The Shows Must Go On: The Best TV to Watch this May

Morten (Walter Presents/Channel4.com, April 26)

If you’re suffering from Borgen withdrawal, fear not, because this Dutch ratings-grabber deals in the same kind of political intrigue and corruption. New Liberal leader Morten Mathijsen is well on his way to becoming prime minister when the discovery of an old manuscript threatens to derail his career. Add in a wife who’s struggling with bipolar, a drug-dealing Goth daughter and a blackmailing stalker called @nightwatch who may or may not be connected to his other woes, and Morten’s lot really isn’t a happy one.

Dark Matter (Apple TV+, May 8)

Created by Blake Crouch who also conjured up the Wayward Pines books and TV series, this dystopian eight-parter focuses on a Chicago physicist who’s warped into an alternate version of his life. Co-stars Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly ensure it’s a superbly acted affair with plot twists galore and a denouement that will have you scratching your head for weeks after.

The Tattooist Of Auschwitz (Sky Atlantic, May 2)

Based on Heather Morris’ titular bestselling novel, this six-parter tells the true story of Slovakian Jew Lale Sokolov, who was tasked with tattooing the ID numbers on new arrivals in the infamous German death camp. Despite the shared horrors they experience, Lale and the fellow inmate he falls in love with, Gita, manage to survive and go on to raise a family. With Anna Próchniak and Harvey Keitel co-starring, the acting does justice to the harrowing subject material, which resonates as strongly as ever today.

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix, April 25)

Having taken a financial bath with The Flash and Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, the DC Universe could do with a smash hit and might just get it with this stunning looking series based on characters from Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner’s The Sandman comic book series. Instead of entering the afterlife, murdered schoolboys Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland decide to remain on Earth and start investigating crimes that involve the supernatural. It doesn’t exactly sound like a barrel of laughs, but the pilot suggests that series creator Steve Yockey has got the balance between suspense and pitch black humour just right.