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What to Watch December 2025: Stranger Things, Fallout, and Percy Jackson are decking the halls this holiday season

Take a peak underneath the tree to see what's coming to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+ and more as 2025 finally winds down

I don't know about you, but I need a bit more to entertain me than 'visions of sugar plums' these days (what are sugar plums anyway? Maybe this is why my visions are so boring). So this holiday season, I'll probably be cozying up with my loved ones to watch one of the many TV shows and movies that are coming to my preferred streamers. And if that sounds like something you'll be doing as well, we're here to help.

Let Popverse's What to Watch December 2025 guide lead you, Tchaikovsky-style, into a myriad of dreamworlds both festive and non. From a certain science-fiction horror series that's taking its final bow to a brand new action thriller with one of the MCU's hottest actors, we've got all you need to know right here.

What's streaming on Netflix in December 2025

 

Likely the biggest streaming release on this list will be the final two episode dumps of Stranger Things season 5, which will tie together the story of Vecna vs. the Hawkins gang for good. Hell, we'd bet that those are just as important to the folks observing the holidays they drop on (Christmas and New Years', respectively) than the holidays themselves.

But as one of Popverse's biggest murder mystery fans, I urge you to not get so excited for Eleven's story to wrap up that you forget about the next installment of Rian Johnson's generation-defining detective series, Wake Up Dead Man. Maybe there won't be any demogorgons, but Benoit Blanc has a new hairstyle - which I'd argue is just as cool.

Title Streaming Date Type
CoComelon Lane, season 6 December 1  Animated series 
All The Empty Rooms December 1 Documentary
Love is Blind: Italy, season 1  December 1  Reality series 
Playing Gracie Darling, season 1  December 1  Live-action series 
Troll 2  December 1  Live-action movie 
My Secret Santa  December 3  Live-action movie 
Stranded wth my Mother-in-Law, season 3 December 3 Live-action series
With Love, Meghan: Holiday Collection, season 1 December 3 Live-action series
I Wish You Had Told Me  December 4  Live-action movie  
Lali: Time to Step Up  December 4  Documentary 
The Abandons, season 1  December 4  Live-action series  
The Believers, season 2  December 4  Live-action series   
Fugue State 1986, season 1 December 4 Live-action series
I Wish YoU had Told Me December 4 Live-action movie
Lali: Time to Step Up December 4 Documentary
Love and Wine   December 5  Live-action movie   
Owning Manhattan, season 2  December 5  Reality series 
Sicilia Express, season 1  December 5  Live-action series 
The New Yorker at 100  December 5  Documentary 
The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2  December 5  Live-action movie 
The Price of Confession, season 1  December 5  Live-action series 
Jay Kelly December 5 Live-action movie
The Making of Jay Kelly December 5 Documentary
Owning Manhattan, season 2 December 5 Live-action series
Elmo and Mark Rober's Merry Giftmas December 8 Live-action special
Badly in Love, season 1 December 9 Live-action series
Blood Coast, season 2 December 9 Live-action series
Masaka Kids, a Rhythm Within December 9 Documentary
The Accident, season 2 December 10 Live-action series
Record of Ragnarok, season 3 December 10 Animated series
Simon Cowell: The Next Act December 10 Documentary
Had I Not Seen the Sun, part 2  December 11  Live-action movie  
Lost in the Spotlight  December 11  Live-action movie 
Man vs. Baby, season 1  December 11  Live-action series  
The Fakenapping  December 11  Live-action movie
The Fakenapping December 11 Live-action movie
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, season 2 December 11 Animated series
The Town, season 1 December 11 Live-action series
City of Shadows, season 1  December 12  Live-action series 
Home for Christmas, season 3  December 12  Live-action series
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery  December 12  Live-action movie 
The Creature Cases, chapter 6  December 15  Animated series 
Culinary Class Wars, season 2 December 16 Live-action series
The Manny, season 3 December 17 Live-action series
Murder in Monaco December 17 Documentary
What's in the Box?, season 1 December 17 Live-action series
Emily in Paris, season 5  December 18  Live-action series 
10Dance December 18  Live-action movie
The Great Flood   December 19  Live-action movie 
A Time for Bravery December 19 Live-action movie
Breakdown: 1975 December 19 Documentary
Elway December 22 Documentary
Sicily Express, season 1 December 22 Live-action series
King of Collectibles: The Golden Touch, season 3 December 23 Live-action series
Goodbye June  December 24  Live-action movie  
The NFL Christmas Game Day - Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Commanders December 25  Live sports event 
The NFL Christmas Game Day - Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings December 25  Live sports event 
Stranger Things, season 5, volume 2  December 25  Live-action series 
Cover-Up  December 26  Documentary 
Members Only: Palm Beach, season 1 December 29 Live-action series
Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story December 30 Documentary
Stranger Things, season 5, volume 3 December 31 Live-action series 


What's streaming on Amazon Prime Video in December 2025

Who knew the apocalypse could be so much fun?

Oh, sorry, I'm not talking about the world outside your window - I'm specifically referring to the Prime Video adaptation of the wildly popular video game franchise, Fallout. After introducing us to the delightful trio of Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul in season 1, the show is back for its sophomore chapter... and we've been hearing reports that the monsters they face this go-round will be even scarier. 

Title Streaming Date Type
The Merchants of Joy December 1 Documentary
Oh. What. Fun. December 3 Live-action movie
Fallout, season 2 December 17 Live-action series
Human Specimens, season 1 December 18 Live-action series
Confessions of a Female Serial Killer December 7 Documentary
Merv December 10 Live-action movie


What's streaming on HBO Max in December 2025

 

In December, HBO Max is taking a break from new TV series and going in on documentaries about music and sports. While the final episodes of the current seasons of It: Welcome to Dery and I Love LA are being released in December, they'll be joined by docs on Jeff Buckley, the Counting Crows, Paul Anka, and US Football.

Title Streaming Date Type
Paul Anka: His Way December 1 Documentary
Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East, season 1 December 2 Live-action series
Architecton December 4 Live-action movie
It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley December 4 at 9:00 PM ET Documentary
Wizkid: Long Live Lagos December 11 at 9:00 PM ET Documentary
Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately? December 18 at 9:00 PM ET Documentary
Happy and You Know It December 25 at 9:00 PM ET Documentary


What's streaming on Hulu in December 2025

Alien Earth Timothy Olyphant
Image credit: FX
 

As of this writing, Hulu also hasn't released much in the way announcements for the 2025 holiday season, but in the same vein as we were just mentioning, still has plenty of reasons to subscribe. Remember, it's the only place you can catch up on Alien: Earth ahead of its just-announced season 2, not to mention where to go if you need more of that sweet, sweet Shōgun drama.

And I guess it's where you can go to see if All's Fair is really as bad as everyone says? It can't be, right?

Right?

Title Streaming Date Type
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Season 3 Reunion Special December 4 Documentary
Dance Moms: A New Era, season 2 December 8 Live-action series
The Wonderful Weird World of Gumball, season 2 December 22 Animated series
Made in Korea, season 1 December 24 Live-action series


What's streaming on Paramount+ in December 2025

Any time of year is a great time for the TMNT, but for those of us who grew up unwrapping Shredder action figures Christmas morning, it feels especially perfect for a brand new Turtles chapter to be dropping over the holidays. That would be Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, season 2, in case you didn't know, Paramount's latest gift to all you lovers of those Ho-Ho-Heroes in a Half Shell.

Title Streaming Date Type
Transformers: EarthSpark - Hometown Heroes December 5 Animated special
Transformers: EarthSpark - Legacy of Hope December 5 Animated special
Little Disasters, season 1 December 11 Live-action series
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, season 2 December 12  Animated series
Dora, season 4 December 19 Animated series


What's streaming on Disney+ in December 2025

Stranger Things hasn't completely cornered the market when it coms to teens dealing with the supernatural this December. No, Percy Jackson and the Olympians are back to give the Greek mythology lover in all of us a new epic tale of colossi and camaraderie. But if you're more into modern religions, then they've also got the Taylor Swift documentary, End of an Era, on deck.

Title Streaming Date Type
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, season 2 December 10 Live-action series
Taylor Swift: End of an Era December 12 Docuseries


What's coming to Peacock in December 2025

While we all eagerly await Simu Liu's return to the MCU as Shang-Chi in Avengers: Doomsday (a wait that has been far too long, if you ask me), we're thrilled that he'll be getting to show off those action chops over at Peacock. Science-fiction espionage thriller The Copenhagen test will see Liu team up with former Scream final girl Melissa Berrera, who we're also excited to see kick ass.

Title Streaming Date Type
Reality Hot Seat December 7 Talk show
Here Come the Irish, season 2 December 8 Live-action series
Made in Korea, season 1 December 24 Live-action series
The Copenhagen Test, season 1 December 27 Live-action series


What's coming to Apple TV+ in December 2025

Coming in last but in no way least is Apple TV+, who are lighting up the holidays the nature-doc way with the first season of Born to be Wild. The show follows the development of six baby animals whose species are endangered as they spend time in our world in order to learn how to survive in theirs.

And no, that's not me crying, it's you. 

Title Streaming Date Type
The Hunt, season 1 December 3 Live-action series
Born to be Wild, season 1 December 19 Docuseries

That's all the major streaming movies and TV shows on our radar right now, but we'll be updating this list as more information becomes available. For those updates, and for all you need to know about the future of streaming, keep an eye on Popverse. 


Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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