It’s that time of the year when everyone gets into holiday mode. All you want to do is snuggle in bed with a cup of hot chocolate while watching some Christmas and Holiday specials. But let’s be honest, sometimes you do want a break from it all and a change of genre during the season won’t do any harm. From entertaining reality shows to intense thrillers and murder mysteries, here are all the new shows and films we’re adding to our binge-watch list for the first half of December. Oh, and don’t worry, the new Christmas features are on the list.
1. Moving In With Malaika
Marking her foray into the digital space and reality TV, Malaika stars in an all new show that gives you a peak into her personal life. Watch the diva be in her element whether it is talking about her ex-husband with candour, her current life choices, having emotional breakdowns or taking a dig at internet trolls.
Currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar
2. Freddy
We often see Kartik Aaryan play the role of a disgruntled partner/spouse in romantic dramas. However, in Freddy, his character takes a rather different tone and the movie keeps you gripped till the end. Kartik plays Dr. Freddy Ginwala, a shy, lonely and socially awkward dentist who is living with the baggage of childhood trauma, hoping he would find someone he can settle down with. When he falls in love with Kainaaz Irani (Alaya F), he finally finds a glimmer of hope. But a twist in their love story turns Freddy’s world upside down. What will happen next? You’ll have to watch to find out more.
Currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar
3. QALA
The period drama tells the story of a female playback singer (Triptii Dimri) set in the 1930-40s. Haunted by her past, a talented singer with a rising career copes with the pressure of success, a mother’s disdain, a patriarchal society and the voices of doubt within her. The film also marks Babil Khan’s debut.
Currently streaming on Netflix
4. Something from Tiffany’s
A box from Tiffany is so meaningful in a woman’s life that it could change the course her life. Something from Tiffany’s explores the lives of two couples. Rachel and Gary (Zoey Deutch and Ray Nicholson) are happy in their relationship but not really ready for that big commitment. Ethan and Vanessa (Kendrick Smith Sampson and Shay Mitchell) are just about to make things official. Gary and Ethan are shopping for two very different gifts for their respective partners but when a simple mix-up of gifts causes all of their paths to cross, it sets off a series of twists and unexpected turns that lead them where they’re truly meant to be. Something from Tiffany’s is the perfect holiday romance you can sign up for this season.
Streaming on Prime Video on December 9
5. CAT
The Randeep Hooda-starrer is a crime thriller series set against the backdrop of the remote areas of Punjab. Its plot? “Living under an alias, a former police informant (Hooda) is summoned to infiltrate a major drug empire but uncovers a dangAerous connection to his dark past.”
Streaming on Netflix on December 9
6. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
We’ve all read about the classic tale of Pinocchio in our childhood. But now, you get to watch a the story a wooden puppet brought to life with a twist in this stunning stop-motion musical tale by the Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. It follows the story of a father’s wish that magically brings a wooden boy to life in Italy, giving him a chance to care for the child.
Streaming on Netflix on December 9
7. Knives Out
Excited for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery but haven’t seen its prequel? You’re in luck as Netflix is soon to drop Knives Out ahead of the release of the film’s sequel. The 2019 film features the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey. But there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) knows for sure–everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth.
Streaming on Netflix on December 7
8. Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery
Netflix’s improv comedy series Murderville is returning this month with a special holiday-themed murder mystery. The upcoming Christmas special sees the return of Will Arnett as Detective Terry Seattle who teams up with Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph to figure out who killed Santa as the big day quickly approaches and the world is left without their favourite holiday icon. The catch is that Jason and Maya don’t have the script. They have no idea what’s about to happen to them. Together, with Terry, they will have to improvise their way through the case but it will be up to both of them to name the killer.
Streaming on Netflix on December 15
9. National Treasure: Edge of History
The iconic franchise is all set to make a comeback in the form of a series this month. The new set of explorers head out on an adventures treasure hunt filled with puzzles, traps and endless clues. The official plot synopsis reads, “Jess Valenzuela’s life is turned upside down when an enigmatic stranger gives her a clue to a centuries-old treasure that might be connected to her long-dead father. Jess has a knack for solving puzzles, and her skills are put to the test as she and her friends follow a series of clues hidden in American artefacts and landmarks. But can Jess outsmart a black-market antiquities dealer in a race to find history’s greatest lost treasure and unbury the truth about her family’s past?”
Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar on December 14
10. Your Christmas Or Mine?
The Christmas film follows the story of students Hayley and James who are young and in love. The official synopsis reads, “After saying goodbye for Christmas at a London train station, Hayley and James both make the same spontaneous split-second decision to swap trains and surprise each other. Passing each other in the station, they are completely unaware that they have just swapped Christmases. Hayley arrives at a vast mansion in a small village in the Gloucester countryside to find a place where Christmas does not exist, whilst James heads north to a small semi-detached in Macclesfield and steps into the warm and chaotic pandemonium that only a large family Christmas can bring. When the entire country is blanketed in the biggest snowfall on record, our star-crossed lovers are trapped at the most manic time of the year. Will they be able to swap back in time for Christmas Day? And will Hayley and James’ fledgling relationship make it through to the New Year?”
Currently streaming on Prime Video
11. Goodbye
The loss of your loved ones is untimely, and sometimes, you don’t even get the chance to say goodbye. Each person deals with grief differently and that’s exactly what this heart-wrenching film portrays. Goodbye features Amitabh Bachchan, Neena Gupta, Rashmika Mandanna, among others as the Bhalla family. It follows the story of the family’s journey of grief and self-discovery after they suffer the loss of their mother. You’ll want to keep a box of tissue papers ready while watching this one.
Currently streaming on Netflix
