‘Tis the season for holiday movies! A few new titles are among the options for what to watch this weekend on Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus and other streaming services.
Spirited pairs Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds in a modern take on A Christmas Carol, while A Christmas Story Christmas sees Ralphie all grown up and celebrating the holiday with his own family. Tim Allen returns as the big man in red in The Santa Clauses, a miniseries continuation of the hit movie franchise.
Grinches and Scrooges should have no fear, since holiday flicks aren’t the only thing on offer. Disenchanted, a long overdue sequel to Enchanted, brings back Amy Adams as the singing and dancing princess who is finding suburbia to be a drag. Florence Pugh headlines The Wonder (one of the top new movies to watch online), a drama that pits faith against science.
On the TV side, Dead to Me season 3 is the final chapter of the zany dark comedy, so don’t miss out on how things end for best friends Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. Sex Lives of College Girls season 2 continues following the four freshman leads as they balance classes and hook-ups. And Elite season 6 sees the murder-mystery soap start a new school year.
Here’s our guide on what to watch this weekend — and once you're through with this list, check out our guide to what's new on Netflix for the week of November 21.
Dead to Me season 3 (Netflix)
The tragicomic tale of two unlikely best friends is coming to an end. Creator Liz Feldman never planned for Dead to Me to run more than three or four seasons, so this isn’t really one of those cases where Netflix pulled the plug too soon (I'm still mad about GLOW). Making this the final installment is also timely, since star Christina Applegate has openly discussed her struggles with filming with MS.
Applegate and Linda Cardellini are as fine a form as ever as, respectively, cynical widow Jen and her more cheerful partner-in-crime Judy. The murders they’ve committed and covered up still threaten to come out into the open. Their lives are unraveling, and it’s all compounded by a health crisis.
Streaming now on Netflix
Disenchanted (Disney Plus)
The success of Hocus Pocus 2 is a clear indication that there’s massive interest in sequels to beloved Disney films of yore. The 2007 musical fantasy Enchanted was a delightful send-up of the typical Disney princess tale. After Giselle (Amy Adams) is rudely pushed out of her animated realm into real-world New York City, she gets her happily-ever-after with a previously-pessimistic lawyer, Robert (Dempsey).
Fifteen years later, Giselle, Robert and his daughter Morgan move from Manhattan to the suburbs. Giselle finds their new life isn’t as shiny and happy as she dreamed, mostly due to snubbing by local queen bee Malvina (Maya). So, Giselle calls upon the magic of Andalasia for help, but it accidentally turns the entire town into a fairy tale.
Streaming now on Disney Plus
Spirited (Apple TV Plus)
Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds team up for a musical comedy that puts a twist on the classic Charles Dickens tale A Christmas Carol. It’s told from the perspective of the ghosts and features original songs by Oscar winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land).
The Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) is responsible for choosing a new Scrooge to reform every year. But this time, he selects the wrong one. Social media spin doctor Clint (Reynolds) flips the table on Present, pushing him to reexamine his own past, present and future.
Streaming now on Apple TV Plus
The Sex Lives of College Girls season 2 (HBO Max)
The freshman suitemates of Essex College are back for more academic and romantic adventures. After losing her scholarship for cheating, Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) is desperately trying to find a way to pay tuition. Bela (Amrit Kaur) quit humor mag The Catallun due to sexual harassment and is launch an all-female rival.
Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) is exploring who she is when soccer is in the off-season, which may include a relationship with Canaan (Chris Meyer). And Leighton (Reneé Rapp) must decide if she’s going to fully come out of the closet to everybody.
Streaming now on HBO Max
The Wonder (Netflix)
Director Sebastián Lelio’s psychological thriller wrestles with themes of faith, miracles and truth in 1862 Ireland, some 13 years after the Great Famine. Florence Pugh stars as English Nightingale nurse Lib Wright, who journeys to the Irish Midlands at the behest of a devout community.
She has been called there to observe an 11-year-old girl named Anna O’Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy), who claims that she hasn’t eaten for four months and has survived on “manna from heaven.” Anna’s assertions fly against all of Lib’s scientific beliefs. As the girl’s health deteriorates, Lib is determined to unearth the truth.
Streaming now on Netflix
A Christmas Story Christmas (HBO Max)
Here’s another sequel to a cherished classic, possibly the most iconic Christmas movie of all time. It brings back Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker, all grown up after 30 years with a wife and children of his own.
Ralphie returns home to Hammond, Indiana with his family and reunites with his old friends. His mother, now widowed, talks him into holding the kind of holiday celebration the Old Man used to put on before his passing. But Ralphie discovers that recreating the idyllic Christmas of his childhood is no easy feat.
Streaming now on HBO Max
The People We Hate at the Wedding (Prime Video)
Based on Am I the A**hole posts, wedding drama appears to be the No. 1 cause of family dysfunction and estrangement — and thiscomedy is basically a manifestation of an r/AITA post. Donna (Allison Janney) wants her adult kids Alice (Kristen Bell) and Paul (Ben Platt) to support their English half-sister Eloise (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) on her big day.
They make the trip across the pond, but their own issues threaten to overshadow the family reunion. Alice is having an affair with her married boss, while Paul is still irked that their mother moved on so quickly after the death of his and Alice’s dad.
Streaming now on Prime Video
Fleishman Is in Trouble (Hulu)
Taffy Brodesser-Akner brings her 2019 novel to the screen in this limited series with a star-studded cast. Recently-divorced fortysomething Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg) ventures into the world of dating apps. He has some success but things are complicated when his ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes) goes AWOL.
Now, Toby is solely responsible for caring for their two kids, juggling that with a new promotion at work and a slew of dates. As Rachel’s disappearance lengthens, Toby figures out that he’ll never understand what happened to her until he’s honest with himself about why their marriage broke down.
Streaming now on Hulu
The Santa Clauses (Disney Plus)
The hit 1994 Christmas comedy has already yielded two sequels and is now getting a series continuation. Tim Allen returns as Scott Calvin, the once-ordinary man who inadvertently became Santa Claus. At the age of 65, Scott realizes he can’t be Santa forever. Things are falling apart at the North Pole, mostly due to online shopping and fewer kids sending in requests.
He needs to find a replacement Santa, but it won’t be an easy task. Perhaps one of his kids could take over, but another contender emerges in the form of tech guru Simon Choksi (Kal Penn).
Streaming now on Disney Plus
More new shows to watch this weekend
Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium (Disney Plus)
Sing "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road" as the showman's final North American show streams live worldwide.
Sunday at 11 p.m. ET on Disney Plus
Nope (Peacock)
Jordan Peele’s latest horror-thriller makes its streaming debut.
Streaming now on Peacock
Elite season 6 (Netflix)
A new school year brings more drama, murder, mystery and romance to Las Encinas.
Streaming now on Netflix
Slumberland (Netflix)
An orphan travels through a dreamworld in the hope of reuniting with her father.
Streaming now on Netflix
