Although the programming on PBS in May could look slight compared to April, remember that new episodes of Guilt and A Brief History of the Future will also premiere this month. The only drama series debuting in May is Maryland, a new British series that is making its American premiere on PBS. And if that’s not enough drama for you, Great Performances will have feature new productions of Hamlet and Purlie Victorious.
Throughout the month, PBS will air multiple news, nature, and investigative reports as specials and standalone episodes. Near the end of May, music lovers can look forward to the National Memorial Day Concert 2024 and a tribute to the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein.
If you missed the best shows on PBS from April, you can still stream those online. But you will have to wait for the premiere dates listed below to catch everything coming to PBS in May.
Maryland on Masterpiece
Premieres: Sunday, May 5
Sisters Becca and Rosaline find themselves thrown together by the sudden death of their mother, Mary. They come to find out that she was living an entirely secret life on the Isle of Man, far from her home with her husband, Becca and Rosaline’s father.
As the sisters navigate through the early days of grief and discover their mother’s secrets, they meet their mother’s quirky friend, Cathy, who seems to know more about their mother than they do. Mary’s death offers Becca and Rosaline a chance to not only reframe their relationship, but fundamentally reshape who they are.
Independent Lens – Space: The Longest Goodbye
Premieres: Monday, May 6
NASA’s goal to send astronauts to Mars would require a three-year absence from Earth, during which communication in real time would be impossible due to the immense distance. Meet the psychologists whose job it is to keep astronauts mentally stable in outer space, as they are caught between their dream of reaching new frontiers and the basic human need to stay connected to home.
Nature – Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons
Premieres: Wednesday, May 8
Grizzly 399, the most famous bear in Grand Teton National Park, has an exceptional litter of four cubs to raise. The family must contend with conflicts between people and bears, a warming climate, and human encroachment in bear country.
Now the stakes are higher than ever as Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana seek to remove grizzlies from the endangered species list — which would make it legal to hunt them. In a riveting story full of twists and turns, hope and heartbreak, Grizzly 399 stands as a symbol of the clash between humans and the wild.
Great Performances – Hamlet
Premieres: Friday, May 10
Part of the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park series at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, this Shakespearean classic is directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon and features Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood in the title role.
Photographic Justice: The Corky Story
Premieres: Monday, May 13
Photographic Justice: The Corky Story is a timely and intimate portrayal of a photographer on a quest to ensure that the rich tapestry of Asian American life, with its struggles and celebrations, is preserved and documented in mainstream media.
Frontline – A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro’s Venezuela
Premieres: Tuesday, May 14
Frontline seeks to expose the shadowy figure at the heart of a corruption scandal spanning from Venezuela to the U.S.
Nature – Saving the Animals of Ukraine
Premieres: Wednesday, May 15
In the midst of violence and war, Ukrainian citizens are coming together to rescue animals that have been left behind by those forced to flee. From cats and dogs in abandoned buildings to lions and tigers in the nation’s zoos, extraordinary rescue efforts are underway to bring them to safety.
Nova – Secrets in Your Data
Premieres: Wednesday, May 15
Whether you’re on social media or surfing the web, you’re sharing more personal data than you realize. That can pose a risk to your privacy – and even your safety. But at the same time, big data sets could lead to huge advances in health, transportation, climate science, and more.
Host Alok Patel leads a quest to understand what happens to all the data we’re shedding and explore the latest efforts to maximize benefits – without compromising personal privacy.
Pompeii: The New Dig
Premieres: Wednesday, May 15
Follow the most extensive archaeological excavation in Pompeii for a generation. Nearly two years in the making, with exclusive access to the dig and the all-Italian team of archaeologists, the series follows the excavation of an entire city block that unearthed what life was like in Pompeii before the eruption and the horror faced by the victims and those who survived when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.
Great Performances – Audra McDonald at the London Palladium
Premieres: Friday, May 17
The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards, as well as two Grammy awards and an Emmy, Audra McDonald performs a repertoire of classic Broadway songs, including I Am What I Am, Climb Every Mountain, Summertime, Everything’s Coming Up Roses, and many more.
Independent Lens – The Tuba Thieves
Premieres: Monday, May 20
What is the role of sound and what does it mean to listen? Hard of hearing filmmaker Alison O’Daniel uses a series of tuba thefts in Los Angeles high schools as a jumping-off point to explore these questions.
American Experience – The Riot Report
Premieres: Tuesday, May 21
Revisit 1967, when inner cities across America erupted in violence. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to investigate, and the Commission’s final report would offer a shockingly unvarnished assessment of race relations that still resonates today.
Nature – Wild Ireland: Kingdom of Stone
Premieres: Wednesday, May 22
Ireland is renowned worldwide for its lush green landscapes and wild Atlantic coast, but one of its greatest natural treasures is a desert of greay stones called the Burren, which is home to some of Ireland’s most enchanting wildlife.
Featuring striking wildlife sequences set in this fantastical otherworld, the documentary follows its lead character, the elusive, but charming pine marten, as her story takes us on a delightful journey through this incredible habitat and the lives of its wild birds and animals.
Nova – Decoding the Universe: Cosmos
Premieres: Wednesday, May 22
How big is the universe? If it began with the Big Bang, will it also have an end? Is there life beyond our planet? Questions like these inspired the launch of Voyager I in 1977 and have driven innovative space research and exploration ever since.
Trace the ground-breaking discoveries that have transformed our picture of the universe, from an age when we knew of no planets beyond our solar system to today, when we have evidence of thousands and estimate trillions more.
Great Performances – Purlie Victorious
Premieres: Friday, May 24
Tony Award-winner Leslie Odom, Jr. (Hamilton) stars in the current Broadway revival of Purlie Victorious: A Non-
Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, directed by Tony-winner Kenny Leon. The rousing satiric comedy, written by Kennedy Center honoree Ossie Davis, tells the story of a Black preacher’s scheme to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church.
National Memorial Day Concert 2024
Premieres: Sunday, May 26
America’s national night of remembrance returns live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for a special 35th anniversary broadcast that will take us back to the real meaning of Memorial Day through personal stories and tributes interwoven with musical performances.
Frontline – South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning
Premieres : Tuesday, May 28
Frontline explores allegations of fraud and abuse in South Korea’s historic foreign adoption boom.
Great Performances – Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary
Premieres: Friday , May 31
Beginning with their first collaboration on the groundbreaking musical Oklahoma! in 1943, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II revolutionized Broadway by integrating music and dance with well-crafted storylines to create a cohesive new form that became the gold standard for midcentury musical theater. Continuing with a string of blockbusters including The King and I, Flower Drum Song and The Sound of Music, the duo garnered 34 Tony Awards, along with 15 Academy Awards from the movie adaptations of their shows.
To commemorate Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary, an all-star cast celebrates their timeless music from London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Performers include Michael Ball, Maria Friedman, Daniel Dae Kim, Audra McDonald, Julian Ovenden, Aaron Tveit, Marisha Wallace, Patrick Wilson, and more.
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