The holiday season is well and truly upon us. This week, we’re diving into some holiday-themed recommendations—alongside some evergreen favorites for the whole family.
This week’s What to Watch picks include a Bollywood reimagining of Riverdale, a new Doctor Who Christmas special, a holiday-flavored season of The Great British Baking Show, and the hotly anticipated Baby Shark’s Big Movie. Good luck getting that one out of your head.
Jump to your preferred streaming service
Watch with the family
Baby Shark’s Big Movie | Paramount+ | Musical, Family Adventure
Movie, now streaming: Kimiko Glenn (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and Ashley Tisdale (Phineas and Ferb) star in this animated adaptation of the viral song. Also in the mix is K-pop boy band ENHYPHEN, who you might recognize from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Pokémon Concierge | Netflix | Family, animation
Series premiere, Thursday, December 28: We’ve been excited about this premiere for a while, and it’s finally here. Rather than the traditional 2D animation of previous Pokémon anime, Pokémon Concierge is animated entirely in stop-motion.
What to watch on Netflix this week
The Archies | Netflix | Musical, romance
Movie, now streaming: Still mourning the end of The CW’s Riverdale? Archie and the gang get a Bollywood spin in this Indian adaptation of the beloved comics. But unlike The CW version, we can’t promise that The Archies will feature any witches, time travelers, or organ-harvesting cults.
Hilda | Netflix | Animation, adventure
Final season, now streaming: The beloved animated series Hilda reaches its conclusion this month with the third and final season. Like the first two seasons and the accompanying movie Hilda and the Mountain King, the new season follows Hilda, a young girl who goes on adventures with trolls and magical creatures.
What to watch on Disney+ this week
Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road | Disney+ | Sci-fi, adventure
Special premiere, Monday, December 25: Meet the 15th Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his new companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), in this year’s Christmas special. This is the fourth new Who special of 2023, produced in collaboration between Disney and the BBC. The previous three specials, The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder, and The Giggle, are also streaming on Disney+, and we recommend watching them first to get caught up on how this Doctor came to be.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever | Disney+ | Animation, comedy
Movie , now streaming: The seventh Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie sees Greg Heffley trying his hardest to earn his way onto the “nice” list. But nothing ever comes easily in the Wimpy Kid–verse, and a giant blizzard (and some snow-related antics) might prevent him from getting the new video game system of his dreams.
What to watch on Peacock this week
Christmas at the Opry | Peacock | Music
Special, now streaming: Join Wynonna Judd and a gaggle of country music icons for a night of Christmas music at the famed Grand Ole Opry House in Tennessee. The original special aired on NBC, but you can now stream it on Peacock.
2023 Back That Year Up with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson | Peacock | Comedy
Special premiere, Tuesday, December 26: As you can guess from the title, comedians Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson are returning this December for another year-in-review special featuring celebrity guests Simone Biles, Kelly Clarkson, and Jay Pharoah.
More holiday viewing picks
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays | Netflix | Reality, Baking
New season, now streaming: Just as this season of the flagship Baking Show series is wrapping up, the holiday spinoff is just getting started. This year, U.S. fans are getting to watch Season 6 of the Holidays spinoff, which will collect all of last year’s holiday specials. Unfortunately, specials always come to the U.S. a year late—the price you pay for enjoying British TV.
A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened | VOD, DVD | Documentary
Documentary, now streaming: The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special is a lot of Star Wars fans’ favorite bit of weird trivia—a Star Wars property that Disney doesn’t want you to know about. This documentary, fresh off a brief theatrical run, brings together a wide array of actors to talk about their experiences watching this bizarre piece of ‘70s media.
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