What To Watch in December
This December, catch the new releases from director Anu Menon, writer Nahnatchka Khan, and actors Ali Wong, Lucy Liu, Alok Vaid-Menon, Liza Lapira, and Stephanie Hsu.
“Sweethearts”
Film
Nov. 28, 2024
Two college freshmen make a pact to break up with their high school sweethearts over Thanksgiving break, leading them on a chaotic night out in their hometown that puts their co-dependent friendship to the test.
Catch Nico Hiraga as the leading man in “Sweethearts” streaming on Max.
“Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld”
TV show
Dec. 5, 2024
Small-town Texas teen Jentry Chau (voiced by Ali Wong) has enough problems without a demon king suddenly deciding she’s his top target. Turns out those supernatural powers she’s been desperately trying to keep under wraps are now painting a massive bull’s-eye on her back. Lucky for her, she’s got backup: a badass weapons-expert great-aunt and a jiangshi (aka an ancient Chinese hopping vampire) who’s been around the monster-fighting block a few millennia. Now Jentry has to juggle taking down an entire underworld of monsters while somehow surviving the equally terrifying battlefield of high school.
Catch Ali Wong, Bowen Yang, Lori Tan Chinn, Lucy Liu, Jimmy O. Yang, Sheng Wang, and Woosung Kim voicing characters on this animated Netflix series starting Dec. 5, 2024.
“The Equalizer”
TV series
Season 5 mid-season finale: Dec. 8
To the world, Robyn McCall looks like just another single mom navigating the chaos of raising a teenage daughter. But beneath that ordinary exterior lies a woman with a razor-sharp set of skills and a mission to help those who’ve run out of options. To most, she’s invisible. To a select few, she’s “The Equalizer” — a guardian angel who swoops in to fight for the forgotten, all while wrestling with her own quest for redemption.
Catch series regular Liza Lapira in this CBS crime drama series. Lapira also wrote and performed an original song for the holiday-themed mid-season finale. The episode airs Sunday, Dec. 8.
“Dream Productions”
Limited series
Dec. 11, 2024
In the new Disney+ series based on Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” Riley’s brain is going through some serious changes, and her memories are getting the deluxe treatment at Dream Productions, where her Core Emotions send anything that needs some extra processing. Meanwhile, acclaimed Dream Director Paula Persimmon is battling her own mental drama: She’s been stuck with Xeni, an insufferably smug daydream director who’s desperate to prove he’s got what it takes to graduate from lightweight daydreams to the big, dramatic world of night dreams.
Catch the voices of Liza Lapira and Ally Maki on this animated Disney+ series starting Dec. 11, 2024.
“BIOLOGY!”
Comedy special
Dec. 18, 2024
After performing in over 150 shows across 36 countries, internationally acclaimed comedian, poet, and public speaker Alok Vaid-Menon recorded the hour-long special “BIOLOGY!” at SONY Hall in New York City in February 2024. Vaid-Menon blends standup and poetry into an exploration of human complexity, diving deep into those messy emotional spaces and breaking challenging binaries.
Renowned multi-hyphenate comedian, actor, and author Alok Vaid-Menon‘s hour-long special will be streaming exclusively for free on alokvmenon.com on Dec. 18.
“Laid”
Limited TV show
Dec. 19, 2024
Ruby’s (Stephanie Hsu) love life is about to get a whole lot messier when she discovers her exes are dropping like flies under seriously weird circumstances. Her solution? A cringe-worthy journey back through her romantic history to unravel the mystery — and maybe herself. “Laid” is the rom-com that answers the age-old question “What’s wrong with my love life?” with a brutally honest punch. Spoiler alert: It’s absolutely, unequivocally YOU.
Written by Nahnatchka Khan, executive produced by and starring Stephanie Hsu, and also featuring Uli Latukefu, Simu Liu, and Cindy Kao, all episodes of “Laid” will premiere on Peacock on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024.
“Squid Game 2”
Limited series
Dec. 26, 2024
After his life-changing win in Squid Game, Gi-hun ditched his American dream and returned with a burning mission. Three years later, he’s diving back into the deadly game he knows all too well, this time with a fresh batch of desperate players all gunning for the jaw-dropping prize of 45.6 billion won. Same game, new stakes, and Gi-hun’s definitely not here to play nice.
You can watch “Squid Games 2,” written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, starring season 1 actors Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo, as well as some new castmembers like Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, and Park Gyu-young, on Netflix starting Dec. 26, 2024.
