New ‘Hacks,’ ‘Girls5Eva’ and film festivals are all streaming this May

With nice weather, summer vacations and Pride events inching closer, some of us are just trying to find ways to pass the time until the real excitement begins. If that’s you, we’ve got you covered with this list of LGBTQ2S+ films, TV shows and festivals streaming this month to keep you busy. From new Drag Race to a gay Nancy Drew spin-off—you don’t want to miss these awesome queer picks coming to streaming platforms in May.

Messiah/Complex

Online until May 22 

Toronto’s Against the Grain Theatre is bringing back their rendition of Handel’s Messiah, streaming online until May 22. The queer, Indigenous take on the holiday classic was filmed on location across Canada, and sung in Arabic, Dene, English, French, Inuktitut and Southern Tutchone, and accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Co-directed by Joel Ivany and Reneltta Arluk, the production features soloists Jonathon Adams, Looee Arreak, Spencer Britten, Rihab Chaieb, Catherine Daniel, Deantha Edmunds, Leela Gilday, Miriam Khalil, Andrea Lett, Diyet van Lieshout, Julie Lumsden and Elliot Madore. 

Toronto’s Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival

Online from May 26 to June 5

Toronto’s Inside Out film festival is launching its first-ever hybrid festival, with queer films being showcased online and in-person across Ontario from May 26 to June 5. The festival’s full lineup has yet to be released, but keep your eyes peeled for some stellar queer films and filmmakers being showcased later this month. 

Hacks (Season 2)

May 12 on HBO Max in the U.S. and Crave in Canada

The acclaimed HBO comedy series Hacks is returning for a second season, premiering on streaming services May 12. Last season, we saw aging stand-up comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) trying to hold on to her fading legacy, and bisexual writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) trying to rebound her up-and-coming career after a problematic tweet. In Season 2, the pair embark on a cross-country tour as they test the waters with Deborah’s newest act. Laurie Metcalf, Margaret Cho and more stars will be joining the cast, so that’s a plus. 

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7

May 20 on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Crave in Canada

It’s expected to see familiar faces on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars—but the new season dropping on May 20 has quite the twist. For the first time in herstory, the eight competing queens are all previous winners of the show. This season, the winning queen gets $200,000—double the amount of previous All Stars. The season 7 competing queens are: Monét X Change (All Stars 4 winner), Trinity the Tuck (All Stars 4 winner), Jaida Essence Hall (Season 12 winner), Jinkx Monsoon (Season 5 winner), Raja Gemini (Season 3 winner), Shea Couleé (All Stars 5 winner), The Vivienne (RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. Season 1 winner) and Yvie Oddly (Season 11 winner). 

The Kids in the Hall

May 13 on Amazon Prime 

After a long hiatus, the Canadian sketch-comedy classic The Kids in the Hall is making a return to our screens on May 13. Twenty-seven years after the original series wrapped up on CBC, the group is now headed to Amazon Prime for their new season. Openly gay actor Scott Thompson returns for the new season. We’ll have to see if he revives his iconic sketch character Buddy Cole.

Human Rights Watch Canada Film Festival

May 26 to June 2 online and in-person.

The 19th annual Human Rights Watch Canada Film Festival is partnering up with Hot Docs for the third year to stream human rights films across Canada from May 26 to June 2. One of the feature films being presented is March for Dignity, directed by John Eames. The feature documentary follows a small group of brave queer and trans activists in Tbilisi, Georgia, who attempt to conduct the first Pride march in the country, where homosexuality remains highly stigmatized. 

Conversations with Friends 

May 15 on Hulu in the U.S.

The new queer Hulu original series Conversations with Friends, based on Sally Rooney’s 2017 debut novel will be available to watch starting May 15. The Irish show follows Frances, a 21-year-old writer and spoken-word performer. The college student, alongside her best friend-slash-ex-girlfriend Bobbi, stumble into the lives of a super-rich couple and find themselves in a four-way love web. 

Girls5Eva (Season 2)

May 5 on Peacock

The iconic girl-group comedy series Girls 5 Eva is returning to Peacock for a second season on May 5. Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Paula Pell play a one-hit-wonder girl group who were briefly popular in the year 2000. After a rapper samples their song, they have a second shot at fame. Pell, who is openly queer, stars as one of the group members Gloria—who, since the band split up, came out as lesbian, got divorced and became a dentist in New York. 

The Wilds (Season 2 Premiere)

May 6 on Amazon Prime 

The second season of the fictional all-girls survival series The Wilds premieres on Amazon Prime starting May 6. In the first season, a group of wildly different young women found themselves on a deserted island after a plane crash. But what they didn’t know was that they were subjects of a larger social experiment. In season 2, we’re introduced to a group of boys who end up trapped on the island as a part of the experiment too. The diverse group of girls includes Toni, an out-and-proud queer Indigenous teen, played by Māori actress Erana James. 

Tom Swift 

May 31 on The CW

A Nancy Drew spin-off about a Black, gay billionaire inventor? Yes, please. Tom Swift, based on the 1900s character by Edward Stratemeyer is a new series on The CW premiering on May 31. The spin-off stars Tian Richards as Tom Swift, who is thrust into a world of supernatural phenomena on the quest to unravel the truth of his father’s disappearance. In addition to mystery and sci-fi, the show also focuses on his storyline as a queer Black man and his road to self-acceptance.