Week of December 21 – 27

Happy Holidays! You made it! And just in time for your time off, there is plenty to watch – from the return of international smash “Squid Game” (on Netflix), a new Clint Eastwood movie (“Juror No. 2” on Max) and new specials starring Nate Bargatze (“Your Friend, Nate Bargatze” on Netflix) and Doctor Who (a new “Doctor Who” Christmas special on Disney+), among many others. Enjoy your vacation and thanks, once again, for letting us guide you through the byzantine world of streaming and linear TV. Ho-ho-ho!

On with the television! 

Squid Game

Thursday, December 26, Netflix

Source: Netflix

When the first season of “Squid Game” was released back in 2021, it became a true global phenomenon – it became Netflix’s most watched series gaining more than 142 million member households and 1.65 billion viewing hours in 94 countries. And that was in its first four weeks alone. (We’ve heard a theory that it might be the most watched streaming show ever.) The first season also garnered 14 Emmy nominations, including being the first non-English-language series to be nominated for Outstanding Drama. But, you know, no pressure. Lee Jung-jae, the lone survivor of the first season (recently seen on Lucasfilm’s “The Acolyte”), returns for another game on the mysterious murder island. And the first episode, which sets up where we are in the world of Squid Game, is tense, thrilling, dark and strangely hilarious. (If we say anything more specific, Netflix might tie us up and dump us on that same island.) The most important thing is that Hwang Dong-hyuk, who wrote and directed every episode of season 1 is back to do the same with season 2 (he must be so tired). It’s good to have “Squid Game” back. And don’t worry, once this batch is over, you won’t have to wait as long. It’s already been announced that the third (and final) season of the series will stream in 2025. [TRAILER]

Dune: Prophecy

Sunday, December 22 at 9 p.m., HBO

Source: HBO

The first season of the “Dune” prequel series, set hundreds of years before the events of Denis Villeneuve's two masterful films, concludes tonight. Based on “Great Schools of Dune,” a spinoff novel written years later by Brian Herbert (Frank Herbert’s son) and Kevin J. Anderson, and focused on the Bene Gesserit, the group of mysterious space witches that hold political sway over the cosmos. Reaction to the series, which stars Emily Watson, Olivia Williams and Mark Strong, have been mixed. But that hasn’t impacted its popularity – “Dune: Prophecy” has been renewed for a second season. At the very least, the series will serve as a lovely stopgap until we get Villeneuve's third movie, reportedly based on Herbert’s 1969 novel “Dune: Messiah.” All hail “Dune.” [TRAILER]

Juror No. 2

Max

Source: Max

At 94, Clint Eastwood keeps bringing the hits. “Juror No. 2,” a taut legal thriller and equally gripping morality play, is as effortlessly entertaining as any of the filmmaker’s earlier films. Nicholas Hoult plays a journalist who is drafted into a jury for a high-profile murder case. The problem? Hoult slowly realizes that he might have been responsible for the murdered woman’s death. It leads to a fascinating moral conundrum, especially because of the political implications – the prosecutor on the case (Toni Collette) is running for district attorney, mostly on the back of the case. (Chris Messina plays the dogged defense attorney.) There are some very sharp twists and turns in “Juror No. 2” but what the movie does best is put you in the shoes of Hoult’s character, as he wrestles with the moral implications of his decision – whether or not he will come forward and how that will impact his young wife (Zoey Deutch), pregnant with their first child. Throw in some killer supporting performances from J.K. Simmons, Leslie Bibb and Kiefer Sutherland, who plays Hoult’s AA sponsor, and you’ve got a wonderful movie night at home. “Juror No. 2” will be found guilty … of being great. [WATCH]

The 47th Kennedy Center Honors

Sunday, December 22 at 8:30 p.m., CBS

Source: Kennedy Center

It’s that time of year again – when your mom will ask you if you watched the honors and you’ll make up some lame excuse for why you didn’t. Why don’t you skip the middleman and just watch the awards this year? Honorees for the 47th Kennedy Center Honors include filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (will someone bring up “Megalopolis?”); legendary American rock band the Grateful Dead (Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Bobby Weir); blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt; jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer Arturo Sandoval; and The Apollo, which will receive a special Honors as an iconic American institution. They’re giving Kennedy Center Honors to buildings now? Well dang. We really do need to watch more often. Sorry mom! (And yes we know this technically isn’t a documentary but it’s a slow week.) [TRAILER]

Die Hard

Hulu

Source: Hulu

First off: yes, “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie. Secondly: yes, you should watch “Die Hard” for Christmas. It’s available on Hulu. And we’re sure it looks wonderful. John McTiernan’s 1988 masterpiece, based on the 1979 novel “Nothing Lasts Forever” by Roderick Thorp, stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York City cop visiting his estranged wife in Los Angeles for her company’s Christmas party. While there, the building is besieged by debonair terrorists (led by Alan Rickman in his debut role) and McClane is forced to save his life, his wife’s life and the life of everybody at the party. (Well, most of them.) Just as energetic and entertaining as it was in 1988, “Die Hard” is a classic for a number of reasons – McTiernan’s elegant direction; the finely tuned script by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza; Michael Kamen’s jingly score; and Jan de Bont’s sharp cinematography. Of course, there’s also Willis’ pitch perfect performance, which made him a superstar. (He would also reprise the role in several sequels of varying quality.) Willis, who is now in cognitive decline, was thought of as a TV actor at the time. All that changed with “Die Hard.” We lost Rickman in 2016 and we hope that Willis still knows how much we all love him. And how we’re still watching “Die Hard” every Christmas. [WATCH]

Source: Disney+