The streamer’s new monthly lineup blends prestige HBO originals, acquired films, unscripted programming, international drama, live sports and library titles as competition for viewer attention intensifies.
NEW YORK — HBO Max has announced its May 2026 lineup, setting out a broad slate of films, series, documentaries, comedy, reality programming and live sports that reflects the platform’s increasingly hybrid identity: part premium HBO destination, part Warner Bros. film library, part Discovery-style unscripted hub and part live-event service.
The month’s schedule is led by the streaming debut of Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights,” the disaster sequel “Greenland 2: Migration,” the Japanese historical action series “Song of the Samurai,” the second season of Jason Momoa’s “On The Roam,” the HBO sports documentary series “U.S. Against the World: Four Years With the Men’s National Soccer Team,” the comedy special “Josh Johnson: Symphony,” the HBO Original film “Miss You, Love You,” and A24’s Charli xcx-led film “The Moment.”
The announcement comes at a time when streaming platforms are under pressure to justify monthly subscriptions with recognizable titles and steady release calendars rather than relying only on occasional blockbuster premieres. HBO Max’s May slate shows Warner Bros. Discovery continuing to use scale as a strategy, packaging scripted drama, documentaries, theatrical films, reality franchises, CNN Originals, Food Network, HGTV, TLC, ID, Cartoon Network and sports coverage into one monthly offering.
The highest-profile film arrival comes on May 1 with “Wuthering Heights,” a Warner Bros. release directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. The film is billed as a bold interpretation of Emily Brontë’s classic story of forbidden passion, love and madness. Its arrival at the start of the month gives HBO Max a prestige literary adaptation with marquee names, a familiar title and the kind of visual intensity that tends to travel well across streaming promotion.
The platform is also emphasizing accessibility around the film. HBO Max’s May announcement notes that an American Sign Language version of “Wuthering Heights” will be part of a broader Global Accessibility Awareness Day programming highlight. The service said its accessibility features include closed captions, screen reader support, keyboard navigation, photo-sensitivity advisories and collections of titles with audio description and sign language options. In a streaming market often defined by content volume, accessibility has become another point of competition and public accountability.
On May 8, HBO Max adds “Greenland 2: Migration,” the Lionsgate sequel starring Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin. The film continues the survival story after a comet strike devastates much of Earth, following a family that leaves the safety of a bunker in Greenland to search for a new home. Its placement in the May schedule gives the service a broad commercial thriller aimed at viewers looking for large-scale disaster storytelling rather than prestige drama.
The platform’s international offering expands on May 9 with “Song of the Samurai,” an eight-episode series from Japan’s THE SEVEN, TBS and U-NEXT. Set in Kyoto near the end of the Edo period, the series follows the Shinsengumi, the samurai force that defended Kyoto in the final years of the shogunate. HBO Max said episodes will debut weekly. The series, based on the manga “Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem,” adds historical action and Japanese period drama to a lineup otherwise dominated by American film, documentary and unscripted formats.
Jason Momoa returns on May 14 with season two of “On The Roam,” a Max Original unscripted series that follows the actor as he travels in pursuit of art, adventure, friendship and craftsmanship. The six-episode season will roll out weekly. The series fits into a growing category of celebrity-driven documentary travel programming, where recognizable personalities are used to anchor broader stories about craft, place and culture.
Sports documentary programming becomes a major part of the month on May 12 with “U.S. Against the World: Four Years With the Men’s National Soccer Team.” The five-episode HBO Original sports documentary series follows the United States Men’s National Soccer Team in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. HBO Max said the series was filmed over four years and includes players such as Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Tim Weah and Weston McKennie. With the World Cup approaching in June, the timing gives the platform a timely sports narrative built around national expectation, player development and the pressure of a home tournament.
Documentaries continue on May 13 with “The A List: 15 Stories from Asia and Pacific Diasporas,” an HBO Original documentary built around personal stories from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. The film includes well-known figures such as Sandra Oh as well as lesser-known participants, and is positioned as a portrait of individual identity rather than a single broad label. Its May release also aligns with Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States.
True-crime programming is represented by a new installment of “The Yogurt Shop Murders,” with episode five, “The End of Wondering,” debuting May 22. The episode follows developments after the earlier documentary series about the 1991 murders of four teenage girls in Austin, Texas. HBO Max said the episode examines a later police announcement of a break in the case and the use of DNA technology. The addition reflects HBO’s continuing investment in documentary true crime, a genre that remains one of streaming’s most durable audience draws.
Comedy enters the schedule on May 22 with “Josh Johnson: Symphony,” an HBO Original special filmed at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Johnson’s special features new material about family, religion, relationships and shared human experiences. Comedy specials have become valuable streaming assets because they are comparatively efficient to produce, easy to market around a performer’s existing fan base and useful for platforms seeking variety beyond scripted series.
The end of the month brings two notable film debuts on May 29. “Miss You, Love You,” an HBO Original film written and directed by Jim Rash, stars Allison Janney as Diane Patterson, a grieving widow forced to plan her husband’s funeral with Jamie Simms, played by Andrew Rannells, the assistant to her estranged son. The film’s premise blends grief, dark humor and an unlikely intergenerational connection, placing it in the kind of intimate adult-drama space long associated with HBO’s brand identity.
Also on May 29, HBO Max adds “The Moment,” an A24 film starring Charli xcx. The film follows a rising pop star navigating fame and industry pressure while preparing for an arena tour debut. Its cast includes Charli xcx, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Rachel Sennott, Alexander Skarsgård and others. For HBO Max, the title brings music-world relevance and A24’s cultural cachet to the late-month schedule.
Beyond the spotlight titles, the May calendar is packed with library and unscripted additions. May 1 brings films including “Despicable Me,” “Enter the Dragon,” “Love, Simon,” “Pitch Perfect 3,” “Saltburn,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “The Florida Project,” “Walk the Line” and a range of classic studio titles. These additions reinforce one of HBO Max’s practical strengths: the ability to mix new premieres with recognizable catalog films that can support casual viewing.
Discovery-linked programming remains central to the service’s volume strategy. New or returning titles in May include “Gold Rush: Mine Rescue with Freddy & Juan,” “Zillow Gone Wild,” “House Hunters,” “My Lottery Dream Home,” “Deadliest Catch,” “BBQ Brawl,” “Chopped Castaways,” “Baylen Out Loud,” “Castle Impossible,” “Guy’s Grocery Games” and multiple “90 Day Fiancé” franchise entries. For viewers who use the service as a daily reality and lifestyle platform rather than only a prestige television destination, these titles may be as important as the month’s scripted releases.
CNN Originals also appear throughout the month, including “50 Years of Apple” with Bill Weir from “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper,” “K-Everything with Daniel Dae Kim,” “Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Weed 8: Weed and Women,” and new “Fareed Zakaria Documentaries.” Their presence points to Warner Bros. Discovery’s continued effort to make HBO Max a broader factual and nonfiction hub, not just an entertainment library.
Live sports add another layer. HBO Max’s May schedule includes NHL playoff coverage, MLB games, Giro d’Italia stages, Roland-Garros tennis, Savannah Bananas games and AEW programming, although availability depends on subscription plans and blackouts may apply. This live-event component is increasingly important as streamers search for content that creates appointment viewing and reduces churn.
The May 2026 lineup does not rely on a single franchise tentpole. Instead, it reflects a streaming strategy built around breadth: a literary adaptation, a disaster sequel, Japanese historical action, celebrity travel, soccer documentary storytelling, true crime, stand-up comedy, music-industry drama, reality franchises, news documentaries and sports. That mix may lack the simplicity of a one-title marketing campaign, but it shows how HBO Max is trying to serve multiple audiences inside one platform.
For subscribers, the practical message is clear. May offers high-profile films at the beginning and end of the month, weekly documentary and unscripted releases through the middle, and a steady flow of catalog, reality and live sports programming around them. For Warner Bros. Discovery, the message is broader: HBO Max is no longer only the home of HBO. It is being positioned as a full-service streaming bundle, where prestige sits beside comfort viewing, international series, live competition and factual programming.
