Streaming Guide – May 2024

Each month, The Steampunk Explorer offers a guide to steampunk-related films and series arriving on the top streaming services. We look for titles likely to draw interest from steampunk fans in some way, not necessarily those that fall squarely within the genre. See “Our Ultimate Streaming Guide” for a more comprehensive look at steampunk-related titles on these services.

May is an excellent month for Doctor Who fans as a new season is set for its worldwide premiere with Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Also arriving this month is the Season 3 premiere of Bridgerton on Netflix, and Max, fittingly, will begin streaming three Mad Max movies as a new entry in the franchise hits U.S. theaters on May 24.

Unless otherwise noted, these titles debuted May 1. We can only confirm new arrivals in the U.S., but some titles may also be available on these streaming services in other countries.

Disney+

Longtime fans of Doctor Who will be gathering around screens large and small as Season One debuts May 10 on Disney+, and a day later on the BBC.

“Season One?!” you ask. This will be the 40th season of the beloved sci-fi series, and the 14th since the series rebooted in 2005. But in an interview last year with Rolling Stone, showrunner Russell T. Davies revealed that this season will be a new beginning.

“Who is interested in Season 67, or whatever it is?” he said. “It genuinely starts again. The reason why it’s survived for all these years is that every so often, Doctor Who stops, opens the door and refreshes itself, and gets a new audience in."

It will be the first full season featuring Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Millie Gibson as new companion Ruby Sunday. It’s also the first season that will stream on Disney+, which is now the new home for the series outside the U.K. and Ireland.

The premiere will feature three episodes: The holiday special “The Church on Ruby Road,” which introduced the new characters, followed by the all-new “Space Babies” and “Devil’s Chord.” New episodes will stream weekly each Friday. At least one will take The Doctor and Ruby to Regency-era England.

This is also a big month for fans of another popular franchise, as Star Wars Day takes place on Saturday, May 4 (“May the Fourth Be With You”). Disney+ will use the occasion to premiere Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, an animated series consisting of six short episodes. It will consist of two story arcs set in different eras, each viewing the Galactic Empire through the eyes of a warrior.

Hulu

Hulu is streaming The King’s Man, Matthew Vaughn’s 2021 prequel to his Kingsman spy films. Ralph Fiennes stars as Orlando, the Duke of Oxford, who assembles a spy network in the leadup to World War I. They battle a mysterious group of villains that includes Grigori Rasputin. The film received mixed reviews.

Max

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga arrives in theaters later this month, and so naturally Max (the streaming service) is airing the first three films in the post-apocalyptic action series: The original Mad Max (1979), Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).

All three movies were directed by George Miller and feature Mel Gibson in the title role of “Mad Max” Rockatansky.

Furiosa, also directed by Miller, is a prequel to his 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road, which was the fourth entry in the franchise. Set 15 to 20 years earlier, the new film stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a younger version of Imperator Furiosa, previously portrayed by Charlize Theron.

Also arriving this month is Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the 2008 film in which Ron Perlman made his second appearance as the demonic superhero. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, it’s made some lists of top steampunk films.

Netflix

After a two-year wait, Season 3 of the mega-hit historical romance series Bridgerton arrives on Netflix. The streamer will release the episodes in two batches: Four will drop on May 16, followed by four more on June 13.

The series, based on the novels by Julia Quinn, follows the lives of aristocrats in Regency Era London.

Also arriving after a long wait is Season 6 of Outlander, continuing the adventures of a WWII British Army nurse transported back in time to the 18th century. Other arrivals include The Young Victoria (2009), starring Emily Blunt as the queen, and the much-maligned 2019 reboot of Hellboy.

Peacock

Notable arrivals this month on Peacock include The Mummy (1999) and its sequel The Mummy Returns (2001). Both star Brendan Fraser as adventurer Rick O’Connell and Rachel Weisz as librarian Evelyn Carnahan, who contend with supernatural forces in early 20th century Egypt. Also arriving: Cowboys & Aliens (2011), plus the original Mad Max and the first three Jurassic Park movies.

Prime Video

All five seasons of Warehouse 13 arrived this month on Prime Video, following the exploits of Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering as they track down dangerous supernatural artifacts.

The series, which first aired on the Syfy network, occasionally took a steampunk turn. Jaime Murray had a notable recurring role as Helena George (H.G.) Wells, the actual author of the stories attributed to Herbert George Wells.

Also streaming on Prime Video is Fallout, a new postapocalyptic series based on the popular video game franchise. The adaptation, which began streaming in April, has scored well with audiences and critics.