Netflix is adding a host of original programming, as well as Avengers: Infinity War and some returning movies. A few of their original shows are getting holiday specials. Here’s everything coming to Netflix in December.
Even with Netflix’ s recommendation algorithm steadily serving you new movies, new TV shows and original programming tailored to your binging habits, the streaming service’s firehose of content makes what’s coming and going difficult to parse.
That’s why we break down each month’s additions with a spotlight on what to keep on your radar. Netflix’s own “new releases” category is an info dump. Consider us a picture-in-picture talking head, screaming recommendations at the screen.
8 Mile Astro Boy
Battle (Netflix Film)
From Netflix: The right steps. The wrong attitude. But then she shares the dance floor with a new partner, and the rhythm of love takes over.
Bride of Chucky Christine Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Crossroads: One Two Jaga (Netflix Film)
From Netflix: Immigrant laborers and corrupt police. In a world of desperation, doing the right thing isn’t just hard. It’s dangerous.
Friday After Next
Hellboy
The Guillermo Del Toro directed Hellboy features Ron Perlman as the demonic superhero and Selma Blair as the pyrokinetic Liz Sherman. If you’ve never seen this comic adaptation, check it out before the David Harbour-led reboot in April.
Man vs Wild with Sunny Leone: Season 1
Meet Joe Black
The eerie paranormal romance stars a young Brad Pitt as the personification of Death and asks some big questions about life and love. The movie was a notorious bomb, but having been considered over the years, has earned love for its methodical pace.
Memories of the Alhambra (Streaming Every Saturday) (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: While looking for the cryptic creator of an innovative augmented-reality game, an investment firm executive meets a woman who runs a hostel in Spain.
My Bloody Valentine Next Friday Reindeer Games Seven Pounds Shaun of the Dead Terminator Salvation The Big Lebowski
If you haven’t seen the Coen Bros. neo-noir comedy since college, where it is regularly canonized as a “stoner masterpiece,” give it another spin — from the character quirks to the electric design work and every oddball turn of the screw, Lebowski ’s perfect calibration remains underrated in the Coen filmography, where it’s dwarfed by No Country for Old Men and other “prestige” pictures. We can probably drop “stoner” and just call this one a masterpiece. (Also, go ahead and check out The Man Who Knew Too Little, added to give Netflix an extra Coen bump after the release of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass: Season 5 Masterclasses The Last Dragon The Man Who Knew Too Little
The Lobster
If you missed Yorgos Lanthimos’ melancholic, romantic parable about a man forced to find love under threat of being transformed into an animal (of his choosing, in fairness), get on that before catching writer-director’s new film, The Favourite, makes waves at the Oscars. Since Dogtooth, Lanthimos has found thrills in building worlds and capping his audience at the knees in unexpected ways. The Lobster is essentially two films in one, each half coming at love in a different way, and you won’t anticipate the revelations in either.
Blue Planet II: Season 1
Hero Mask (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: After a rash of mysterious deaths, Crown prosecutor Sarah Sinclair and SSC agent James Blood discover a conspiracy surrounding uncanny new bio-masks.
The Sound of Your Heart: Reboot Season 2 (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: As Ae-bong’s husband and father of an adorable baby daughter, Seok finds fresh inspiration from his new family and changing responsibilities.
District 9
The South African sci-fi film put Neill Blomkamp on the map, and it holds up: It’s still a thrill to see Sharlto Copley’s Wikus blasts a path of redemption using alien lasers, and WETA’s special effects that bring alien Christopher Johnson to life continue to dazzle.
Happy!: Season 1
5 Star Christmas (Netflix Film)
From Netflix: Away from their spouses. Away from the paparazzi and nosy reporters. It’s a foolproof, Christmastime tryst — what could go wrong?
Bad Blood (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: This sprawling crime drama follows the true story of the Rizzuto family and its associates, who presided over organized crime in Montreal for decades.
Dogs of Berlin (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Two cops investigate the murder of a famous Turkish-German soccer player, but their ethnic and underworld connections mire the case in controversy.
Dumplin’ (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Dumplin’ (Danielle Macdonald) is the plus-size, teenage daughter of a former beauty queen (Jennifer Aniston), who signs up for her mom’s pageant as a protest that escalates when other contestants follow her footsteps, revolutionizing the pageant and their small Texas town.
Free Rein: The Twelve Neighs of Christmas (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: As Bright Fields preps for its Mistletoe Ball, a broken ornament leads Zoe to a family secret, while Gaby finds herself at the mercy of new boss Mia.
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (Netflix Film)
Andy Serkis’ take on The Jungle Book finally found a home on Netflix. This darker, grittier take features the voices of Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Benedict Cumberbatch as the animals and The Americans star Matthew Rhys as Rudyard Kipling’s father, setting the fantastical tale to be somewhat reality-adjacent. We liked it, with a few reservations.
Nailed It! Holiday! (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: It’s the “Nailed It!” holiday special you’ve been waiting for, with missing ingredients, impossible asks and desserts that look delightfully sad.
Neo Yokio: Pink Christmas (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: The holidays take a hit as Kaz juggles the Secret Santa competition, his Aunt Angelique’s visit and his nemesis Arcangelo’s Christmas plotting.
