Streaming Holiday Guide 2023-2024: What to Watch on Netflix, Neon, and More
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The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes a deluge of new content hitting streaming services. From festive favorites to gripping dramas and long-awaited sequels, platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV, ThreeNow, Neon, and TVNZ+ are vying for your attention. However, this influx of content arrives against a backdrop of significant upheaval in the entertainment industry. Tightening budgets, shifting audience habits, and even Netflix’s massive $144 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery have created a turbulent landscape for both global and local screen industries. As we look ahead to 2026, with increasing pressure on streamers to invest in local productions, the question remains: will Aotearoa New Zealand navigate these changes successfully, or risk being left behind? For now, at least, there’s a wealth of viewing options to provide some seasonal comfort.
New Series & Highly Anticipated Returns
Several new series and returning favorites are set to dominate streaming schedules. One of the most anticipated is the second season of The Pitt (Neon, January 9th), lauded by The Spinoff as one of the best shows of 2025. Picking up ten months after its cliffhanger finale, the medical procedural once again unfolds over a grueling 15-hour shift on the Fourth of July, with Emmy-award winner Noah Wyle reprising his role as Dr. “Robby” Robinavitch. Will this intense drama continue to be “the finest example of the genre” for a new generation of viewers?
Meanwhile, Netflix is offering a powerful documentary with Cover-Up (December 26th). Premiering to critical acclaim at the Venice Film Festival, the film chronicles the decades-long career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who has spent over 50 years exposing controversial truths, from the Vietnam War to the Gaza genocide. Director Laura Poitras spent 20 years gaining Hersh’s trust, resulting in what critics are calling a “rare and unmistakably urgent” cinematic experience.
Comfort Viewing & Familiar Faces
For those seeking familiar comfort, Shameless (Prime Video, December 31st) offers a darkly comedic look at the dysfunctional Gallagher family. Led by William H. Macy and featuring a pre-superstardom Jeremy Allen White, the series follows their tumultuous journey through poverty, addiction, and the constant struggle to survive. Described as “surprisingly appealing, crude, funny and also touching,” Shameless is a remake that many believe surpasses its British counterpart.
Netflix also presents His & Hers (January 8th), a thrilling adaptation of Alice Feeney’s 2020 novel. Starring Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson as a fractured couple brought back together by a murder investigation, the series unfolds in a sweltering Georgia town, where suspicion and secrets abound.
Rom-Coms & Cinematic Experiences
Romance takes center stage with People We Meet on Vacation (Netflix, January 9th), the first big-screen adaptation of an Emily Henry novel. Starring Tom Blyth and Emily Bader, the film follows the decade-long, will-they-won’t-they relationship between two best friends, spanning from their small-town roots to exotic locales like New Orleans and Barcelona.
Neon offers a tense cinematic experience with Boiling Point (December 25th), a one-shot drama set during a high-pressure night at a top-tier restaurant. Starring Stephen Graham as a chef on the brink, the film is described as a “spicy nerve-jangler” with a “chargrilled side order of jet-black gallows humour.”
A Deep Dive into December & January Releases
Here’s a comprehensive look at what’s coming to each platform:
Netflix boasts a packed schedule, including:
- Sicily Express (December 22nd)
- Elway (December 22nd)
- King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch S3 (December 23rd)
- Goodbye June (December 24th)
- Us (December 25th)
- Stranger Things S5 V2 (December 26th)
- Cashero (December 26th)
- Murder At The End Of The World (December 26th)
- Happy and You Know It (December 26th)
- 12 Years A Slave (December 27th)
- Gambit (December 27th)
- Day of Reckoning (December 27th)
- Murder Before Evensong (December 28th)
- Members Only: Palm Beach (December 29th)
- Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (December 30th)
- Ricky Gervais: Mortality (December 30th)
- Jellystone! S3 (December 29)
- Yellowstone S3 (December 27th)
- Four Letters of Love (December 31st)
- Hacksaw Ridge (December 31st)
- Jurassic World (December 31st)
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (December 31st)
- Rick and Morty: S1-S8 (December 31st)
- Love from 9 to 5 (January 1st)
- My Korean Boyfriend (January 1st)
- Run Away (January 1st)
- Stranger Things S5: The Finale (January 1st)
- Time Flies (January 1st)
- Dr. Seuss’s Red Fish, Blue Fish S2 (January 1st)
- Carrie (January 1st)
- 21 (January 1st)
- Pokémon Horizons S3-Rising Hope P1 (January 6th)
- Unlocked: A Jail Experiment S2 (January 7th)
- Marcello Hernández: American Boy (January 7th)
- HIS & HERS (January 8th)
- Love Is Blind: Germany: S2 (January 8th)
- People We Meet on Vacation (January 9th)
- Alpha Males S4 (January 9th)
- How to Train Your Dragon (January 9th)
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (January 9th)
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (January 9th)
- Longlegs (January 10th)
TVNZ+ offers a mix of festive and classic programming:
- Jamie’s Cook Ahead Christmas (December 22nd)
- Amanda and Alan’s Spanish Christmas (December 22nd)
- Mary Makes Christmas (December 22nd)
- Christmas with Delta 2025 (December 22nd)
- What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (December 22nd)
- I Feel Pretty (December 22nd)
- The Royal Variety Performance 2025 (December 24th)
- Together at Christmas 2025 (December 25th)
- The Chase Christmas Special 2025 (December 25th)
- Call the Midwife Christmas Special
- Blankety Blank S4 (December 27th)
- The Voice USA S28 (December 28th)
- Attenborough’s Parenthood (December 28th)
- Absolutely Fabulous: Inside and Out (December 28th)
- Ripple (December 28th)
- Farmer Wants a Wife S14 (December 29th)
- The Celebrity Bake Off S7 (December 29th)
- Border Patrol: Sex, Lies and Videotape (December 29th)
- Border Patrol: How Bizarre (December 30th)
- Boy George & Culture Club (December 31st)
- Freddie Mercury: A Secret Daughter (January 1st)
- The Road (January 1st)
- Wild Cherry (January 1st)
- Westside S1-S6 (January 1st)
- Head High S1-S2 (January 1st)
- Step Dave S1-S2 (January 1st)
- 800 Words S1-S3 (January 1st)
- Nothing Trivial S1-S3 (January 1st)
- Go Girls S1-S5 (January 1st)
- The Almighty Johnsons S1-S3 (January 1st)
- Vanderpump Rules S5 (January 1st)
- Southern Hospitality S2 (January 1st)
- Below Deck Mediterranean S9 (January 1st)
- Below Deck S5 (January 1st)
- The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills S12 (January 1st)
- Sunny Nights (January 2nd)
- America’s Got Talent S20 (January 3rd)
- Grand Designs House of the Year S8 (January 4th)
- Idris Elba’s Fight School (January 4th)
- The British Airways Killer (January 4th)
- Destination X USA (January 5th)
- Citadel (January 7th)
- The Piano (January 7th)
- Taskmaster New Year’s Treat 2026 (January 7th)
- Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters (January 8th)
- Australia’s Most Identical (January 8th)
- The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition S9 (January 10th)
- The Guest (January 11th)
ThreeNow offers:
- Rookie Blue S1-S6 (December 28th)
- Karen Pirie S1-S2 (January 1st)
- Offspring S1-S7 (January 4th)
- Summerwater (January 7th)
Neon’s lineup includes:
- Barney’s World (December 22nd)
- The Tech Bro Murders (December 22nd)
- Beyond The Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue (December 23rd)
- Boiling Point (December 25th)
- Hard Home (December 26th)
- Murder At The End Of The World (December 26th)
- Happy and You Know It (December 26th)
- 12 Years A Slave (December 27th)
- Gambit (December 27th)
- Day of Reckoning (December 27th)
- Murder Before Evensong (December 28th)
- Jellystone! S3 (December 29)
- Four Letters of Love (December 31st)
- Hacksaw Ridge (December 31st)
- The Middle S1–S9 (January 1st)
- The Disaster Artist (January 1st)
- The Goonies (January 1st)
- The Lego Ninjago Movie (January 1st)
- New Year’s Eve (January 1st)
- Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (January 1st)
- Joey S1-S2 (January 2nd)
- A Minecraft Movie (January 2nd)
- The Unholy Trinity (January 2nd)
- The Cult of the Real Housewife (January 4th)
- Mountain Rescue Romance (January 4th)
- The King of Kings (January 6th)
- Longmire S1-S6 (January 7th)
- Critical Incident: Death at the Border (January 8th)
- Lawless (January 8th)
- The Pitt S2 (January 9th)
- Aussie Gold Hunters S10 (January 9th)
- Valiant One (January 9th)
- Mirror Mirror (January 10th)
- A Nice Indian Boy (January 10th)
- The To Do List (January 10th)
- The Place Beyond the Pines (January 11th)
Disney+, Apple TV, Shudder/AMC+/Acorn/HIDIVE, and DocPlay round out the offerings with a diverse range of films and series.
As the streaming landscape continues to evolve, one thing remains certain: viewers will have no shortage of options to keep them entertained throughout the holiday season and beyond. Whether seeking thrilling dramas, heartwarming comedies, or thought-provoking documentaries, there’s something for everyone on offer.
