May is transition month on TV, with traditional networks airing tons of finales and streaming services launching new series and seasons. Here’s your May 2016 TV premieres and finales calendar.
The “Roots” remake, debuting Memorial Day weekend, leads the new programming that includes AMC’s “Preacher,” Netflix’s “Marseille,” Starz’ “The Dresser,” Acorn TV’s “Jack Irish,” Fox’s “Houdini & Doyle,” Seeso’s “Flowers,” HBO’s “All the Way” and OWN’s “Greenleaf.”
New seasons of old favorites are on the way, too. “Penny Dreadful,” “Grace and Frankie,” “Bloodline,” “Powers” and “Scream” all continue their stories.
CBS launches the final seasons of “Mike & Molly” and “Person of Interest” this month, and will air the series finale of “The Good Wife” on May 8. PBS’s “Masterpiece” debuts the final mysteries featuring Kenneth Branagh as “Wallander,” and Cinemax’s “Banshee” ends its run.
As always, I will add more shows to the May 2016 TV premieres calendar as I learn about them.
May 2016 TV premieres
Here are all the May 2016 TV premieres, finales, movies and specials I was able to find.
Sunday, May 1
Streaming
- “Show Me The Money,” DramaFever (season 3 premiere; South Korean rap competition)
- “Jessica & Krystal,” DramaFever (series premiere; behind the scenes with K-pop stars and sisters Jessica and Krystal Jung)
- “Cheongdamdong 111,” DramaFever (series premiere; inner workings of South Korean record label and talent agency FNC Entertainment)
6 p.m.
- “Disney Channel Presents 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards,” Disney (special)
7 p.m.
- “American Country Countdown Awards,” Fox (special)
8 p.m.
- “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” E! (season 12 premiere)
- “Grantchester,” PBS (season finale)
9 p.m.
- “Penny Dreadful,” Showtime (season 3 premiere; more “Penny Dreadful”)
- “Forbidden History,” AHC (season 3 premiere)
- “#RichKids of Beverly Hills,” E! (season premiere)
Monday, May 2
Streaming
- “Jack Irish,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere; Season 1 of Aussie series about a former lawyer working as a private eye; new episodes each Monday; more from Acorn TV here)
- “Joan of Arc,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere; 2015 BBC doc explores life and death of the French peasant girl-turned-warrior)
4 p.m.
- “The Loud House,” Nickelodeon (series premiere; animated comedy about surviving a huge family)
6:30 p.m.
- “Live From The Red Carpet: The 2016 Met Gala,” E! (special)
7 p.m.
- “Mike & Molly,” CBS (back-to-back episodes May 2, 9 and 16)
- “Fat n Furious: Rolling Thunder,” Discovery (season premiere)
8 p.m.
- “Houdini and Doyle,” Fox (series premiere; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini team up to solve crimes in 1800s London)
- “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah,” HBO (doc; look at the making of “Shoah,” a nine-hour-plus examination of the Holocaust)
8:30 p.m.
- “The Odd Couple,” CBS (additional night premiere; also airs at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays)
9 p.m.
- “My Nazi Legacy,” PBS, check local listings (“Independent Lens” premiere; Jewish human rights lawyer explores past with sons of 2 Nazis implicated in Holocaust murders)
- “NCIS Los Angeles,” CBS (season 7 finale)
Tuesday, May 3
Streaming
- “Thumping Spike,” DramaFever (series premiere; top female volleyball player is forced to coach a losing male volleyball team)
7 p.m.
- “Janis: Little Girl Blue,” PBS (“American Masters” premiere; Janis Joplin’s life through intimate letters and rare footage)
- “Fashion Police: Met Gala,” E! (special)
8 p.m.
- “Below Deck Mediterranean,” Bravo (series premiere; 9 crew members live and work aboard a 150-foot mega-yacht)
9 p.m.
- “Person of Interest,” CBS (season 5 premiere; 2 weekly episodes on Mondays and Tuesdays; Monday episodes begin May 9)
- “The Wedding Story of Zach and Tori,” TLC (special; Zach Roloff of “Little People, Big World” marries Tori)
- “Million Dollar Critic,” Cooking (season finale)
Wednesday, May 4
8 p.m.
- “Maron,” IFC (season 4 premiere)
- “Going RV,” Great American Country (season 2 premiere)
- “Junkyard Empire,” Velocity (season premiere)
- “Criminal Minds,” CBS (season 11 finale)
9 p.m.
- “Little Women: NY,” Lifetime (season 2 premiere)
- “Inside Secret Societies,” AHC (series premiere; global underworld societies)
- “Restaurant: Impossible,” Food (season finale)
Thursday, May 5
Streaming
- “Marseille,” Netflix (series premiere; Gerard Depardieu plays veteran mayor fighting for his political life in French production)
- “Flowers,” Seeso (series premiere; dysfunctional family struggles to stay together)
5 a.m.
- Cinco De Mayhem marathon, El Rey Network (marathon of kung-fu films; see films and schedule here)
7 p.m.
- “Lake Guys,” GAC (season 2 premiere)
9 p.m.
- “Building Off the Grid: Big Sky Ranch,” DIY (series premiere; family tries living off the grid on a Montana bison ranch)
10 p.m.
- “Gigolos,” Showtime (season finale)
Friday, May 6
Streaming
- “Grace and Frankie,” Netflix (season 2 premiere)
- “Tumble Leaf,” Amazon Prime (new season 2 episodes)
7 p.m.
- “Adele Live in New York City,” NBC (special; NBC adds 5 new songs and 30 minutes to this reairing of the concert special)
- Don’t Mess with Mommy movie event, Lifetime Movie Network (Wendy Williams host nightly mom-centric movies May6-8 and again May 15-22; read more here)
8 p.m.
- “Brand: A Second Coming,” Showtime (U.S. premiere; doc about Russell Brand)
- “The American Nurse,” Discovery Life (doc premiere; explores social issues through work, lives of 5 nurses)
9 p.m.
- “Emergency,” Discovery Life (series premiere; behind the scenes in real emergency rooms)
- “Blue Bloods,” CBS (season 6 finale)
Saturday, May 7
7 p.m.
- “The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story,” Lifetime (movie; based on the life of NBA star Kevin Durant)
Sunday, May 8
Noon
- Mad for Mother’s Day movie marathon, Sundance TV (scary movies of “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Psycho,” “The Others;” click movie titles for airings)
7 p.m.
- “The Queen at 90,” Smithsonian (2-hour special; Smithsonian was granted unprecedented access to Her Majesty and the Royal Family’s lives for past year)
- “Sister Wives,” TLC (season premiere)
- “Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen,” Food (series premiere; 7 former FNS finalists compete to be 13th finalist within Season 12’s premiere)
- Season finales: “Madam Secretary,” CBS; “Little Big Shots,” NBC
8 p.m.
- “Wallander, The Final Season,” PBS (“Masterpiece” premiere; Kenneth Branagh plays the Swedish detective in 3 final movies)
- “The Good Wife,” CBS (series finale)
9 p.m.
- “Single Dad Seeking,” TLC (series premiere; single parents and their dating lives)
- “NASCAR: The Rise of American Speed,” CMT (3-parter premiere; also May 15 and 22)
- “Elementary,” CBS (season 4 finale)
Monday, May 9
8 p.m.
- “Armed in America: Peace Officer,” PBS (“Independent Lens” premiere; examines militarized state of American police through experience of one former sheriff)
- “Every Brilliant Thing,” HBO (doc; filmed version of Jonny Donahoe’s one-man show about depression, suicide and the lengths to which people go for those they love)
9 p.m.
- “Person of Interest,” CBS (additional night premiere; also airs Mondays at same time)
- “Damien,” A&E (season finale)
9:30 p.m.
- “Armed in America: Police & Guns,” PBS (town hall conversation about militarization of police)
10 p.m.
- “Hello Goodbye,” Travel (series premiere; memorable airport moments)
Tuesday, May 10
7 p.m.
- “Armed in America: The Armor of Light,” PBS (“Independent Lens” premiere; profiles faith journeys of two Christians as they fight gun violence)
7:30 p.m.
- “Grandfathered,” Fox (season finale)
8 p.m.
- “Botched,” E! (season 3 premiere)
- “Arranged,” FYI (season 2 premiere)
- “Little People, Big World,” TLC (spring season premiere)
- “New Girl,” Fox (season finale)
8:30 p.m.
- “Armed in America: Faith & Guns,” PBS (town hall conversation about relationship between faith and guns)
- “The Grinder,” Fox (season finale)
9 p.m.
- “Woman,” Viceland (series premiere; Gloria Steinem hosts doc series investigating how violence against women drives global instability)
- “Outdaughtered,” TLC (series premiere; Busby family welcomes the only all-female set of quintuplets in the U.S.)
9:30 p.m.
- “First Impressions,” USA (series premiere; America’s best amateur impressionists compete)
Wednesday, May 11
Streaming
- “Chelsea,” Netflix (new episodes W/Th/F)
7 p.m.
- “Dinner at Tiffani’s,” Cooking (season finale)
8 p.m.
- “Nature’s Perfect Partners,” PBS (“Nature” premiere; animals form unlikely collaborations with unrelated species)
- “Little Women: LA: Matt & Brianna Special,” Lifetime (2-part special; Brianna and Matt’s rocky relationship)
9 p.m.
- “Stone House Revival,” DIY (series premiere; historic houses restored)
- “Raiders of the Lost Art,” Ovation (season 2 premiere)
- “Underground,” WGN (season 1 finale)
Thursday, May 12
6 p.m.
- “Steven Universe,” Cartoon Network (season premiere)
7 p.m.
- “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS (season 9 finale)
8 p.m.
- “Scandal,” ABC (season finale)
8:30 p.m.
- “2 Broke Girls,” CBS (season 5 finale)
9 p.m.
- “Albany Park Theater Project: Feast,” WTTW-Ch. 11 (special; theatrical love letter to Chicago’s diverse food culture and joyful cooking traditions)
Friday, May 13
7 p.m.
- “Just Let Go: Lenny Kravitz Live,” Showtime (U.S. premiere; behind-the-scenes look at relationships between Kravitz and his band)
- Season finales: “The Amazing Race,” CBS; “The Vampire Diaries,” CW
8 p.m.
- “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS (season 6 finale; 2 hours)
9 p.m.
- “Zoombies,” Fuse (movie; zombified animals overrun zoo)
- “Michael Ian Black: Noted Expert,” EPIX (stand-up special)
Saturday, May 14
8 p.m.
- “Tulips in Spring,” Hallmark (movie; woman returns home to help injured dad and deals with his resentment over her leaving the family business)
Sunday, May 15
6 p.m.
- “Once Upon a Time,” ABC (season finale)
7 p.m.
- “Under the Gun,” EPIX (doc premiere; Katie Couric examines the gun debate)
- “Morley Safer: A Reporter’s Life,” CBS (special; the newsman retires)
8 p.m.
- “Undercover Boss,” CBS (returns to schedule)
- “Karen Kingsbury’s a Time to Dance,” Hallmark M&M (movie; father works to repair daughter’s marriage as granddaughter announces her own engagement)
- Season finales: “The Family,” ABC; “Spring Baking Championship,” Food
8:30 p.m.
- “Last Man on Earth,” Fox (season finale)
9 p.m.
- “Quantico,” ABC (season finale)
Monday, May 16
Streaming
- “19-2,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere, Season 2; Montreal Police Department partners must get along)
7 p.m.
- “Mike & Molly,” CBS (1-hour series finale)
8 p.m.
- Season finales: “Jane the Virgin,” CW; “Cake Masters,” Food
9 p.m.
- Season finales: “Castle,” ABC; “Bates Motel,” A&E
- “Almost Genius,” truTV (midseason premiere)
Tuesday, May 17
7 p.m.
- “Megyn Kelly Presents,” Fox (special; interviews from the world of politics, entertainment and other areas)
- “Operation Popcorn,” World (“America Reframed” premiere; true-crime tale of community activist turned international terrorist)
- “Genealogy Roadshow,” PBS (season premiere)
- “NCIS,” CBS (season 13 finale)
8 p.m.
- “Coupled,” Fox (series premiere; 12 women meet single men in the Caribbean)
- Season finales: “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” ABC (2 hours); “NCIS New Orleans,” CBS; “Chicago Med,” NBC
9 p.m.
- “Cleopatra’s Lost Tomb,” PBS (“Secrets of the Dead” premiere; searching for the last pharaoh’s burial site)
- “Chicago Fire,” NBC (season finale)
10 p.m.
“The Secret History of ISIS,” PBS, check local listings (“Frontline” premiere; rise of the terrorist group should not have been a surprise to U.S. government)
Wednesday, May 18
6 p.m.
- “We the People: The Market Basket Effect,” Pivot (doc premiere; how 25,000 employees and 2 million customers across New England were able to reverse a corporation’s decisions)
7 p.m.
- Season finales: “The Middle,” ABC; “Survivor,” CBS (3 hours)
7:30 p.m.
- “The Goldbergs,” ABC (season finale)
8 p.m.
- “Jungle Animal Hospital,” WTTW/PBS (“Nature” season 34 finale; veterinarians and staffers at the ARCAS rescue center in Guatemala try to rehabilitate animals)
- More season finales: “Empire,” Fox; “Modern Family,” ABC
8:30 p.m.
- “Black-ish,” ABC (season finale)
9 p.m.
- “Royal Pains,” USA (season 8 premiere; 8 episodes in this final season)
- “Blue Collar Backers,” Discovery (series premiere; investors give cash and sweat equity to small businesses)
- “Genius by Stephen Hawking,” WTTW/PBS (series premiere; ordinary people challenged to solve humanity’s most enduring questions)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=hc-OSHh7TDE
Thursday, May 19
Streaming
- “Thingstarter,” Seeso (series premiere; workplace parody of Kickstarter)
- “Coach Snoop,” AOL (series premiere; Snoop Dogg coaches young football players; watch trailer here)
7 p.m.
- Season finales: “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” CW; “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC
8 p.m.
- “Sonic Sea,” Discovery (special; highlights emergence of noise pollution in oceans and those working to prevent its harmful effects on our marine wildlife)
- “Braxton Family Values,” WEtv (season premiere)
- Season finales: “The Blacklist,” NBC; “The 100,” CW; “Mom,” CBS; “The Catch,” ABC (2 hours)
9 p.m.
- “Match Made in Heaven,” WEtv (season 2 premiere)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIo1zc4wkiM
Friday, May 20
Streaming
- “Lady Dynamite,” Netflix (series premiere; comic Maria Bamford stars in comedy about getting her big break—or having a breakdown)
- “Julian Fellowes Presents Doctor Thorne,” Amazon (series premiere; aristocrat schemes to renew her family’s fortune by arranging marriage between her son and American heiress in Brit period drama)
7 p.m.
- “Undercover Boss,” CBS (special episode)
- “Masters of Illusion,” CW (season 6 premiere)
8 p.m.
- “All Access: Quest for the Stanley Cup,” Showtime (doc series; behind-the-scenes look at NHL conference finals and Stanley Cup finals)
- Season finales: “Grimm,” NBC; “The Originals,” CW; “Shark Tank,” ABC
9 p.m.
- “Brad Williams: Daddy Issues,” Showtime (stand-up comedy special)
- “Banshee,” Cinemax (series finale)
Saturday, May 21
7 p.m.
- “All the Way,” HBO (movie; Bryan Cranston stars as President Lyndon B. Johnson)
- “Hate in America: Lone Wolves,” ID (3rd installment; rise of lone wolf attacks in U.S.)
8 p.m.
- “Date With Love,” Hallmark (movie; falling starlet forced to accept high school fan’s invite to his prom in order to fix her reputation)
- “Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER,” Nat Geo Wild (season premiere)
10 p.m.
- “Party Over Here,” Fox (season finale)
10:30 p.m.
- “Saturday Night Live,” NBC (season finale)
Sunday, May 22
5 p.m.
- “Live From The Red Carpet: Billboard Music Awards,” E! (special)
6 p.m.
- “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC (season finale)
7 p.m.
- “2016 Billboard Music Awards Live from Las Vegas,” ABC (special)
- “I Love Lucy Superstar Special,” CBS (2 related and colorized episodes of classic series, “Lucy Visits Grauman’s” and “Lucy and John Wayne” )
- Season finales: “Call the Midwife,” PBS; “The Simpsons,” Fox
8 p.m.
- “Food Network Star,” Food (season 12 premiere)
- “Fear the Walking Dead,” AMC (midseason finale)
- “Family Guy,” Fox (season finale)
8:30 p.m.
- “Bob’s Burgers,” Fox (100th episode)
- “Crowded,” Fox (season finale)
9 p.m.
- “Preacher,” AMC (series premiere; possessed West Texas preacher uses power to fight supernatural creatures)
9:30 p.m.
- “Mr. Selfridge,” PBS (series finale)
Monday, May 23
Streaming
- “Clean Break,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere; car dealer whose life is falling apart decides to get revenge on the people who caused his troubles)
7 p.m.
- “The Price Is Right,” CBS (“Survivor”-themed special)
- “Fashion Police: The 2016 Billboard Music Awards,” E! (special)
- “Kids BBQ Championship,” Food (series premiere; kid grillers)
- “Gotham,” Fox (season finale)
8 p.m.
- “The Bachelorette,” ABC (season 12 premiere)
- “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” CW (season 12 premiere)
- “The Odd Couple,” CBS (1-hour season 2 finale)
9 p.m.
- “POV,” PBS, check local listings (season 29 premiere; check schedule here)
- “Blindspot,” NBC (season finale)
Tuesday, May 24
7 p.m.
- “The Price Is Right,” CBS (“Big Brother”-themed special)
- “My Life in China,” PBS World (“America Reframed” premiere; man tells his sons how he escaped from China)
- “Hotel Hell,” Fox (season 3 premiere)
- Season finales: “Fresh Off the Boat,” ABC; “The Flash,” CW
7:30 p.m.
- “The Real O’Neals,” ABC (season finale)
8 p.m.
- Season finales: “The Voice,” NBC (2 hours); “Dancing with the Stars,” ABC (2 hours); “Stitchers,” Freeform
9 p.m.
- “Teotihuacán’s Lost Kings,” WTTW/PBS (“Secrets of the Dead” premiere; scientists explore royal tombs beneath the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacán)
- Season finales: “The Night Manager,” AMC; “Awkward,” MTV
Wednesday, May 25
Streaming
- “The Path,” Hulu (season finale)
7 p.m.
- “The Price Is Right,” CBS (“The Amazing Race”-themed special)
- Season finales: “Arrow,” CW; “Rosewood,” Fox; “Heartbeat,” NBC
8 p.m.
- “Wayward Pines,” Fox (season 2 premiere)
- Season finales: “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” CBS; “Law & Order: SVU,” NBC; “Supernatural,” CW; “Rogue,” Audience
9 p.m.
- “Douglas Family Gold,” Oxygen (series premiere; following gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas and her support system)
- “Cake Hunters,” Cooking (series premiere; 3 cake designers compete for jobs, with winner trying to pull off the mission)
- Season finales: “Nashville,” ABC; “Chicago PD,” NBC
Thursday, May 26
8 p.m.
- “Red Nose Day,” NBC (special)
9 p.m.
- “Showing Roots,” Lifetime (movie; racial tensions of a small town through the eyes of two women working at local beauty parlor)
- “500 Questions,” ABC (season 2 premiere)
Friday, May 27
Streaming
- “Bloodline,” Netflix (season 2 premiere)
- “Chef’s Table,” Netflix (season 2, part 1)
- “The Do-Over,” Netflix (movie premiere; Adam Sandler and David Spade star as two friends who fake their own deaths and assume new identities before 25-year class reunion)
- “Mako Mermaids,” Netflix (season 4 premiere)
9 a.m.
- “100th DCOM Celebration” marathon Disney (weekend marathon of all the Disney Channel Original Movies; click here for the full schedule)
7 p.m.
- “Buddy’s Family Vacation,” Food (series premiere; with RV, family goes on culinary adventure)
8 p.m.
- “The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End,” PBS (“American Masters” premiere; country music supergroup that featured Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson)
Saturday, May 28
5 a.m.
- “Seriouslee Bruce Marathon,” El Rey Network (Bruce Lee movie marathon through 2:45 a.m. May 30, here’s the full schedule for the Seriouslee Bruce Marathon)
8 p.m.
- “National Enquirer Investigates,” Reelz (series premiere; doc series about deaths of iconic stars)
Sunday, May 29
7 p.m.
- “National Memorial Day Concert,” PBS (special)
- “Undercover Boss,” CBS (season 7 finale)
8 p.m.
- “The Carmichael Show,” NBC (season 2 finale)
9 p.m.
- “Celebrity Food Fight,” Food (series premiere; celebs play food games while eating dinner)
Monday, May 30
6 a.m.
- “Ultimate Warfare,” AHC (“Salute to Sacrifice” marathon encore)
7 a.m.
- “World War II in Color,” AHC (“Salute to Sacrifice” marathon encore)
1 p.m.
- “National Memorial Day Parade,” Reelz (special)
7 p.m.
- “So You Think You Can Dance,” Fox (season 13 premiere)
- “The Last Season,” PBS World (“America Reframed” premiere; migrant workers hunt elusive matsutake mushroom)
8 p.m.
- “The Dresser,” Starz (movie; aging actor and his dresser work to bring “King Lear” to stage at regional theater in England during WWII)
- “Roots,” History, A&E, Lifetime (8-hour miniseries premiere; based on Alex Haley’s portrait of one family and its members will to survive through American slavery)
- “Top Gear,” BBC America (season 23 premiere; Matt LeBlanc hosts)
- “The Detour,” TBS (season finale)
- “Storming Normandy,” AHC (“Salute to Sacrifice” marathon encore; includes “Preparing for War” and “Launching the Assault”)
9 p.m.
- “Mistresses,” ABC (season 4 premiere)
- “Scream,” MTV (season 2 premiere)
- “Of Men and War,” PBS (“POV” premiere; first-of-its-kind treatment center in California offers hope to soldiers suffering from PTSD)
Tuesday, May 31
Streaming
- “Peaky Blinders,” Netflix (season 3 premiere)
- “Powers,” PlayStation (season 2 premiere)
7 p.m.
- “America’s Got Talent,” NBC (season 11 premiere)
9 p.m.
- “Maya and Marty in Manhattan,” NBC (series premiere; Maya Rudolph and Martin Short host variety show)
- “Teenage Newlyweds,” FYI (series premiere; 3 young couples plan and then get married)