📺 5 new shows to watch this week
plus 2 shows that we liked
Hi there. We’re introducing a new section to the newsletter called “Weekly Watchlist.” In addition to our normal reviews, we’re giving you the condensed lowdown on a few new shows on our radar.
In today’s edition:
This week’s watchlist
Alice in Borderland
Home for Christmas
— Jenni Cullen and Jess Spoll
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We keep an eye on all of the new streaming content that is set to premiere. Here’s a list of new shows to watch this week.
Welcome to Chippendales — From the creator of Pam & Tommy, this is a true crime miniseries about the first male stripping empire and the series of murders surrounding it. Kumail Nanjiani stars as immigrant Somen Banerjee who becomes the unlikely founder of the major male strip club, Chippendales, and the dark story unfolds from there.
Watch on Hulu: 4 episodes out now, new episode each Tuesday
Harry & Meghan — If the Oprah interview wasn’t enough for you, here’s a miniseries that supposedly tells Harry and Meghan’s side of the story. The documentary uses interviews with the couple’s family and friends to overview what Netflix describes as “the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.”
Watch on Netflix: December 8 (Volume 1), December 15 (Volume 2)
Kindred: Season 1 — Adapted from the seminal novel by author Octavia E. Butler, Kindred follows an aspiring writer who is mysteriously pulled back and forth between the modern age and a 19th-century plantation. The story uses sci-fi devices to explore themes of generational trauma, race, and identity.
Watch on Hulu: December 13 (all episodes)
National Treasure: Edge of History: Season 1 — A spin-off of the best cinematic universe Nicolas Cage has ever been a part of (please don’t argue), this action-adventure series follows a resourceful young woman, Jess, on her quest to uncover truths about her past and, obviously, save an American treasure or two along the way. Sadly, Nicolas Cage won’t be in this one.
Watch on Disney+: December 14 (first 2 episodes, then weekly)
Too Hot to Handle: Season 4 — This reality series brings together a group of singles who think they’ve signed up for a dating show only to find out that they have to practice strict abstinence while on their luxury vacation. The fourth season just dropped on Netflix, and it’s bound to be as entertaining and as dumb as ever.
Watch on Netflix: December 7 (first half), December 14 (second half)
Where we each choose a recent-ish show to review and feature.
If you like survival thrillers, try… Alice in Borderland
Keywords: survival drama, violence, mystery
Watch if you like: Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead, Battle Royale
Jess’s Rating: B+
If you liked Squid Game, there’s a similar but lesser-known show on Netflix that you should watch called Alice in Borderland.
The series opens on a trio of friends in Tokyo who are in various stages of figuring out what to do with their young adult lives. One afternoon, they find themselves suddenly transported to a version of Tokyo that looks identical to the one that they know, but lacks any people. They follow signs that lead them to an interactive game in which they soon realize losing means dying. While fighting to survive, they try to figure out who is behind these games and how to escape them.
Squid Game and Alice in Borderland certainly seem quite similar on the surface. Both are foreign-language series (Squid Game from Korea and Alice in Borderland from Japan) that follow a group of people trying to survive a series of games. But while Squid Game pits contestants against each other for a major cash prize, Alice in Borderland pits its players against a mysterious foe. Although the character development in AiB leaves something to be desired, the games are more interesting and complex than those in SG, and the mystery of how/where/why the games are occurring is a lot more compelling and more of a driving force than it was in SG. I binged the first season in 2 days and am now counting down the days until I get more (the second season drops on Dec 22!).
Length: 45-min runtime, 1 season / 8 episodes
Watch on: Netflix
If you liked Bridget Jones’ Diary and Catastrophe try… Home for Christmas (Hjem til Jul)
Keywords: rom-com, irreverent, feel good
Watch if you like: Holidate, Rita, Dash and Lily
Jenni’s Rating: B+
‘Tis the season for cute wintery rom coms — especially if they take place in picturesque, snowy Norwegian towns.
Home for Christmas is less cheesy than your run-of-the-mill Hallmark holiday movie, but still offers a healthy dose of feel-good moments. The two-season series follows a content and perpetually single nurse who is nevertheless feeling pressured by her family and the world around her to find a partner. When she lies and tells everyone that she is seeing someone and will bring him home for the holidays, she has to scramble to find a boyfriend by Christmas Eve.
It’s not an incredibly original premise, but the dry comedy and natural realism of the characters make the show feel fresh. Johanne, the protagonist, is sarcastic and sympathetic — definitely the kind of character I like to root for in a show about interpersonal relationships. Mark this down as a funny and well-crafted alternative to watching Love Actually for the hundredth time. Not that I would ever fault someone for that…
I should also note, unless you speak Norwegian (jealous), you’ll have to use subtitles or opt for the dubbed version. This was Netflix’s first Norwegian original series.
Length: 30-min runtime, 2 seasons / 12 episodes
Watch on: Netflix
Your shows, returned:
Doom Patrol, Season 4: Premieres December 8 on HBO Max
South Side, Season 3: Premieres December 8 on HBO Max
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, Season 14: Premieres December 8 on Bravo
The Real Housewives of Miami, Season 5: Premieres December 8 on Peacock
Dream Home Makeover, Season 4: Premieres December 9 on Netflix
Baking It, Season 2: Premieres December 12 on Peacock
Last Chance U: Basketball, Season 2: Premieres December 13 on Netflix
The Game, Season 2: Premieres December 15 on Paramount+
Upcoming new releases:
Back in the Groove: Premieres December 8 on Hulu
Harry & Meghan: Premieres December 8 on Netflix
Kindred: Premieres December 13 on Hulu
Sampled: Premieres December 13 on Paramount+
National Treasure: Edge of History: Premieres December 14 on Disney+
Love for the Ages: Premieres December 15 on Peacock
The Parent Test: Premieres December 15 on ABC