Coming soon to all streamers
In the months to come, Billy Bob Thornton will play a crisis boss at an oil company in Landman (Paramount Plus), while fan favourite Netflix shows Squid Game, Heartstopper and The Witcher all get returns
Squid Game
Action & Adventure | Mystery | Drama
Summary:Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits — with deadly high stakes. In series two, Gi-hun once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion won.
Why to watch: This critically-acclaimed Netflix phenomenon shocked viewers in 2021 with its violence, gore, and uncompromising plot. It was an instant hit, becoming the subject of water cooler discussion in many offices. If the second series is more of the same, it’ll be a thrilling Boxing Day.
Coming to: Netflix
Cross
Crime | Mystery
Summary:Based on James Patterson’s bestselling books, Alex Cross is a brilliant but flawed detective.. A doting father and family man, Cross is single-minded to the point of obsession when he hunts killers. He is desperate for love, but his wife’s murder has left him too damaged to receive it.
Why to watch: One of Patterson’s stand-out fictional heroes, Cross is the subject of 32 novels, two novellas, and three spin-off novels. He commands a huge audience, and Prime will have plenty of material to adapt if the series is a hit.
Coming to: Prime Video
Heartstopper
Drama
Summary:Teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love in this coming-of-age series.
Why to watch: Expect “Mental health, sex, university ambitions, and more” in series three, teases series creator Alice Oseman. Sadly, Olivia Colman couldn’t fit filming into her schedule for this series, but Heartstopper won’t be missing star quality, with Hayley Atwell, Eddie Marsan and Jonathan Bailey all joining the cast.
Coming to: Netflix
Landman
Drama
Summary:Set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas, Landman is a modern-day tale of fortune-seeking in the world of oil rigs. It’s an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big it’s reshaping our climate, economy and geopolitics.
Why to watch: Based on the award-winning Boomtown podcast, Oscar-winner Billy Bob Thornton stars as a crisis executive in this topical new drama. Hell or High Water screenwriter Taylor Sheridan is at the helm.
Coming to: Paramount Plus
Woman of the Hour
Drama | Crime | Mystery
2024 | Anna Kendrick | 89 mins
Summary:Anna Kendrick directs and stars in this fact-based drama, which follows serial killer Rodney Alcala’s brazen appearance on the popular TV game show “The Dating Game”.
Why to watch: This is a shocking real life story, and a meaty choice for Kendrick’s directorial debut. When first released at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, critics praised Kendrick’s direction for its powerful portrayal of misogyny.
Coming to: Netflix
The Day of the Jackal
Drama | Action & Adventure
Summary:A contemporary reimagining of the Edgar-winning 1971 book by Frederick Forsyth where a professional assassin (Eddie Redmayne) is contracted by a French paramilitary dissident to kill French President Charles de Gaulle.
Why to watch: This drama has all the ingredients for success: a hugely respected novel about a daring killer played by an Oscar-winner. It should be thrilling.
Coming to: Sky / NOW
Shrinking
Comedy
Summary:Jason Segel stars as Jimmy, a therapist struggling to grieve the loss of his wife while also being a dad and friend. He decides to try a new approach with everyone in his path: unfiltered, brutal honesty. In series two, Jimmy is in trouble after a patient takes his jest to push her boyfriend off a cliff at face value.
Why to watch: A complex, thoughtful comedy-drama with star turns from Segel and co-star Harrison Ford. In series two, Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein also joins the mix.
Coming to: AppleTV+
Disclaimer
Drama | Mystery
Summary:Alfonso Cuarón-directed thriller starring two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett. When an intriguing novel appears at the bedside of a journalist whose career has been built on revealing transgressions, she is horrified to realise she's a key character in a long-buried story - one that exposes her darkest secret.
Why to watch: The star-studded talent list alone probably makes this new thriller worth a look. As well as its Academy Award-winning director and lead, Kevin Kline, Sacha Baron Cohen, Lesley Manville and Gemma Jones are also in the cast.
Coming to: Apple TV+
The Witcher
Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Drama | Action & Adventure
Summary:Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster-hunter for hire, journeys toward his destiny in a turbulent world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.
Why to watch: Liam Hemsworth’s replacement of Henry Cavill in the title role was the subject of a fan backlash when first announced in 2022 - leading to his co-stars defending him. Whether he’ll be able to replicate Cavill’s iconic performance, widely seen as a series highlight, remains to be seen.
Coming to: Netflix
The Devil's Hour
Mystery | Crime | Drama
Summary:Oscar-winner Peter Capaldi and Jessica Raine star as a criminal and a troubled social worker in this Emmy-nominated thriller. Lucy wakes every night at exactly 3:33am. Nothing in her life has made sense for a long time. But the answers are out there, somewhere, at the end of a trail of brutal murders.
Why to watch: This haunting thriller boasts an outstanding performance by Jessica Raine, with a plot that will leave one shaken long after watching. Top Boy’s Saffron Hocking adds further star quality to the second series.
Coming to: Prime Video
