The 25 binge-worthy shows to see this Christmas and where to watch them

Christmas comes with time—and too many choices. The real question isn’t what’s available to watch, but what’s actually worth it.

This list highlights 25 shows and movies that make the hours you spend on them count. They’re binge-worthy, engaging, and all available to stream online.

We’ve grouped them by mood, because holiday watching isn’t a one-size-fits-all. Whether you want something gentle, suspenseful, funny, or fully festive, there’s something here for every kind of night.

For year-end comfort

Sometimes the best way to close out the year is with stories that don’t demand much from you: just warmth, familiarity, and gentle storytelling. These shows and movies deliver exactly that.

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

• Where to watch The Queen’s Gambit: Netflix
• Genre: Coming-of-Age, Epic, Drama
• Watch Time: 11 episodes / 397 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.5

A story about chess that somehow turns into a story about everything else: genius, addiction, loneliness, and what it costs to win. The Queen’s Gambit follows Beth Harmon, an orphaned prodigy whose obsession with the board becomes her escape and undoing. 

It’s gorgeously made, quietly tense, and carried by Anya Taylor-Joy’s sharp, haunting performance. You don’t need to know a thing about chess; by the second episode, you’ll be too invested in her to care who’s moving the pieces.

Paddington 2 (2017)

• Where to watch Paddington: Prime Video
• Genre: Animal Adventure, Comedy, Drama
• Watch Time: 103 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 7.8

If you haven’t met the bear from Peru yet, start with Paddington (2014). It sets the tone for one of the most comforting family franchises ever made. Paddington 2 builds on everything that made the first so loved: gentle humour, a big heart, and a sense of kindness that never feels forced. 

What follows is a smart, funny caper featuring Hugh Grant in one of his best comic turns. It’s rare for a sequel to outshine the original, but this one does it with ease—a warm, quietly profound reminder that decency never goes out of style, especially at Christmas.

Twenty Five Twenty One (2022)

• Where to watch Twenty Five Twenty One: Netflix
• Genre: Korean Drama, Melodrama
• Watch Time: 16 episodes / 960 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.6

Set in late-1990s Korea, this coming-of-age drama follows a young fencer and an aspiring reporter navigating life, love, and ambition. It balances nostalgia, friendship, and personal growth, with standout performances from Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk. 

Heartfelt, relatable, and surprisingly real, it’s one of the most engaging shows to watch this Christmas, appealing to anyone who loves stories about influential personalities forging their own way.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001 – 2003)

• Where to watch The Lord of the Rings: Prime Video, Showmax
• Genre: Action, Epic Drama, Fantasy
• Watch Time: 4 parts / 726 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 9

The Fellowship of the Ring is the start of a sprawling fantasy adventure that stretches across three films, all of which you can binge this holiday if you like. Peter Jackson brings Middle-earth to life with a mix of massive landscapes, detailed sets, and costumes that make the world feel real. 

The cast—McKellen, Wood, Mortensen, Holm, Astin, Serkis—fills every scene with personality, humour, and heart. From tense battles to quiet moments of friendship, it’s the kind of story that draws you in and keeps you watching.

Coda (2021)

• Where to watch Coda: Prime Video, Apple TV+
• Genre: Musical Drama, Coming-of-Age
• Watch Time: 111 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.0

CODA (2021) follows Ruby, a teen navigating life as the only hearing member of her deaf family. Emilia Jones is magnetic, and Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin ground the story with quiet, emotional performances. 

The show balances humour, music, and family tension—brace yourself, there are a few scenes that will hit hard. Perfect for a cosy, emotional watch this Christmas.

Zootopia and Zootopia 2 (2016, 2025)

• Where to watch Zootopia: Prime Video
• Genre: Action Animation, Animal Adventure, Comedy
• Watch Time: 2 parts / 216 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8

Judy Hopps starts as a wide-eyed rookie with big dreams, and over the course of two films, she and Nick Wilde tackle mysteries that grow alongside the city they call home. Both films mix clever humour, sharp social commentary, and moments that land emotionally without ever feeling preachy. 

Voice performances from Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, and Ke Huy Quan keep the duo’s chemistry alive, while a diverse supporting cast—from Shakira to Idris Elba—fills the city with energy and laughs. 

The animation dazzles, from bustling streets to multi-biome neighbourhoods, while clever gags and layered storytelling make Zootopia a joyful, binge-worthy ride for all ages.

The Last Dance (2020)

• Where to watch The Last Dance: Netflix
• Genre: Sports Documentary 
• Watch Time: 504 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 9.0

Even if you’ve never watched a basketball game, this mini-series pulls you in. It’s a deep dive into Michael Jordan and the ’90s Bulls: high-stakes games, rivalries, and the personalities that made a dynasty. 

The storytelling, rare footage, and interviews make it feel immediate, alive, and nostalgic without being overwhelming. By the end, you get the drive, intensity, and humanity behind one of sports’ biggest legends.

Lessons in Chemistry (2023)

• Where to watch Lessons in Chemistry: Apple TV+
• Genre: Period Drama, Romance
• Watch Time: 8 episodes / 370 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.2

Set in the 1950s, this series follows chemist Elizabeth Zott as she turns a TV cooking show into a platform for teaching more than recipes. Brie Larson delivers a captivating performance, balancing humour, heart, and intelligence, while the supporting cast, including her gifted daughter Madeleine, adds depth and warmth. 

Clever, well-paced, and emotionally rich, it’s a show to settle in with this holiday season.

For pure suspense

If your idea of holiday relaxation involves edge-of-your-seat tension and plot twists that keep you up past midnight, these thrillers and mysteries won’t disappoint:

The Night Manager (2016)

• Where to watch The Night Manager: Prime Video
• Genre: Drama, Spy Thriller
• Watch Time: 13 episodes / 358 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.0

Tom Hiddleston leads this gripping spy thriller as Jonathan Pine, a hotel night manager drawn into the dangerous world of an international arms dealer, played with icy charm by Hugh Laurie. Adapted from John le Carré’s novel and directed by Oscar winner Susanne Bier, it’s the rare series that feels like a big-budget film—sharp, tense, and beautifully acted. 

With Olivia Colman anchoring the cast, The Night Manager remains one of TV’s most sophisticated thrillers, and its long-awaited second season arrives January 11.

Farmer’s Bride (2025)

• Where to watch Farmer’s Bride: Netflix
• Genre: Thriller, Drama, Nollywood
• Total Runtime: 83 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 5.5

A haunting rural drama that unravels around love, guilt, and the price of freedom. Farmer’s Bride follows a young woman caught in a marriage she never wanted—and the choices that pull her deeper into danger. 

Powered by Gbubemi Ejeye’s gripping performance and Mercy Aigbe’s eerie presence, the film blends romance, superstition, and quiet tension into something unforgettable. Co-directed by Jack’enneth Opukeme and Adebayo Tijani, it’s a slow burn that proves Nollywood can do thrill just as well as heart.

The Beast in Me (2025)

• Where to watch The Beast in Me: Netflix
• Genre: Psycho-Thriller, Drama
• Total Runtime: 8 episodes / 430 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 7.5

Claire Danes leads this tense psychological thriller as a withdrawn writer whose new neighbour (Matthew Rhys) carries a past that’s hard to ignore. What follows is a slow-burn dance of curiosity and suspicion, set against quiet domestic spaces that never feel safe for long. 

Smart, eerie, and beautifully acted, The Beast in Me keeps its secrets close, and you leaning in to catch them. It’s just the right kind of edge for a long holiday night.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022)

• Where to watch The Man Who Fell to Earth: Prime Video
• Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
• Watch Time: 10 episodes / 550 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 7.2

Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as an alien who crash-lands on Earth carrying a mission that could save—or end—humanity. What begins as a sci-fi premise quickly unfolds into a tense character study about identity, survival, and what it means to be human. 

Naomie Harris delivers a grounded, emotional counterpoint to Ejiofor’s intensity, and every episode keeps you guessing who’s really saving whom. Sharp, unpredictable, and layered with moral tension, The Man Who Fell to Earth is sci-fi with the pulse of a thriller, and it sticks with you long after the credits roll.

Grosse Pointe Garden Society (2025)

• Where to watch Grosse Pointe Garden Society: Prime Video
• Genre: Crime, Drama 
• Watch Time: 13 episodes / 546 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 6.8

If Desperate Housewives met How to Get Away With Murder, you’d get this slick, darkly funny suburban whodunit. Aja Naomi King and Melissa Fumero headline a story that flips between “six months before” and “six months after” a murder—keeping you guessing not about who did it, but who is dead. 

It’s over-the-top in all the right ways: sharp dialogue, glossy visuals, and characters whose secrets unravel faster than their perfect lawns. The constant timeline jumps might test your focus, but stick with it: it’s clever, chaotic, and the kind of drama that’s best enjoyed with snacks and side-eye.

Weak Hero 

• Where to watch Weak Hero: Netflix
• Genre: Korean Drama, Action
• Watch Time: 16 episodes / 736 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.4

This Korean drama strips school violence of its clichés and plays it straight. Yeon Si-eun isn’t strong, but he’s smart: a quiet student who learns to outthink his bullies and ends up in a fight that changes everything. 

The show builds tension through strategy, not sentiment, and Park Ji-hoon’s performance holds it together. Just eight episodes, tightly written, brutal in moments, and impossible to stop once you start.

For a good laugh

Not every Christmas watch needs to be sentimental. Sometimes you just want to laugh until your face hurts. These comedies—smart, silly, or somewhere in between—deliver exactly that.

Beef (2023)

• Where to watch Beef: Netflix
• Genre: Black Comedy, Drama
• Watch Time: 10 episodes / 600 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.0

Ali Wong and Steven Yeun headline this sharp, darkly comedic drama about two strangers whose lives collide over a minor road rage incident, spiralling into chaos and unexpected reflection. Equal parts funny and intense, Beef blends Asian American cultural nuance with universal themes of pressure, pride, and personal frustration. 

Its writing is clever, the performances layered, and the pacing keeps you hooked, episode after episode, with a soundtrack that sticks and a mix of humour and tension throughout.

Ololade (2023)

• Where to watch Ololade: Netflix 
• Genre: Drama, Dark Comedy
• Watch Time: 7 episodes / 252 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 6.4

Ololade follows two friends whose sudden windfalls spiral into a mix of schemes, mistakes, and unexpected consequences. Femi Adebayo and Frank Donga navigate wealth, moral shortcuts, and chaotic twists, blending humour with tension. 

Some side plots and characters feel underdeveloped, but the central story delivers laughs, high-stakes drama, and enough unpredictability to keep you hooked through the holiday binge.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (2016-2017)

• Where to watch Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency: Netflix
• Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
• Watch Time: 18 episodes / 780 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.1

Quirky, fast-paced, and utterly unpredictable, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency turns detective work into chaos with heart. BBC America’s take on Douglas Adams’ universe spins a completely fresh story while keeping the spirit of the books, full of twisty plots and memorable characters. 

Sharp, funny, and clever, it’s a show that hooks you from start to finish—even if fans are still campaigning for a proper season three.

The White Lotus (2021)

• Where to watch The White Lotus: Showmax, Prime Video
• Genre: Comedy, Drama
• Watch Time: 22 episodes / 810 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.0

HBO’s The White Lotus is a funny, sharply written anthology that unpacks the quirks and frustrations of the rich with a perfect cast from top to bottom. Each character is compelling—sometimes vile, sometimes hilarious—and every season wraps its story in a way that feels complete and satisfying. 

With season two already following the award-winning first, it’s a binge that mixes satire, social commentary, and just the right amount of cringe, making it one of the smartest, most entertaining limited series in recent memory.

Ajosepo (2024) 

• Where to watch Ajosepo: EbonyLife ON+, Showmax
• Genre: Nollywood Comedy, Drama, Romance
• Watch Time: 122 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.6

Ajosepo is a wedding comedy that lands on all the messy, hilarious parts of family life. Dapo and Tani’s big day kicks off with both families under one roof, and chaos quickly takes over: Dapo’s father, a chronic flirt, runs into an old flame, siblings clash, and everyone’s secrets bubble up. 

Ronke Oshodi Oke, Yemi Solade, and Bisola Aiyeola deliver the kind of performances that make the drama genuinely funny, while the story still lands moments about marriage, family, and seeing things from different angles. Fast, chaotic, and full of laughs, it’s a Nollywood holiday pick worth your time.

For Christmas vibes

Queue these binge-worthy titles up if you want the full festive atmosphere:

Home for Christmas (2019 – 2025) 

• Where to watch Home for Christmas: Netflix 
• Genre: Romantic Comedy, Holiday
• Watch Time: 20 episodes / 600 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 7.7

This Norwegian series follows Johanne, a 30-year-old navigating family pressure to have a boyfriend by Christmas. Light, witty, and relatable, it blends festive warmth with moments of real-life struggle. 

It’s a cosy, clever take on the season—refreshingly different from typical commercialised Christmas shows and an original pick for anyone seeking warmth and heart this holiday season. 

Klaus (2019)

• Where to watch Klaus: Netflix
• Genre: Holiday, Comedy, Family
• Watch Time: 98 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 8.2

If you’re looking for a Christmas movie that actually feels different, Klaus is it. You follow Jesper, a reluctant mailman sent to a frozen village where nobody talks to each other—until he meets Klaus, a mysterious toy maker who changes everything. 

The story is funny, touching, and surprisingly clever, and the animation will stop you mid-scroll with its gorgeous lighting and hand-drawn charm. It’s the kind of holiday watch that makes you want to slow down, pay attention, and just enjoy the magic.

The Best Man Holiday (2013)

• Where to watch The Best Man Holiday: Prime Vídeo 
• Genre: Drama, Comedy
• Watch Time: 123 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 6.6

Fifteen years after the original, The Best Man Holiday reunites college friends for a Christmas gathering that’s equal parts laughter and heartfelt moments. Lance (Morris Chestnut) and Mia (Monica Calhoun) host, while Harper (Taye Diggs) navigates old tensions and new challenges, giving the story both warmth and bite. 

The cast—Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Regina Hall, and Harold Perrineau—deliver chemistry and emotional depth, blending humour and drama to capture the highs and lows of friendship, love, and family. A lively, relatable reunion, perfect for festive viewing without leaning on clichés.

Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025)

• Where to watch Silent Night, Deadly Night: Prime Vídeo 
• Genre: Holiday, Horror
• Watch Time: 96 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 6.5

This reboot leans into holiday horror with a sharp, self-aware edge. Rohan Campbell stars as Billy, a retail worker haunted by dark impulses that erupt each Christmas, while Ruby Modine plays the coworker who keeps the tension simmering. 

Directed by Mike P. Nelson, the film blends inventive kills with unexpected twists and a campy tone that makes the violence oddly fun without glorifying it. It’s messy at times—pacing stumbles, effects wobble—but the mix of psychological edge, gore, and Christmas-set chaos keeps it a binge-worthy slasher for fans of festive thrills.

Soul Food (1997)

• Where to watch Soul Food: Prime Video
• Genre: Holiday Comedy, Drama
• Watch Time: 115 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 7.0

Soul Food is a warm, honest look at a family bound by love, tradition, and the tensions that come with both. Centred on a large, multigenerational household, the story captures the everyday struggles, joys, and tough conversations that shape family life. 

Standout performances from Irma P. Hall, Mekhi Phifer, and Brandon Hammond bring heart and authenticity to the screen, making the film feel timeless. Rated R but resonant across generations, Soul Food blends humour, drama, and holiday warmth, earning its place as a quiet classic worth revisiting this season.

The Holdovers (2023)

• Where to watch The Holdovers: Netflix
• Genre: Holiday Comedy, Drama
• Watch Time: 24 episodes / 133 mins 
• IMDb Rating: 7.9

Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers mixes heart and humour in a Christmas-set boarding school story. Paul Giamatti leads a cast that brings warmth, wit, and genuine connection to the screen, while the story explores unexpected friendships and quiet life lessons. 

Smart, funny, and heartfelt, it’s a perfect pick for a cosy holiday watch.