Anna Daniels
Mandatory Streamers: Solar Opposites Brings the Wit & Chaos in Justin Roiland’s New Series
Welcome to Mandatory Streamers, our column covering the best new streaming content coming your way every week! For the week of May 4, Hulu’s hilarious animated comedy Solar Opposites arrives from Justin Roiland, co-creator and star of Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty, in a new series that shows aliens are sort of like humans. Check out the best shows debuting and returning online this week as well as the latest renewal announcements below and be sure to visit our mother site Mandatory by clicking here!
Hulu
Solar Opposites, Series Premiere: The adult animated series centers around a team of four aliens who have escaped their exploding homeworld, only to crash land into a move-in ready home in suburban America. They are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome. Korvo (Roiland) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone) only see the pollution, crass consumerism, and human frailty, while Terry (Thomas Middleditch) and Jesse (Mary Mack) love humans and all their TV, junk food, and fun stuff. Their mission: protect the Pupa, a living supercomputer that will one day evolve into its true form, consume them and terraform the Earth. The series will launch on Friday, May 8.
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Into the Dark: Delivered, May Premiere: In Into the Dark: Delivered, a pregnant woman’s life is upended when she realizes someone close to her has darker plans for her and the baby. The May installment of Blumhouse’s monthly horror anthology series stars Tina Majorino (Napoleon Dynamite, Scorpion, Legends) and Natalie Paul (The Sinner, The Blacklist, You) and will premiere on Friday, May 8.
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Netflix
The Eddy, Series Premiere: Directed by Oscar winner Damien Chazelle (Whiplash, La La Land), Emmy Award winner Alan Poul (Tales of the City), Cannes Camera d’Or winner Houda Benyamina (Divines) and Laïla Marrakchi (Le Bureau des Légendes), the Netflix limited series is an eight-episode drama that takes place in the vibrant multicultural neighborhoods of modern-day Paris. Once a celebrated jazz pianist in New York, Elliot Udo (André Holland) is now the co-owner of struggling club The Eddy, where he manages the house band fronted by lead singer and on-again-off-again girlfriend Maja (Joanna Kulig). As Elliot learns that his business partner Farid (Tahar Rahim) may be involved in some questionable practices at the club, secrets begin to come to light that have also been concealed from Farid’s wife Amira (Leïla Bekhti), and when Elliot’s troubled teenage daughter Julie (Amandla Stenberg) suddenly arrives in Paris to live with him, his personal and professional worlds quickly start to unravel as he confronts his past, fighting to save the club and protect those closest to him. The series will begin streaming on Friday, May 8.
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Dead to Me, Season 2 Premiere: Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini’s Jen and Judy are keeping their ride or die friendship as they work to hide an even bigger secret in the second season of the Emmy-nominated dark comedy series. Written by Lez Feldman, follows Jen (Applegate), a widow Hell bent on solving her husband’s hit-and-run murder, and her unlikely friend Judy (Cardellini) an optimistic woman who likewise suffered a tremendous loss. The two bond over bottles of wine, Entenmann’s cookies, and a shared affinity for The Facts of Life all the while Judy harbors a secret that could destroy Jen’s life. Season 2 will launch on Friday, May 8.
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HBO
I Know This Much Is True, Series Premiere: HBO’s six-part limited series starring three-time Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo is based on the best-selling novel by Wally Lamb. Written, directed and executive produced by Derek Cianfrance, I Know This Much Is True is a family saga that follows the parallel lives of identical twin brothers Dominick and Thomas Birdsey, both played by Ruffalo, in an epic story of betrayal, sacrifice, and forgiveness set against the backdrop of 20th century America. The series will premiere on Sunday, May 10, with episodes available to stream on HBO’s platforms.
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Acorn TV
Gold Digger, Exclusive U.S. Premiere: This BBC One twisty romantic thriller starring Emmy winner Julia Ormond (Howard’s End, Legends of the Fall, Mad Men) and Ben Barnes (Westworld, The Punisher) tells the story of a 60-year-old woman falling in love with a 35-year-old man and the effect it has on her already dysfunctional family. Mother first, wife second, woman last, Julia Day (Ormond) has spent her whole life putting the needs of others before herself, but now she falls in love with Benjamin Greene (Barnes), a man 25 years her junior. The impact their unconventional relationship has on her family is explored and the secrets of their past are revealed — has Julia finally found the happiness she’s always deserved or is Benjamin really only after her money like they think he is? The series also stars Alex Jennings (The Crown) as Julia’s ex-husband Ted, and Julia McKenzie (Agatha Christie’s Marple) as Ted’s mother, Hazel. The first two episodes are now streaming on Acorn TV.
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Sundance Now
Bad Mothers, Series Premiere: Sarah’s (Tess Haubrich, The Wolverine, Alien: Covenant), suburban bliss is destroyed when her husband has an affair with her best friend, Charlotte (Melissa George, The Good Wife, Home and Away), head of the Bedford Mothers’ Club. Ousted from the snooty club, Sarah finds unexpected support among the titular Bad Mothers. The new friends exact revenge on Charlotte, which leads to deadly results. Also starring Mandy McElhinney (Love Child, Comedy Inc.), Jessica Tovey (Wonderland, Home and Away), Shalom Brune-Franklin (The Heart Guy) and Don Hany (East West 101, Picnic at Hanging Rock), the show debut on Thursday, May 7.
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Renewals
My Brilliant Friend, Season 3: HBO and Rai have renewed their drama series My Brilliant Friend for a third season! The eight-episode second season, My Brilliant Friend: The Story of a New Name, based on Elena Ferrante’s bestselling book of the same name, which is the second of the four-part series published in the U.S. by Europa Editions, debuted in the US on Monday, March 16. The third season will be based on Ferrante’s third book in the series, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay.
After Life, Season 3: Netflix has officially renewed Golden Globe winner Ricky Gervais’ black comedy-drama series for a third season! In addition, Gervais has also signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix to develop new scripted shows and stand-up comedy specials exclusively for the streaming service. The first two seasons of After Life are available to stream now.
CBS Renewal Fest: CBS has renewed 18 additional series for the network’s 2020-2021 season including All Rise, Blue Bloods, Bull, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Seal Team, S.W.A.T., and comedies Bob ♥ Abishola, The Neighborhood, and The Unicorn, as well as news programs 60 Minutes and 48 Hours and the reality series Undercover Boss. The 18 pickups join the previously renewed CBS series Evil, Mom, Young Sheldon, Survivor, and The Amazing Race, totaling 23 renewals for the network.
Written by: CS
