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If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Season finales! Or more specifically, when it comes to this May, 2019, the end of some of the most critically acclaimed shows in recent history, including Game of Thrones and Veep.
May also brought some new shows (flowers, if you will), the return of others, and a few surprises that we’ll be talking about for a while to come. In fact, when Decider sat down to hash out this month’s best TV shows, we were unable to whittle the list down to 10, because there was such a bevy of riches.
Instead, through multiple rounds of voting, we came up with twelve picks. Those range from those controversial final episodes of Thrones, to animated shows about bird friends, to the return of a British series so perfect, it didn’t need a second season… Yet when that second season arrived, it was perfection, too.
And if you’re hankering for more best TV shows, take a look back at our best shows of March, and best shows of April (sorry January and February, we started late this year).
Without further ado, here are the 12 best TV shows of May, 2019:
'Southern Charm'
Bravo
Southern Charm is the show you need to be watching. It’s not only one of the very best on Bravo, it’s one of the most fun shows you’ll find anywhere. The way the comedy mingles with explosive drama amongst this group of highly attractive friends in Charleston, SC makes Southern Charm the kind of reality show that even people who say they “don’t watch” reality shows will totally love. It’s addictive and shocking and silly, and if you even dare try to find something better to watch, you’re just plain wasting your time. — Lea Palmieri
'I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson'
Netflix
Sketch comedy gets a bad rap these days, but Tim Robinson’s bizarre, star-studded, easily bingeable series fights back that trend. The former SNL writer assembled a few of famous friends to eschew topical jokes for uncomfortable weirdness that pushes the envelope while never going too far into meanness. Not every bit hits, but there’s at least one stand-out sketch per episode, and for that alone, we hope Tim Robinson doesn’t leave, but in fact comes back for more. — Alex Zalben
Stream I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson on Netflix
'The Society'
Netflix
The Society is all kinds of batshit, and I absolutely love it. What will happen when a group of high school kids (but only those over the age of 16, natch) are taken from their wealthy suburb and transported to a world without parents? Will they go full “Lord of the Flies,” or will they form a semi-socialist utopia and live happily ever after? As it turns out, the answer is both… and neither. With star turns from Kathryn Newton (seriously, she could be our mayor any day), Sean Berdy, Rachel Keller, and more young talent, The Society is the addictive teen drama you’ve been waiting for. — Claire Spellberg
'Good Omens'
Prime Video
Prime Video’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s classic comic novel of the apocalypse could have gone wrong in so many ways. But thanks to some excellent performances, anchored by Michael Sheen and David Tennant’s angel and demon friends, and cheeky writing that perfectly captures the tone of the novel while updating the references for 2019, Good Omens succeeds. Fan apocalypse averted! — Alex Zalben
'Game of Thrones'
HBO
“The Last of The Starks.” “The Bells.” “The Iron Throne.” May saw the debut of the most controversial, divisive episodes of Game of Thrones in the show’s history. It was always going to end up not being for everyone, yet critics and fans turned on the show at an alarming rate in the final few hours of the show’s decade long run, debating everything from Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) heel turn, to the eventual ascendance of Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) to the throne. Yet one item that’s not up for debate? Game of Thrones was a visual and technical achievement replete with bold acting choices and iconic moments that will reverberate for years to come. — Alex Zalben
'Tuca & Bertie'
Netflix
No show on television, let alone any animated comedy, has captured the overpowering joy and complexity of female friendship better than Tuca & Bertie. Much like BoJack Horseman before it, Lisa Hanawalt’s ode to two silly bird women is unafraid to explore the darker side of humanity and relationships. Yet even when it’s at it’s most introspective, Tuca & Bertie never stops being about love. The fact that Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun’s perfromances are consistently laugh out loud funny is just the icing on this lovingly constructed cake. — Kayla Cobb
'Barry'
HBO
Yes, Barry’s innovative “ronny/lily” episode was brilliant, but the final three episodes of Season 2 are a shining example of why Barry is one of the funniest, most creatively fearless shows on television. Not only was the Season 2 finale a narrative game-changer, but Sarah Goldberg’s theatrically immaculate monologue from the penultimate episode (“The Audition”) was some of the best acting you’ll see all year. It feels like the second season of Barry got lost in all the Game of Thrones frenzy, but Bill Hader’s dark comedy once again delivered a wholly original, blazingly hilarious season of television. — Josh Sorokach
'Killing Eve'
BBC America
BBC America’s Killing Eve is about two things: Sandra Oh, and Jodie Comer. Sure there’s a lot more going on, and as Season 2 reached its deadly (?) endgame in May a huge shift in the status quo finally forced Comer’s sociopathic Vilanelle and Oh’s conflicted Eve to work together. But the power of these actresses is undeniable. Time and again, Killing Eve reminded us (including in the season finale) that Vilanelle is an unrepentant, vicious murderer. Yet its a testament to the insane chemistry between these two women that we want the relatively virtuous Eve (by comparison) to take the bite of that apple and kiss Villanelle already. Bring on Season 3. — Alex Zalben
'Superstore'
NBC
Superstore is one of those sitcoms that started off good and only got better with time, culminating in a particularly poignant Season 4 finale this month. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say the seeds of progressive politics that have always bubbled under the show’s surfaced blossomed into a full-grown forest. Beyond that, the jokes are snappier, the characters are clearly defined, and the actors are more comfortable than ever in their roles. We stan a strong Season 4 of a character-driven comedy! — Anna Menta
'Chernobyl'
HBO
Craig Mazin’s drama about the Soviet Union’s nuclear disaster is an almost perfect miniseries. Chernobyl deftly jumps between dread-fueled talks of political corruption and intimate, claustrophobic stories of personal horror, never giving viewers a break from how terrible this disaster was. The pacing is phenomenal. Its score is unnervingly creepy. Its costumes are just drab and disheveled enough to match the lack of care in this government. And Jared Harris, Emily Watson, and Stellan Skarsgård come into every episode delivering the performance of their careers. But god is every moment bleak. It’s rare for the best show on television to also be so brutal it’s almost unwatchable, but that’s the line the masterful Chernobyl has perfected. — Kayla Cobb
'Veep'
'HBO'
Fans may have been disappointed with the Game of Thrones finale, but you’d have to be a real Jonah to dislike the final episode of Veep. The trenchant HBO comedy went out on top, with every member of its immensely talented ensemble getting the chance to shine. Many shows lose their creative vigor as they get closer to the end, but the final season of Veep was just as crisp as the show we fell in love with back in 2012. — Josh Sorokach
'Fleabag'
Prime Video
Who knew all it would take was a Hot Priest to get the internet to finally agree on something? And that something is that Fleabag Season 2 is total perfection: sexy, heartbreaking, wonderful perfection. Phoebe Waller-Bridge gifted us with six half-hour episodes of the Amazon original series that serve as a total gut punch to the heart and will have you laughing and crying all at the same time. From her flirtation with the Hot Priest (Andrew Scott) to her delicate yet utterly relatable relationship with her sister Claire (Sian Clifford), Fleabag Season 2 is so damn good it really should be a sin. — Lea Palmieri
