If there’s a theme for PBS programing in May, it’s Great Performances. There are four Great Performances specials through out the month including Kiss Me, Kate and Yellow Face. If you want a better seat for a professional play or musical, you’d have to buy a ticket.
However, the month is a little light with imported dramas from overseas, save for the premiere of Miss Austen on Masterpiece Theater. But there is more than enough original programing across May including Independent Lens, Nature, and Nova. It’s all free, even with PBS facing impending pressure about the potential loss of funding from the government.
If you missed the best shows on PBS from April, you can still stream those online. However, you’ll have to wait for the premiere dates listed below to catch everything coming to PBS in May.
Are you looking for more shows to watch this month? If so, check out our guides on the best new shows to stream, the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, and the best shows on Disney+.
Miss Austen on Masterpiece
Premieres: Sunday, May 4
Miss Austen, based on Gill Hornby’s acclaimed novel, takes a real-life literary mystery – Cassandra Austen (Keeley Hawes) burning her sister Jane’s letters –and reimagines it as a fascinating, heartbreaking story of love, sacrifice, and loss.
Independent Lens — Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s
Premieres: Monday, May 5
Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s is an intimate portrayal of three families confronting the unique challenges of Alzheimer’s and how this progressive neurodegenerative disease transforms roles and relationships. Whether it’s a partner becoming a caregiver or an adult child shifting into being their parent’s caretaker, these stories show how families evolve when a loved one is diagnosed.
Frontline — Antidote
Premieres: Tuesday, May 6
The U.S. broadcast debut of the award-winning film exposing the cost of opposing Vladimir Putin. The stories of an investigative journalist and a political activist putting their lives on the line standing up to the Kremlin, and the consequences.
Nature — Hummingbirds of Hollywood
Premieres: Wednesday, May 7
Amid the glamour of Hollywood, a woman finds herself on a transformative journey as she nurtures wounded hummingbirds, unraveling a visually captivating and magical tale of love, fragility, healing, and the delicate beauty in profound acts of kindness.
Nova — Ultimate Crash Test: Countdown
Premieres: Wednesday, May 7
Surprisingly little is known about the behavior of cars and drivers in uncontrolled, real-world accidents, despite rigorous testing in laboratory-controlled crashes. Now, a first-of-its-kind experiment aims to discover what really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup and how cars and driving could be made safer. In the first episode of this two-part special, go behind the scenes as scientists make a series of high-stakes decisions to ensure the ambitious experiment goes off without a hitch. They only have one shot. The plan is for eight drivers to drive eight different types of cars by remote control at 70 mph down a hazardous roadway.
Bugs That Rule the World
Premieres: Wednesdays, May 7
This four-part global investigation explores the world of insects, the planet’s most populous, but least appreciated creatures and their critical roles on the planet. Scientists reveal the beauty of bugs, from pollinators to insect assassins to the tiny clean-up crews that purify the planet, highlighting the importance of their roles and the bleak picture of a future without them.
Great Performances — Next to Normal
Premieres: Friday, May 9
Experience this Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical directed by Michael Longhurst from London’s Donmar Warehouse. Grammy nominee Caissie Levy stars in the story of a suburban family struggling with the effects of mental illness.
Independent Lens — And So It Begins
Premieres: Monday, May 12
And So It Begins follows the Philippines’ turbulent 2022 presidential race, with the son of ousted former dictator Ferdinand Marcos waging a combative social media campaign against his more progressive opponent, incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo. Following it all is independent journalist and Nobel-winner Maria Ressa, with an eye toward the specter of increasing autocracy.
Nova — Ultimate Crash Test: Impact
Premieres: Wednesday, May 14
In the second episode of this two-part special, forensic analysis is put to the test in a first-of-its-kind experiment to discover what really happens in a multi-vehicle pileup. Real-life crash scene investigations have very little data to work with, so are they accurate? And what can we learn about car safety when there is actual data to show exactly what happened? Follow scientists, engineers, and accident investigators as they analyze a treasure trove of data –more than they’ve ever had before. In this unprecedented look at a major multi-vehicle accident, discover insights about driver behavior and vehicle design that could save lives.
Great Performances — Yellow Face
Premieres: Friday, May 16
Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang’s comedy from Roundabout Theatre Company stars Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Hawaii Five-0) as an Asian American playwright who protests yellowface casting in the blockbuster musical Miss Saigon, only to mistakenly cast a white actor as the Asian lead in his own play. The repercussions resonate in this farce about the complexities of race. Directed by Leigh Silverman (Violet, Suffs), Yellow Face is an “is-he-or-isn’t-he” comedy of identity, show business and autobiography.
Independent Lens — Who Is Michael Jang?
Premieres: Monday, May 19
After a long career as a commercial and portrait photographer, mischievous San Francisco artist Michael Jang sat for decades on a hidden treasure of pictures taken in his 20s — both candid celebrity shots and a down-to-earth cross-section of Chinese American family life rarely captured so playfully. Then, during the pandemic, Jang set out to share his work with the world, street guerilla-style.
American Experience — Mr. Polaroid
Premieres: Monday, May 19
Meet Edwin Land, the visionary scientist and inventor of the Polaroid camera. When it was introduced in 1948, the Polaroid revolutionized amateur photography with a camera that provided pictures instantly –by the 1970s, people across the globe were shooting over a billion Polaroids a year. The camera not only revolutionized how we take pictures and capture memories, but it also helped earn Land a reputation as one of the most visionary and prolific inventors and entrepreneurs of the 20th century. His invention of a new product and a new and creative corporate culture would inspire the leaders of the 1990s tech boom, including Steve Jobs, who saw Land as both a guru and godfather.
Frontline — Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Warning
Premieres: Tuesday, May 20
How Hurricane Helene became an ominous warning about America’s lack of preparedness. With NPR, drawing on a decade of reporting on disasters and their aftermath, how and why the U.S. is more vulnerable than ever to climate change-related storms.
Great Performances — Girl from the North Country
Premieres: Friday, May 23
In 1934 Duluth, Minnesota, a group of wayward travelers’ lives intersect in a guesthouse filled with music, life and hope. Written and directed by celebrated playwright Conor McPherson, this musical features20 reimagined, legendary Bob Dylan songs, including “Forever Young,” “All Along The Watchtower,” “Hurricane,” and “Like A Rolling Stone.
National Memorial Day Concert 2025
Premieres: Sunday, May 25
America’s national night of remembrance live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol brings us together as one family of Americans to honor the service of generations of our men and women in uniform, our military families, and to pay tribute to all those who have given their lives for our country. Hosted by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna and Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise, the 2025 concert features personal stories and tributes interwoven with musical performances by world-renowned artists and the National Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the real meaning of the holiday.
Great Performances — Kiss Me, Kate
Premieres: Friday, May 30
With a score by Cole Porter, this “Golden Age” Broadway musical comedy features classic songs, including “Another Op’nin’”, “Another Show,” “So In Love,” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.” Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block makes her West End debut as Lilli Vanessi joined by Adrian Dunbar as Fred Graham in a backstage comedy of star-crossed romance. Tony winner Bartlett Sher directs.
