Netflix is the only video service that isn’t working in December.
People should be happy about this because it means they can spend less on streaming this Christmas season. You can also watch shows you missed during the year or escape reality with a famous escapist series (more on that later).
This month, it shouldn’t be too hard to keep the streaming budget below $50 by strategically shutting down and adding services every month. It takes some work, but you’ll save money every month. Remember that your payment cycle doesn’t always start at the beginning of the month. It can start when you sign up. Also, now is a good time to lock in some great subscription deals before Black Friday and other holiday sales.
This column suggests ways to get the most out of your streaming and your budget every month. It rates the major services as “play,” “pause,” or “stop,” similar to how financial analysts normally rate stocks as “buy,” “hold,” and “sell.” It also chooses the best shows to help you make your monthly choices.
Netflix ($6.99 a month for standard with ads, $15.49 standard with no ads, $22.99 premium with no ads)
The biggest gift of the season will come from Netflix NFLX -1.04% on December 26, when Season 2 of the popular South Korean movie “Squid Game” comes out. Season 1 was a violent and bloody story about unfair treatment, and Season 2 looks like it will be even worse. A few weeks ago, director Hwang Dong-hyuk said, “The story in the second season is much crueler, scarier, and more gruesome than the first.” Oh, no. Netflix’s most popular show ever, Season 1, is still going strong. Season 2 might not be able to repeat Season 1’s success, but the company is counting on it to.
The company will also show its first live sports events, with two NFL games on Christmas Day. The Baltimore Ravens will play the Houston Texans, and the Kansas City Chiefs will visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to reports, Netflix paid about $75 million for each game. The company should hope that its streaming service works better than the bad one that kept cutting out during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight in November.
There’s also “Black Doves” (Dec. 5), a stylish thriller show with Keira Knightley as a former spy who wants to get revenge on the person who killed her secret lover; Season 9 of “Queer Eye” (Dec. 11), which adds interior designer Jeremiah Brandt to the Fab Five; “No Good Deed” (Dec. 12), a dark comedy show about three couples trying to buy the same dream house, which turns into a nightmare, with Lisa Kudrow, Ray Romano, Linda Cardellini, and Luke Wilson; “Carry-On” (Dec. 16), a thriller movie with Taron Egarton as a TSA agent who has to outsmart a mysterious passenger and stop an attack; “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma” (Dec. 17), a comedy about the former NFL quarterback; and Season 6 of the small-town drama “Virgin River” (Dec. 19).
There’s the singing special “A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter” (Dec. 6), a movie about Jesus’ mother called “Mary” (Dec. 6), which looks like it would fit better on Fox Nation, and the yearly “Great British Baking Show: Holidays” (Dec. 9) special.
Comedic stand-up shows are also coming from Fortune Feimster (Dec. 3), Jamie Foxx (Dec. 10), Ronny Chieng (Dec. 17), Nate Bergatze (Dec. 24), and Michelle Buteau (Dec. 31).
Netflix is also adding Season 3 of Paramount+’s “Evil” and the first three seasons of Queen Latifah’s CBS thriller “The Equalizer” (Dec. 16).
If you missed it, producer Mike Schur’s newest sitcom, “A Man on the Inside,” stars Ted Danson as a widower who goes undercover at a retirement home to look into a jewel theft. It’s a great addition to his other mildly silly comedies. Many thanks for your kind words. This cozy mystery is like a less serious (but still funny) cousin of Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.” Additionally, it hits home how hard it is emotionally to deal with or have dealt with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s.
The best books of 2024: “Ripley,” which came out in April and is a new take on the classic story of a charming but murderous con artist, may have been the best show on TV this year. It’s also the most beautiful. You should also see “Baby Reindeer,” the shocking stalker comedy; “Nobody Wants This,” the cute rom-com; “The Diplomat,” the soapy but addicting political thriller; and “The Brothers Sun,” “The Tourist,” and “The Gentlemen,” for violent fun.
Want to leave? Many individuals have said that they are seeking enjoyable distractions, or shows where they can escape to a different world, in light of the current scene. This month, we’ll give you some ideas for each streaming service. Netflix has a lot of shows that are good for relaxing, but “The Magicians,” which ran on Syfy for five seasons, might be the best one to mention. As the story goes on, it follows a group of graduate students at a hidden magic school a la Hogwarts. It then turns into a huge dark fantasy world full of adventure, horror, and weird nonsense. Think of “Harry Potter” mixed with “The Chronicles of Narnia.” There is a lot of sex and drugs, people who are hurt but always likable, and plots that change so quickly it’s hard to keep up. It’s… a lot. But it’s also unbelievably good, wildly creative, hilarious, and scary at the same time because it turns fairy stories on their heads. The show is the kind that you can get lost in and then dream about later. Check out Schur’s great sitcom about the afterlife, “The Good Place,” and the classic ABC thriller “Lost,” which is set in a puzzle box.
Do you want to play, pause, or stop? Have fun. The two most-watched shows on Netflix this month are “Squid Game” and the NFL on Christmas Day. Those are just a few of the things that are available.
Apple TV+ ($9.99 a month)
It looks like Apple’s coders are taking a break for the winter.
The only new movies coming out are “Fly Me to the Moon” (Dec. 6), an astronaut romance starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum that didn’t do well in theaters earlier this year, and “The Secret Lives of Animals” (Dec. 18), a nature documentary series narrated by Hugh Bonneville.
Still, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to watch. There will be new episodes of the friendly therapy comedy “Shrinking” on Apple AAPL +0.14% every Tuesday (Season 2 ends on December 25), the deeply funny Irish mystery “Bad Sisters” on Wednesday (Season 2 ends on December 25), and the dystopian drama “Silo” on Friday. All of them are good shows that you should watch.
The best books of 2024: Before the end of the year, Apple released some great movies, like “Slow Horses,” “Bad Monkey,” “Pachinko,” “Bad Sisters,” and “Shrinking.” All of these movies are great, but the early ones weren’t very good.
Want to leave? Apple doesn’t have many escape shows (or at least not enough seasons of any of them), but “Foundation,” the huge, multi-century sci-fi drama based on the Isaac Asimov books and starring Lee Pace, Jared Harris, and Lou Llobell, might be the best choice. A lot of history is built into the worlds, but it’s slow and hard to follow at times. The third season should come out in 2025. You could also watch the mostly great alternative history space travel show “For All Mankind” or the fun but recently canceled “Time Bandits.”
Do you want to play, pause, or stop? Have fun. In order to watch new episodes of “Silo,” “Bad Sisters,” and “Shrinking.”
Disney+ ($9.99 a month with ads, $15.99 with no ads)
“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” from Disney (Dec. 2) is a throwback adventure show in the style of “The Goonies.” It’s about a group of teens from galactic suburbia, including a blue alien, who get lost in space and ask Jude Law, who looks a lot like a Jedi, to help them get home. It’s a nice change from Disney’s other “Star Wars” shows; it’s more kid-friendly and romantic. People who are mean to fans will probably hate it, but who cares? Younger people should have a great time.
Also, on December 9, “Simpsons Funday Football” will show the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Dallas Cowboys “Monday Night Football” game in an immersive, animated way. On December 25, “Dunk the Halls” will show the New York Knicks vs. San Antonio Spurs NBA game in the same way, but with Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters. It’s an interesting idea, like Nickelodeon’s slime-filled NFL simulcasts, but kids who like sports probably would rather watch the real games.
They also got six new animated shorts called “Bluey Minisodes” on December 9; a documentary called “Elton John: Never Too Late” on December 13 about the pop star’s life and career as he prepares for his last concert in L.A.; “The Simpsons Double Christmas Episode” on December 17 that is only available on Disney+; Season 3 of Marvel’s animated speculative multiverse show “What If?”; “Doctor Who: Joy to the World” on December 25 featuring the latest Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, and special guest Nicola Coughlan (“Bridgerton,” “Derry Girls”); and “John Williams in Tokyo” on December 27.
“Agatha All Along” was the most fun Marvel show in a while, and “X-Men ’97” was one of the best animation movies of the year.
Want to leave? Even though it only had one season, “Andor” did the best job of building a world and showing what life was like under Imperial rule. If you’re not a “Star Wars” fan, this is a good and tense resistance story. Season 2 will be out in the spring. Try “Once Upon a Time” or “Doctor Who” for more magical worlds.
Do you want to play, pause, or stop? Have fun. There aren’t many shows for adults, but there are lots of shows for kids. During winter break, give them something to watch.
Paramount+ ($7.99 a month with ads, $12.99 a month with Showtime and no ads)
Some Christmas shows are coming up, like SpongeBob SquarePants on Dec. 2, Dua Lipa on Dec. 15, and Nate Bargatze on Dec. 19. But the only other important premiere is “Dexter: Original Sin” (Dec. 13), which tells the story of how the long-running serial-killer drama came to be. The story takes place in 1991, and Patrick Gibson plays the young killer-to-be Dexter. Christian Slater plays his father, who tries to teach him a code to control his urges. It doesn’t make any sense, but maybe there’s more to be squeezed out of this brand that didn’t need any more life.
There are also new episodes of “The Agency,” Taylor Sheridan’s oil drama “Landman,” and his covert-action drama “Lioness” (season finale Dec. 8). Plus, network favorites like “Ghosts,” “Tracker,” and “Matlock” are always on.
There are also a lot of holiday movies at Paramount PARA -0.24%, like “A Christmas Carol,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” “Bad Santa,” and “Dear Santa,” a new movie from the Farrelly brothers and Jack Black.
Every Sunday there is the NFL, as well as college basketball, the UEFA Champions League, EFL soccer, and Serie A soccer.
The best books of 2024: The last season of “Evil” and the second season of “Colin From Accounts,” a cute Australian, were both a lot of fun.
Want to leave? Getting away from reality may not be possible any further than with the strange mystery show “Twin Peaks” from the 1990s and its 18-episode follow-up, “Twin Peaks: The Return.” Sometimes “Twin Peaks” is completely confusing, but it’s always interesting to watch as Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), who is strange but basically good, slowly finds out what’s wrong in a small town. The famous series by David Lynch and Mark Frost will almost certainly take you to a strange and dreamlike world. You could also watch “Star Trek” or one of its many spinoffs, like “The Next Generation,” “Deep Space Nine,” or “Strange New Worlds.”
Do you want to play, pause, or stop? Take a moment to think about it. While there isn’t much new coming up, “The Agency” might be worth your time if you like mid-level Taylor Sheridan shows and live sports.
