Looking for your next binge-watch, or just need to fill an hour? Welcome to Your Weekly Watch List, our curated collection of the best shows on television. Here’s what to watch from Monday, December 19 through Sunday, December 25.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without a few blockbuster television releases. This week brings the premiere of prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin, the return of Jack Ryan and Emily in Paris, Mariah Carey’s holiday extravaganza, and more.
The Wheel: Monday, 10:00 PM ET on NBC
Celebrity guests put their trivia knowledge to the test in NBC’s Americanized take on the hit British game show, featuring a spectacular 43-foot spinning wheel. In each hour-long episode, the stars — a lineup that includes Taye Diggs, Christina Ricci, Tom Bergeron, Tori Spelling, Raven-Symoné, and more — will advise regular people as they compete for a $100,000 prize. Episodes air every Monday through Friday for the next two weeks as part of a special event.
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Season 3: Wednesday, Prime Video
John Krasinski’s Jack Ryan just can’t stay out of trouble. In Season 3, the CIA agent once again finds himself with a target on his back when he’s falsely accused of treason while investigating a tip about a secret plan to restore the Soviet Empire. Joining returning cast members Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, and Michael Kelly are Nina Hoss, who plays the Czech president, and Betty Gabriel as Jack’s new boss at the CIA’s Rome Station.
Emily in Paris Season 3: Wednesday, Netflix
Television’s least self-aware character returns to the screen in a new season of Emily in Paris (pronounced “Emil-ee in Par-ee,” lest you forget). One year after moving to the City of Lights, Emily (Lily Collins) is faced with two different paths in both her career and romantic life, leading her to make some life-altering decisions, while wearing even more questionable outfits. The Darren Star-created dramedy has already been renewed for a fourth season.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters: Thursday, Peacock
23 years after Malcolm D. Lee’s The Best Man hit the big screen, his messy group of friends is back for more in Peacock’s sequel series. The eight-episode drama reunites Harper (Taye Diggs), Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), Jordan (Nia Long), Lance (Morris Chestnut), Quentin (Terrence Howard), Shelby (Melissa De Sousa), Candace (Regina Hall), and Murch (Harold Perrineau), now in middle age, and follows the group as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface.
I Hate Suzie Too: Thursday, HBO Max
Former star Suzie Pickles (Billie Piper) leaves the holiday cheer to Mariah Carey in what HBO Max describes as an “anti-Christmas Christmas special.” After landing a new job on hit reality TV show Dance Crazee, Suzie attempts to keep her life as stable as possible, all while staying on the dance competition long enough to finance her new role as a single mom and ex-wife. At just three episodes, Season “Too” is far shorter than the comedy’s eight-episode first season, but we’ll take all the Suzie Pickles we can get.
The Witcher: Blood Origin: Sunday, Netflix
Michelle Yeoh steps into Henry Cavill’s shoes as the new hero of Netflix’s prequel series. Set 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher, Blood Origin explores the lead-up to the cataclysmic “Conjunction of the Spheres,” which trapped humans, monsters, and elves in a magical dimension. Yeoh puts her action experience to good use as Scían, the last of a nomadic tribe of sword-elves who embarks on a quest with profound implications for the Continent.
Lego Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular: Monday to Wednesday, 8:00 PM ET on FOX
The family-friendly competition series expands in a three-night event that sees fan-favorite builders pair up with celebs in jaw-dropping holiday-themed challenges. Robin Thicke, Cheryl Hines, Finesse Mitchell, and the late Leslie Jordan will appear as celebrity guests across all three episodes.
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!: Tuesday, 8:00 PM ET on CBS and Paramount+
Christmas Queen Mariah Carey invites viewers to join her under the mistletoe in this two-hour special, filmed at Madison Square Garden last week. Carey will perform a slew of her most popular holiday tunes, including annual chart-topper “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
An Hour
Random Acts of Flyness Season 2 Finale: Friday, Midnight ET on HBO
Call the Midwife Holiday Special: Sunday, 9:00 PM ET on PBS
Ziwe Season 2 Finale: Sunday, 11:00 PM ET on Showtime
An Evening
Big Bet: Wednesday, Hulu
Love For the Ages Episodes 5-8: Thursday, Peacock
A Full Day
I Am A Killer Season 4: Wednesday, Netflix
Alice in Borderland Season 2: Thursday, Netflix
His Dark Materials Series Finale: Monday, December 26, HBO
Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair: Monday, December 26, Peacock
The Circle Season 5: Wednesday, December 28, Netflix
Kaleidoscope: Sunday, January 1, Netflix
Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.
TOPICS: The Witcher: Blood Origin, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Emily in Paris, I Hate Suzie, Lego Masters (US), Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Wheel