The Christmas holidays are a great time to spend with your family, catch up with old friends and be with your loved ones. Or, it’s a great time to enjoy a few days off work and finally watch all those talked-about series you’ve been putting off all year. Make yourself a cup of tea, get warm and snuggly by the fire and press play on these binge-worthy series.
Doctor Who
The newest season of Doctor Who, with Jodie Whittaker as the thirteenth Doctor and Broadchurch‘s Chris Chibnall at the helm, has had nothing but praise and high ratings so far. If you’ve been putting off watching (maybe waiting for the reviews to pour in after being burned too many times?), the Christmas break is the perfect time to catch up. The show is family-friendly, a fun watch and usually has a few feel-good episodes that’ll fit in with the holiday spirit. Plus, you’ll be ready in time for the New Year’s special!
Watch on: BBC iPlayer
The Little Drummer Girl
If you were a fan of The Night Manager, then The Little Drummer Girl should definitely be on your radar. The limited series, adapted from a John Le Carre novel of the same name, has a lot of the same appeal: international intrigue with an A-list cast. Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgard and Florence Pugh star, while Park Chan-wook directs all six episodes.
Watch on: BBC iPlayer
Killing Eve
If the constant awards nominations haven’t already tipped you off, Killing Eve is a good show. Sandra Oh stars as an MI-5 officer tracking down a psychopathic assassin, and the two begin a cat and mouse game with each other. The series is written by Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and at only eight episodes, is the perfect length to polish off while you’re avoiding all that post-Christmas clean up.
Watch on: BBC iPlayer
Homecoming
With Netflix the behemoth that it is, sometimes shows on those other streaming services slip through the cracks. Now’s the perfect time to catch up on Amazon’s latest, Homecoming. Julia Roberts stars in this mystery-thriller as a worker at a facility that’s meant to help soldiers transition back into civilian life, but has a secret purpose. The rest of the show’s cast is pretty stacked, with Bobby Canavale, Sissy Spacek and If Beale Street Could Talk’s Stephan James.
Watch on: Amazon
Bodyguard
If you’ve somehow missed the buzz around this one, Bodyguard is one of the biggest shows of 2018. Game of Thrones star Richard Madden is a war vet assigned to protect the Home Secretary, who is his political opposite. It’s a high-drama series with action, explosions and sexual tension, so maybe make sure the kids are in bed before you start this one.
Watch on: BBC iPlayer
Schitt’s Creek
Maybe the holiday season has you in the mood for something a little more light-hearted, where you can laugh and relax and not worry about which character is going to buy it. If comedy is what you’re looking for, now is the time to catch up on Schitt’s Creek. The series stars comedy legends Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as a rich couple who lose everything and have to relocate to a small town with their spoiled adult children. Think Arrested Development if the Bluth family had to live in the sticks.
Watch on: Netflix
Pose
Since Ryan Murphy has so many shows on the go at once, you’re forgiven if you don’t manage to watch them all. But his latest endeavour, Pose, has received good reviews from critics and audiences as well as a few awards nominations, so it’s worth catching up on. The series follows people of different backgrounds in New York in the 1980s, from the ball scene to the yuppies, and boasts the largest cast of transgender actors in TV history.
Watch on: Amazon
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Sure, this might seem more like a Halloween show, but there is a Christmas special out as of December 14th! Power through the series – an updated take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, starring Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka – before watching the bewitching holiday magic the show has in store.
Watch on: Netflix
Kidding
Did you know Jim Carrey has a TV show? The dramedy series Kidding has been pretty under the radar compared to some of the other shows on this list, but it’s got positive reviews and a Golden Globe nomination to boot. Carrey stars as children’s TV host Mr. Pickles who has a hard time maintaining his positive outlook on life after suffering a personal tragedy. Frank Langella, Judy Greer and Catharine Keener round out the excellent cast.
Watch on: Amazon