'Squid Game' returns. Here's what else is worth streaming from Netflix, Disney and more in December 2024.

MW 'Squid Game' returns. Here's what else is worth streaming from Netflix, Disney and more in December 2024.

By Mike Murphy

'Squid Game' is back for Season 2, while 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew' and a 'Dexter' prequel highlight a slow month. Plus, here are the best series of the year, and recommendations for best escapist shows.

With the exception of Netflix, streaming services are mostly taking December off.

That should be good news for consumers, who can cut back on their streaming spending this holiday shopping season. It's also a good time to catch up on shows that slipped through the cracks during the year, or to take a break from reality and unleash your imagination through a classic escapist series (more on that later).

With some strategic churning - that is, adding and dropping services month to month - it shouldn't be difficult to keep the streaming budget below $50 this month. It takes some planning but pays off in monthly savings. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month. It's also a good time to take advantage of Black Friday and holiday sales and lock in some bargain subscription prices.

Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget - rating the major services as "play," "pause" or "stop," similar to investment analysts' traditional ratings of buy, hold and sell - and picks the best shows to help you make your monthly decisions.

Here's a look at what's coming to the various streaming services in December 2024, and what's really worth the monthly subscription fee:

Netflix ($6.99 a month for standard with ads, $15.49 standard with no ads, $22.99 premium with no ads)

Netflix $(NFLX)$ will deliver the season's biggest gift to viewers the day after Christmas, with Season 2 of the acclaimed South Korean thriller "Squid Game" (Dec. 26). While Season 1 was a brutal and bloody parable about inequality, Season 2 promises to be even harsher. "The story told in the second season is much crueler, scarier and more gruesome than the first," showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk said in a recent interview. Gulp. Season 1 remains Netflix's most popular show ever, and, while it might be hard to capture lightning in a bottle a second time, Netflix is banking on Season 2 to do it.

The streaming giant will also take its biggest step into live sports with two NFL games on Christmas Day, as the Baltimore Ravens take on the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Pittsburgh Steelers. Netflix reportedly paid about $75 million each for the games, and it had better hope that its streaming feed fares better than the janky one that cut out repeatedly during November's Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight.

There's also "Black Doves" (Dec. 5), a slick-looking thriller series starring Keira Knightly as a former spy out for revenge against whoever killed her secret lover; Season 9 of "Queer Eye" (Dec. 11), which adds a new member to the Fab Five, interior designer Jeremiah Brandt; "No Good Deed" (Dec. 12), a dark comedy series about three couples vying to buy the same dream house, which turns into a nightmare, featuring an all-star cast including Lisa Kudrow, Ray Romano, Linda Cardellini and Luke Wilson; "Carry-On" (Dec. 16), a thriller movie starring Taron Egarton as a TSA agent who must outwit a mysterious passenger and prevent an attack; "Aaron Rodgers: Enigma" (Dec. 17), a docuseries about the once-great NFL quarterback; and Season 6 of the small-town romantic drama "Virgin River" (Dec. 19).

In the holiday theme, there's the musical special "A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter" (Dec. 6); "Mary" (Dec. 6), a movie about Jesus's mother that looks like it'd fit better on Fox Nation; and the annual "Great British Baking Show: Holidays" (Dec. 9) special.

There are also standup-comedy specials from Fortune Feimster (Dec. 3), Jamie Foxx (Dec. 10), Ronny Chieng (Dec. 17), Nate Bergatze (Dec. 24) and Michelle Buteau (Dec. 31).

Netflix is also adding the first three seasons of Queen Latifah's CBS drama "The Equalizer" (Dec. 16) and Season 3 of Paramount+'s "Evil."

Catch up: Producer Mike Schur's latest sitcom, "A Man on the Inside," starring Ted Danson as a widower who goes undercover at a retirement home to investigate a jewel theft, is a great addition to his gently goofy comedy work. It's immensely warm, a cozy mystery that feels like a lower-stakes (though also less laugh-out-loud) cousin of Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building." It also nails the emotional wrecking ball of dealing with - or having dealt with - a loved one suffering from Alzheimer's.

Best titles of 2024: Released in April, "Ripley," a new spin on the classic story of a charming but murderous grifter, may have been the best show on TV this year, and it's certainly the best-looking. Other top picks: the shocking stalker dramedy "Baby Reindeer," the charming rom-com "Nobody Wants This," the soapy but addictive political thriller "The Diplomat," and, for violent fun, "The Brothers Sun," "The Tourist" and "The Gentlemen."

Wanna get away? A lot of people have been saying that in this, ahem, current climate, they're looking for some good escapism, shows where they can lose themselves in an entirely different world. So this month we'll offer some suggestions for each streaming service. Netflix has a good roster of escapist fare, but perhaps the one most worthy of being pointed out is "The Magicians," which ran on Syfy for five seasons. The show follows a group of grad students at a secretive Hogwarts-style college for magic and evolves into a sprawling dark fantasy that takes them to a mythical land filled with adventure, horror and surreal nonsense. Imagine "Harry Potter" meets Narnia, with copious sex and drugs, emotionally damaged but always relatable characters, and plot lines that change so fast you can hardly keep track. It's ... a lot. But it's also jaw-droppingly good, and wildly creative, hilarious and harrowing as it subverts fantasy narratives. It's the kind of show you can dive into and later find yourself dreaming about. Also check out Schur's wonderful afterlife sitcom "The Good Place" and the classic ABC puzzle-box drama "Lost."

Play, pause or stop? Play. With "Squid Game" and the NFL on Christmas Day, Netflix has the two biggest streaming events of the month. And there's a lot more on offer beside those.

Apple TV+ ($9.99 a month)

Apple's programmers are apparently taking a winter break.

There are only two new releases on tap: "Fly Me to the Moon" (Dec. 6), the streaming premiere of the astronaut rom-com starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum that fizzled in theaters earlier this year, and "The Secret Lives of Animals" (Dec. 18), a nature documentary series narrated by Hugh Bonneville.

But that's not to say there's nothing to watch. Apple $(AAPL)$ will have new episodes of the affable therapy comedy "Shrinking" every Tuesday (Season 2 finale Dec. 25), the darkly funny Irish mystery "Bad Sisters" (Season 2 finale Dec. 25) every Wednesday, and the the dystopian drama "Silo" every Friday - and all are worth watching.

Best titles of 2024: Apple started the year slow but closed with a bang, with the sharp spy thriller "Slow Horses," the chill-vibes mystery "Bad Monkey," the extraordinary generational sagas "Pachinko," "Bad Sisters" and "Shrinking," all of which are top-notch.

Wanna get away? Apple doesn't have a lot of escapist titles (or at least enough seasons of any) to pick from, but the best bet may be "Foundation," the sprawling, centuries-spanning sci-fi drama based on the Isaac Asimov novels, starring Lee Pace, Jared Harris and Lou Llobell. It builds worlds with rich histories, but it's slow and dense, and can be a slog to follow. Season 3 is expected to land in 2025. Other options: the mostly great alt-history space-exploration series "For All Mankind" and the fun but recently canceled "Time Bandits."

Play, pause or stop? Play. Just for new episodes of "Bad Sisters," "Shrinking" and "Silo."

Disney+ ($9.99 a month with ads, $15.99 with no ads)

Disney's got "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" (Dec. 2), a throwback adventure series in the vein of "The Goonies" about a group of teens (including a blue alien) from galactic suburbia who get lost in space and enlist a mysterious Jedi-ish figure (Jude Law) to help them get home. It's an interesting break from Disney's other "Star Wars" series, more kid-focused and nostalgic. The toxic fanboy crowd will likely hate it, but who cares? It should be a lot of fun for younger viewers.

There are also a couple of gimmicky live-sports "experiences," "Simpsons Funday Football" (Dec. 9), an immersive, animated broadcast of the Cincinnati Bengals-Dallas Cowboys "Monday Night Football" game, and "Dunk the Halls" (Dec. 25), a similarly animated take on the New York Knicks-San Antonio Spurs NBA game, featuring Mickey Mouse and other Disney favorites. It's an interesting concept, like Nickelodeon's slime-filled NFL simulcasts, though kids who are inclined to watch sports would probably rather see the actual games.

Disney's $(DIS)$ also got six new "Bluey Minisodes" (Dec. 9) of animated shorts; "Elton John: Never Too Late" (Dec. 13), a documentary in which the pop icon looks back on his life and career as he prepares for his final concert in L.A.; the Disney+ exclusive "The Simpsons Double Christmas Episode" (Dec. 17); Season 3 of Marvel's animated speculative multiverse series "What If?"; "Doctor Who: Joy to the World" (Dec. 25), the annual Christmas special starring the latest Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, with special guest Nicola Coughlan ("Bridgerton," "Derry Girls"); and "John Williams in Tokyo" (Dec. 27), a 2023 concert special from the legendary Hollywood composer.

Best titles of the year: The animated "X-Men '97" packed a surprising punch, while "Agatha All Along" was the most fun Marvel show in a while.

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December 24, 2024 17:10 ET (22:10 GMT)

MW 'Squid Game' returns. Here's what else is -2-

Wanna get away? There's only one season, but "Andor" did the best of any "Star Wars" series at world-building, and detailing everyday life under Imperial rule. Even if if you're not a "Star Wars" fan, it works as a smart and tense resistance drama. And Season 2 is coming in the spring. For more fantastical universes, try "Once Upon a Time" or "Doctor Who."

Play, pause or stop? Play. There's not a lot for grown-ups, but plenty of kid-friendly shows are on tap. Give 'em something to watch over winter break.

Paramount+ ($7.99 a month with ads, $12.99 a month with Showtime and no ads)

Apart from a handful of Christmas specials - SpongeBob SquarePants on Dec. 2, Dua Lipa on Dec. 15 and Nate Bargatze on Dec. 19 - the only premiere of note is "Dexter: Original Sin" (Dec. 13), an origin-story prequel to the long-running serial-killer drama. Set in 1991, Patrick Gibson stars as young killer-to-be Dexter, with Christian Slater as his father, who tries to instill in him a code to channel his urges. It feels wholly unnecessary, but maybe there's more blood to be squeezed from this franchise that ran out of steam long ago.

There are also new episodes every week of the spy drama "The Agency," Taylor Sheridan's oil drama "Landman" and his covert-action drama "Lioness" (season finale Dec. 8), as well as network favorites such as "Ghosts," "Tracker" and "Matlock."

Paramount $(PARA)$ also has a ton of holiday fare, including movies such as "A Christmas Carol," "Miracle on 34th Street," "Bad Santa" and "Dear Santa," a new one from the Farrelly brothers and Jack Black.

On the sports side, there's the NFL every Sunday, along with a full slate of college basketball, UEFA Champions League, and EFL and Serie A soccer.

Best titles of 2024: The final season of "Evil" was loads of fun, as was the second season of the charming Aussie rom-com "Colin From Accounts."

Wanna get away? If you want to get far, far away from reality, there may be no better option than the surreal, two-season '90s mystery series "Twin Peaks" and its 18-episode 2017 follow-up, "Twin Peaks: The Return." Equal parts unsettling, quirky and trippy, "Twin Peaks" can be utterly baffling at times, but it's always compelling as the eccentric, fundamentally good Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) slowly uncovers the rot inside a small town. The iconic series from David Lynch and Mark Frost is all but guaranteed to transport you to a surreal, bizarre, dream state. Also try "Star Trek" or one of its many spinoffs, such as "The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine" and "Strange New Worlds."

Play, pause or stop? Pause and think it over. There's not much new coming, but "The Agency" could be worth it, especially if you're also a fan of midtier Taylor Sheridan shows and live sports.

Hulu ($9.99 a month with ads, or $18.99 with no ads)

Hulu has an oddly light schedule, almost entirely devoid of new originals.

The best new additions look to be "Paris Has Fallen" (Dec. 6), a British-French action series based on the movie franchise, as a couple of secret agents try to foil a terrorist attack in Paris; "The Full Monty" (Dec. 10), a Fox special in which celebrities including Anthony Anderson, Taye Diggs and James Van Der Beek will strip for a good cause; the first 20 seasons of the classic "Law & Order" (Dec. 16); and the standup special "Ilana Glazer: Human Magic" (Dec. 20).

There'll also be the series finale of the ridiculously watchable vampire comedy "What We Do in the Shadows" (Dec. 16), and you can always catch up on recent releases, such as "Say Nothing," a captivating and morally complicated story of extremism and disillusionment in Northern Ireland (even though it oddly yadda-yadda-yaddas about 20 years of history), and the surreal, perhaps overly ambitious meta-mystery series "Interior Chinatown" (which is largely fun but meanders in its second half).

Best titles of 2024: It's been another very strong year for Hulu, led by Emmy winner "Shogun," along with "The Bear," "Say Nothing," "Only Murders in the Building," "What We Do in the Shadows," the raunchy hockey comedy "Shorsey," the ultraviolent Korean thriller "A Shop for Killers," Season 2 of the charming not-a-superhero comedy "Extraordinary" and the boxing buddy drama "La Maquina."

Wanna get away? Try "Firefly," Joss Whedon's one-season wonder sci-fi/Western series about a ragtag band of smugglers and rebels crewing a small spaceship while trying to elude the authoritarian interplanetary government. It was a ratings flop on Fox in 2002 but had a die-hard fanbase that has grown exponentially in the years since. Boasting a terrific cast, including Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres and Alan Tudyk, "Firefly" managed to develop a richly crafted universe and crammed in an incredible amount of heart into just 14 episodes. Cancellation robbed it of a true finale, but the 2005 follow-up movie "Serenity" (alas, not available on Hulu) tied up most of the loose ends. For more well-known escapes with many more episodes, try "Lost" or "The X-Files."

Play, pause or stop? Stop. Despite a deep library, there's just not enough new stuff this month.

Max ($9.99 a month with ads, $16.99 with no ads, or $20.99 'Ultimate' with no ads)

It's another month of mediocrity for Max, which has fallen far from the must-have that it used to be.

December brings "Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North" (Dec. 3), as the behind-the-scenes NFL docuseries tackles the regular-season and playoff exploits of the league's grittiest division; "Creature Commandos" (Dec. 5), an animated DC series about a "Dirty Dozen"-like team of black-ops monsters, written and produced by James Gunn; "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" (Dec. 7), a documentary about the inspiring actor who was paralyzed in 1995; Season 2 of "Bookie" (Dec. 12), the gambling comedy from Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay; "Fast Friends" (Dec. 19), a "Friends"-themed reality competition series; and the standup special "Rose Matafeo: On and On and On" (Dec. 19) from the "Starstruck" star.

The movie side is brighter, with director Clint Eastwood's latest, "Juror #2" (Dec. 20), which has received rave reviews but a limited theatrical release, thanks to Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) CEO David Zaslav's business acumen; and the comedy sequel "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" (Dec. 6), starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder.

There are also new weekly episodes of the warm and heartfelt comedy "Somebody Somewhere" (series finale Dec. 8), "Dune: Prophecy" (finale Dec. 22) and "The Sex Lives of College Girls."

Max also has the College Football Playoffs starting Dec. 21, as well as a full slate of NBA, NHL and U.S. Soccer games.

Best titles of 2024: The quality shows were mostly packed into the first half of the year, but, looking back, it's a solid bunch: The showbiz comedy "Hacks" hit new and surprising heights; the creepily compelling "True Detective: Night Country" resurrected a franchise; Season 2 of "Tokyo Vice" achieved the cohesiveness and closure it lacked in Season 1; "The Sympathizer" was a surreal and gripping post-Vietnam War satire; and the financial drama "Industry" made the leap to greatness. "Somebody Somewhere" ended on a high note too.

Wanna get away? It's easy to get lost in Bryan Fuller's whimsical, bittersweet comedy/mystery "Pushing Daisies," which ran for two seasons on ABC. Lee Pace stars in the fractured fairy tale as a pie maker whose touch can bring the dead back to life, with Anne Friel as the childhood sweetheart whom he can never touch, Kristin Chenoweth as a waitress who has an unrequited crush on him, and Chi McBride as a private eye who taps into his powers to help solve crimes. It's a delightful and unabashedly romantic series that'll almost certainly put you in a better mood. For other options, try the alternate-universe sci-fi drama "Fringe," the romantic pirate comedy "Our Flag Means Death" and the biggest fantasy hit of them all, "Game of Thrones."

Play, pause or stop? Stop. There's not enough to justify the cost this month.

Amazon's Prime Video ($14.99 a month with ads, $8.99 without Prime membership, both +$2.99 to avoid ads)

Amazon $(AMZN)$ has a weird grab bag of stuff in December, including the hybrid scripted/unscripted holiday comedy travelogue "Jack in Time for Christmas" (Dec. 3), starring British comedian Jack Whitehall; "Pop Culture Jeopardy" (Dec. 4), hosted by Colin Jost; and "Beast Games" (Dec. 9), the reality show from YouTube sensation Mr. Beast, pitting 2,000 competitors doing stupid stunts to win a $5 million prize. That last one is particularly notable, as participants have sued over alleged abusive treatment and dangerous conditions.

As for things that are actually watchable, there's "The Sticky" (Dec. 6), a comedy/crime series starring the always wonderful Margo Martindale as a Canadian maple-syrup farmer who teams with a mobster to pull off "The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist" from Quebec's strategic syrup reserve - which actually happened and is amazing, though the series notes liberties have been taken with the story; and "Secret Level" (Dec. 10), an animated anthology based on characters from popular videogames.

Prime Video also has NFL "Thursday Night Football," new movies such as "The Bikeriders" (Dec. 10) and "A Quiet Place: Day One" (Dec. 31), and classic series, such as all five seasons of the sci-fi series "Babylon 5," all nine seasons of the primetime soap "Knott's Landing" and all eight seasons of the food-and-travelogue series "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" (all Dec. 1).

Best titles of 2024: The reboot of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" was slick and a lot of fun until its very dark second half. Surprisingly, it's been renewed for a second season. The postapocalyptic videogame adaptation "Fallout," the weird existential Western "Outer Range" and the animated throwback "Batman: Caped Crusader" were also worth watching.

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December 24, 2024 17:10 ET (22:10 GMT)

MW 'Squid Game' returns. Here's what else is -3-

Wanna get away? Over six seasons, "The Expanse" was one of the best and most overlooked shows on TV. Deftly switching gears from a noir-ish detective series to a political thriller to an interplanetary war story to an existential mystery, the sprawling hard-sci-fi epic drew an intricate and morally complex galaxy that, even when stretched to alien worlds, always felt believable and grounded in humanity (for better or worse). Also check out the classic and quirky small-town Alaskan comedy "Northern Exposure" or the eerily offbeat sci-fi sort-of-anthology series "Tales From the Loop."

Play, pause or stop? Stop. There's not enough to justify a subscription. Still, since you likely have Prime for the deals and free shipping, there's a decent library.

Peacock ($7.99 a month with ads, or $13.99 with no ads)

It's a slow month for Comcast's $(CMCSA)$ Peacock as well, with only a smattering of originals, including "Laid" (Dec. 19), a comedy series about a woman (Stephanie Hsu) whose exes are dying in unusual ways, so she has to track down all of her former hookups and boyfriends in an effort to save them (which, hmm, sounds like a twist on Netflix's excellent "Lovesick").

Also on tap are the reality reunion show "Paris & Nicole: The Encore" (Dec. 17), the docuseries "Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story" (Dec. 3) and the season finale of "Day of the Jackal" (Dec. 12), which has just been renewed for a second season.

Peacock's also got a holiday hub featuring "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "The Legend of Frosty the Snowman," a ton of Hallmark Channel movies and Christmas-themed episodes of favorite shows.

That's in addition to new episodes of shows like "Brilliant Minds," "Happy's Place," "Night Court," "Real Housewives," "Saturday Night Live" and "St. Denis Medical," and live sports including the Sunday night NFL games and a full slate of Premier League soccer, Big Ten college basketball and winter sports.

Best titles of 2024: There was the terrific second season of the British punk-rock comedy "We Are Lady Parts," but not much else. "Homicide: Life on the Street" is 30 years old but was new to Peacock. Maybe that counts?

Wanna get away? Get a little freaky with the sci-fi saga "Farscape," which ran for four seasons around the turn of the century. It's a wildly creative, character-driven, surprisingly horny, fast-paced romp through an intergalactic war. It might be a little too weird for some, but its die-hard fans still swear by it. Other options include the witchy drama "Charmed," the monster-roommate drama "Being Human" and even staid ol' "Downton Abbey."

Play, pause or stop? Stop. The decent sports lineup isn't enough to save the day.

Need more? Catch up on previous months' picks at What's Worth Streaming.

-Mike Murphy

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 24, 2024 17:10 ET (22:10 GMT)

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