What To Watch This Week: Stream Our Top 7 TV and Movie Picks (Dec. 8–14)

A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant | Prime Video (VOD) | Documentary

Movie, Tuesday, Dec. 9: Ever wonder about the person behind those hard-hitting, laser-accurate political cartoons in the newspaper? The prolific, non-partisan pen belongs to Australian-American cartoonist Pat Oliphant, whose work spans 50 years and ten U.S. presidents. This doc chronicles Oliphant’s career while also providing “a concise history of political cartoons, illustrating their significance and influence on Pat and other cartoonists.”

Little Disasters | Paramount+ | Thriller

Limited series premiere, Thursday, Dec. 11: Author Sarah Vaughan’s (The Anatomy of a Scandal) novel of the same name is the basis for this six-part thriller starring Diane Kruger (Inglorious Basterds). Kruger plays one of four close friends in a mothers’ group. When one of the women must report another for suspected child abuse, it has a ripple effect through all four of their lives, potentially destroying them all. Jo Joyner (The Wives), Shelly Conn (Gen V), and Emily Taafe (The Rising) also star.

Man vs. Baby | Netflix | Comedy

Series premiere, Thursday, Dec. 11: Were you hoping this was an action movie where a father must battle his own infant offspring? Sigh. Me too. Alas, this four-episode series stars Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean!) as a man who finds himself caring for a baby abandoned at a school’s nativity play during the holidays. So we’re not getting adult-on-baby violence, but we are getting slapstick comedy. All episodes stream today.

The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Cold Cruel Christmas | AMC+, Shudder | Horror double feature

Movie double feature, Friday, Dec. 12, 9:00 p.m. ET: Joe Bob Briggs ain’t just for Halloween. In fact, this is the erudite drive-in denizen and journalist’s fifth overall Xmas special, and they’re just as fun as his Halloween (or Valentine’s Day) romps. As usual, Shudder hasn’t revealed the two festive flicks that’ll screen with this special, but we’re used to that by now—and Joe Bob’s quality control is top-notch. Also, surprises are a big part of Christmas. Here’s what Shudder’s willin’ to tell us right now: “Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl are once again possessed by the Christmas spirit, hosting a double-feature of snowy slashers for Joe Bob’s Cold Cruel Christmas- an unholy night full of frozen fear, cold-blooded kills, and the return of their annual charity drive.”

Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh | HBO, HBO Max | Stand-up comedy

Movie, Friday, Dec. 12, 9:00 p.m. ET: “This is what therapy three times a week looks like,” Sarah Squirm says in the trailer for her first standup special. “It’s not working!” The SNL cast member (aka Sarah Sherman) has certainly carved herself a niche with her deliriously loony “body-horror comedy,” which goes nicely with her wiggly name. Here’s how HBO describes Squirm’s work: “The comedian rips off the straitjacket, unleashing a festering and hilarious hour of bodily fluids, open-wound confessionals, and jokes that will leave scars on your soul.” Let’s hear it for ineffective psychotherapy!

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery | Netflix | Comedy, drama, mystery

Movie, Friday, Dec. 12: Did you love the all-star mansion murder mysteries Knives Out and Glass Onion? This is the third and final Rian Johnson penned-and-directed whodunnit in the series, where private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) untangles a knotty, intriguing case. As popular and well-reviewed as these films are, it’s hard to believe there won’t be more. But three is all Netflix has ordered for now. The ensemble cast for what Netflix calls Blanc’s “most dangerous case yet” includes Glenn Close, Jereme Renner, Mila Kunis, Josh Brolin, Cailee Spaeny, Kerry Washington, and more.