Highlights of programs new to CBC Gem this May:
Actor and comedian Andrew Phung hosts the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards on Sunday, May 31, celebrating the best in Canadian film and television (also available on CBC, Crave, CTV, Global, and STACKTV).
Acclaimed international series arriving in May include Call the Midwife Season 14 (May 1), as the beloved period drama steps into the 1970s with new challenges; The Bold Type Season 2 (May 8), revealing a glimpse into the outrageous lives and loves of those responsible for a global women’s magazine starring Aisha Dee (Apple Cider Vinegar), Katie Stevens (Faking It), and Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus); Poker Face Season 2 (May 15), with Natasha Lyonne returning as a human lie detector solving weekly mysteries; and the first season of the Emmy Award-winning Mad Men (May 22), one of the most acclaimed and influential dramas of television’s Golden Age, starring Jon Hamm as the iconic ad man Don Draper.
New titles joining the Asian Heritage Month Collection include documentary series Our Ocean Table (May 1), uncovering the deep links between Korean cultural identity and ocean conservation; the exclusive Canadian premieres of Hustle: Romesh Ranganathan Live at the O2, a stand-up special, and Romesh: Can’t Knock the Hustle (both May 1), a travelogue series reflecting on his stand-up material; documentary LOOT: A Story of Crime and Redemption (May 3), a look at the underbelly of the multi-billion-dollar art market and the reality behind the “blood antiquities” in Western museums; and documentary Coroner to the Stars (May 1), exploring the extraordinary life and controversial career of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, whose celebrity autopsies shaped American culture.
The Asian Heritage Month Collection will also include films from around the world: Cannes Film Festival winner Kaibutsu (Monster) (May 8) from Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda; Hana Korea (May 8), following a young North Korean refugee who fights to rebuild her life in modern South Korea; and My Uncle Jens (May 15), about a young literature teacher in Oslo whose life is upended when his estranged uncle from Kurdistan arrives for a surprise visit.
This May, CBC Gem also welcomes new original titles from documentary Channel: Everest Dark (May 1) follows a famed Nepalese mountaineer and national hero Mingma Tsiri Sherpa who risks all to climb Everest one last time, and War on Science (May 8), exploring the roots of modern medical distrust, the rise of social media echo chambers, and how that birthed an era of science denial and fringe conspiracies.
Beginning May 9, CBC Gem will live stream all regular and post-season games of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
CBC Kids original series Tralala (May 19, also on CBC TV), created by Harry Sinclair (Kiri and Lou), follows the imaginative and musical adventures of a seven-year-old frog named Tralala and her father.
CBC Gem is Canada’s streaming service, offering more than 6500 hours of live and on-demand Canadian programming and a curated selection of acclaimed, best-in-class content from around the world, including more than 400 documentary features, more than 700 hours of ad-free content for kids and tweens, and a collection of over 400 Canadian feature films. CBC Gem is available for free as an app for iOS and Android devices and online at CBCGem.ca, and on connected TVs via Roku, Samsung, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, LG, Google Chromecast, Android TV and Xbox, as well as TV service provider Rogers Xfinity.
Note: This schedule is subject to change.
ACCLAIMED INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Call the Midwife Season 14
(8×60, Period Drama, Neal Street Productions, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, May 1
The midwives enter the 1970s, which brings with it new challenges for Nonnatus House – and to British society. The Seventies start as they mean to go on, with Nonnatus House plunged into disarray when activists staging a bid for independence blockade access to the Isle of Dogs. Amid the poverty and uncertainty of life in a declining Docklands, the midwives must also face cases of manic depression, gonorrhoea, spina bifida, abortion – and an apparently immaculate conception.
The Bold Type Season 2
(10×45, Comedy, Freeform, USA)
Begins streaming Friday, May 8
The Bold Type reveals a glimpse into the outrageous lives and loves of those responsible for the global women’s magazine, “Scarlet.” The rising generation of Scarlet women leans on one another as they find their own voices in a sea of intimidating leaders. Together they explore sexuality, identity, love and fashion. Starring Aisha Dee (Apple Cider Vinegar), Katie Stevens (Faking It), Meghann Fahy (The White Lotus), Sam Page (Shrinking), Matt Ward (Charlie St. Cloud), and Melora Hardin (The Office).
Poker Face Season 2
(12×60, Crime/Comedy, T-Street / MRC Television, USA)
Begins streaming Friday, May 15
Poker Face is a mystery-of-the-week series following Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie, who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve. Guest stars include Awkwafina, Cynthia Erivo, Katie Holmes, John Mulaney, and B.J. Novak, among others.
Mad Men Season 1
(13×60, Period Drama, Weiner Bros. Productions / Lionsgate Television / AMC Original Productions, USA)
Begins streaming Friday, May 22
Set in 1960 New York City, in an unexpected new world – the high-powered and glamorous “Golden Age” of advertising – where everyone is selling something and nothing is ever what you expect it to be. The drama unfolds around Don Draper (Emmy Award-winner Jon Hamm), the biggest ad man in the business. As he calls the shots in the boardroom and the bedroom, he struggles to stay a step ahead of the rapidly changing times and the young executives nipping at his heels. The ensemble cast includes Elisabeth Moss, January Jones, John Slattery, and Christina Hendricks.
ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH
Our Ocean Table
(3×30, Documentary Series, Our Ocean Table Productions, Canada)
Begins streaming Friday, May 1
In Our Ocean Table, marine biologist and filmmaker Sonya Lee sets out to rediscover her Korean roots through the ocean that has always called to her. Together with journalist Hannah Sung, she explores how traditional Korean seafood dishes carry an intimate reverence for the sea. From sustainable prawn fishing, oyster farming, to the quiet power of kelp, their journey uncovers the deep links between cultural identity and ocean conservation. Over spicy meals and simmering stories, Our Ocean Table connects the generations through taste, tradition, and a call to protect our water.
Hustle: Romesh Ranganathan Live at the O2
(70min, Comedy Special, Ranga Bee Productions, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, May 1
Exclusive Canadian Premiere
On his debut global tour, Romesh Ranganathan takes to the stage as he examines the human condition. Filmed Live at London’s O2 Arena on May 24, 2024, witness Romesh as he explores his theories on life, work, the art of self-improvement and success, and the world’s ‘hustle’ culture.’
Romesh: Can’t Knock the Hustle
(3×60, Lifestyle, Ranga Bee Productions, UK)
Begins streaming Friday, May 1
Exclusive Canadian Premiere
Can’t Knock the Hustle is a revolutionary twist on the stand-up special, interweaving a comedy-travelogue with Romesh Ranganathan’s latest global arena tour, as he travels the world to work out if anything he performed was accurate. Romesh crafted his stand-up show to explore the human condition, tackling the big questions in life: Are we working too hard? Is self-improvement futile? And what is true success? He then performed it to over a quarter of a million people – what he didn’t do, was research or fact check it, until now.
Coroner to the Stars
(82min, Documentary, directed by Ben Hethcoat and Keita Ideno, USA)
Begins streaming Friday, May 1
Exclusive Canadian Premiere
Coroner to the Stars chronicles the extraordinary journey of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the former Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner whose groundbreaking autopsies forever shaped American culture. From Marilyn Monroe and Robert Kennedy to Sharon Tate and Natalie Wood, Noguchi pushed forensic science into the spotlight—even as Hollywood elites and political adversaries sought to silence him. A Japanese immigrant who unwittingly rose to fame in a city driven by stardom, Noguchi’s fearless pursuit of truth often placed him in the crosshairs of controversy.
LOOT: A Story of Crime and Redemption
(55min, Documentary, directed by Don Millar, Canada)
Begins streaming Sunday May 3
Exclusive Canadian Premiere
From remote Cambodian villages to elite art institutions in New York, LOOT is a daring look into the underbelly of the multi-billion-dollar art market and the deadly reality behind “blood antiquities” filling Western museums today. Orchestrating a lucrative criminal network during the Cambodian Civil War, British “adventurer-scholar” Douglas Latchford led a team in the looting of thousand-year-old temples buried in landmine-riddled jungles. LOOT features unprecedented access, including to “Blue Tiger,” a child-soldier-turned-looter now working to bring artifacts home, and to the international investigators who led to Latchford’s indictment. The film also takes viewers behind-the-scenes as stolen pieces are returned to Cambodia, some arriving from New York’s Met Museum in July 2024.
Hana Korea
(105min, Feature Film – Drama, directed by Frederik Sølberg, Denmark/South Korea)
Begins streaming Friday, May 8
A young North Korean refugee arrives in fast-paced, hyper-modern South Korea and must navigate the emotional and cultural challenges of starting over in a society permeated by high performance and dire expectations, forcing her to confront the price of freedom and the past she left behind.
Kaibutsu (Monster)
(127min, Feature Film – Drama, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan)
Begins streaming Friday, May 8
When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and child, the truth gradually emerges.
My Uncle Jens
(98min, Feature Film – Comedy/Drama, directed by Brwa Vahabpour, Norway/Romania)
Begins streaming Friday, May 15
Akam, a young literature teacher, lives a peaceful life in Oslo until his estranged uncle from the Iranian part of Kurdistan comes for a surprise visit. Despite limited space in his shared flat with friends, Akam feels obligated to invite his uncle to stay for a few days. However, his uncle quickly makes himself at home and shows no sign of leaving anytime soon. Torn between his sense of familial duty and growing tension in the flat, Akam begins to suspect there’s more to his uncle’s visit than just a casual trip. What follows is a series of revelations and unexpected events that could have life-changing consequences for them both.
documentary Channel Originals
Everest Dark
(88min, directed by Jereme Watt)
Begins streaming Friday, May 1
To appease the angry gods, famed Nepalese mountaineer and national hero Mingma Tsiri Sherpa risks all to climb Everest one last time to bring home a body and restore peace to the sacred mountain.
War on Science
(88min, produced by Paul Cadieux)
Begins streaming Friday, May 8
From the Laetrile craze to the COVID-19 infodemic, the film explores how decades of institutional deception and corporate greed birthed a fatal era of science denial and fringe conspiracies.
CBC KIDS ORIGINALS
Tralala (52×7, Preschool Animation, Blue Ant Studios and Stretchy)
Begins streaming Tuesday, May 19 (also on CBC TV)
Seven-year-old frog Tralala and her Dad live an idyllic life in a world where cloud-sheep sing, hills talk, and ordinary events unfurl into imaginative adventures with friends from everywhere – even under the sofa!
THE BEST OF CBC
The Canadian streaming home of hit CBC original series including Allegiance, The Great Canadian Baking Show, Heartland, Kim’s Convenience, Murdoch Mysteries, North of North, Saint-Pierre, Schitt’s Creek, Wild Cards and Workin’ Moms, plus Baroness Von Sketch Show, BlackBerry, Bones Of Crows, Mr. D, Pretty Hard Cases, The Porter, Run the Burbs, Son of a Critch, Sort Of, Still Standing and Tallboyz, and classic CBC hits like Being Erica.
Source: CBC Gem
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
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