Best new movies and TV series on Disney+ UK: May 2024

Each month, new films and TV shows are added to Disney+‘s UK library. Here’s Eliza Janssen’s recommendations for the titles most worth watching. Scroll down for the full list of everything arriving on the platform.

Top picks

Shardlake: Season 1 (May 1)

Set during the reign of Henry the 8th, this historical murder-mystery sends a lawyer to a remote coastal monastery to uncover a homicidal web of lies. Sean Bean appears on the poster below the text “God knows who did it”, which makes me think he’s either the grand puppet-master behind a religious death plot…or, more likely, he’s probably gonna cark it on screen again and be our body?? Either way, the 16th-century setting makes this one stand out from the blood-soaked pack.

The Beach Boys (May 24)

From their sunny early days as the embodiment of the California dream; to the studio mastery of Pet Sounds, and genius Brian Wilson’s boundary-pushing pop experimentations; all the way through to the sad 80s drudgery of “Kokomo”…this documentary should be a nostalgic and revelatory treat. We’ll be curious to see if the film takes sides, angering Beach Boys fans who hate Mike Love and everything he stands for, or whether it’ll include every band member as a talking head. Wilson is famously reclusive, so any input from him here would feel very special.

Jim Henson: Idea Man (May 31)

The creative force behind The Muppets and Sesame Street, the late, great puppeteer Jim Henson is well-deserving of a loving feature-length documentary. Through talking heads and adorable archival footage, you’ll learn how Kermit and his famous mates were made, and the tremendous impact their dad Jim left on the world of children’s entertainment. This one’s for the lovers, the dreamers, and me, since I will have a big packet of tissues on hand for when the doco inevitably leaves me in happy tears.