The smash hit sci-fi nostalgia-fest reaches the end game on Boxing Day – so brace yourself for blockbuster whoppers. Plus: Ethan Hawke is a dirt-digging ‘truthstorian’ in a quirky drama full of heart – and more Emily in Paris!
The concluding episodes of the Duffer brothers’ smash-hit coming-of-age, sci-fi nostalgia-fest (maybe the secret of the show’s success is how many genres it manages to incorporate?) will be dropping all over the festive season – and they are blockbuster whoppers. Devotees will be up bright and early on Boxing Day for episodes five to seven (the finale airs on New Year’s Day). Events are dominated by Will’s new powers, which present a massive threat to Vecna. But why is Vecna so wary of the cave in which Max is hiding? As the finale looms, the past and present are set to fall into place – and the now visibly twentysomething cast will be able to move on with their lives. Netflix, from Boxing Day
In response, we created this non-smart TV guide that includes much more than dumb TVs. Since non-smart TVs are so rare, this guide also breaks down additional ways to watch TV and movies online and locally without dealing with smart TVs’ evolution toward software-centric features and snooping. We’ll discuss a range of options suitable for various budgets, different experience levels, and different rooms in your home.
It's begin to feel like successful streaming shows are increasingly the exception, rather than the rule, and Slow Horses is something else again: a successful show with a more-than-consistent schedule. With five seasons since 2022, rather than the increasingly common "every few years or when we get to it" scheduling of other streaming shows, it's rather lovely to actually be able to remember the events of the previous series when the new one starts.
If this all sounds like damning with faint praise, it's also a smart, brilliantly entertaining show, with Gary Oldman as the slovenly, flatulent, once-brilliant spy Jackson Lamb now in charge of Slough House, the MI5 office for agents who aren't good enough to trust with important tasks, but who haven't really done anything worth getting fired for. Their very expendability puts them in the line of fire early and often, with ambitious spymaster Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) finding the team alternately useful and a liability. The show's been renewed for at least two further seasons—the novel series by Mick Herron on which it's based runs to nine books so far, and so there's potential for even more.
Down Cemetery Road (2025 – )
This is perhaps the most obvious streamalike here, if only because the shows are both Apple TV productions and are both based on Mick Herron novels. This one is more spy-adjacent, however, starring Emma Thompson as hard-living, hard-drinking private investigator Zoë Boehm. She's hired by Ruth Wilson's Sarah Trafford, a married art restorer who nobody takes very seriously (including and especially her husband), even when she becomes invested in the fate of a young girl whose family is killed in a gas explosion (allegedly) down the street. The girl, whose parents were killed, disappears into the system and no one really seems to care until Sarah hires Zoë and her husband to look into it. Turns out both women are in way over their heads, as the missing girl points to a much broader conspiracy. The shows villains are a bit cartoonishly distracting, but Thompson and Wilson are brilliantly paired, and their performances are more than worth the price of admission. Stream Down Cemetery Road on Apple TV+.
Michael Fassbender as stars here as "Martian," codename of Brandon Colby, a former undercover CIA agent just returned to London after six years in Sudan. He left behind a lover, Dr. Samia Zahir (Jodie Turner-Smith)—a relationship he wasn't terribly forthcoming about with his handlers. When Sami turns up in London as part of a diplomatic delegation, Martian is forced to choose between his job and his personal life, which becomes more complicated when it appears that she's involved in a broader scheme involving the Sudanese government, MI6, and an undercover agent in Belarus. It's all very twisty-turny in the best tradition of spy shows. Jeffrey Wright plays Martian's boss and mentor, Richard Gere is the CIA London Station Chief, and Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville is a shifty senior MI6 operative. Stream The Agency on Paramount+.
In addition to, or instead of, The Agency, you can also catch Le Bureau des Légends, the French original on which it's based (they're similarly addictive, though many will prefer the original on principle). Same general premise: Mathieu Kassovitz stars as Guillaume Debailly, a spy just recently returned from a six year undercover mission in Damascus, Syria. Trying to re-adjust to his life, everything is thrown into turmoil when Nadia (Zineb Triki), the woman with whom he'd had a relationship, turns up in Paris. Stream The Bureau on Paramount+.
Cinematic in scope, this new adaptation of the Frederick Forsyth novel is buoyed by rather brilliant casting: Eddie Redmayne plays the Jackal, a cold and steely international assassin pursued by MI6 operative Bianca Pullman—she's played by Lashana Lynch, putting her experience as the new 007 in No Time to Die to good use. I'm not sure there's anything here we haven't seen in countless other spy thrillers (including, of course, the 1973 and 1997 film adaptations), but the performances and production values are top-notch, with each episode playing out like a tense mini-movie. Stream The Day of the Jackal on Peacock.
An original drama from Scott Frank (The Queen's Gambit) and Tom Fontana (Homicide, Oz), Monsieur Spade finds Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade, of The Maltese Falcon fame, living a quiet life in retirement in the South of France. It's all going very well of the rumpled former detective—until six nuns are brutally murdered at a nearby convent, the same convent that's been home to Sam's ward for some time. Naturally, he finds his past has caught up with him, and is forced to surrender his idyllic life in order to help uncover the complex mystery that endangers his (very few) loved ones. Clive Owen is great as the rumpled, emphysemic detective, and the story feels like a fitting sequel to Hammett's novel. Stream Monsieur Spade on Prime Video and AMC+.
Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer star as the two halves that form one of television's great cat-and-mouse narratives, with Oh as Eve Polastri, a bored MI5 analyst who becomes obsessed with hunting down the brutal and notorious assassin known only as Villanelle. It starts as a professional compulsion before it becomes personal: Eve and Villanelle begin toying with each other, and it soon becomes clear that the fascination goes both ways. Stream Killing Eve on Prime Video, Paramount+, Britbox, Tubi, and Netflix.
Coming, as it does, from John le Carré, the wellspring of many modern spy sagas, it's probably no surprise that The Night Manager (from a 1993 novel) was successful—though it certainly doesn't hurt to have a cast lead by Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, and Olivia Colman. Hiddleston is Jonathan Pine, working the night shift at a luxury hotel in Switzerland when he encounters an unexpected guest: arms dealer Richard Roper (Laurie). Former Army veteran Pine had previous dealings with Roper in Cairo, and the reluctant night manager is persuaded by Foreign Office head Angela Burr (Colman) to infiltrate the criminal's organization. A long-gestating second season is coming in 2026, to be followed by a third. Stream The Night Manager on Prime Video.
Slow Horses isn't a send-up of the spy genre, precisely, but it does enjoy taking the piss. The more overtly funny Deadloch is both an excellent crime procedural and an effective satire of the genre; the Australian import does about as well as setting up its central mystery as Broadchurch and its many (many) imitators. Kate Box stars as Dulcie Collins, fastidious senior sergeant of the police force in the fictional town of the title. When a body turns up dead on the beach, Dulcie is joined by Madeleine Sami's Eddie Redcliffe, a crude and generally obnoxious detective brought in to help solve the case. Unraveling the web of secrets and mysteries in the tiny Tasmanian town is appropriately addictive, with the added bonus of cop thriller tropes getting mercilessly mocked all the way. Stream Deadloch on Prime Video.
There are several imports on this list; Peacock is just too new to have a large stable of homegrown shows, but they’ve managed a handful of impressive acquisitions. In this British series, a young, ambitious detective with the London police department is tasked with the investigation of a soldier who’d only recently been exonerated for a war crime, but who seems to have turned around and assaulted and then kidnapped his lawyer (sorry, his barrister). There’s plenty of police procedural drama and international intrigue, but the show has a slightly different target: it’s looking at the dangers of our reliance on CCTV surveillance, and on the dangers of a widespread assumption that cameras don’t lie. London is one of the most heavily surveilled cities in the world, so there’s a particularly British point of view here, but the issues will be recognizable to anyone who’s spent time in any major city. A third season is on the way. Stream The Capture on Peacock.
One-upping the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie movie on which it's based, Mr. & Mrs. Smith stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as a couple of spies tasked to pose as a married couple while coordinating (and sometimes competing against one another) on missions. Smartly, each episode takes on a standalone mission in a different location, while complicating the relationship between the two and gradually upping the stakes until the season finale, which sees them pitted against each other. The show has been renewed for season two, but it's been delayed, and it's unclear if Glover and Erskine will be returning, or if we'll be getting a new Mr. & Mrs. Stream Mr. & Mrs. Smith on Prime Video.
H. Jon Benjamin, lovable schlub of Bob's Burgers, leads this show as Bob Belcher's polar opposite: a handsome spy who's also a deeply narcissistic womanizer with an endless capacity for alcohol. This is a full-on comedy, dealing with the exploits of a New York–based freelance intelligence agency led by Jessica Walter's hard-drinking Malory Archer—but it's such a smart send-up of James Bond-style shenanigans that it works as a spy series, as well, and sometimes the team's missions aren't all that much more silly than the plots of more overtly serious spy movies and shows. Addictive and irreverent, the show includes one of TV animation's best-ever voice casts, including Aisha Tyler, Amber Nash, and Judy Greer as the sociopathic heiress Cheryl Tunt. Stream Archer on Hulu and Tubi.
The Queen Latifah-led Equalizer reboots the 1980s series (and sidesteps the Denzel Washington movies) by spinning the premise in a slightly different direction: Latifah plays single mom Robyn McCall, an impossibly skilled former CIA operative who puts her talents to work for those in need. It splits the difference between crime and spy drama, with episodes involving close-to-home crime and others dealing with international espionage. While the original's vibe was more about the cops being handcuffed by things like "rules" and "giving perps their basic human dignity," this one is more about those who've been failed by systems that don't care about them—and who might benefit from the help of a woman who can beat just about anyone's ass. It's very satisfying watching Robyn and company spy and/or punch their way out of sticky situations to help the oppressed. Stream TheEqualizer on Paramount+ and Tubi.
Park Chan-wook (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy) directs this series, based on the John le Carré novel, and brings an undeniably sexy period style. Florence Pugh is Charlie, a young actress recruited by Mossad spymaster Martin Kurtz (Michael Shannon) to infiltrate a group of Palestinian terrorists, even as she's being manipulated by an Israeli intelligence officer played by Alexander Skarsgård. Crucially, and as in the book that preceded it, the show offers nuanced characters on multiple sides of the conflict, raising serious questions about who the real villains are. Stream The Little Drummer Girl on AMC+ or buy it from Prime Video.
Set during the Cold War 1980s, and created by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg, Americans follows Soviet KGB intelligence agents Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), living lives as an American couple in the DC metro area—and raising their American-born children. The critically acclaimed (also popular!) show makes much of its period setting and a central conflict that places two spies in the heart of suburban America, even as they're tasked with undermining the Reagan-era government under which their children will grow up. Stream The Americans on Disney+ and Hulu.
The focus shifts a bit after Homeland's first few seasons, the series begins with CIA case officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) coming to suspect that that decorated Marine Corps scout sniper Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), recently rescued from an al-Qaeda compound, has been turned and is planning a terrorist attack on the United States. Having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, her superiors don't give Mathison's suspicions much credence, kicking off a cat-and-mouse/is-he-or-isn't he? game between the two. Both leads won Emmys for their performances, and the series took the Outstanding Drama prize in its first year.Stream Homeland on Hulu and Netflix.
Not a spy drama (at all), but a funny, and often very moving, comedy from the creator of The Good Place. Still: Undercover antics abound, so I'm going to say it counts as a bit of spy-adjacent counter-programming. Based very, very loosely on a true story, the show stars Ted Danson as Charles Nieuwendyk, a recent widower and retired professor who's started settling into a life of...not much, when, on a whim, he takes a temp job with a detective agency. They're investigating some missing jewelry at a local retirement home, and the dorky, awkward Charles makes for the perfect undercover resident, even as the job evokes memories of his late wife's Alzheimer's diagnosis. Ted Danson is in great form here, as is a supporting cast that, in the second season, includes real-life wife Mary Steenburgen. Stream Man on the Inside on Netflix.
The president’s son-in-law is once again at the center of an international business deal that will require administration approval
On Monday, Paramount Skydance launched a $108bn takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery, the entertainment giant that owns Hollywood movie studios, along with CNN, HBO and other media businesses. The bid is led by David Ellison, son of the tech billionaire Larry Ellison – a prominent Donald Trump supporter and Republican donor. Netflix had already prevailed over Paramount in a previous bidding competition for the purchase, but Trump announced on Sunday that he would “be involved” in his administration’s review of the Netflix deal. The president suggested the sale “could be a problem” because Netflix is already dominant in the US streaming market.
In a surprising, and likely temporary, turn of events, the number of people paying to watch cable channels has grown.
On Monday, research analyst MoffettNathanson released its “Cord-Cutting Monitor Q3 2025: Signs of Life?” report. It found that the pay TV operators, including cable companies, satellite companies, and virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs) like YouTube TV and Fubo, added 303,000 net subscribers in Q3 2025.
According to the report, “There are more linear video subscribers now than there were three months ago. That’s the first time we’ve been able to say that since 2017.”
Gail Slater is in charge of the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, which is expected to handle the government’s review of a Warner Bros. deal.
Netflix's January lineup is on the lighter side, but includes the return of period romance series Bridgerton (Jan. 29). Season four centers on Benedict, the second-eldest sibling, and Sophie, who he meets at Lady Bridgerton’s masquerade ball. The first four episodes drop in January, with the remaining four coming at the end of February.
Another original series worth watching is Agatha Christie's Seven Dials (Jan. 15), an adaptation of crime author's novel The Seven Dials Mystery. Mia McKenna-Bruce plays sleuth Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent, who is attempting to solve a murder mystery at a country house party in 1920s England. Martin Freeman and Helena Bonham Carter also star.
On the film side, rom-com People We Meet on Vacation (Jan. 9) is an adaptation of Emily Henry's novel of the same name and stars Tom Blyth and Emily Bader. The Rip (Jan. 16) is an action thriller starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as Miami cops who discover millions of dollars in cash at a stash house.
Netflix is also releasing true crime documentary Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart (Jan. 21) about the 2002 abduction of the 14-year-old from her home in Salt Lake City, and her return several years later.
In addition to hosting WWE's Monday Night Raw every week, Netflix is also streaming Skyscraper Live (Jan. 23), in which free solo climber Alex Honnold will attempt one of the world's tallest skyscrapers in Taipei, Taiwan.
Here's everything else coming to Netflix in January, and everything that's leaving.
Though the film series petered out after only a couple of movies, Rick Riordan's middle-gradeCamp Half-Blood have been revived as a mega-popular Disney+ streaming series. The breathing room offered by a series format seems to have been the key to unlocking their potential as an adaptation, allowing for a more fully realized exploration of this atypical (at least on our side of Mount Olympus) coming-of-age story.
In its first season, the show found a good balance between fantasy action and teen drama while also having a ton of fun poking at the conventions of ancient myth. Season two is just out, and more is on the way, but it's likely to be a bit of a wait. In the meantime, here are 12 more shows that offer a similar mix of coming-of-age angst, action, and myths and legends.
Once Upon a Time (2011 – 2018)
Doing for fairy tales what Percy Jackson does for Greek mythology, this long-running prime time drama stars Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, a struggling bail bond agent who travels to the Maine town of Storybrooke (subtle!) to reconnect with the son who she gave up for adoption. In the process, she discovers that she’s the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, given up to protect her from the machinations of Regina (Lana Parrilla), the evil queen who is also responsible for the curse that dropped an endless number of fairy tale characters into this small town to live dreary normal lives without any memories of their past adventures (at least at first). Stream Once Upon a Time on Disney+ and Hulu.
The tone is very different, but there are thematic and plot similarities aplenty in this appropriately dark fantasy, adapted from the beloved YA series by Philip Pullman and set in an alternate world in which human souls exist outside the body in the form of animal companions called daemons. Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) is an orphaned girl living at Jordan College, Oxford who finds herself involved in a murder plot that brings her into the orbit of the powerful Magisterium, the world's overarching and oppressive religious authority—caught between her mother (Ruth Wilson), a powerful figure in the Magisterium, and her extremist heretic father (James McAvoy). From her steampunk-ish world, Lyra and her daemon Pan travel across a multiverse that includes our very own Earth. Stream His Dark Materials on HBO Max.
An update to the Winx Club Nickelodeon animated series from back in the day, this show follows five fairies attending a prestigious boarding school for magical types. Not entirely unlike Percy Jackson, our lead fire fairy Bloom soon discovers that her parentage is more alien (literally) than she'd ever known. After a slow start, the show builds into an impressive coming-of-age story, and a rare fantasy series genuinely geared to its teenage target audience. It was cancelled after two seasons, but if you find yourself hooked, a series of graphic novels continues the story. Stream Fate: The Winx Saga on Netflix.
If "unacknowledged love children of gods" is your thing, well, Greek mythology has you covered. Set in an ancient Greek of myth, this adult-oriented animated series introduces Heron, an original character who nevertheless fits firmly in the tradition; here, he's a young miner, illegitimate and thus scorned by his fellow villagers. When demons attack, Heron discovers he's the secret son of Zeus, and that he'll need to help lead humanity defeat flesh-eating creatures born from the blood of fallen titans. Intimately plotted and with an increasingly epic scope, the show blends Greek myth with anime style to tell an addictive original story. Stream Blood of Zeus on Netflix.
The South Korean import became Disney/Hulu's most-watched K-drama, and did solid business globally (even if the English-language title doesn't suggest major thrills). As the series opens, we meet Kim Bong-seok (Lee Jung-ha), literally weighted down by his mom (as in: she gives him weights to fill his pockets) as he's heading off to school; we soon learn that it's because he can't quite control his ability to fly, and is prone to floating off unexpectedly. Athlete Jang Hui-soo (Go Youn-jung) heals instantly from injuries, while class president Lee Gang-hoon (Kim Do-hoon) is fast and incredibly strong. As it turns out, all of these kids' parents were bred and trained as part of a black ops program from which they've escaped, passing along their abilities to their kids—who have to stifle their powers, lest they draw the attention of spies hunting them down. Stream Moving on Disney+ and Hulu.
No Greek mythology here (well, we do get a gorgon or two), but Sabrina is also the story of a young woman coming to terms with her destiny at a special school for people with unique powers while having (dark) adventures. Rather than the daughter of a god, Sabrina is a literal child of Lucifer. Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) is an old-school witch in a household that’s not at all unlike the Addams family: two witchy aunts (played by Miranda Otto and Lucy Davis) alongside her warlock cousin (Chance Perdomo) and her loyal familiar, Salem the cat, all of them living their witchy lives just out of view of the local normies. At the outset, Sabrina's forced to choose between signing her name in Satan’s book and becoming a full-fledged witch, or staying in high school with her human friends. Instead, she refuses to choose. Cannibalism, human sacrifice, and blood rituals result, as Sabrina is called upon to save her family, and the world, from dark forces. Stream Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix.
In this animated series, teenager Luz Noceda (Sarah-Nicole Robles) finds herself trapped in the Demon Realm and there befriends a nonconformist witch Eda Clawthorne (Wendie Malick), who undertakes to teach the non-magical Luz everything she can about magic. Luz is determined to become a full-fledged witch despite her complete lack of prior experience, which is entirely refreshing given the volume of narratives about kids who just kinda discover that they're super-powered nepo babies. Busting open the doors for LGBTQ+ representation on the Disney Channel, this show is chock full of queer characters, and it remained both creatively offbeat and adorable throughout its now completed run. Stream The Own House on Disney+.
A (sorta) standalone spin-off from the rather extensive Vampire Diaries universe, Legacies follows Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell), an orphan descended from bloodlines that include vampires, witches, and werewolves—meaning the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted suits her perfectly. Supernatural beings of all sorts attend, and it serves as a secret haven and training ground for those with powers. It's a place where they can learn to control and/or conceal their abilities—sort of a cross between Wednesday's Nevermore Academy and Camp Half-Blood. The drama is a little more YA to Percy's middle-grade, and naturally, teen angst and romance abound. Stream Legacies on Netflix.
Fifteen-year-old American Cece Parker Jones travels to Paris to join the prestigious dance school, only to discover that she's an actual witch from a family with a history of magic. She struggles to balance dance, magic, and her desire to be a normal teenager while dealing with the Mystics, natural enemies to Cece's type of witch. It's a solidly entertaining blend of teen drama, magical duels, and uniquely, ballet. (it's a standalone successor to the time travel-focused Find Me in Paris, which isalso on Hulu). Stream Spellbound on Hulu.
Based on the seminal, semi-autobiographical 2006 graphic novel from Gene Luen Yang, this adaptation introduces Jin Wang (Ben Wang), a nerdy and rather ordinary son of Taiwanese immigrants. He befriends confident, generally loud and proud exchange student Wei-Chen (Jimmy Liu), who's embarrassing and inspiring in equal measure. It's soon revealed that Wei-Chen is no ordinary kid, but rather the son of legendary Chinese figure the Monkey King, and he's on Earth looking for the ordinary teenager he believes can help him stop an uprising against Heaven. Ke Huy Quan co-stars as the former child star of a deeply stereotypical '80s sitcom, and Michelle Yeoh appears as goddess of compassion Guanyin. It's disappointing that this only lasted one season, but it tells a fairly complete story nonetheless. Stream American Born Chinese on Disney+.
In an alternate modern Britain, ghosts are an everyday sight, which is not to say they aren't a nuisance—their touch is deadly. Technological progress has largely ground to a halt, while ghost-hunting agencies are common and, since adults lose the ability to sense ghosts directly, kids and teens are the ones on the front lines. Ruby Stokes (Bridgerton) plays Lucy Carlyle, an extremely sensitive listener who was cast aside when she was unfairly blamed for several deaths at her first job. With nowhere else to go, she joins up with the shady, unregulated Lockwood & Co., a two-orphan operation working outside the law. It's a solidly spooky teen drama with a fair bit of action and a beating heart, in and among all of the dead people. Stream Lockwood & Co. on Netflix.
This one's definitely not for the young ones, but if you're a grown-up-type person looking for a bit more on Greek mythology, you could do worse than this BBC take on The Iliad (and other Trojan War narratives). Adapting events in and around Homer's work, we begin with the judgment of Paris (Louis Hunter), who's asked by Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite to award an apple to the one he favors most; the goddesses here appear as human-esque characters, marking a change from older takes that saw giants watching from Olympus, and more recent adaptations that do away with gods altogether. We then meet Helen (Bella Dayne), a Spartan citizen in a loveless marriage, before following the action to Troy. The show has a lush, bronze-age aesthetic and displays an impressive fidelity to its varied source material. Stream Troy: Fall of a City on Prime Video and Netflix.
Netflix won the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD’s) streaming and movie studio businesses last week. But Paramount Skydance isn’t relenting on its dreams of owning WBD and is pushing forward with a hostile takeover bid.
On Friday, Netflix announced that it had agreed to pay an equity value of $72 billion, or an approximate total enterprise value of $82.7 billion, for WBD’s streaming and film businesses, as well as its film and TV libraries. The deal includes HBO and the HBO Max streaming service but not WBD’s cable channels, which are to be split off ahead of the acquisition into a separate company called Discovery Global. Netflix said WBD’s split should conclude in Q3 2026.
In a rare move for a streaming service, Fubo announced today that it’s lowering the prices for some of its subscription plans.
Fubo is a sports-focused vMVPD (virtual multichannel video programming distributor, or a company that enables people to watch traditional TV channels live over the Internet). Disney closed its acquisition of Fubo in October.
The bidding war is over, and Netflix has been declared the winner.
After flirting with Paramount Skydance and Comcast, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has decided to sell its streaming and movie studios business to Netflix. If approved, the deal is set to overturn the media landscape and create ripples that will affect Hollywood for years.
$72 billion acquisition
Netflix will pay an equity value of $72 billion, or an approximate total enterprise value of $82.7 billion, for Warner Bros. All of WBD has a $60 billion market value, NBC News notes.
After initial reporting from The Wrap revealed that Netflix had won the bidding war for Warner Bros., the streamer stepped in on Friday to confirm that it has a deal with the Warner Bros. board to acquire the home of HBO and HBO Max, DC Comics, and Bugs Bunny for $82.7 billion. The acquisition would put an end to merger attempts from the likes of Paramount and Comcast, but it's also far from a done deal.
According to Netflix, its acquisition of Warner Bros. will need to wait until at least Q3 2026, to allow room for the previously announced Warner Bros. and Discovery split to go through, as Netflix does not plan to buy the Discovery part of the business (including its cable channels). Additionally, the deal will need to go through regulatory approval. Given these roadblocks, the companies expect "to close in 12–18 months."
The news of the acquisition follows Warner Bros.' announcement in October that it was open to a sale, at least partially motivated by its split with Discovery.
What happens next isn't entirely clear. The Wrap reported that Netflix's deal with Warner Bros. includes a $5 billion breakup fee in case regulators block the deal, pointing to some anxiety from both companies. To that end, CNBC reported that "a senior [Trump] administration official" has said that the government is looking at the merger with "heavy skepticism," and The New York Post and the Wall Street Journal both reported that Paramount (which recently completed its own merger with Skydance Entertainment, led by Trump ally David Ellison) is currently warning the administration away from allowing the deal. To that end, the BBC reported over the weekend that Trump said the merger "could be a problem."
Paramount is also not done bidding, it seems. The company announced a $108.4 billion hostile takeover bid this morning, bypassing the board and offering to buy Warner Bros. Discovery shares from shareholders at a premium. Notably, if accepted, the deal would include the whole of Warner Bros. Discovery, despite the upcoming split, which would also give Paramount access to cable networks like CNN and TBS. In its announcement, Paramount called out the Netflix deal as facing a "challenging regulatory approval process," implying that it would better be able to negotiate with the administration.
How regulators will respond to the purchase remains to be seen, but if the deal does go through, it will mark a major shift for both Hollywood and consumers. Netflix hasn't laid out complete plans for how the merger would affects its customers, but in its press release, it has offered a few hints. Should a combined Netflix and Warner Bros. come to pass, here's how you can expect it to affect you.
HBO Max probably isn't going away
Since Netflix's primary business is as a streaming app, the most obvious result of a Warner Bros. acquisition would probably be the shuttering of HBO Max, and the inclusion of its content into Netflix proper. However, it seems like we're more likely to get a Disney+/Hulu situation, with the company running both services simultaneously.
In its post announcing the merger, Netflix said it will "maintain Warner Bros.' current operations," and that HBO and HBO Max would be viewed as a "compelling, complementary offering" for its customers.
Whether that means Netflix subscribers will get complementary HBO subscriptions, or if they will simply be able to add HBO onto their plans as complemental "content," is unclear, although I would expect the latter interpretation to be the correct one. After all, Disney charges an additional fee for users who also want to subscribe to Hulu, even as it's working on killing the standalone Hulu app. There would be little reason for Netflix to not follow suit.
This is backed up by another line further into the press release which states that, "[b]y adding the deep film and TV libraries and HBO and HBO Max programming, Netflix members will have even more high-quality titles from which to choose." That implies HBO is something you'll add to an existing subscription, rather than content that will just become part of a base Netflix subscription, with the company saying the acquisition "also allows Netflix to optimize its plans for consumers."
Some Warner Bros. shows might come to Netflix
Netflix already offers a small smattering of shows originally developed for either HBO or HBO Max, such as Sex and the City and Scavenger's Reign. This is due to pre-existing content sharing agreements, but it's possible Netflix may continue to offer some HBO content to its existing subscribers for free, even if it continues to operate HBO as a separate entity.
For instance, Netflix says in the merger announcement that "shows and movies such as The Big Bang Theory, The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz and the DC Universe will join Netflix's extensive portfolio." While this is likely simply acknowledging acquired IP, I wouldn't be surprised to see some select shows hit Netflix from time to time, either to prop up sparse release schedules or to promote HBO subscriptions/add-ons.
Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters also says in the release that, "[w]ith our global reach and proven business model, we can introduce a broader audience to the worlds they [Warner Bros.] create." He adds this would be an opportunity to attract, "more fans to our best-in-class streaming service."
Expect Netflix to ramp up U.S. production
While Netflix is most known to consumers as an app, its large selection of original content also means that it operates as a production studio. Netflix says that it will use the acquisition of Warner Bros. production side to "enhance Netflix's studio capabilities, allowing the Company to significantly expand U.S. production."
This means that viewers might expect to see more original Netflix content in the future, specifically more American-made shows in the vein of Stranger Things, alongside localized foreign programming like Squid Game.
Gamers need to pay attention too
Alongside its movie and TV businesses, Netflix will also be acquiring Warner Bros. Games, a spokesperson confirmed to Game Developer. That means the company will now be responsible for publishing both licensed works, such as the Batman Arkham series, as well as gaming originals, like the Mortal Kombat series. Little is known about how Netflix will handle suddenly being in charge of these longstanding AAA series, but given the company's recent gaming ambitions and its promise to continue Warner Bros. operations as usual, it's likely these titles will continue in some capacity.
Netflix will also publish DC Comics
In addition to suddenly stepping into big-budget, AAA gaming, Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. also means it's getting control of DC Comics' print business alongside its film and TV businesses, as the publisher is wholly owned by Warner Bros. That's another big step for the company, although given that DC's print business serves largely as the foundation of lucrative IP such as Superman and Batman, it's likely Netflix will do its best to keep operations there as smooth as possible. However, readers might expect some Netflix and DC synergy, similar to when Marvel started publishing new Star Wars comics shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm. Batman visiting the Upside-Down from Stranger Things might be more likely than you'd think.
Don't expect Warner Bros. movies to go straight to streaming
Finally, while Netflix's past movie releases have often relied on direct-to-streaming drops complemented by just enough of a theatrical presence to qualify for awards, Netflix said in its release that it plans to continue distributing Warner Bros. produced movies as usual, "including theatrical releases for films," but that the exclusive theatrical window may shrink. In other words, The Batman 2 probably isn't going to get the Knives Out or KPop Demon Hunters treatment, but theater exclusivity for Warner Bros. movies might not be as long going forward.
Amazon Prime Video has scaled back an experiment that created laughable anime dubs with generative AI.
In March, Amazon announced that its streaming service would start including “AI-aided dubbing on licensed movies and series that would not have been dubbed otherwise.” In late November, some AI-generated English and Spanish dubs of anime popped up, including dubs for the Banana Fish series and the movie No Game No Life: Zero. The dubs appear to be part of a beta launch, and users have been able to select “English (AI beta)” or “Spanish (AI beta)” as an audio language option in supported titles.
“Absolutely disrespectful”
Not everyone likes dubbed content. Some people insist on watching movies and shows in their original language to experience the media more authentically, with the passion and talent of the original actors. But you don’t need to be against dubs to see what’s wrong with the ones Prime Video tested.
Streaming services have a way of reviving love for old shows, and HBO Max is looking to entice old and new fans with this month’s addition of Mad Men. Instead, viewers have been laughing at the problems with the show’s 4K premiere.
Mad Men ran on the AMC channel for seven seasons from 2007 to 2015. The show had a vintage aesthetic, depicting the 1960s advertising industry in New York City.
Last month, HBO Max announced it would modernize the show by debuting a 4K version. The show originally aired in SD and HD resolutions and had not been previously made available in 4K through other means, such as Blu-ray.
There’s a good chance you’re already familiar with Hulu’s buzziest shows— Only Murders in the Building, The Bear, and The Handmaid’s Tale among them. Those are all good shows—great, even!—but there are others that are just as good, and some that are even better.
Like Netflix and Max, Hulu has been developing its own original (and co-produced) shows since 2012, building a library that goes well beyond repackaged shows from the broadcast networks.
Chad Powers (2025 – )
One minute, Russ Holliday (series star and co-creator Glen Powell) is the biggest name in collegiate football, with a future that couldn't be brighter. The next? He's fumbled a touchdown and later shoved a fan into a cancer patient using a wheelchair. Not great! Eight years later, he's looking for a comeback and so, shades of Mrs. Doubtfire, he reinvents himself via prosthetics and a wig as the title's Chad Powers, a charmingly naive athlete who signs on to the football team at a tiny Georgia college (and who looks a little like Owen Wilson for some reason). It's a goofy premise, but Powell's performance sells it, and the show becomes more engaging as Russ/Chad is forced to ask himself whether this new persona is a con, or the person he'd like to be. Stream Chad Powers.
Alien: Earth (2025 – , renewed for a second season)
Noah Hawley's new spin on the Alien universe (it's technically a prequel, but who can keep track?) is primed to explore some of the key themes of the series (greed, hubris, and the general shittiness of capitalism) without feeling entirely beholden to what came before. Sydney Chandler plays Wendy, a dying girl whose consciousness is transferred into a synthetic human body as part of an experiment conducted by the mega-corporation Prodigy. When a space vessel from a competing company crashes on Earth under mysterious circumstances, she and others like her are sent to help out and snoop around. This is an Alien story, so a ship is pretty much only ever going to crash if there's a xenomorph involved, but that's only one of the many nasty secrets the so-called "Lost Boys" uncover. Stream Alien: Earth.
Ryan Murphy's new divorce-centric legal drama: worst show of the year? Of all time? The reviews of the show, and of lead Kim Kardashian's performance, have been absolutely savage, and a bit of an anti-All's Fair arms race seems to have developed among critics as to who can go the hardest: The Telegraph's Ed Power said it's "a crime against television," The Guardian's Lucy Mangan said of it: "I did not know it was still possible to make television this bad." AND YET! The show's debut was Hulu's best in three yers, and viewers have continued streaming—probably for the camp value. Good, bad, or gloriously bad, it's one of the year's most talked-about shows. Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Sarah Paulson, Judith Light, and Glenn Close join Kim in the shenanigans. Stream All's Fair.
Sisters Hitomi, Rui, and Ai run the title's Cat’s Eye Café, a cute little neighborhood coffee house. By night, though? They're world-class art thieves: Hitomi is an incredible athlete, Rui a master strategist, and Ai, the youngest sister, builds the gadgets. There are plenty of complications, of course, but the biggest involves Detective Toshio: he's hot on the heels of the art thieves, but also Hitomi's boyfriend. Whoops! This is a stylish and energetic update to the very popular '80s manga and anime series, but no Cat's Eye background is required. Stream Cat's Eye.
Emayatzy Corinealdi (Middle of Nowhere, The Invitation) stars here as Jax Stewart, a former public defender now working at a high-powered LA firm. By turns she's a self-righteous do-gooder and deeply messy—she's not always the most likable character, and she often feels more strongly about her cases than about her actual clients. For all the show's juicy, soapy charms (it was created by Scandal writer Raamla Mohamed), that occasional indifference feels real. One of the show's major throughlines, particularly in the first season, involves Jax's separation from her husband and the reappearance in her life of a former client (Michael Ealy) who's just recently been released from prison, and with whom she still has heat. Stream Reasonable Doubt.
Paradise reunites This is Us creator Dan Fogelman with one of that ensemble's stars, Sterling K. Brown, for something quite different. This high-concept science-fiction series looks more like a political thriller at the outset: We're in, apparently, an affluent suburban town in which everything looks fairly tidy—it's the home of Brown's Xavier Collins, a widower and Secret Service agent to a President who, we learn, was murdered (much of the show happens in flashback). Before the first episode is over, we learn that Collins is a suspect in the murder—and also that this quiet suburb is something far weirder. James Marsden plays the President, and he's received good reviews for the role alongside Brown. Fogelman and co. bring an emotional intensity and range to a concept that gets pretty wild. Stream Paradise.
In 2007, 19-year-old Amanda Knox arrived in Perugia, Italy, only to find herself arrested and accused of the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, weeks later. The prosecution did a remarkable job at smearing Knox's name in the Italian press, such that she was was eventually convicted of murder despite an almost total lack of evidence, and the fact that the actual killer had already been tried and convicted. Grace Van Patten is pretty great in the lead, and the series does a phenomenal job of dramatizing the various missteps and fabrications that lead to a conviction. A bit of fascinating behind-the-scenes with this one: while the family of Meredith Kercher did not participate, Knox herself executive produces alongside Monica Lewinsky, another person who knows what it is to be tried in the media. Stream The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.
Pakistani-American journalist and producer Abdullah Saeed had been best known for his investigative reporting and Vice documentaries, many of them dealing with the impacts of cannabis laws. The experience lends a unique perspective to this comedy series that follows two brothers—hardworking Mir (Asif Ali) and hard partying Raj (Saagar Shaikh)—following the death of their wealthy father. In quick succession they learn that the bulk of their family's money comes not from the public-facing chain of delis, but from the illegal drug operation running behind the scenes. It's fast-paced and frequently very fun, feeling like nothing else on TV right now. Stream Deli Boys.
Hyped (if "hype" is the right word for what I'm about to describe) as an all-male Golden Girls update, Mid-Century Modern stars the great trio of Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Nathan Lee Graham as three gay middle-aged friends who live together as a kind of found family. It comes from Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, creators of Will & Grace, and feels like a throwback in many ways—but we could do worse than to enjoy an old-fashioned sitcom with a talented cast (including the last performances by Linda Lavin, who seems to have been having a blast here). Stream Mid-Century Modern.
There's something fundamentally disorienting about this particular revival: The comfort of cartoons is, typically, that the characters don't change. But King of the Hill picks up several years after the end of the original series (which ended in 2009) with Hank and Peggy returning from years working in oil in Saudi Arabia to find that their beloved Arlen has become, well—not unrecognizable, exactly, but much different than they'd prefer. Given the pace of change for all of us over the last few years, it's a relatable feeling, even if you've not gone anywhere. Hank and Peggy are as set in their ways as they ever were, but people who remember only that aspect of the characters are quickly reminded that the two have always been capable of acceptance and growth, confident in their beliefs without being jerks to those who live differently. The returning cast members are as good as ever and, most importantly, the show is as funny as it ever was. Stream King of the Hill.
Picked up by Hulu in 2022, this is the third-ish time that Futurama has been revived, and, even if the show's very best days are behind it, there's still a fair bit of life in the current iteration. Many episodes exemplify the series' amiable goofiness, there are a few high-concept classics mixed in: “All the Way Down” sees Bender becoming attached to multiple overlapping simulated universes, "Otherwise" calls back to an emotional time loop, and "The Numberland Gap" sees the crew pulled into a world of pure mathematics. Stream Futurama.
Based on Candice Carty-Williams' popular novel of the same name, Queenie stars Dionne Brown as a 25-year-old British-Jamaican journalist navigating a rough breakup that sends her into a self-destructive spiral. She's a deliberately and refreshingly messy character, navigating quarter-life at an intersection of multiple overlapping identities while struggling to grow. Carty-Williams serves as the showrunner, while Brown offers up a phenomenal lead performance. Stream Queenie.
A successor to Find Me in Paris (also on Hulu), set at that show's same Paris Opera Ballet School, Spellbound introduces a new cast and, where the earlier series dealt with time travel, Spellbound is, as the title suggests, more about magic. Here, 15-year-old American Cece Parker Jones travels to Paris to join the prestigious dance school, only to discover that she's an actual witch with a family history of magic. Now, she struggles to balance dance, magic, and her desire to be a normal teenager while dealing with the Mystics, natural enemies to Cece's type of witch. It's a solid teen drama. Stream Spellbound.
A Canadian import that you can presumably still watch sans tariff, this was Hulu's first original show for kids, and it's delightful. T. R. Knight voices Cedric, a former pumpkin farmer married to Prince Andrew (Wilson Cruz), as he recounts stories of his journey to becoming the greatest knight to his daughter, Nia. There's action, but the lessons are about how being a hero is less about fighting and more about helping others and trying to make friends rather than jumping to conclusions about people. Stream The Bravest Knight.
A breath of fresh air among Marvel's million+ hours of TV and movie content, the animated Hit-Monkey eschews pat morality in favor of—well, monkey violence, mostly. Named only Monkey (Fred Tatasciore), the lead is a particularly aggressive macaque forced from his tribe who is mentored by Bryce (Jason Sudeikis), an assassin who's been killed and returns as a helpful ghost. Ally Maki, Olivia Munn, George Takei, Leslie Jones, and Cristin Milioti are among the talented voice cast. Stream Hit-Monkey.
Shōgun (2024 – , renewed for second and third seasons)
So successful was the first season of this miniseries, based on the 1975 James Clavell novel, that two further seasons were commissioned to continue the story. Set at the tail-end of Japan's Warring States period, the series sees ambitious English maritime pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) finding himself shipwrecked in Japan and in the power of powerful warlord Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada)—each with something to offer the other. Reluctantly serving as translator between the two is Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), highly loyal to Toranaga but with a complicated past. The main characters all have real-life analogues, so there's a verisimilitude to everything in this (mostly) Japanese-language drama alongside the Game of Thrones-esque intrigue and drama. Stream Shōgun.
It takes a minute to get used to the show’s conceit/gimmick: Thirty-something creators/comedians Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle play young teenagers among a cast of actual 13-ish-year-olds. It’s weird, but Erskine and Konkle are so good, and the show so committed to the bit, that after a while, you forget that it’s even a thing. What’s left is an effective and funny cringe comedy that accurately recreates the pain of seventh grade with a surprising amount of heart. Though cut short after only two seasons, the show’s still very much worth the trip, and ends on a relatively satisfying note. Stream PEN15.
It’s easy to compare it to the 2000 John Cusack movie, but keep in mind that this is actually the third major adaptation of Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel High Fidelity—so it’s perhaps less of a remake situation than a burgeoning, generational thing. Maybe idiosyncratic music nerds of the future will get their own version, where everyone, I don’t know, shares a Spotify login? Anyway, here, Zoë Kravitz takes on the gender-flipped lead role of Rob, a biracial, bisexual record-store owner with a checkered romantic history and a compulsive need to make ranked lists, both of music and her past relationships. It can occasionally be tough to buy into effortlessly cool Kravitz’s awkwardness as a character, but otherwise the show successfully updates the beats of the book, film, and musical. The surprise cancellation after one season was a small tragedy.Stream High Fidelity.
A pick-up from Fox, Seth MacFarlane's The Orville began life looking like a slightly scatological Star Trek parody—a show with a reverence for The Next Generation but also jizz jokes. It quickly grew into something more interesting, though, as McFarlane's obvious affection for Trek sent the show off in a more serious direction—certainly by the Hulu-produced third season, it's become one of the most ambitious sci-fi shows on the air. A fourth season is allegedly on the way, though I'll believe it when I see it. Stream The Orville.
Based on Lindy West’s memoir Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, this comedy-drama stars SNL’s Aidy Bryant as Annie, the unapologetically fat heroine. Annie (and the show) make no bones about using the f-word, insisting there’s no stigma in being fat. Annie’s not interested in changing her body, though the first couple of episodes make clear that there’s plenty of other stuff the journalist is working on. Annie is an impressively funny and fully realized character, and there’s a lot of joy to be had in watching her overcome people’s perceptions of her over the course of the series. Stream Shrill.
It’s hard to imagine a J.J. Abrams production based on various Stephen King’s books could possibly have escaped anyone’s attention, but the fact that this show was canceled after only two (excellent) seasons suggests it was a victim of Peak TV more than anything else. The promotion leaned too hard, I think, on King Easter eggs without ever making it clear that there were actual stories here, told with real dramatic heft—the first season’s “The Queen,” told from the unstable perspective of a character with worsening dementia, was one of the best things on television that year. The cast across the two seasons (each with a separate storyline) is stellar: André Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Sissy Spacek, Lizzy Caplan, to name but a few. There’s plenty of stuff for King fans to sink their teeth into, but it all works just fine on its own. Stream Castle Rock.
This is sometimes marketed more like a collection of short-ish movies, but it’s technically an anthology series, so that’s what I'm going to call it—and there are small narrative threads that run through many of the episodes, for the benefit of attentive horror fans. There’s never been, and likely never will be, a horror anthology that isn’t a bit of a mixed bag, but that’s somehow a virtue here, in that different episodes represent different genres. Some are psychological thrillers, some are splatter, some social satire, and a couple of them star a giant furry named Pooka. They’re all entertaining and professionally produced, and the standout episodes are really great. Highlights include A Nasty Piece of Work (with the late Julian Sands hosting a nasty holiday work holiday party), immigration-themed Culture Shock, the aforementioned Pooka!, and the queer slasher Midnight Kiss. Stream Into the Dark.
The true story of Indian immigrant Steve Banerjee (played here by Kumail Nanjiani) is wildly dramatic and juicy, but not always in the ways you might expect. Chronicling Banerjee’s rise to fortune as the founder of the soon-to-be-iconic male strip joint, the origins of Chippendales is a story in itself, but its creator’s fall is even more wild, propelling the miniseries into true crime territory: Less than a decade after the founding of his empire, Banerjee threw it away when he decided that the only way to grow the business involved murder. Murray Bartlett, Annaleigh Ashford, Juliette Lewis, and Dan Stevens also appear. Stream Welcome to Chippendales.
Harlots takes the historical costume drama in unique directions, and deserved more attention than it got during its three-season run. Its women aren’t dressed in fancy dresses because they’re royalty, but because they’re high-end sex workers (if the title didn’t make clear) in Georgian England. When Margaret Wells moves her brothel to more upscale Soho, she comes into direct competition with her own former madam, who runs a high-end establishment in the same neighborhood. It’s got more sex and moves at a faster pace than more traditional period pieces, and the chess game between rival houses (as they both fight the male-dominated law enforcement establishment) makes for some juicy entertainment. Stream Harlots.
The always-great Kerry Washington plays Paige Alexander, a therapist who, naturally, has issues of her own that she needs to work on. Her life gets infinitely more complicated when her father Edwin (Delroy Lindo) moves in with her and her teenaged son following a long prison sentence. Her need for order is upended, while her father’s charismatic exterior conceals uncertainty about his new life. Creator Tracy McMillan based the comedy, in part, on her own experiences, and the result is a knowing but refreshingly upbeat take on life after prison. Stream UnPrisoned.
Unlike the other big streamers, Tubi only has a handful of original shows, most of them imports (its original movie selection is much larger). That's not to say it's a wasteland for TV addicts: The streamer might actually have too many shows, a vast and sometimes wild catalog that spans decades.
As the likes of Netflix and HBO Max have slimmed down their catalogues, Tubi is growing, offering a mix of established hits, underrated gems, and more obscure offerings. For the sheer breadth of material on offer, it has become the first place I look for anything outside the current zeitgeist—like the following 18 shows, an entirely non-comprehensive sampling of what Tubi has to offer, crossing genres and decades.
Dead Hot (2024)
Vivian Oparah and Bilal Hasna star in this Tubi original comedy (mostly) about a couple of roommates united by a mysterious disappearance. Hasna is Elliott, who came home five years ago to find his boyfriend Peter's finger in a pool of blood—and nothing else. The guy hasn't been seen since. Oparah is Jess, Peter's twin sister who hasn't given up on finding him, or at least finding out what happened to him. The tone here is all over the place, and it mostly works: it's a caper, a thriller, and a dark comedy, with elements of horror tossed in. If nothing else, it's energetic and pretty unique. Stream Dead Hot.
As we close out Rod Serling's centennial year, what better way to celebrate one of the 20th century's great dramatists than with his signature anthology series. Serling's science fiction, fantasy, and horror series offers up morality tales that spoke to his time, and ours—try watching "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" without finding it depressingly relevant. If you've mostly caught the show during seasonal marathons, you'll appreciate that there are many episodes that you've probably never seen, as they don't make the syndication rounds as often. Stream The Twilight Zone.
Maude (1972 – 1978)
Before they were Dorothy and Blanche, they were Maude and Vivian. Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan star in this Norman Lear series offering a progressive take on Archie Bunker that's funny, acerbic, and pointed. The character became a TV icon in a show that skewers Maude's reflexive liberalism even as she's very much the heroine—and good luck finding shows even decades later that would tackle racism, homophobia, and abortion rights nearly so plainly. All that and "And Then There's Maude," one of the great sitcom theme songs. Stream Maude.
Demascus (2025)
Sci-fi comedy Demascus was a victim of that very stupid moment a couple of years ago when streamers and studios were shelving every other project for tax reasons. Demascus, originally an AMC project, was rescued by Tubi—and a good thing, too. From playwright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm (Hooded: Or Being Black for Dummies), the show stars Okieriete Onaodowan as the title character, turning 33 and pursuing therapy for the first time in an alternate present. He's offered the chance to use DIRT (Digital Immersive Reality Therapy), in which he can visit and view other versions of himself, as long as he doesn't interfere. Which, of course, he does, with results that are sometimes poignant and sometimes funny. Hard to believe that this clever show almost wound up in the bin. Stream Demascus.
Whether or not you've seen the Netflix update, you can still catch the original (all 161 gender-bending episodes!) over on Tubi. After falling into a cursed spring, martial arts prodigy Ranma Saotome finds that he turns into a girl when he gets wet, with hot water turning him back into a boy; not to be outdone, his dad turns into a panda. That same father pledged him in marriage years ago to one of the daughter of the Soun Tendo, owner of a prestigious dojo with no male heir. Akane Tendo is a fiery, skilled martial artist in her own right, and the love-hate relationship between the two unwilling partners is the focus of most of the comedy and the drama. Stream Ranma ½.
Babylon 5 (1993 – 1998, five seasons)
J. Michael Straczynski’s wildly ambitious sci-fi epic was way ahead of its time, with a planned (more or less) five season story arc set on the titular space station. Babylon 5 is a remote outpost that becomes the last best hope for peace in the face of conflicting human and alien agendas—even more so after an ancient threat is awakened. With increasingly complex storylines that expanded over its run, this was a stab at prestige TV before that was a thing, and it still holds up (dated CGI effects notwithstanding.Stream Babylon 5.
All in the Family (1971 – 1979)
The show that almost singlehandedly rewrote the rules for broadcast television, Norman Lear's long-running sitcom focused on a working-class family and dealt with gender roles, racism, war, religion, sexual orientation—issues that sitcoms had never bothered with before. Shows with more on their minds than chuckles would follow in its wake, but none were quite as fearless as this one. Stream All in the Family.
Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 – 1975)
The prestige drama without which there'd be no Downton Abbey, this series (which was a big major international hit back in the day) follows the wealthy Bellamy family and the servants and staff who keep things running at their prime London address. Through years of scandal, war, and economic uncertainty in the early decades of the 20th century, the show tracks the decline of the British aristocracy alongside the rise of a new middle class with all the twists and turns that make for a really great soap opera. Stream Upstairs, Downstairs.
Hip hop mogul and Empire Entertainment CEO Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is dying, having been diagnosed with ALS at a young age. He wasn't planning to hand off his company so early, but nevertheless finds himself preparing his three very different sons (Trai Byers, Jussie Smollett, and Bryshere Y. Gray) to take the keys to the kingdom—by pitting them against one other. Into this already Shakespearean setup steps Lucious' ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson), just released from prison and harboring her own plans for Lucious's empire. Stream Empire.
Girlfriends (2000 – 2008)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish) leads the comedy about the lives of four women from different backgrounds living in Los Angeles, blending slice-of-single-life comedy with some cutting social satire. It’s funny and smart, and deserves a lot bigger place in pop culture history given its impressive eight seasons (and nine-season spin-off, The Game). Ross, Jill Marie Jones, Golden Brooks, and Persia White just recently reunited for a commercial, and there's been scattered chatter about a possible revival. In the meantime... Stream Girlfriends.
This Is Us (2016 – 2022)
Dan Fogelman's primetime drama was one of the buzziest series' of the late aughts, following the lives of the Pearson family over several decades. Introducing us to siblings Randall, Kate, and Kevin (Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, and Justin Hartley) in the present, episodes then takes us back to their early lives and those of their parents, Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore). It's a big-hearted family show at its core, but the interwoven narratives allow for some mystery and a few shocks—think Yellowjackets with more hugging and crying. Stream This Is Us.
Boarders (2024 - , two seasons)
This British import feels a bit like a latter-day Skins, with a talented cast of young stars-in-waiting (including leads Josh Tedeku and Jodie Campbell) and a scholastic setting. At the (fictional) prestigious boarding school St. Gilbert’s, five Black teens are newly attending, having earned scholarships, but their integration into the existing cliques is less than smooth. The blend of coming-of-age drama with a willingness to take the piss when it comes to the whole rich private school thing makes this Tubi original a good time. Stream Boarders.
H. Jon Benjamin, lovable schlub of Bob's Burgers, leads this show as Bob Belcher's polar opposite: a handsome spy who's also a deeply narcissistic womanizer with and endless capacity for alcohol. The addictive and irreverent satire includes one of TV animation's best-ever voice casts, including Jessica Walter, Aisha Tyler, Amber Nash, and Judy Greer as the sociopathic heiress Cheryl Tunt. Stream Archer.
Murder, She Wrote (1984 – 1996)
Once a week for 12 seasons (and a handful of spin-off movies), crime novelist Jessica Fletcher would employ her charm, wit, and general nosiness toward solving a murder that she'd stumbled into (no one questions why this particular woman just happens to be on the scene for hundreds of murders, and I'd suggest you don't either). Angela Lansbury is iconic as one of TV's greatest detectives, and the celebrity guest stars make for fun star-spotting—even if some of the faces are a tad less recognizable in 2025. Stream Murder, She Wrote.
The Equalizer (2021 – 2025)
The Queen Latifah-led Equalizer reboots the 1980s series (and sidesteps the Denzel Washington movies) by spinning the premise in a slightly different direction: Latifah plays single-mom Robyn McCall, an impossibly skilled former CIA operative who puts her talents to work for those in need. While the original's vibe was more about the cops being handcuffed by things like "rules" and "giving perps their basic human dignity," this one is more about those who've been failed by systems that don't care about them—and who might benefit from the help of a woman who can beat just about anyone's ass. It's very satisfying watching Robyn and company spy and/or punch their way out of sticky situations to help the oppressed. Stream The Equalizer.
Your restaurant on the rocks? Gordon Ramsey will whip the place into shape, usually with yelling. He's often a bit much, and his staggering self-regard is alternately deeply off-putting and hypnotic—but of such things are great TV reality shows forged. Stream Kitchen Nightmares.
Big Mood (2024 – , renewed for a second season)
Another UK import and Tubi original (at least stateside), Big Mood stars Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) and Lydia West (It's a Sin) as a couple of besties in East London, living their best millennial 30-something lives. Well, kind of: Maggie's dealing with bipolar disorder, and unclear on whether she wants to continue with her medication as she sets out to write a play, while Lydia is doing her very best running a tanking dive bar inherited from her father. It's both a cute dramedy and an impressively frank exploration of the challenges of living with mental illness. Stream Big Mood.
Dan Harmon’s influential series didn’t do huge numbers during its initial run on NBC, but has had an impressive afterlife. Led by Joel McHale, with the noteworthy presence of Chevy Chase in the earlier seasons, pretty much everyone in the show’s cast (including Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, Donald Glover, Alison Brie, and Ken Jeong) has become a star. Canceled after six seasons, the show’s getting a movie wrap-up—allegedly. Someday. You should still have plenty of time to catch up on the clever original. Stream Community.
Murdoch Mysteries (2008 – , )
Granted, Tubi currently only has the first eight seasons of this beloved Canadian crime drama, but that should keep you busy for a while, eh? Kicking off in 1895, the show follows Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) of the Toronto Constabulary and his team solve Upper Canada's most alarming crimes. The chemistry between the leads is a plus, as is the show's whimsical attitude toward historical accuracy, throwing in real-life figures and innovations into a mix that just as readily includes technology that might as well be steampunk. Stream Murdoch Mysteries.
Space: 1999 (1975 – 1977)
Kicking off with the, OK, fairly implausible scenario of the moon breaking free of Earth's orbit, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Space: 1999 quickly develops into a uniquely introspective bit of 1970's sci-fi, with Martin Landau and Barbara Bain as leaders of the moon base that survives on the surface. There's plenty of weird sci-fi and a fair bit of action, but also some metaphysical ideas in mind: We're all alone in a deeply hostile universe, the show suggests, so all the more reason for us to stick together. Stream Space: 1999.
Homicide: Life on the Street (1993 – 1999)
One of TV's best (and most critically acclaimed) police procedurals was constantly on the verge of cancellation while it was on, and then was unavailable to stream for years. Based on a nonfiction book by then-journalist David Simon (The Wire), Homicide felt more real (and a bit more cynical) than just about any cop show up to that point. The show made Andre Braugher a star, and birthed breakout character John Munch (Richard Belzer), a character who'd go on to appear on Law & Order, The X-Files, The Wire, and many other shows. Stream Homicide.
Vicious (2013 – 2016, two seasons)
The old-school sitcom formula has never been executed quite this bitchily, with the inspired pairing of Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi as Freddie Thornhill and Stuart Bixby, a couple of nearly 50 years who’ve developed a love-hate relationship. This cast, which includes Frances de la Tour and Game of Thrones’ Ian Rheon, is unbeatable, and the one-liners are hilariously nasty.Stream Vicious.
The Haves and the Have Nots (2013 – 2021, eight seasons)
Tyler Perry's old-school primetime soap was the show that practically built OWN; it was the then-new network's first scripted show, and an immediate breakout. It follows three families: The wealthy Harringtons and the Cryers are wealthy movers in Atlanta, Georgia, while the Young family is overseen by single mom Hanna, who's both a maid for the Cryers and confidante to the family matriarch. There's juicy tension galore between the three families, in no small part because of class differences, but also because they're all equally screwed. Stream The Haves and the Have Nots.
Creator Chris Chibnall's dark crime drama didn't invent its particular sub-genre (whatever you call the one where two troubled homicide detectives butt heads in a gloomy town), but it did popularize it to the point that we've been inundated with countless imitators. With the great pairing of Olivia Colman and David Tennant (joined by yet another Doctor Who Doctor, Jodie Whittaker), Broadchurch still stands alongside the best of its kind. Stream Broadchurch.
Haven (2010 – 2015)
Tubi is a haven for small gems like this one, a five-season Stephen King adaptation originally produced by SyFy. Emily Rose stars as Audrey Parker, and FBI Special Agent sent to the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case who gets drawn into “The Troubles," a series of harmful supernatural events that have recurred throughout the town’s history. A supernatural-case-of-the-week format gives way to a bigger mystery when Audrey comes to learn that this isn’t her first time in Haven, nor the first time she’s encountered the Troubles. Stream Haven.
Scandal (2012 – 2018, seven seasons)
Shonda Rhimes was already a powerhouse producer and screenwriter with several successful seasons of Grey's Anatomy under her belt when Scandal debuted, but its blend of political thrills and sexy, soapy drama is what solidified her brand, and her spot atop of the modern TV landscape. Kerry Washington stars as Olivia Pope, head of the DC-based crisis management firm Olivia Pope & Associates (OPA), who is the person to call when you've got a PR disaster to fix. If you want to get a sense of the stakes involved, consider that Tony Goldwyn costars as Fitzgerald Grant III, President of the United States, and also Olivia's lover. Stream Scandal.
An classic of '90s-era syndicated action/adventure, Highlander stars Adrian Paul as the title hero, taking over from Christopher Lambert in the film series. Duncan MacLeod is an immortal warrior living in the modern(-ish) day, hunted by others of his own kind, whose goal is singular: to chop off Duncan's head in order to steal his power. Episodes typically involve some sort of flashback to an earlier era in Duncan's life where we first encounter the threat he'll face in the modern day. There's at least one good sword fight in every episode, and I can't imagine what more you'd want out of a series. Bonus: It carries over the films' kick-ass Queen theme song. Stream Highlander.
Z Nation (2014 - 2019)
The Walking Dead made prestige television out of the zombie apocalypse, but this SyFy channel original is all a campy, gory good time. Things kick off with a soldier who’s been tasked with transporting a package across country. The package in question is actually a human being, the survivor of a zombie bite who might be able to help create a vaccine (take note, The Last of Us fans). This one comes from the schlock-masters at The Asylum, purveyors of infamous B-movies like Sharknado, which should tell you all you need to know about the tone. Stream Z Nation.
Columbo (1968 – 2003, 16 seasons)
Peter Falk's sublimely rumpled detective practically invented the style that Peacock's Poker Face has recently revived: a crime (usually a murder) is committed, the viewers know whodunnit, and Columbo has to solve it. Early on in any given episode, we get to watch the crime being committed, though we don't always know the motive. The challenge isn't to figure out the culprit, but to discover exactly how TV's greatest detective is going to solve the case. Stream Columbo.
The French Chef with Julia Child (1963 – 1973)
You may think that this public television show from the '60s/'70s has nothing to teach you, but I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. Julia's never yet been matched in offering simple, but thorough explanations for recipes both basic and elaborate. Having learned to cook only later in life, Julia clearly understands where amateur cooks are likely to go wrong, and she's entirely comfortable making mistakes. When she, for example, flips an a potato dish that winds up all over the stove, she simply chuckles at herself and moves on—it's the kind of moment that wouldn't wind up in a modern cooking show, but that instills a bit of extra confidence in a beginning chef. Stream The French Chef.
HBO Max has always benefited from being the home for HBO hits like Game of Thrones, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, but has also produced some quality original programming of its own.
Given the volume of streaming content out there, and the number of shows Max and HBO have already produced, together and separately, there are some great choices that might have flown under your radar. In our current streaming era, in which good shows aren’t just canceled but erased from existence (farewell, Raised by Wolves), it never hurts to take a moment to consider the slightly less talked-about shows that are equally worthy of your attention. In that spirit, I'm suggesting some popular hits and a few shows that might have flown under your radar.
It: Welcome to Derry (2025 – , )
Who doesn't love a clown? Set in the 1960s, this It prequel fives into the backstory of Derry and Pennywise the clown through the eyes of some kids and grownups who met him during a previous visit to the town. I'm not entirely convinced that we need this backstory, but, rather than the obvious clownery, we open on a horrifying birth sequence and a lot of gory, nightmarish imagery. By the end of the first episode, it's clear that even the most adorable children aren't safe, and this is a show that will, if nothing else, go hard. And that's before Bill Skarsgård's memorably creepy Pennywise even shows up. Stream It: Welcome to Derry.
Hey! Look at that—a streaming show actually getting a relatively quick second-season renewal. Must be that Mark Ruffalo magic, or perhaps it's the touch of Brad Ingelsby, creator of Mare of Easttown, who's operating in a similar detective-drama vein here. Ruffalo's Tom Brandis is half the story here: a former Catholic priest and current FBI agent with a troubled home life who's assigned to investigate the robberies of a series of drug trap-houses run by a local gang. Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey) is our robber, using his job as a refuse collector to scope out the houses and collect some relatively easy cash. The show smartly gives equal weight to both complicated characters before setting them on a slow-burn, but inevitable, collision course. Stream Task.
Will wonders never cease? With its first season underway, the show received a renewal—the second of three just recently, so someone must be in a good mood over at HBO HQ. Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby, Bottoms) created, produces, writes, and stars in this take on twenty-something existence, part of a venerable TV comedic tradition that must, of necessity, receive an update every decade or so. Sennott plays Maia, 27, and desperate for promotion in her job as an assistant talent manager. She's joined in town by Tallulah (Odessa A’zion), a former New York City influencer fallen on messy times—alternately very fun and exhausting to a circle of friends that includes West Hollywood stylist Charlie (Jordan Firstman) and Maia's teacher boyfriend, Dylan (Josh Hutcherson). It's early days here, but the show looks great and, though tolerance for a coming-of-age comedy about twenty-ish-year-olds in LA will vary, it's smartly written and impressively acted. Stream I Love LA.
Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin followed up their sketch comedy Netflix show, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, with this... cringe comedy/thriller? Somehow this surreal, genre-defying caper broke HBO Max records, and deservedly so. Robinson plays Ron Trosper, a middle manager in charge of building a new shopping mall. A collapsing chair during a public presentation sends Ron on a quest to uncover a massive conspiracy—he's convinced that the broken chair is just the first rung in a chain of sabotage. He's having a mid-life crisis and the show sends us along with him on a darkly funny, sometimes subtly horrific, journey down a rabbit hole that still, nonetheless, feels like a reflection of a modern American work culture that's no less nuts than a Ron's conspiracy of chairs. Stream The Chair Company.
Creature Commandos (2024 – , renewed for a second season)
A pretty wild choice to kick off the current iteration of the DCU, the animated show sees Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, reprising the role) assembling a black ops team to protect a foreign nation from the Amazonian sorceress Circe. Waller can't be trusted with people, so her team is made up entirely of literal monsters: The Bride (Indira Varma), Doctor Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk), Eric Frankenstein (David Harbour), and aquatic mutant Nina Mazursky (Zoë Chao), along Nazi-obsessed G.I. Robot and the rodent-like Weasel (Sean Gunn). The cartoon is pretty violent with an extremely dark sense of humor, but James Gunn also brings an impressive amount of heart to the show, making it very hard not to care about these very unlikeable characters. Stream Creature Commandos.
Both Adventure Time and its follow-up miniseries, Distant Lands, followed on the adventures of Finn the Human and Jake the Dog. This show introduces their multiversal counterparts. In a universe without magic, Fionna and her cat live boring lives by day, but by night dream of adventures in a strange world. Meanwhile, the Ice King is struggling to exist without his powers when he discovers that Fionna and Cake, who he believed to be purely products of his fan fiction, are in fact real, and that they need help to save their own universe. The series hits all those sweet Adventure Time notes while advancing both characters and lore. Stream Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.
Dune: Prophecy (2024 – , renewed for a second season)
No matter how good the movies have been, a Dune prequel tie-in series was, most likely, going to be pretty inessential. But this one's been a surprise: a juicy space soap opera set 10,000 years before the Denis Villeneuve films, a time frame that puts it well out of the way of later events and lets it stand alone. There are a lot of threads here, but the series focuses on Valya and Tula Harkonnen (Emily Watson and Tula Williams), struggling to build and maintain the Sisterhood that we'll later come to know as the Bene Gesserit in the face of an unstable political order. The ruling dynasty has a new weapon in Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), a manipulative former soldier who seems immune to the persuasive abilities of the Sisters, thus threatening their places at the Emperor's side. Especially given that we're on HBO Max, it's not entirely unfair to suggest that the vibe (full of intrigue, shady dealings, and violent plot-twists) is a bit that of a star-spanning Game of Thrones. Stream Dune: Prophecy.
It's Florida, Man (2024 – , renewed for a second season)
This comedy anthology, based on truly true Florida stories, kicks-off with the tale of a man (played by Sam Richardson) in need of money placing a Craigslist ad, offering to do anything within reason for cash. The response? He'll get $4,000 if a guy gets to cut off and eat a couple of his toes. The show includes testimonials from actual people involved in these events, as well as famous actors and comedians (Anna Faris, Ego Nwodim, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, etc.) performing in recreations (think: Drunk History). Horrifying, but very funny, particularly if you don't live there. Stream It's Florida, Man.
We loved it and we hated it, sometimes all at once, but this weird, messy, very occasionally profound series won't soon be forgotten—the series finale, wrapping up decades of Sex and the City storylines, generated tremendous chatter and plenty of online arguing. What the series did inarguably right was to present these women, now in their 50s, as being every bit as complex and alive as they were a quarter of a century ago. As for the rest of it? Sporadic highs and baffling lows, along with a seemingly steadfast commitment to tossing in awkward and unlikeable characters. It could have been great, but it's something almost as good: never boring. Stream And Just like That...
J. J. Abrams is back, and Hollywood's preeminent excavator of faded genres (for better and worse) is taking on the hard-driving (literally) 1970s, with Josh Holloway (Lost, Yellowstone) starring as Jim Ellis, a getaway driver with a sweet cherry-red Plymouth. He's becoming increasingly disenchanted with his crime-syndicate boss, Ezra Saxton (Keith David), especially when he's tasked to transport a just-harvested human heart and then asked to then help with the surgery. Into his life walks Nina Hayes (Rachel Hilson), the FBI's first Black woman agent (this is 1972, after all) who enlists Ellis in her plan to bring down Saxton. It's fast-paced and (mostly) fun, with immaculate period vibes. The buzzy show was canceled after its first season, but that's hardly an indicator of lack of quality these days.Stream Duster.
The Pitt (2025 –, second season coming January 2026)
E.R.'s Noah Wyle is back in scrubs as Dr. Michael "Robby" Rabinavitch, senior attending at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital’s emergency room. Robby’s mentor died during the height of COVID-19, and he’s only just recovering from his traumatic experiences. It's gonna be a long day, though: Each episode represents a single hour of a tumultuous 15-hour shift, peppered by tragedies including a mass shooting. It feels like medical dramas are a dime a dozen, but this one is quite a bit more interesting, and a lot buzzier, than most. Stream The Pitt.
A distinctive police thriller imported from Spain, When No One Sees Us stars Mariela Garriga (Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning) as a Cuban-American special agent of the U.S. Army, and Maribel Verdú (Pan’s Labyrinth) as a Spanish Civil Guard sergeant, both investigating an apparent death by violent suicide on an air base during Holy Week. It's a twisty-turny mystery, but the performances and the emphasis on character over plot make it a standout. No word yet on whether or not we'll get another season. Stream When No One Sees Us.
This British co-production debuted somewhat quietly back in 2020, getting good reviews but not much in the way of buzz. Perhaps because it was a different era (meaning: barely five years ago), HBO brought the show back, giving it time to grow until the third season premiere was up by almost 90% in viewership over the series debut, and earned a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. (Wild, isn't it, what happens if you actually give viewers time to discover a show? Surely a fluke with no discernible lessons for networks and streamers.) The show, created by two actual former investment bankers, chronicles the cutthroat world of the fictional Pierpoint & Co in which, at the series' outset, a group of young graduates are made to compete for a vanishingly small number of permanent positions. There are juicy soap-opera vibes, but the attention to detail when it comes to the world of high finance gives the show a feeling that the stakes are very real when it comes to the lives, and mental health, of our leads. Stream Industry.
Max’s early DC show was originally ported from the now-defunct DC Universe streamer (past and future episodes are now Max-exclusive), a largely forgotten effort. Thank goodness it survived; it was an uncharacteristically bold and freaky entry in the superhero canon. Nearly indescribably weird, the show includes characters like the non-binary Danny the Street (a literal street), paranormal investigators the Sex Men, Imaginary Jesus, and orgasm-generating body builder Flex Mentallo—while also grounded in some excellent, frequently emotional character work from the entire cast, including Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Michelle Gomez, and Timothy Dalton. It’s also very queer and sex-positive, making it a standout among the usually chaste and straight world of superhero cinema. Stream Doom Patrol.
After getting canceled over a tweet, 25-year-old writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) struggles to get her career back in order, reluctantly taking a job for Deborah Vance (Jean Smart)—a comedy trailblazer who remains popular with an older Vegas crown, but whose career is largely on autopilot. They're an entirely mismatched pair, but their chemistry is ultimately explosive, with Jean Smart doing some of the best work of her incredible career as the often deeply unlikeable Vance, and Einbinder more than holding her own in return. It's funny, bitchy, and surprisingly moving when it wants to be. Stream Hacks.
Kaley Cuoco plays hard-living (i.e. alcoholic) flight attendant Cassie Bowden, who, in the first episode, wakes up in a Bangkok hotel room with no memory of the night before. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing, given that she's sharing a bed with a dead passenger from her last flight. Afraid to call the police, she tries, on her own, to piece together the increasingly convoluted memories of that last night. Impressively twisty-turny, but also with a hallucinogenic sense of fun, it's a unique show that earned several Emmy nominations, including for a great Cuoco. Despite generating plenty of buzz and seemingly good numbers, it was canceled after two seasons—which will become something of a theme with Max. Stream The Flight Attendant.
The Sex Lives of College Girls (2021 – 2025, three seasons)
Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) is an endlessly naïve scholarship student; Bela (Amrit Kaur), is an aspiring comedy writer on the make for the hottest guys; Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) is an overachieving athlete and senator’s daughter; Leighton (Reneé Rapp) is a closeted sorority girl. They're randomly assigned to room together as freshmen at the fictional Essex College in Vermont. Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, the comedy-drama isn't nearly as salacious as its title suggests: There's sex, for sure, but like Sex and the City before it, the funny and queer-friendly show is more about female friendship. Stream The Sex Lives of College Girls.
The Hanna-Barbera cartoon pantheon has been largely dormant in recent decades, but this is a fun revisit, with the titular town serving as home to dozens of characters from back in the day, led by Mayor Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear (now a doctor at Jellystone Hospital), Augie Doggy, Jabberjaw, Top Cat, and dozens more, with out-of-towners like The Jetsons and Space Ghost popping in now and again. The show's silly, anarchic style is definitely not a one-for-one match to the source material, but it's not a terrible thing that the show is focused on appealing to modern kids rather than their parents (or grandparents, at this point). It's fun for that older elementary age group. Stream Jellystone!.
The Gilded Age (2022 – , renewed for a fourth season)
Julian Fellowes made period drama buzz-worthy with Downton Abbey, and does something similar here while shifting the time and place to the 1880s in New York City. We're introduced to the world of upper and extremely upper-class New York City society by Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), poor relation to the estranged aunties who take her in, and Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), a young Black writer from a solidly middle-class family who becomes a secretary to Christine Baranski's Agnes van Rhijn. Old-money Agnes and sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon) live across the street from new-money social climbers the Russells (led with juicy imperiousness by Carrie Coon's Bertha); established society isn't keen on letting in these upstarts—though money very much talks. In one sense, the stakes here could not possibly be lower (Bertha wants a better seat at the opera!)—so why is the show so addictive? Stream The Gilded Age.
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2023 –, two seasons)
It was weird, but kinda cool, that the original Gremlins movie was marketed toward kids, given that the plot turns on moments like a Mogwai blowing up in a microwave and an anecdote about someone's dead dad mouldering in a chimney dressed like Santa Claus. That all being said, this animated prequel is legit kid-friendly, even if it doesn't shy away from the Looney Tunes-esque style of the live-action movies. It also takes the awkward Orientalism of those movies and makes it a virtue: Sam Wing (played by Hollywood legend Keye Luke in Gremlins) is, here, a 10-year-old boy who meets Gizmo and is then forced to join him on a journey through the Chinese countryside, sometimes encountering mythical creatures. The stacked voice cast includes Izaac Wang, Ming-Na Wen as Fong Wing, B. D. Wong, and the great James Hong; no word yet on a third season. Stream Secrets of the Mogwai.
Heléne Yorke and Drew Tarver stars as a couple of meandering siblings whose lives are turned upside-down when their younger brother becomes a viral sensation. The show has a lot of fun dissecting modern pop culture, and, though it has a sweet side, it’s some of the best cringe comedy you'll find on Max. As class satires go, it never quite achieved Succession levels of obsession, but deserves a bit more love. Stream The Other Two.
A qualified recommendation for this one, only because it was canceled after its first season with plenty left unresolved. Nevertheless, it's a smart, impressively voice-acted, and beautifully animated sci-fi epic following the stranded survivors of the crashed interstellar cargo ship Demeter 227. The web of natural life on the world on which they find themselves is unusually complex, an the rules they're used to don't seem to apply. The creators are shopping a second season around, but it seems likely we'll be left with a few questions—which is maybe not the worst thing. Stream Scavengers Reign.
Issa Rae follows up Insecure with the story of socially conscious Miami rapper Shawna (Aida Osman), who winds up selling out, at least in her own eyes, when she teams up with her friend Mia (KaMillion), whose popular OnlyFans brings the new rap group a built-in fanbase. Meanwhile, Shawna’s boyfriend Cliff (Devon Terrell) has to come to terms with the fact that Shawna’s more commercial career path might put his dreams of political success in danger. Like Insecure, it’s deeply funny, but also has plenty to say about friendship and ambition between young Black women. Stream Rap Sh!t.
Russell T. Davies (Queer as Folk, Doctor Who) revisits the 1980s through the story of a group of friends living in London during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The miniseries brings an impressive cast to bear on a story that tracks them through the early days of queer liberation through the developing menace of a disease that no one in the broader world was willing to talk about, much less do anything about. Stream It's a Sin.
A funny and violent bright spot in the wildly convoluted onscreen world of DC Comics, Peacemaker spins out of James Gunn's snarky 2021 entry The Suicide Squad, with John Cena reprising his role. Having survived the events of that film, he's recruited once again by the United States government to join a team trying to stop mysterious butterfly creatures inhabiting human hosts. It's got the same bloody comic tone of the movie, but adds just enough dimension, and an emotional arc, to the jingoistic superheroes' story that it's easy to root for him, even as his self-awareness remains limited. It also seems to be a bit of a bridge between the old DC movie universe and the upcoming, James Gunn-led one—the second season follows the events of the new Superman movie, and there's also a Viola Davis-lead Waller spin-off in the works.Stream Peacemaker.
Creators/writers Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle (who also have parts in the series) brought a unique style to their three-season sitcom set in Englewood—the close-knit cast and production crew (Bashir’s brother, Sultan, plays one of the leads) give the show a familial vibe. it follows two mismatched friends (Sultan Salahuddin and Kareme Young) trying to find success while running a rent-to-own store amid a widely diverse ensemble, and trying to find some kind of accord with the local PD. Stream South Side.
I’m increasingly drawn to stories of people who made it later in life, probably unrelated to being solidly middle-aged while having accomplished (as yet) nothing of note. Sarah Lancashire plays Julia Child magnificently, capturing much of her distinctive style and patter, and the show has a lot of fun with the production woes of early public television. Even though it has a light touch, the show’s also an important reminder of the importance of a woman like Julia, a woman in her 50s who become an unlikely trailblazer as not just an on-camera personality, but also as an innovative producer. Another one that deserved more than two seasons, but still delightful. Stream Julia.
This is the little cartoon that could—canceled way back in 2013, picked up by the defunct DC Universe streamer for season 3, and then getting a final season as a Max original (those first three seasons are also on Max). There’s a reason it has hung in there, even without the name recognition of some of DC’s other stuff: It’s an impressively animated series that draws from any number of comics sources while scrupulously developing its characters. Unlike a lot of cartoons (or comics), it’s also allowed its characters to grow up over the years and introduced new generations of heroes along the way. Stream Young Justice.
Kaley Cuoco voices Harley in this very adult cartoon series starring the anti-hero who made her debut in Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s Batman: The Animated Series way back in the day. Don’t expect traditional superheroics—it’s a zany comedy that's often funny and delivers some solid queer representation. A Kite Man spin-off debuted in 2024, and still might get a second season of its own. Stream Harley Quinn.
I think everyone probably knows about this one already—at least those of you who are extremely online—but the swashbuckling pirate comedy isn’t only wonderfully goofy and funny: It also features, unexpectedly, one of the most believable and compelling gay romances of the last several years, so I just wanted to give it a little extra love. Max cut it short after a mere two seasons which, boo! But that doesn't mean it's not worth diving in. Stream Our Flag Means Death.
This year’s high-end models from Apple and Google raise the bar for mobile photography, but users should take the time to learn the settings and features.
On iPhone models that include the Camera Control button on the lower-right side, you can scroll through a menu of options for various settings with your thumb and even take the photo with one hand by pressing the button.
Plex is starting to enforce its new rules, which prevent users from remotely accessing a personal media server without a subscription fee.
Previously, people outside of a server owner’s network could access the owner’s media library through Plex for free. Under the new rules announced in March, a server owner needs to have a Plex Pass subscription, which starts at $7 per month, to grant users remote access to their server. Alternatively, someone can remotely access another person’s Plex server by buying their own Plex Pass or a Remote Watch Pass, which is a subscription with fewer features than a Plex Pass and that Plex started selling in April for a $2/month starting price.
Plex’s new rules took effect on April 29. According to a recent Plex forums post by a Plex employee that How-To Geek spotted today, the changes are rolling out this week, with a subscription being required for people using Plex’s Roku OS app for remote access. The Plex employee added:
Gone are the days when you watched one Christmas movie a year, and it was either about a guy trying to jump off of a bridge or a child setting traps to kill the two grown men who want to murder him.
Now there’s a lot more where those came from—many of them available for streaming on Netflix year-round. Here are some of the best the streamer has on offer during the festive season—however early or late yours starts. (And while this is a roundup of holiday movies, yes, it’s heavily skewed toward Christmas; Netflix’s current offerings are heavy on Santa and light on everything else.)
Champagne Problems (2025)
Minka Kelly stars here as Sydney, a hard-driving American executive who heads off to Paris in order to acquire a Champagne brand for her company—and it needs to happen before Christmas. C'est pas possible! She brings along the precocious family dog, Bulles (a West Highland Terrier who's already become a bit of a fan favorite), but that's not the only complication: The heir to the company just happens to be a French hunk played by Tom Wozniczka, and, évidemment, their swoony romance puts the big deal on the line. Stream Champagne Problems.
It might not be entirely traditional, but there's absolutely no rule against adding a little beefcake to your holiday feast. Britt Robertson plays Ashley, a professional dancer who finds herself out of a job and so makes her way home for Christmas—only to discover that the bank is about to shut down the sketchy local performing venue run by her parents. Naturally, it's time to put on a show! An all-male revue, specifically, including an array of middle-aged hunks like Chad Michael Murray and Maxwell Caulfield who'll heat up a holiday gathering for you and your mom.Stream The Merry Gentlemen.
As kids’ holiday fare goes, this one’s a little different, both in style and in pedigree. It’s a straight-up fantasy (rather than the more traditional romantic variety) with a toymaker inventing a living matador fighting for his right to individuality. The pedigree includes playwright David E. Talbert in the director’s chair and an all-Black cast that includes Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, and Anika Noni Rose, all having a lot of fun in a colorful (and musical!) adventure. Stream Jingle Jangle.
Emilia Clarke and America’s sweetheart Henry Golding have tremendous chemistry as a down-on-her-luck aspiring singer and the slightly mysterious man with whom she shares a lovely and inspiring holiday season. The twist ending here will either work for you, or it really won’t (either way, it’s hilarious on paper). I was prepared to chuckle, but it still got me in the end. Stream Last Christmas.
It’s the holidays, and Regina Fuller (Christine Baranski!) is on her way home, to evict a bunch of people so she can sell some land to a mall developer. Naturally, she’s got some learning to do, with help from Jenifer Lewis—and Dolly herself (typecast as an all-singing angel). Dolly wrote all the musical numbers, and it’s dorky fun in the best ways. The whole cast is several cuts above, as are the dance numbers, choreographed by Debbie Allen—it's a goofy good time, and I mean that in the best way. Stream Christmas on the Square.
A charming, bespoke Santa origin story based on nothing in particular, Klaus finds the lazy son of a postmaster general in 19th-century Norway banished to a distant island town where he’s tasked with delivering 6,000 letters within a year, lest he be cut off from the family fortune. Arriving there, he discovers the two primary feuding families can’t be bothered to send letters for him to deliver, but that an elderly widower might be able to help him in a scheme he’s concocted to convince the town’s children to write letters in the hopes of receiving toys in return—toys crafted by old Klaus, in search of the family he never had. It’s all beautifully hand-animated, and the genuine emotion wrings tears, Pixar-style. Stream Klaus.
Kat Graham stars as struggling photographer Abby Sutton, who gets an old Advent calendar from her grandfather—she’s very not into it initially, until the calendar reveals a tiny pair of boots on day one, and later that day, her friend Josh (Quincy Brown) gives her a real pair of boots. As the calendar’s gifts seem to line up with things that actually happen, Abby begins to suspect that there’s magic, and romance, in the air. Ethan Peck (Star Trek) also stars. Stream The Holiday Calendar.
A sharp-witted retail worker (Olivia Holt) and a repairman who's seen better days (Connor Swindells) realize that they both have designs on the titular holiday heist: they're going to rob London's biggest department store during the seasonal rush. With no choice but to team up, they reluctantly scheme together—before the two mismatched thieves start to find that their feelings are getting in the way of the perfect score. Stream Jingle Bell Heist.
Not to be confused with Hallmark’s 2013 Let It Snow, which is also a Christmas movie, but not a particularly (or at all) diverse one. Nor is this the 2020 snowboarding horror movie of the same name. Based on a novel by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle that intertwines three distinct stories, this Let It Snow involves a large and fairly diverse cast of characters figuring into holiday romances both straight and queer, all taking place in the same small town. Stream Let It Snow.
A perfect pairing with The Merry Gentlemen for your lightly horny holiday, Hot Frosty stars Lacey Chabert as a widow running a cafe in the tiny made-up town of Hope Springs, New York. One day she picks up a scarf at a secondhand store and places it around the neck of a particularly chiseled snowman because, while all snowman bodies are valid, it's gonna take abs to score free winter apparel. The snowman, quite naturally, comes to life, leading to a series of wacky misunderstandings but also a little holiday romance. Stream Hot Frosty.
Alexandra Breckinridge hops over from Netflix's long-running romantic drama, Virgin River, to take the lead in this Christmas movie, Here, she's a struggling single mom trying to raise the cash to send her daughter off to snowboarding camp at a luxury resort (which: OK?). What are you gonna do but get a job at the resort playing Santa, requiring that she first masquerade as an old man—which is almost certainly some kind of statement about sex- and gender essentialism in the ski-resort-Santa business. When she gets the hots for her new boss (New Amsterdam's Ryan Eggold), shenanigans ensue. Stream My Secret Santa.
The holidays are in the background of this funny, fowl take on The Great Escape, with a reminder that Christmas is less fun if you’re stuck laying eggs on the farm. The sharp Aardman Brothers comedy has some incredibly fun stop-motion animation, and an awful lot of chickens. It remains the top-grossing stop-motion animated movie of all time. (Netflix also has the two-decades-later sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.) Stream Chicken Run.
Congressional aide Erica Miller (Kat Graham) drops everything for a mission to visit a beachside Air Force base—and find reasons to defund it. She clashes with the studly pilot assigned to escort her around, who is particularly involved in one of the base’s pet projects: an annual airdrop of supplies and gifts to various Micronesian islands. You know where this is all going, but that’s part of the fun. Stream Operation Christmas Drop.
Sometimes you want a Christmas movie with all the trimmings, and sometimes you need a break from all the tinsel. And so: Carry-On, a thriller that takes place on Christmas Eve. At the airport—literally the worst place to be during the holidays! Taron Edgerton is a TSA agent who's blackmailed into allowing Jason Bateman onto a flight with a very dangerous package. And yet I can't get through with my belt. Stream Carry-On.
Natalie (Nina Dobrev) gets catfished for Christmas (fun!). The poor woman travels across the country to see the guy she met on an app, and discovers that Josh (Jimmy O. Yang) was using pictures of his friend Tag (Darren Barnet) the whole time. She gets something going with Tag, but soon has to decide which of the two guys she really has feelings for. Stream Love Hard.
It might not replace all of the many, many earlier Dickens adaptations in your holiday heart, but this computer-animated musical version boasts some fun songs, and a strong voice cast led by Luke Evans and Olivia Colman. It’s slightly less scary and maudlin than many other takes, so it might not be a bad way to introduce young kids to the holiday tale. Stream Scrooge: A Christmas Carol.
This fairly delightful all-ages animated Christmas boasts an impressive cast: Brian Cox as Santa is joined by Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, and Bill Nighy (among other British luminaries). A record-breaking blizzard in the coastal town of Wellington-on-Sea throws Santa's plans into chaos, but also threatens to separate several families, physically and emotionally, in a series of intertwined stories that blend a bit of comedy with some sincere emotional beats. Stream That Christmas.
Just your typical girlfriend/buddy/revenge comedy movie about two trans sex workers on the hunt for the man who did one of them wrong. As heartfelt as it is madcap, it all takes place on a wild Christmas Eve in Hollywood (so don’t expect snow). Shot on a couple of iPhones, director Sean Baker and company make a virtue of the intimacy and immediacy that modern technology can bring. Stream Tangerine.
Kelly Rowland produced and stars in the first of what has become a series (four movies, so far), though Netflix currently only has the first one. Here, Rowland plays Jacquie Liddle, a tech entrepreneur who’s got it all together until her incredibly messy family shows up for Christmas. Still, she’s determined to put together a marketing video that shows her vision of a perfect Christmas, which goes about as well as you can imagine. Complicating things further is her hot new neighbor Tyler (Thomas Carrot). Like Jacquie herself, the whole movie is a bit more impressively put together than the standard quickie Christmas movie, with a competence and charm that’s made those cozy sequels rather welcome. Stream Merry Liddle Christmas.
Veteran TV and movie director Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood and Chappelle's Show, among many other credits) helms Meet Me Next Christmas, starring Christina Milian as a woman who finds herself rushing around New York City in search of sold-out Pentatonix tickets (oddly specific, but sure). You see, she met a guy named James last year at Christmas, and they'd agreed to reunite at the concert, An Affair to Remember-style—but wait! The handsome ticket concierge (Devale Ellis) helping her out is pretty cute, too. Stream Meet Me Next Christmas.
Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) have figured out how to deal with all the questions that arise (apparently?) when you’re single and you show up at family gatherings: They’re going to be each other’s platonic plus-ones at holiday meals. Would it be much of a holiday movie if something other than friendship weren’t in the offing? Stream Holidate.
Speaking of Christmas casting coups, this one saw the return of Lindsay Lohan in a lead role after a decade. She plays a snotty heiress who loses her memory following a ski accident and learns lessons about love and life while recovering in a ski lodge run by earthy Jake Russell (Chord Overstreet). Stream Falling for Christmas.
Stacy De Novo (Vanessa Hudgens) is a pastry chef from Chicago off to fictional Belgravia to compete in a holiday baking contest. There she meets a duchess, who’s also the fiancee of the local prince (Sam Palladio)—and who happens to look exactly like Stacy (surprise: They’re both played by Hudgens). The two decide it might be fun to see how the other half lives, and so they swap lives, which (unsurprisingly) complicates things with the prince. If you like this one, the series continues in two more movies that add yet another Hudgens. Stream The Princess Switch.
Another trilogy, you say? Look, sometimes you just want to sink into the couch for hours of holiday schmaltz. No problem: Here, an American journalist (Rose McIver) heads to fictional Aldovia on the hunt for a scoop. A case of mistaken identity leads to her being mistaken for the tutor to the young princess. And, of course, she’s soon cozying up to the prince (Ben Lamb). It goes well enough that they get two more movies out of it. (Yes, all these movies have nearly identical plots, which is a cozy feature, not a bug.) Stream A Christmas Prince.
This one’s more of a comedy/drama in a holiday vein, so it’s less generally goofy and a bit less predictable than some of the other modern Christmas movies (whether that’s a pro or con will largely depend on your mood). Writer Jake (Justin Hartley) returns home for Christmas to settle his late mother’s estate; he’s just in time to meet Rachel (Barrett Doss), who’s looking for information about her birth mother, who’d been Jake’s nanny. Stream The Noel Diary.
A deeply cute Christmas adventure finds a couple of kids (Judah Lewis and Darby Camp) accidentally crashing Santa’s sleigh (Santa here is played by Kurt Russell). It’s got plenty of family-friendly action, and Russell seems to be having a ton of fun. If you like this one, the sequel is approximately as good. Stream The Christmas Chronicles.
Another dramedy, Holiday Rush finds widowed hip-hop radio DJ Rush (Romany Malco) losing his job and heading back to his old home with a plan to buy the local station where he got his start alongside his producer, Roxy (Sonequa Martin-Green). The professional plans don’t run particularly smoothly, but the pair do discover that their feelings might not be all business. Stream Holiday Rush.
Lindsay Lohan is back in her third Netflix movie, following her big comeback in 2022's Falling for Christmas. Here she joins a stacked cast, including Kristin Chenoweth, Ian Harding, Jon Rudnitsky, and Chris Parnell, in the story of a couple of exes forced to spend the holiday together (her new boyfriend's sister is dating her old boyfriend, and neither of them wants anyone to know). Seasonal shenanigans ensue! Stream Our Little Secret.
Christmas Carnage, as a genre, is at least as venerable as the holiday rom-com (Black Christmas predates every single one of those cozy Hallmark-style movies), and there's nothing wrong with adding some blood and guts to your holiday display. Here, Riley Dandy plays Tori Tooms, a record store owner closing up for Christmas Eve, and heading out for drinks with her flirtatious employee and a couple of pals. Those friends happen to run a toy store that has in stock a Santa robot—one that's been recalled because of its original military programming. You probably won't be surprised to learn that this particular robot is about to malfunction, and cut a bloody swath through the holiday season. Not quite as scary as more modern AI, but still best not mess with robot Santa. Stream Christmas Bloody Christmas.
Peter (Michael Urie) is in a high-stress LA-type job on his way home to New Hampshire for the holidays. Sick of questions about being single, he decides to invite his best friend Nick (Philemon Chambers) to pose as more than his roommate. A tried-and-true setup! Complications ensue when his mom (Kathy Najimy) sets him up with her fitness instructor, James (Luke Macfarlane), before learning about the fake boyfriend who’s soon on his way to becoming a maybe real boyfriend. The fun cast also includes Barry Bostwick and Jennifer Coolidge. Stream Single All the Way.
Ahead of the holiday season, people who have bought cheap Amazon Fire TV Sticks or similar devices online should be aware that some of them could let cybercriminals access personal data, bank accounts, and even steal money.
BeStreamWise, a UK initiative established to counter illegal streaming, says the rise of illicit streaming devices preloaded with software that bypasses licensing and offers “free” films, sports, and TV comes with a risk.
Dodgy stick streaming typically involves preloaded or modified devices, frequently Amazon Fire TV Sticks, sold with unauthorized apps that connect to pirated content streams. These apps unlock premium subscription content like films, sports, and TV shows without proper licensing.
The main risks of using dodgy streaming sticks include:
Exposure to inappropriate content: Unregulated apps lack parental controls and may expose younger viewers to explicit ads or unsuitable content.
Growing countermeasures: Companies like Amazon are actively blocking unauthorized apps and updating firmware to prevent illegal streaming. Your access can disappear overnight because it depends on illegal channels.
Malware: These sticks, and the unofficial apps that run on them, often contain malware—commonly in the form of spyware.
BeStreamWise warns specifically about “modded Amazon Fire TV Sticks.” Reporting around the campaign notes that around two in five illegal streamers have fallen prey to fraud, likely linked to compromised hardware or the risky apps and websites that come with illegal streaming.
According to BeStreamWise, citing Dynata research:
“1 in 3 (32%) people who illegally stream in the UK say they, or someone they know, have been a victim of fraud, scams, or identity theft as a result.”
Victims lost an average of almost £1,700 (about $2,230) each. You could pay for a lot of legitimate streaming services with that. But it’s not just money that’s at stake. In January, The Sun warned all Fire TV Stick owners about an app that was allegedly “stealing identities,” showing how easily unsafe apps can end up on modified devices.
And if it’s not the USB device that steals your data or money, then it might be the website you use to access illegal streams. FACT highlights research from Webroot showing that:
“Of 50 illegal streaming sites analysed, every single one contained some form of malicious content – from sophisticated scams to extreme and explicit content.”
So, from all this we can conclude that illegal streaming is not the victimless crime that many assume it is. It creates victims on all sides: media networks lose revenue and illegal users can lose far more than they bargained for.
How to stay safe
The obvious advice here is to stay away from illegal streaming and be careful about the USB devices you plug into your computer or TV. When you think about it, you’re buying something from someone breaking the law, and hoping they’ll treat your data honestly.
There are a few additional precautions you can take though:
We all know streaming services’ usual tricks for making more money: get more subscribers, charge those subscribers more money, and sell ads. But science streaming service Curiosity Stream is taking a new route that could reshape how streaming companies, especially niche options, try to survive.
Discovery Channel founder John Hendricks launched Curiosity Stream in 2015. The streaming service costs $40 per year, and it doesn’t have commercials.
The streaming business has grown to also include the Curiosity Channel TV channel. CuriosityStream Inc. also makes money through original programming and its Curiosity University educational programming. The firm turned its first positive net income in its fiscal Q1 2025, after about a decade of business.
While other streaming services thrive on carefully selected and endlessly curated (meaning: limited) selections of movies, Tubi's a bit different: It feels like the Wild West, with everything from originals to popular hits to critically acclaimed favorites to the lowest-brow, lowest-budget movies you'll find this side of an old Blockbuster. In that spirit, here's a sampling of some of the best stuff currently streaming on Tubi. It's a wide variety—the streamer will not be pinned down. (If you're unfamiliar, Tubi is a free, ad-based service, but generally I find the ads to be less obnoxious and less frequent than on other, similar streamers.)
Friday (1995)
Craig and Smokey (Ice Cube and Chris Tucker) are just a couple of guys hanging out hoping for something to do. They shoulda been careful what they wished for, as this one impossible Friday will see them involved with burglaries, shoot-outs, and excessively horny pastors. As in all the best buddy/stoner comedies, it's all in goofy fun. Stream Friday.
Titanic (1997)
In a modern world of blockbusters designed to be as comforting and non-threatening as possible, be the movie that made an entire generation of moviegoers sob. James Cameron somehow crafted an all-time crowd-pleaser out of one of the 20th centuries greatest tragedies. Stream Titanic.
Titanic II (2010)
And then there's this non-sequel from The Asylum, purveyors of fine cinematic schlock such as the immortal classic Sharknado. Here, a perfect replica of the Titanic sets sail exactly 100 years after the original disaster, this time beset by the man-made disaster that is global climate change. Goofier, a million times cheaper, but with 100% more Bruce Davison, this gives you some sense of Tubi's sublime-to-ridiculous range. Stream Titanic II, and toss in supernatural shocker and Tubi original Titanic 666 for one wild movie marathon.
Slay (2024)
This Tubi original (It's a foreign film! From Canada!) stars Drag Race alumni Trinity the Tuck, Heidi N Closet, Crystal Methyd, and Cara Melle as—you guessed it—drag queens who stop off in a middle-of-nowhere biker bar while on tour. Things are dodgy, and only get dodgier when the bar is overrun by vampires, forcing the queens and the bikers to team up and fight for survival. It's good, campy fun with a heartfelt message, and a marvel of high-energy, low-budget filmmaking. Stream Slay.
Misery (1990)
Before she was Matlock, Kathy Bates was winning Oscars and smashing shins as Stephen King's iconic fangirl gone wild, Annie Wilkes. When James Caan's Paul Sheldon, author of the popular Misery series of romance novels, ends up stuck in Annie's remote house—well, suffice it to say that things are gonna get cockadoodie pretty darn quick. Stream Misery.
The Godfather (1972)
Francis Ford Coppola's triumph (at least until Part II) introduces the all-American Corleone family, lead by an Oscar-winning (and declining) Marlon Brando as Vito alongside his youngest, most reluctant son, Michael (Al Pacino). The Godfather was always a distinctly American story, but, now that our political leaders are explicitly mobsters, it feels more timely than ever. Stream The Godfather.
Trap (2024)
Cooper (Josh Hartnett) is a pretty cool dad in M. Night Shyamalan’s latest, taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to see a very cool Taylor Swift-ish pop star in concert. We quickly learn, though, that Cooper is a hunted serial killer, and that the FBI knows that "The Butcher" will be at the concert, even if they don't know exactly who it is. Of such premises are fun thrillers made, as Cooper has to try to escape the pop concert while somehow making sure his daughter gets to enjoy the show. Stream Trap.
New Jack City (1991)
New Jack City is a serious, thoughtful crime drama that's also an impressively thrilling action movie, and (just as importantly) a time capsule of ‘90s cool, as epitomized by Wesley Snipes. Mario Van Peebles comes swinging right out of the gate with his directorial debut. Stream New Jack City.
Wrapped Up in Christmas (2017)
This was a Lifetime original holiday movie, so you already know the vibe, and not to expect too many surprises. Still, this is a fun one: To advance in her hard-driving management career at the mall, Heather (Tatyana Ali) has to impress her boss, played by the always-hilarious Jackée Harry in full Scrooge mode. Complications arise when her niece sets her up with hottie Brendan Fehr, who helps run an unprofitable toy store with his mom. Heather is tasked with getting these good-natured toy merchants out in favor of renters with deeper pockets, and she'll have to decide whether she's willing to risk her career and teach Jackée the true meaning of Christmas. At the mall. Stream Wrapped Up in Christmas.
Jason X (2001)
It's certainly not for everyone, not even for every slasher fan—but, in Jason X, we have a movie that does exactly what it says on the tin and sends Jason into space. Having been captured, Jason is being contained and studied at the Crystal Lake Research Facility. He's placed into cryogenic suspension where he remains until 2455, when a group of mostly horny young scientists accidentally release him onto their spaceship following a field trip to the dead planet Earth. As if plain old Jason wasn't bad enough, he gets some badass cyborg upgrades that really do not bode well for our hapless crew.Stream Jason X.
Gladiator (2000)
Ridley Scott's historical epic cleaned up at the box office and at the Academy Awards. Russell Crowe stars as Maximus Decimus Meridius, a general in the Roman army forced, in unjust disgrace, to fight in the arena for the pleasure of Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), a man on whom he swears revenge. Stream Gladiator.
The Thin Man (1934)
The boozy chemistry between all-time greats Myrna Loy and William Powell gives The Thin Man the kind of loose energy that makes it not only easy to watch, but a real joy, whether or not you’re paying any attention to the central murder mystery. Nick and Nora are always a good hang. Stream The Thin Man.
Threads (1984)
This nuclear-war drama terrorized British television audiences back in 1984, depicting daily life in a small English city before and after an armed conflict between the U.S. and the USSR. A seemingly realistic depiction of the impacts of nuclear winter, it's unrelentingly grim (which: fair) but masterfully crafted. It's also a great example of the kind if cinematic archaeology that Tubi allows for. Stream Threads.
Stargate (1994)
A fun, high-concept sci-fi adventure that kicked-off an impressive TV franchise. An archaeologist discovers a portal (a.k.a. stargate) in the Egyptian desert that connects to a distant point in space—one which happens to be the home of ancient Egyptian Gods. James Spader is the linguist called in to help figure things out, while Kurt Russell is the military guy ready to blow things up. On the other side, they meet Jaye Davidson's memorably sexy, though hardly benevolent, Ra. Stream Stargate.
The Raid (2022)
A fictionalized reaction to the 2007 police raids against the Ngāi Tūhoe community in the small town of Rūātoki, this Tubi original is saddled with a generic title that makes it sound disposable (internationally, the title is Muru). A two-day raid costing millions led to few arrests and only a couple of convictions on minor gun charges, all because New Zealand authorities were convinced that Māori were preparing some kind of uprising. Here, Cliff Curtis (Whale Rider) plays local cop Taffy Tāwharau, who becomes caught between following the law and the dictates of his conscience as the danger and violence escalates. Stream The Raid.
Color Out of Space (2019)
Nicolas Cage is at his Nic Cage-iest in this H. P. Lovecraft adaptation about a family's descent into madness. A beautiful, horrifying, utterly unique sensory experience. Stream Color Out of Space.
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Tubi offers up a better assortment of classics than many of the other streamers, most of which have shifted to a newer-is-better focus. Hot stars Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis as a couple of jazz-age musicians who run afoul of a mob boss, deciding to escape by posing as members of an all-female band (one that, memorably, includes Marilyn Monroe). Director Billy Wilder pitches the farce just right, at the intersection between smart and silly. Stream Some Like It Hot.
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
It's one of Hollywood’s all-time team-ups, with director George Cukor at the helm of a Katherine Hepburn vehicle in which she’s pursued by both Cary Grant and James Stewart (and, of course, her fiancé played by John Howard—but he never really has a chance). It’s hard to know who to root for. Even when she’s back-footed by the men in her life, Hepburn's still the whole show, bandying brilliant dialogue in a movie that veers effortlessly from sophisticated to screwball. Stream The Philadelphia Story.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this memorable emo mind-bender about a troubled teenager who dodges disaster thanks to a bit of sleepwalking. An instant cult classic, it's the movie all the cool kids were talking about back in the day. Stream Donnie Darko (director's cut), or the theatrical version.
God's Own Country (2017)
Josh O’Connor (The Crown’s Prince Charles) and Alec Secăreanu play Yorkshire farmer Johnny and Romanian migrant worker Gheorghe. The initially tempestuous relationship that develops really does feel like it’s headed for tragedy (à la Brokeback Mountain), which makes the film’s unexpected turn in the direction of a happier ending particularly thrilling. Stream God's Own Country.
Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
Robert Townsend directs himself as Bobby Taylor, in a satire about the perils of navigating the Hollywood system for an actor simultaneously too Black and not Black enough for the tastes of studio bosses. Through elaborate fantasy sequences and parodies of popular movies, Townsend creates a sharp and often extremely funny sendup that’s (sadly) still relevant. Stream Hollywood Shuffle.
The Apartment (1960)
Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine star in this searing, bittersweet, but ultimately humane comedy. MacLaine's Fran Kubelik is an elevator operator having an affair with the big boss at an insurance company, while Lemmon's Bud Baxter gets ahead by loaning out his apartment to upper management for various extramarital assignations. The budding friendship between the two threatens both of their careers. Stream The Apartment.
Ray (2004)
It’s not just Jamie Foxx’s Oscar-winning performance that sells this take on the troubled rise of Ray Charles; he’s flawless, but every main performance here is great—Regina King, Kerry Washington, and Clifton Powell, in particular. Some of the beats here are pretty recognizable, but the performances create the feeling that we’ve gained some essential insight into these characters and the real-life individuals they represent. Stream Ray.
Whale Rider (2002)
Pai is a 12-year-old Māori girl and the direct descendant of their tribe’s traditional notable ancestor, the Whale Rider—except that, traditionally, women can’t lead. Star Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest nominee for a Best Actress Oscar for her open, genuine performance. Stream Whale Rider.
Terrifier (2016)
Damien Leone's low-budget slasher series quietly builds into a queasy empire, with the most recent film being a legit box office smash. Here, literal clown-from-hell Art stalks partygoer Tara Heyes and her sister Victoria (Scaffidi) on Halloween night. Stream Terrifier.
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
This horror comedy with punk style is both a knowing parody of zombie movies while also managing to be an impressively gory thriller in its own right that moves the whole genre forward. Plus, it’s got a great death-rock soundtrack. Stream Return of the Living Dead.
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
One of the best anime films of all time, at least when it comes to sci-fi and cyberpunk, Ghost in the Shell boasts impeccable style in addition to the thoughtfulness and complexity of its story. Major Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg security agent hunting an enigmatic hacker known only as "the Puppet Master" in the rapidly approaching year 2029, a time when the rise of AI threatens even the idea of individual existence. Stream Ghost in the Shell.
The Leather Boys (1964)
A classic of British kitchen sink realism, a movement in the 1960s that saw hyperrealistic portraits of, often, angry teens and young people, The Leather Boys sees young couple Reggie and Dot becoming increasingly estranged when Reggie mostly wants to just hang out with his biker friends. Among those friends is Pete, who seems to be developing an attraction to Reggie that goes a bit beyond that of a typical biker bro. Stream The Leather Boys.
Cabaret (1972)
Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey star in this essential musical about the good times and extravagant style of Weimar Germany giving way to the rising tide of fascism. Stream Cabaret.
It Happened One Night (1934)
The template for a million romantic comedies to come, It Happened One Night, despite appearing during the awkward early years of sound, remains unsurpassed in its charm and sexiness. Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable have terrific chemistry, and their relationship is one of near-equals—something that would grow increasingly rare in the succeeding decades. It’s one of only three films to have won an Academy Award in every major category, and deservedly so. Stream It Happened One Night.
Black Friday sales probably have you deep in your Christmas shopping already, but don't forget we've got another holiday to get through first. And while nothing gets you in the mood for the holidays like a good Christmas movie, there are a host (no pun intended) of Thanksgiving movies too.
Now, there are plenty of films with Thanksgiving vibes (family gatherings and cozy fall colors), but you have to dig a bit deeper if you want that holiday specificity. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles gets mentioned overwhelmingly when people are asked about their favorite Turkey Day movie, in part because it's a legitimately good, but also because it's one of the few that people remember, but it's far from the only one. Here are 20 to stream while you're cooking, eating, or settling into a food coma this year.
What’s Cooking? (2000)
While movies and TV often portray a sameness in traditions, every culture, subculture, and family that celebrates brings its own sets of traditions and baggage to the holiday. What’s Cooking? brings together four ethnically and culturally diverse families (Latino, Vietnamese, Jewish, and African American...with a lesbian couple in the mix) who celebrate Thanksgiving together, with each contributing different foods (and family dramas) to the proceedings. Mercedes Ruehl, Kyra Sedgwick, Joan Chen, Lainie Kazan, Julianna Margulies, and Alfre Woodard lead the impressive cast. Stream What's Cooking on Prime Video and Tubi or rent it from Apple TV.
Jodie Foster followed up her 1991 directorial debut Little Man Tate with this all-star holiday get-together. Holly Hunter stars as Claudia Larson, a just-fired single mom coming back to Baltimore to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Because what could be less stressful? Her old friends make her feel insecure about being divorced; her mom's sister Gladys, in the early stages of dementia, confesses her love for her father; her gay brother drops a turkey on the conservative sister; and a friendly after-dinner wrestling match gets serious. Sounds generally less explosive than my typical family gathering, but still. Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Dylan McDermott, Claire Danes, Austin Pendleton, and David Strathairn also star.Stream Home for the Holidays on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
One of John Hughes’ best movies barely involves teenagers at all, instead serving as a two-hander between Steve Martin and John Candy, a pair of desperately mismatched travelers headed to their respective Thanksgiving gatherings. Only the most fortunate among us have been spared the torments of holiday travel, and Hughes captures those trials, even as the movie reaches more absurd heights as the protagonists near their destinations—with enough well-earned sweetness by the end to lift this one into the holiday pantheon. Stream Planes, Trains, and Automobiles on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
At only 25 minutes, this holiday special perhaps doesn't count as a movie, but it packs a lot of holiday spirit into its short runtime. As Charlie and Sally make plans to head off to their grandparents' for Thanksgiving dinner, Peppermint Patty finds herself adrift, her father out of town. So she goes ahead and invites herself, and the rest of the gang, over to the Brown place—with no dinner planned. Charlie's determined to do right by his friends, even if he doesn't know how to make much more than toast. Troubles naturally ensue. But what Thanksgiving prep doesn't involve drama? Between scenes of Snoopy's antics are some subtle lessons about managing expectations and finding the real meaning of gathering with friends. Stream A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Apple TV+.
Say what you like about the Addams family (go ahead! They will not care); they’re one of the most loving and mutually supportive families in pop culture. I’d rather spend Thanksgiving dinner with them than almost any other fictional family (though I might bring my own food). The nod to the holiday here isn’t to a meal, though, but to the national mythology around which the holiday is built. When camp counsellors make the mistake of asking Wednesday and Pugsley to participate in a seasonal play, they turn it into a fiery indigenous revenge fantasy par excellence. Having white kids playing Native Americans doesn’t do much by way of indigenous representation, but at least the movie doesn’t glorify early contact. The Addams' are definitely screwed up, but they're doing better than most of us. Rent Addams Family Values from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Perhaps not family viewing, precisely—though I'm hardly here to judge yours. Journey back to 1973 in Ang Lee’s Thanksgiving-set classic, as gathering for the annual dinner brings out dark secrets in the lives of two clans in a quiet, picture-perfect suburb. The meal gives way to a key party (ask your grandparents) weekend, which, if it had caught on, might have seen swinging and group sex with the neighbors become as much of a holiday tradition as green bean casserole. Alas. Rent The Ice Storm from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Katie Holmes stars as the title’s April Burns in this indy dramedy built around an unconventional Thanksgiving celebration for an extremely dysfunctional family. April lives in a tiny Lower East Side apartment but is nevertheless determined to gather the entire family for dinner—though she's estranged from her parents and her siblings, her mom Joy (Patricia Clarkson) has breast cancer, and there’s every chance that this will be her last holiday. But April's best intentions can’t make things go smoothly. Her broken stove is a problem, as is her drug-dealer ex. And her very suburban family members will have to get over their fear of THE CITY. Thankfully, there’s some holiday cheer to be had, even if it’s desperately hard won. Stream Pieces of April on Tubi and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Another one that's probably not for the whole family, this grisly, satirical Thanksgiving-themed slasher from director Eli Roth kicks off with one of those early-morning Black Friday sales that are totally fun, and where nothing could ever possibly go wrong. Taking a cue from real-life events, a crowd lined-up outside of a Wal-Mart-esque big box store gets unruly when they see the owner's daughter inside early with her friends. A stampede ensues, and it's so horrific it's nearly funny; customers and staff are killed with abandon by out-of-control shoppers (though it doesn't feel that far removed from some of the Black Friday near-tramplings we've seen on the news). The following year? A mystery killer seeks holiday-themed revenge. Stream Thanksgiving on Hulu or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
A charming, if lesser-known suburban comedy about the very relatable experience of trying to come out at a family gathering, and the ensuing mixed reactions. Jenna Laurenzo writes, directs, and stars as Lauren, who’s all ready to introduce her girlfriend to the family at Thanksgiving...until her male roommate shows up, and everyone auumes he’s her boyfriend. Stream Lez Bomb on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
What does any Thanksgiving gathering need but more lesbian coming-out drama? This essential Christopher Guest mockumentary follows the production of an arthouse movie initially called Home for Purim, starring Callie Webb (Parker Posey) as a young woman who brings her girlfriend to a holiday dinner during the 1940s. As the absolutely cursed production gains Oscar buzz, the studio takes things in hand, deciding that the setting of a movie called "Home for Purim," is way too Jewish. Soon, our cast and crew (played by Guest mainstays Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jane Lynch) are promoting "Home for Thanksgiving," which is the relatively thin thread by which I'll hang the movie on this list. Watch it now, and then watch it again during Oscar season. Rent For Your Consideration from Prime Video and Apple TV.
In this screwball-style holiday comedy, Greta Gerwig (who also co-wrote the film with director Noah Baumbach) plays Brooke, an unstoppable force who's some combination of influencer, interior designer, and fitness instructor—and who's nevertheless barely holding things together. Tracy (Lola Kirke), meanwhile, is a quiet, intense college freshman. Tracy's mom is about to marry Brooke's dad. The two women hit it off immediately, but their differences set off a sting of fairly zany happenings that all lead to a funny, poignant, and very New York Thanksgiving dinner. Rent Mistress America from Prime Video and Apple TV.
The past is very much present at nearly any family gathering, and that’s the case in this psychological drama, written and directed by Stephen Karam, who also wrote the Tony-winning and Pulitzer-nominated play on which it’s closely based. It begins with a father struggling with 9/11-related trauma at his adult daughter’s apartment, which is too close to ground zero for his comfort (and might also possibly be haunted). Everyone brings traumas and resentments to the holiday table—but the movie is smart and subtle enough to avoid obvious beats and easy answers. Stream The Humans on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Screwball dark comedy The House of Yes is, perhaps, not terribly representative of any particular American family at Thanksgiving—unless you too have a psychotic sister (Parker Posey) who believes that she’s Jackie Onassis. This is Posey in her wacky indie golden age, starring in a darkly funny seasonal comedy which, OK, includes incest and murder so, you know, maybe don't watch it with the kids. But as a heightened version of the kinds of wackiness that family members can bring to the dinner table, it rings true. Rent The House of Yes from Prime Video and Apple TV.
You could spend an entire afternoon watching classic ‘90s Parker Posey movies—which honestly sounds better than 80% of typical Thanksgiving activities. Here she’s crammed into a Buick with Hope Davis and Live Schreiber as they head out on a day-after-Thanksgiving road trip to track down Davis’ husband and confront him about his cheating ways. Stream The Daytrippers on HBO Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Upper-middle class white family dysfunction was a big topic in the 1990s, and this is a standout example of the form. On one level, it's another story of a family coming together over the holidays while grappling with resentments and secrets and abusive histories, but it's a big step up from the typical family drama, unravelling the various relationships with uncommon subtlety and a sense of humor. The entire family is extremely horny, and having various couples under one roof for the holidays makes it very hard for anyone to get any sleep. Blythe Danner, Roy Scheider, Noah Wyle, and Julianne Moore star. Stream The Myth of Fingerprints on Tubi.
One of Charlie Chaplin's most memorable films isn't exactly full of images of Thanksgiving abundance, though there are reasons for gratitude by the movie's end. But one of the best remembered scenes (not just in the film, but in all of American cinema) takes place during an extremely unconventional Thanksgiving meal: Chaplin's Tramp cooks up one of his shoes for himself and Jim (Mack Swain), with whom he's trapped in a tiny snowbound cabin during the Klondike Gold Rush. Their Thanksgiving repast doesn't end there, as The Tramp hallucinates a giant chicken, leading to a round of fisticuffs, before a more discernibly tangible bear comes to investigate. It's a good reminder to appreciate whatever food winds up on your plate, assuming it isn't also made of laces and leather. Stream The Gold Rush on HBO Max and Prime Video or rent it from Apple TV.
There's hardly any modern technology at all in the town of Turkey Hollow, making it a great place for recently divorced Ron to take his two kids for the holiday. They're all off to the home of Ron's eccentric Aunt Cly (Mary Steenburgen) for some peace and quiet—until teens Tim and Annie get involved in the hunt for the "Howling Hoodoo," a 10-foot-tall monster of local legend. That leads them into a plot to take over Aunt Clay's farm, as well as some other delightfully Muppet-y weirdness; produced by the Jim Henson Company, the movie is based on one of his original stories. Definitely a fun family watch. Stream Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow on Prime Video.
There's not a lot of Thanksgiving in the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man film, but this is about it if you're looking for a super-powered holiday. Here, the festivities occur at a key moment: Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) is having the whole gang over for turkey—Peter (Tobey Maguire) and pals Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and Harry (James Franco), of course, but also Harry's dad Norman Osbourne (Willem Dafoe). He's secretly Spider-villain the Green Goblin, and it's during this meal that he notices that Peter has some suspicious injuries. The tension grows as the arch-nemeses gradually cotton to each other's dual identities. And what Thanksgiving dinner isn't filled with bubbling tension? Stream Spider-Man on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
There's much that's poignant about The Last Waltz, the Martin Scorsese -directed concert film recorded during Thanksgiving 1976. The final performance of the Band feels like the end of a rock 'n' roll era, with the generation of musicians who exploded during Woodstock (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, and many others) saying goodbye to what had been in the face of disco, rap, new wave, and pop. But there's more here than just that sense of encroaching twilight: there are squabbles, there's real affection, and there's a lot of booze and more than a few drugs. In other words: not an atypical family Thanksgiving celebration. (The entire audience was given a Thanksgiving dinner before the concert, if that helps to sell you on the holiday connection.) Stream The Last Waltz on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Once again, not a ton of explicit holiday here, but there is a sequence set at the mall during Thanksgiving—and the film is so charmingly goofy that it makes for solidly low-key seasonal viewing. Steve Martin plays Vinnie Antonelli, a mobster sent to live in the San Diego suburbs as part of the witness protection program—"Tod," as he's now called, struggles to give up his criminal ways, and doesn't even try to tone down his larger-than-life personality. This all makes life a bit of a blue hell for FBI agent Barney Coopersmith (Rick Moranis), assigned to keep an eye on Vinnie/Tod (they're joined by the reliably funny Joan Cusack). Herbert Ross (Steel Magnolias) directs a screenplay from Nora Ephron, and, if it's not the greatest use of all this assembled talent, it's still a very fun way to kill 90 minutes. Rent My Blue Heaven from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Netflix's December lineup has a little something for everyone, from familiar original series to live sports. Emily in Paris returns for a fifth season (Dec. 18), this time set in Rome. The final installment of Stranger Things is coming at the end of the month—the first half of season five premiered in November—with volume two releasing at 5 p.m. PT on Christmas Day and the finale at 5 p.m. PT on New Year's Eve.
There's also Love Is Blind: Italy (Dec. 1) and My Next Guest with David Letterman and Adam Sandler (Dec. 1), in which Letterman joins Adam Sandler backstage on his comedy tour, and What's In The Box? (Dec. 17), a new game show hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.
On the film side, Daniel Craig returns as Detective Benoit Blanc in a new Knives Out mystery called Wake Up, Dead Man (Dec. 12). The standalone sequel to Glass Onion also stars Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, and Andrew Scott.
Goodbye June (Dec. 24) also has a stacked cast, including Helen Mirren, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn, and Kate Winslet—the film is her directorial debut. Four siblings are dealing with their mother's nearing death over the holiday season.
Finally, the live events lineup in December includes Jake vs. Joshua: Judgment Day (Dec. 19) and two Christmas Day NFL match-ups: Cowboys vs. Commanders and Lions vs. Vikings.
Here's everything else coming to Netflix in December, and everything that's leaving.
A combination of technological developments and market forces is undermining the trust between viewer and filmmaker. What’s at stake is history itself.
But even with everything back to the status quo, that doesn't necessarily mean watching the NFL is suddenly easy. Keeping up with games is a quagmire of streaming and airing rights, and if you want to follow the whole league, it can be a bit of a daunting task. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch the NFL, whether you're watching online or through your TV.
YouTube TV with NFL Sunday Ticket is the best one-stop shop
Depending on how much football you need to watch, YouTube TV's bundle with the NFL Sunday ticket might be enough for you. The company describes it as "the most live NFL games" you can get on a single plan, and now that ESPN and ABC are back on YouTube TV, that's more or less true. Or, if you only want to watch live on Sunday afternoon, you can buy the NFL Sunday Ticket standalone without also subscribing to YouTube TV.
Essentially, YouTube TV gives you access to everything on ESPN (including Monday Night Football), NBC (Sunday Night Football and local games), CBS (local games), and Fox (local games). NFL Sunday Ticket, then, lets you watch out-of-market games aired on Sunday during the daytime, with unlimited simultaneous streams at your home and two streams for those outside of the home. You also don't have to watch live if you're not able—condensed on-demand replays of the most recent Sunday games are available the following Monday through Wednesday. NFL Sunday Ticket is a YouTube exclusive, which explains why the Disney feud was so annoying for sports fans. Other Live TV packages exist, but bundling Sunday Ticket with YouTube TV can save you some cash on your subscription, depending on how new you are to YouTube TV, and it gives you a pretty comprehensive one-stop shop that competitors can't really recreate.
You pretty much only lose out on Thursday Night Football here, but the catch is what is usually a pretty high cost. A standalone NFL Sunday Ticket subscription normally costs $85/month for new customers, or $145/month for returning customers. Bundled costs for new customers are unchanged, although returning customers can save a little bit by bundling Sunday Ticket with a standard YouTube TV subscription ($83/month, or $73/month for the first three months), which will drop the cost to $115/month. Alternatively, opting for a four-month subscription usually lowers the costs to $37.50/month for new customers, and $66/month for returning customers (or $51/month when bundled with YouTube TV). If you want to go all in, you could also opt for an annual season pass, which is $150 for new customers and $264 for returning customers.
That said, at the time of this writing in November 2025, there is currently a discounted promotion for the rest of the season, which allows new subscribers to get the NFL Sunday Ticket on a four-month plan for $12/month and returning subscribers to get a four-month plan for $15.50/month. Or, you could pay upfront for season passes through 2025: $48 for new subscribers and $62 for returning subscribers. Why the discount? Well, probably because the 2025 NFL season will end on Jan. 4.
If you can afford it and just want a set-it-and-forget it option, YouTube TV with NFL Sunday Ticket are probably your best bets. And while it's not the only way to get it, you can also add NFL Redzone to your subscription, either for an additional $2.50 on your Sunday Ticket price or as part of the $11/month Sports Plus add-on. This will give you live whip-around highlights coverage of all Sunday afternoon games as they air.
Local games and Sunday Night Football on Paramount+ and Peacock
Let's say you don't want to pay the high cost for YouTube TV. Before moving onto the football-specific streaming services, it's worth touching on other streaming services you might already own. Paramount+ and Peacock allow users to watch games aired on CBS and NBC, respectively, which could be enough for you depending on which teams you follow.
According to the NFL's official "Ways to Watch" page, CBS airs six to seven Sunday daytime games a week, and you can check your local listings for specifics. NBC, meanwhile, hosts Sunday Night Football, which is a marquee primetime game with no competition from other games.
Fox is currently in a similar boat to CBS, allowing users to watch select local daytime games on Sundays, but it has a twist. In addition to offering the games on its own schedule, the network's streaming service, Fox One, also offers a bundle with ESPN. This gives subscribers access to both local Fox games, as well as games aired on ESPN Unlimited. ESPN Unlimited includes Monday Night Football, which could make it a viable solution for people who don't want to get a whole Live TV plan just for Monday night games.
On its own, a month of Fox One costs $25, and an annual subscription is $240. The ESPN bundle is only available monthly, and costs $40.
Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime
If you own Amazon Prime, there's at least one weekly primetime game you've got access to. Prime Video is currently the home of Thursday Night Football, which like Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Football, is a marquee game without any conflicts from other games. Because Prime Video is included in Amazon Prime, there's a good chance you've got access to it without knowing, assuming you crave two-day shipping as much as the rest of us. If not, you can sign up for Amazon Prime for $15/month or $139/year, or just subscribe to Prime Video on its own for $9/month.
ESPN streaming, Disney+, and Hulu Live TV
Part of what made Disney's conflict with YouTube TV so difficult for sports fans is how much of the NFL is exclusive to its channels and streaming services, which are numerous and can be hard to parse.
The most comprehensive of these is ESPN, which offers two streaming plans—ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited. The difference is that ESPN Select only includes content from ESPN+, which is largely made up of lower level, student, or non-football games from channels like ESPN2 or ESPN3. ESPN Unlimited, meanwhile, includes all ESPN content, including larger games from the main channel as well as ESPN+ content, which makes it a suitable way to watch ESPN's own primetime offering, Monday Night Football.
Alternatively, Disney+ subscribers have access to a rotating "sampling of ESPN sports content," although you'll need to bundle ESPN with your Disney+ subscription to view most games.
If you'd like access to more than just ESPN content, you can also subscribe to Disney's own live TV service, Hulu + Live TV. This includes all the Disney channels currently available on YouTube TV, as well as other channels, including CBS (local games), NBC (Sunday Night Football and local games), Fox (local games), and NFL Network (more on that later). The big missing piece of the puzzle here is NFL Sunday Ticket. If bought standalone, Hulu + Live TV also does not include on-demand viewing in the ESPN app.
Pricing for all of this can get a little tricky, so I'll start with the cheapest options and work my way up. I'll also be excluding annual pricing for expediency, although note that Disney+, Hulu (excluding Live TV), and ESPN all offer annual plans.
On its own, a month of Disney+ standalone starts at $12, and a month of Hulu standalone costs the same. Bundling these services together increases the price to just $13, so that's likely where you'll want to start. For more reliable sports content, though, you'll want ESPN. A month of ESPN Select is also $13, but for NFL, you'll want to opt for ESPN Unlimited, which has a monthly price of $30.
Then there are the Disney+ and Hulu bundles that include ESPN. Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Select starts at $20 monthly, while Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited is $30 monthly for the first 12 months and then $36/month after that. Given that the first twelve months of the second bundle have the same price as ESPN Unlimited on its own, it might be the more savvy choice, assuming you remember to cancel once your subscription is up.
As for Hulu + Live TV, this is Disney's most expensive option, as it's essentially a cable package. A bundle with Hulu + Live TV, regular Hulu (with ads), Disney+ (with ads), and ESPN Select (with ads) costs $64.99/month for the first three months, which is cheaper than YouTube TV, but increases to $90/month afterwards. You could also subscribe to Hulu + Live TV on its own for $89/month instead, although that's losing out on a lot of extra streaming content just to save a dollar, and does not include the cheaper first three months. To remove ads from Disney+, you can up your bundle price to $95/month, and to remove ads from both Disney+ and Hulu, you can pay $100/month. ESPN Select and Live TV will still have ads, however. To view ESPN Unlimited content in the app, you'll also need to add it on to your Hulu for $30/month (the Hulu + Live TV landing page does advertise ESPN Unlimited app content being included in this bundle, but upon moving to checkout, it'll shift to ESPN Select, and the official chart of plans does not currently have an option with ESPN Unlimited in a bundle with Hulu + Live TV).
Finally, Disney offers a bundle in collaboration with NFL+, which I'll discuss in a moment. This bundle costs $40/month for the first year, after which it bumps up to $46/month. It includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN Unlimited, all with ads, as well as NFL+ Premium. Alternatively, you could pay $9 more (this applies to both the promotional and permanent pricing) to remove ads from Disney+ and Hulu Premium, although ESPN Unlimited will still have ads.
What is NFL+?
Likely the cheapest option on this list, NFL+ gives you access to a lot of content for not too much of an investment, but with a pretty serious catch.
There are two tiers to the service, and both offer live streaming of local and primetime regular games, but only to your phone or tablet. That's right: These games won't work with the service's TV app, and DRM prevents AirPlay or similar screen mirroring features. Even those attempting to connect the phone or tablet app to a larger monitor via a cable have reported difficulty.
Because football games are a popular big-screen activity, and because NFL+ has such a low cost compared to other options, this is likely due to behind-the-scenes content agreements with other services to ensure the app does not eat in on their own subscriptions.
Still, if you have a large enough tablet and only want to watch prime time or local games (including Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, and even Sunday daytime games), it's a compelling option. NFL+ also comes with live game audio for every game of the season, ad-free highlights, and a selection of original NFL Films content, all available on PC and TV in addition to phone and tablet. Upgrading to NFL+ Premium will add condensed game replays and gives you access to NFL Redzone (live select coverage of all Sunday afternoon games) as well as the NFL Pro stats service. Replays and Redzone are viewable on PC, TV, phone, and tablet, but NFL Pro is only available on desktop and mobile browsers.
There is also one workaround that allows you to watch live games in an internet browser, and that is the NFL Network live stream (also available as a channel in certain cable and Live TV packages). This is included with either NFL+ plan, but you're at the mercy of whatever content NFL Network is playing, which is not comprehensive and includes analysis and other non-game programming.
NFL+ costs $7/month (or $50/year) while NFL+ Premium costs $15/month (or $100/year). It's a strong pick if you're most interested in keeping up with stats and big plays, and don't mind being restricted to watching live games on certain devices.
Other Live TV services
In addition to Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV, ESPN, local channels, and NFL Network are available on a number of other Live TV streaming services as well as traditional television providers, including DIRECTV, Fubo TV, Spectrum, Verizon FiOS, and Sling.
You'll want to check channel loadouts as well as the best options in your area, but in the case of a future content blackout, it's worth pointing out three in particular. That's because DIRECTV, Fubo TV, and Sling are great options if you only need to watch for a short while. Both DIRECTV and Fubo TV offer free trials, with DIRECTV's lasting five days and FUBO TV's lasting seven days. Meanwhile, Sling Orange offers day passes for $5 a pop, if you just need to watch one specific game.
Get a digital antenna
Finally, if your eyes are glazing over from these various subscriptions as much as mine are, it's important to remember that local networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX are available using a digital antenna in most U.S. markets. While not comprehensive, this will give you access to local games as well as prime time games including Monday Night Football (aired on ABC as well as ESPN) and Sunday Night Football.
While I personally have had mixed luck getting reception from digital antennae, Lifehacker sister site PCMag has a tested selection of antennae, with costs as low as $25. Just set it and forget it.
Caitlin Roper, a member of Collective Shout, an Australian activist group, was recently threatened online with violent A.I.-generated images depicting herself.
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