The Ultimate Guide to What to Watch on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, and More in December 2025
If you didn’t get enough Stranger Things over Thanksgiving break, don’t you worry: There are still two parts left to come in its final season’s lengthy rollout. Part 2 hits Netflix on Christmas, while the movie-length series finale (that pretty much just makes it a movie, but whatever, we can continue the charade) will be released on New Year’s Eve.
Otherwise, it’s a light December in terms of TV releases, but there are a handful of premieres to help make your season bright: Fallout and Percy Jackson and the Olympians both return for their second seasons; Diane Kruger stars in Paramount+’s Little Disasters; and Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey head up Netflix’s new Western, The Abandons. And if none of those appeal to you, at least Daniel Craig is back to speaking in Benoit Blanc’s silly voice in Wake Up Dead Man, the newest film in the Knives Out series.
Our guide to the best TV and streaming movies in December is divided into three sections: the best shows to watch this month, the best shows to watch by streaming service, and a calendar of TV highlights. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it below.
More:
The best shows to watch in December
Ella Purnell, Fallout
Lorenzo Sisti/Prime
The Abandons (Dec. 4, Netflix)
This town ain’t big enough for both Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson. In The Abandons, a new Western series created by Sons of Anarchy‘s Kurt Sutter, Headey and Anderson face off as a pair of widowed matriarchs separated by privilege in mid-19th-century Washington Territory. Headey’s Fiona Nolan is an Irish woman who has forged a home for an adopted family of outcasts (the titular Abandons) on silver-rich land, which Anderson’s wealthy Constance Van Ness is determined to seize. Their fellow haves and have-nots are played by an extensive cast that includes Michael Greyeyes, Nick Robinson, Diana Silvers, Lamar Johnson, Lucas Till, Aisling Franciosi, and Brían F. O’Byrne. –Kelly Connolly [Trailer]
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 (Dec. 10, Disney+)
Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) is about to sail to the Sea of Monsters. Based on Rick Riordan’s second book in the Percy Jackson series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 follows the son of Poseidon as he embarks on a nautical quest. And he must move with a new sense of urgency, because Camp Half-Blood’s border has been breached, and his best friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri) is missing. Joined by Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Clarisse (Dior Goodjohn), and his cyclops half-brother, Tyson (Daniel Diemer), Percy is determined to thwart Luke (Charlie Bushnell) and the Titan Kronos’ efforts to take down Olympus. –Kat Moon [Trailer] [Everything to know about Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2]
Little Disasters (Dec. 11, Paramount+)
Until the long-teased third season of Big Little Lies is released, we have to make due with other shows about moms with problems, and Little Disasters looks like it just might scratch that itch. Diane Kruger and Jo Joyner star in this limited series, based on Sarah Vaughan’s novel, about a friend group that begins to fracture after Jess’ (Kruger) young daughter sustains a head injury that Jess can’t explain, prompting Liz (Joyner) to call social services. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]
Fallout Season 2 (Dec. 17, Prime Video)
Fans of Fallout: New Vegas, rejoice. Season 2 of Prime Video’s Fallout, which adapts the video game of the same name, takes place away from Los Angeles, in the city that’s the primary setting of the popular 2010 spin-off of the Fallout games. The show’s upcoming chapter follows Lucy (Ella Purnell), who’s been freshly betrayed by her father (Kyle MacLachlan), and the Ghoul (Walton Goggins), who continues to search for his family. The duo’s journey across the post-apocalyptic wasteland brings them to New Vegas, where secrets from the past will be unearthed. Aaron Moten returns as Maximus, a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, and Justin Theroux joins the series as Mr. House. Macaulay Culkin and Kumail Nanjiani also join the Season 2 cast, though their roles have not been revealed. –Kat Moon [Trailer]
Stranger Things Season 5 (Part 2 on Dec. 25, Part 3 on Dec. 31, Netflix)
Stranger Things Season 5: Volume 1 ended with a revelation that’s going to turn the Upside Down upside down: Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) has powers. We always knew “The Boy Who Came Back to Life” had a unique connection to Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), but it wasn’t until the episode “Sorcerer” did we know what that bond enables him to do. Heading into the three episodes releasing on Christmas and the finale releasing on New Year’s Eve, the possibilities are endless for The Party and their allies. Vecna may be getting dangerously close to reigning supreme in Hawkins, but Will’s new discovery may just tip the scales. –Kat Moon [Trailer] [Everything to know about Stranger Things Season 5]
What’s on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Prime Video, and more in December
Josh O’Connor and Daniel Craig, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Netflix
Netflix’s best new shows and movies in December
The month of Stranger Things is approaching at Netflix. Yes, Season 5 Part 1 of the ’80s-set sci-fi horror series premiered on Nov. 26, during Thanksgiving break. But the final two parts of Stranger Things‘ last season are both launching in December. If you’re a huge fan of the franchise, you might want to text your family and friends now to coordinate watch parties over the holidays, since Parts 2 and 3 will be released on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, respectively. What’s more thrilling than stepping into 2026 with Vecna? Before then, mark your calendars for one of our most anticipated shows of the winter. The Abandons stars Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson as two widowed matriarchs from very different backgrounds facing off against each other. The Western series was created by Sons of Anarchy‘s Kurt Sutter. Later in December, Netflix is releasing Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc to solve a murder at a small church in upstate New York. Here’s our list of the best shows and movies on Netflix in December, plus everything coming to and leaving Netflix in December.
More on Netflix:
Sarah Sherman, Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh
Greg Endries/HBO
HBO Max’s best new shows and movies in December
What HBO Max doesn’t have in new TV premieres this December it makes up for with all the films it has on the schedule. A host of documentaries — including the well-reviewed It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley; A24’s Architecton; and the children’s music spotlight Happy and You Know It — will hit the streaming service. If you’re looking for something a little less serious, a pair of legacy sequels to beloved comedies, The Family McMullen and Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, premiere in December as well. And if none of that is your thing, there’s always the first-ever stand-up special from Saturday Night Live‘s Sarah Sherman, premiering midway through the month. Here’s our list of the best shows and movies on HBO Max in December, plus everything coming to HBO Max in December.
More on HBO Max:
Walker Scobell and Leah Sava Jeffries, Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Disney/David Bukach
Hulu’s best new shows and movies in December
It’s beginning to look a lot like Disney+ over on Hulu. As the two platforms get closer to merging, they’re sharing custody of more shows, including Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The fantasy series based on Rick Riordan’s book series streamed on Disney+ in Season 1, but Season 2 is setting sail on both Hulu and Disney+, with new episodes premiering weekly starting Dec. 10. Plus, younger audiences will get a kick out of the second season of The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, premiering Dec. 22. But it’s not all for the kids; there are also a few reality shows and specials hitting the streamer, including the Season 3 reunion of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Dec. 4. Here’s our list of the best shows and movies on Hulu in December, plus everything coming to Hulu in December.
More on Hulu:
Walton Goggins, Fallout
Lorenzo Sisti/Prime
Amazon Prime Video’s best new shows and movies in December
Prime Video is one of those streamers that we’re lucky to get one decent option from each month, but in December we’re getting one of its best. Season 2 of the post-apocalyptic drama-comedy Fallout is the highlight of the new TV shows and movies being released on Prime Video in December, pitting it head to head (sort of) with Netflix’s Stranger Things, which is airing its final season in three parts starting on Thanksgiving and ending on New Year’s Eve. ‘Tis the season of giving for genre TV fans! For more traditional holiday programming, Prime Video is offering the Christmas film Oh. What. Fun., starring Michelle Pfeiffer as an overworked mom who goes on her own holiday adventure. And as a post-Christmas gift, Prime Video will also begin streaming two of the year’s biggest movies: Sinners and The Naked Gun. Here’s our list of the best shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video in December, plus everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in December.
More on Prime Video:
Olly Sholotan and Jabari Banks, Bel-Air
Anne Marie Fox/Peacock
Peacock’s new shows and movies in December
The holiday season is in full swing, and Peacock is celebrating by adding plenty of holiday-themed movies and TV specials to cozy up with. On the TV side, Peacock’s got a pile of different Christmas specials planned, including the 93rd Annual Christmas In Rockefeller Center on Dec. 3, Christmas in Nashville on Dec. 4, A Motown Christmas on Dec. 11, and Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular on Dec. 18. Peacock’s holiday movie selection includes a wide range of stuff, from family favorites like Miracle on 34th Street and Black Nativity, to more adult-oriented fare like Die Hard and the raunchy comedy The Night Before. But Peacock is also adding plenty of non-seasonal content, like the three-part series finale of Bel-Air that drops all at once on Dec. 8. And if you’re looking to give your holiday season a spookier edge, Peacock is landing the entire Saw movie franchise and the entire 15-season run of Supernatural in the week before Christmas. And for good measure, the streamer will have Sunday Night Football each week, along with 14 live NBA games over the course of the month. Here’s our list of everything coming to Peacock in December.
More on Peacock:
Diane Kruger, Little Disasters
Paramount+
Paramount+’s new shows and movies in November
Paramount+ isn’t stuffing the stockings too much in December, with a light schedule of prominent new TV shows and movies arriving during the month. The biggest release is probably the limited series Little Disasters, which stars Diane Kruger as a mother who puts her doctor friend in an awkward position when she brings her baby daughter to the emergency room following a head injury. Aside from that, there’s a slew of kids programming that includes new seasons of Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dora; Predators, a documentary about the controversial crime series To Catch a Predator; and some classic holiday films like A Christmas Carol and Miracle on 34th Street for the winter break. Here’s our list of everything coming to Paramount+ in December.
More on Paramount+:
December TV calendar highlights
Wednesday, Dec. 3
Oh. What. Fun. (Film, Prime Video)
Thursday, Dec. 4
The Abandons (Season 1, Netflix)
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (Documentary, HBO)
Friday, Dec. 5
Jay Kelly (Film, Netflix)
Spartacus: House of Ashur (Season 1, Starz)
Wednesday, Dec. 10
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Season 2, Disney+)
Thursday, Dec. 11
Little Disasters (Limited Series, Paramount+)
Friday, Dec. 12
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Film, Netflix)
Tuesday, Dec. 16
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman (Season 6, Netflix)
Wednesday, Dec. 17
Fallout (Season 2, Prime Video)
Thursday, Dec. 18
Emily in Paris (Season 5, Netflix)
Friday, Dec. 19
Adult Swim’s The Elephant (Animated Special, Adult Swim)
Wednesday, Dec. 24
Goodbye June (Film, Netflix)
Thursday, Dec. 25
Stranger Things (Season 5 Volume 2, Netflix)
Saturday, Dec. 27
The Copenhagen Test (Season 1, Peacock)
Wednesday, Dec. 31
Stranger Things (Season 5 Volume 3, Netflix)
