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What's New to Watch on Netflix the Week of May 22, 2026

The world of romance is on Netflix's mind this week, with a new animated comedy and a gender role-flipping movie remake.

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Another week, another slate of new content coming to Netflix. While this isn't the most jam-packed span on the calendar, there's still stuff to note, including a new series from the creators of Big Mouth, a gender-swap comedy, and an underseen 2025 hostage drama. There's also a ton of Formula 1 racing streaming live. Here's what you should set aside time to watch this week.


This Week on Netflix: PCMag's Picks

Mating Season (May 22)

The creators of Big Mouth have squeezed a ton of juice out of the trials and tribulations of human puberty, so it's not surprising that their latest project takes a similar look at the animal kingdom. Mating Season takes us into the forest and introduces us to a bevy of creatures, including raccoons, deer, bears, and more, as they navigate relationships. It looks pretty spicy and as scientifically accurate as it could possibly be, given the circumstances.

  • Cast: Nick Kroll, June Diane Raphael, Zach Woods
  • Genre: Animation
  • Rating: TV-MA

Ladies First (May 22)

A remake of a hit French comedy, Ladies First stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Damien Sachs, a smug and successful womanizer who wakes up one day in a parallel universe where the balance of gender power is reversed: every president has been a woman, and female CEOs dominate the world of business. He soon runs into his female counterpart, who might be too much to handle. Will he learn anything from this isekai adventure?

  • Director: Thea Sharrock
  • Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Rosamund Pike, Emily Mortimer
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Rating: TV-MA

Dead Man's Wire (May 28)

The latest effort from idiosyncratic director Gus Van Sant dramatizes a bizarre true story about a 1977 hostage situation where a man named Tony Kistis held a mortgage broker at gunpoint with a shotgun wired to his neck. Convinced that he's been wronged, Kistis takes his captive to his heavily explosive-rigged apartment. When his demands are presented to the police and the FBI, things get even wilder. It's a solid flick with some great performances.

  • Director: Gus Van Sant
  • Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Al Pacino
  • Genre: Drama
  • Rating: R
  • IMDb Rating: 6.5/10

Netflix New TV Series and Show Releases This Week

May 22
Canada: Sprint Qualifying
F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Practice 1
Mating Season

May 23
F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Qualifying
F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Sprint

May 24
F1 Canadian Grand Prix: Race

May 26
Untold UK: Vinnie Jones

May 27
My 2 Cents

May 28
The Four Seasons - Season 2
Murder Mindfully - Season 2


Netflix New Movie Releases This Week

May 22
Ladies First

May 23
Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie

May 26
Untold UK: Vinnie Jones

May 27
Room To Move

May 28
Dead Man's Wire


Leaving Netflix This Week

May 26
Pig

About Our Expert

K. Thor Jensen

K. Thor Jensen

Contributing Writer

K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, <em>Cloud Stories</em>, was released in 2017.

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