The Best Movies, TV and Music for May 2023

Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise (note: you can find our monthly book guide here).

WATCH: BlackBerry

Before you give yourself over to a summer of brainless sequels, remakes and superhero fare (The Flash looks great, though!), check out this funny and critically-acclaimed biopic about the rise and spectacular fall of the BlackBerry phone. Glenn Howerton looks completely unrecognizable as former company CEO Jim Balsillie. (5/12, theaters)

More new films coming to the big screen and small: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (5/5, theaters); Hypnotic (5/12, theaters); Fast X (5/19, theaters); The Little Mermaid (5/26, theaters); Reality (5/29, Max)

WELCOME BACK: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson

There’s no trailer yet for the long-awaited season three of Tim Robinson’s bizarre and hysterical sketch show — the most meme-able (and cringe-y) show on television — but we can hope for more classics on par with “Baby of the Year,” “Corncob TV” and “Brian’s Hat.” (5/30, Netflix)

More returning TV shows: The Other Two (5/3, Max); The Great (5/13, Hulu); Fear the Walking Dead (5/14, AMC); Prehistoric Planet (5/22, Apple TV+)

BINGE: Silo

Hugh Howey’s riveting apocalyptic book series gets the inevitable TV adaptation, which takes place deep underground in, natch, a giant silo, where anyone who steps outside violently dies. (5/5, Apple TV+)

More new TV series: White House Plumbers (5/1, HBO); Bupkis (5/3, Peacock); The Muppets Mayhem (5/9, Disney+); Mulligan (5/13, Netflix); American Born Chinese (5/24, Disney+)

LISTEN: Dropkick Murphys

The long-running Boston punk band’s embrace of Woody Guthrie — which started on “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” — continues with their second full-length (Okemah Rising) to feature unused lyrics and words by the late American folk legend, along with participation by two Guthrie family members…and a guest spot by the Violent Femmes.

More new music: Ed Sheeran (5/5); The Smashing Pumpkins (5/5); Alison Goldfrapp (5/12); Kesha (5/19); Dave Matthews Band (5/19)

STUDY: Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss

Based on Eric Weiner’s bestselling book The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, host Rainn Wilson explores both the happiest and least happy places on Earth (from Iceland to Qatar to Ghana) in this five-episode docuseries. (5/18, Peacock)

More new documentaries and specials: The 2010s (5/7, CNN); It Ain’t Over (5/12, theaters); Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (5/13, Apple TV+); The Secrets of Hillsong (5/19, FX); SmartLess: On the Road (5/23, Max)