re-lived again and again.
Also Don’t Miss:
- Best In Show, 2000 (May 1): This hilarious unscripted comedy set at a dog show features Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Lynch as lesbian lovers—what more could you want?
- Class Of ’09 (May 10): This drama about the FBI has a high-concept, timeline-jumping premise we barely understand, but it stars out hottie Brian J. Smith, so we’re in.
- The Secrets Of Hillsong (May 20): An expose documentary digging into the scandals of this infamously anti-gay megachurch.
All the gay stuff on the way to Paramount+ in May 2023
Spotlight: RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 8 (May 12)
Before you even have time to say “America’s Next Drag Superstar,” Drag Race is back with the eighth edition of its beloved All Stars formula. Last year switched things up with the incredible all-winners season, but now we’re back cutthroat All Stars rules (albeit with a mysterious “Fame Game” twist) where queens vote for who they think should sashay and, baby, we can’t wait for the drama. The exciting cast features O.G. icons like Jessica Wild and Darienne Lake, recent faves like Kandy Muse and Heidi N. Closet, and Canadian wildcard Jimbo.
Also Don’t Miss:
- Kinky Boots, 2005 (May 1): Before it was a Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper-penned hit musical, it was a film, all about how a drag queen helped save a struggling shoe factory.
- The Birdcage, 1996 (May 1): Still among the highest grossing gay films ever, we adore this riotous family comedy and are always down for a re-watch.
- George Michael: Freedom Uncut, 2022 (May 31): Before he passed, George Michael filmed interviews for this beautiful, reflective doc about his life and legacy.
Peacock’s upcoming LGBTQ+ releases this May 2023
Spotlight: Eurovision 2023 (May 9)
One again, Peacock’s your American streaming home for global music competition, the Eurovision Song Contest, which has helped launch the careers of ABBA, Celine Dion, and so many more. This year, the great Graham Norton will be hosting the finale from Liverpool, making this longtime queer favorite even more gay. The streamer will air the first part of the semi-finals on May 9, the second part on May 11, and the grand finale on May 13, complete with an exclusive U.S. watch-along with former Olympian and style icon Johnny Weird.
Also Don’t Miss:
- The Mummy, 1999 (May 1): Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz made everyone at least a little bi-curious when this throwback action-adventure hit theaters.
- Project Runway, Season 1 -16 (May 1): Hours upon hours of fierce fashions, design-room drama, and Tim Gunn turning up the charm.
- Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed (May 20): A shocking docuseries about the dark secret linking one of the ’90s most infamous trials with one of the ’90s most beloved boy bands.
