Whats new to streaming this week? (May 1, 2026)

Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!

Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.

13. Disney Animation's Songs in Sign Language

In a first-of-its-kind project, Songs in Sign Language reimagines three musical sequences from recent Disney movies in American Sign Language. This was no easy undertaking: The process required redoing "roughly 95 percent" of the original animation, director Hyrum Osmond revealed in the video above. Disney partnered with Deaf West Theatre in order to ensure authenticity and accuracy in the animated ASL performances, resulting in an ambitious reworking of Encanto's "We Don't Talk About Bruno," Frozen 2's "The Next Right Thing," and Moana 2's "Beyond." — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Disney Animation's Songs in Sign Language is now streaming on Disney+.

12. Heresy

Expectant mothers tend to have a terrible time of it in horror movies, and Heresy looks like it'll be absolutely no exception. Set in a medieval Dutch village, the film follows Frieda's (Anneke Sluiters') attempts to start a family, all while navigating an unpleasant husband, unpleasant neighbors, and an unpleasantly sinister presence in the nearby woodland. We can't imagine this one will be a laugh a minute, but fans of The Witch — and folk horror in general — may want to tune in. — Sam Haysom, General Assignment Editor, UK

Starring: Anneke Sluiters, Len Leo Vincent, Reinout Bussemaker, Léon van Waas, and Nola Elvis Kemper

How to watch: Heresy begins streaming on Shudder May 1.

11. Forbidden Fruits

Adapted from playwright Lily Houghton's Of the woman came the beginning of sin and through her we all die, this surreal teen dramedy focuses on a coven of teen witches whose favorite haunt is their local mall.

Each of the girls in their coven is named after fruit. There's Apple (Lili Reinhart), Cherry (Victoria Pedretti), and Fig (Alexandra Shipp). But like The Craft or Mean Girls, the group dynamic sours as a new member joins up. Sure, at first Pumpkin (Lola Tung) seems sweet, but she's setting off rivalries and sniffing out secrets. What dark magic could this incur?

While helmer Meredith Alloway offers some flashy and thrillingly trashy visuals in this funky film, Forbidden Fruits feels a little undercooked. As I wrote in my SXSW review, "I wasn't satisfied, but got the sense that this is an inside joke I'm just not on the inside of." — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor

Starring: Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Chamberlain, and Gabrielle Union

How to watch: Forbidden Fruits is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

10. Battlestar Galactica

Maybe you're a diehard Battlestar Galactica fan. Maybe you've never seen it. Maybe you only know it as inspiring the final death pose of the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. Whatever level of engagement you're at, the Battlestar Galactica universe is streaming on Paramount+ this week. That means all four seasons of the 2000s series (that's 74 episodes), the miniseries that kicked it off beforehand, and the spin-off film The Plan. We know it's about to be more summery out there, but on the odd occasion there's a rainy day, it could be the move to fire up one of the most beloved sci-fi series of all time. — S.C.

Starring: Katee Sackhoff, Mary McDonnell, Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park

How to watch: The Battlestar Galactica universe begins streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV on May 1.

9. "Wuthering Heights"

Whether you hit the cinemas in full Victorian garb to thirst upon Emerald Fennell's Emily Brontë adaptation or not, it's coming to the privacy of your own home. "Wuthering Heights," the latest version of Cathy (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff's (Jacob Elordi) ill-fated romance on the Yorkshire moors, hits HBO Max this week, meaning you can join us in tearing apart the smaller details of the adaptation, including soundtrack foibles and missing scenes. Perhaps this film is more ourselves than we are; perhaps it's not. — Shannon Connellan, Senior Editor

Starring: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, Ewan Mitchell, Owen Cooper, Vy Nguyen, and Charlotte Mellington

How to watch: "Wuthering Heights" begins streaming on HBO Max May 1.

8. This Is Not a Drill

While this sounds like the name of the Extinction Rebellion handbook, This Is Not a Drill is a separate project, but one that also aligns with those fighting for environmental justice. 

Directed by Oren Jacoby, the documentary debuted at last year's Telluride Film Festival, and follows the work of grassroots activism leaders including Tennessee Rep. Justin J. Pearson, The Vessel Project founder and CEO Roishetta Ozane, and former oil industry worker turned methane documenter Sharon Wilson. You can watch the doc for free on Patagonia's YouTube channel. The team behind the doc are working on a school, college, and community outreach project around the U.S., which you can read more about on the film's website. — S.C.

How to watch: This Is Not a Drill is streaming for free on Patagonia's YouTube page.

7. Swapped

Tangled co-director Nathan Greno helms Netflix's latest animated film, which doubles as a body-swap comedy.

Set in a scenic forest known as the Valley, Swapped centers on an adorable otter named Ollie (Academy Award winner Michael B. Jordan) who has a run-in with a flustered bird (Juno Temple) that magically pitches them into each other's bodies. Whereas before the swap, they were fighting over resources like food, could they become friends by walking in each other's metaphorical shoes? Here's hoping. Because the creatures of the Valley could use a unifying force in the face of a fearsome pack of wolves.* — K.P.

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Juno Temple, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, and Justina Machado

How to watch: Swapped begins streaming on Netflix May 1.

6. Man on Fire

Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II steps into Denzel Washington's shoes in Man on Fire, an adaptation of A.J. Quinnell's novel of the same name. (The novel has been adapted twice before, in a 1987 movie starring Scott Glenn, and a 2004 movie starring Washington.) The series introduces Special Forces mercenary John Creasy (Abdul-Mateen II). Haunted by his past, he finds a new purpose in Rio de Janeiro, protecting teenager Poe Rayburn (Billie Boullet) from growing danger. Expect some serious action chops from this tale of redemption and revenge. — B.E.

Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Billie Boullet, Alice Braga, Scoot McNairy, Paul Ben-Victor, and Bobby Cannavale

How to watch: Man on Fire begins streaming on Netflix April 30.

5. Tales from the Crypt

Horror anthology Tales from the Crypt spent a large chunk of the '90s terrifying viewers. William Gaines and Steven Dodd's show features seven seasons and 93 episodes, each of which features a stand-alone scary tale introduced by talking corpse puppet the Cryptkeeper (John Kassir). Keep an eye out for some very famous guest stars, including Tom Hanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Demi Moore. — S.H.

Starring: John Kassir, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Pitt, Steve Buscemi, Tom Hanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Demi Moore, Ewan McGregor, Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette, Teri Hatcher, Tim Curry, Joe Pesci, Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Reeve, and Kyle MacLachlan

How to watch: Tales from the Crypt begins streaming on Shudder May 1.

4. The House of the Spirits

Isabel Allende's classic magical realism novel The House of the Spirits comes to the small screen this week, in the book's first-ever Spanish-language screen adaptation. Spanning four generations, the series tells the story of the Trueba family as they navigate personal struggles, deep loves, and political turmoil in Chile. If you're looking for a more faithful take on Allende's debut than the 1993 film starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons, this series is it. — B.E.

Starring: Alfonso Herrera, Nicole Wallace, Dolores Fonzi, Fernanda Castillo, Aline Kuppenheim, Eduard Fernández, Sara Becker, Fernanda Urrejola, Rochi Hernández, Juan Pablo Raba, Pablo Macaya, and Nicolás Contreras

How to watch: The House of the Spirits is now streaming on Prime Video.

3. Dust Bunny

After giving audiences such sensational (and sensationally twisted) shows as Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, and Hannibal, Bryan Fuller makes his feature directorial debut with a monster movie that feels like Amélie meets Léon: The Professional.

The story centers on a young girl (Sophie Sloan) who's plagued by the monster under her bed — a massive dust bunny. So, naturally, she looks for a hitman to take care of the creature. Lucky for her, there's one living in her building. And he's played by Hannibal's Mads Mikkelsen. The result is a monster movie that is whimsical, gnarly, thrilling, and fun.

In my review, I wrote, "Dust Bunny is exactly the kind of movie fans should expect from Fuller, but it's also wildly surprising. As soon as it ended, I wanted to watch it again — not just for the fun of it, but to assure myself it was real and not some strange dream sparked from too much sour candy."* — K.P.

Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sigourney Weaver, David Dastmalchian, Rebecca Henderson, and Sheila Atim

How to watch: Dust Bunny is now streaming on HBO Max, and is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

2. Hoppers

Pixar's Hoppers is an uproarious riff on Avatar, only instead of humans zapping their consciousness into nine-foot-tall blue alien bodies, they're zapping their consciousness into robot animal bodies to get closer to wildlife. When animal lover Mabel Tanaka (voiced by Piper Curda) gets her hands on this technology, she uses it to try to save a local glade from her town's greedy Mayor (voiced by Jon Hamm). Along the way, she'll befriend a beaver king (voiced by Bobby Moynihan), start an animal rebellion, and cause more chaos than she could have ever bargained for.

Bursting with charming animation and sweet friendships, Hoppers is Pixar's strongest original film in years. What really takes it over the edge is its astounding third act, which goes to some wonderfully weird (and sometimes even downright frightening) places. In my review, I called it Pixar's "most unhinged film yet," and I mean that as the highest of compliments.

Starring: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Eduardo Franco, Aparna Nancherla, Sam Richardson, Ego Nwodim, and Meryl Streep

How to watch: Hoppers is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.

Best of streaming this week: Widow's Bay

Take a trip to the charming island of Widow's Bay, just 40 miles off the coast of New England. Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) hopes to turn the town into the next Martha's Vineyard, but there's just one problem: The locals claim the island is cursed. Despite Tom's initial skepticism, he'll soon learn that these claims have substance — and that whatever supernatural forces are at work are only growing stronger.

From that premise, Widow's Bay builds out a winning blend of comedy and horror that pays homage to everything from Jaws to Halloween. The result is one of the strongest, most unique new shows of 2026 so far. As I wrote in my review, Widow's Bay offers up "an enthralling portrait of a town you'll want to get lost in... even if some of its locals would advise you to run the hell away." — B.E.

Starring: Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root, and Kate O'Flynn

How to watch: The first two episodes of Widow's Bay are now streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes every Wednesday.

(*) denotes a blurb came from a prior list.