WEEKEND CALENDAR
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23
RENO 911! THE HUNT FOR QANON: The long-running mockumentary comedy series -- a parody of law enforcement-themed reality shows like "Cops" -- returns for a Paramount+-exclusive special in which the men and women of the Reno Sheriff's Department attend a QAnon convention at sea, and find themselves trapped on a private island once owned by Jeffrey Epstein. Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Cedric Yarbrough, Carlos Alazraqui, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Niecy Nash, Mary Birdsong and Ian Roberts co-star. [Paramount+]
YEARLY DEPARTED: The annual comedy special features an all-woman line-up of comedians and commentators taking a snarky look back at the previous year. Yvonne Orji ("Insecure") hosts the 2021 edition, which features guest performers Jane Fonda, Chelsea Peretti, Meg Stalter, Dulcé Sloan, Aparna Nancherla, X Mayo, and Alessia Cara. [Amazon]
VIGIL: Six-part procedural mystery-drama series from the UK, set on board the HMS Vigil, a Royal Navy nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. Suranne Jones stars as Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva of the Scottish Police Service, who's called in to investigate a death on the Vigil shortly after the disappearance of a nearby fishing trawler. [Peacock]
DRAGONS: THE NINE REALMS: Debut animated series from DreamWorks, set 1,300 years after the events of the "How to Train Your Dragon" films, at a time when the creatures have slipped into legend. After a fissure opens in the Earth's surface, a group of misfit kids enter and discover the dragon's hidden world. The voice cast includes Julia Stiles, Aimee Garcia, Lauren Tom, D'Arcy Carden, and Justina Machado. [Hulu and Peacock]
BABBLE BOP!: Animated musical series for preschoolers featuring half-hour blocks of original songs and nursery rhymes. [Peacock]
BEANIE MANIA: Feature documentary from filmmaker Yemisi Brookes ("Untold Stories of Hip Hop") about Beanie Babies, the stuffed plush toys from Ty Warner that spawned a collecting frenzy in the late 1990s. [HBO Max]
40 MEANS NOTHING (40 NO ES NADA): Reality dating series from Mexico in which three actresses in their 40s -- Fabiola, Thanya, and Rocío -- go on a series of dates with a group of 10 eligible bachelors on a quest to find true love. [HBO Max]
DEAD MAN'S SWITCH: True-crime documentary feature from filmmaker Sheona McDonald ("When Dreams Take Flight") about the mysterious 2018 death of 30-year-old cryptocurrency exchange CEO Gerry Cotten. $215 million in invested funds, which were held in accounts to which Cotten alone controlled access, remain unaccounted for to this day, leading some to speculate that he faked his death and disappeared with the money. [Discovery+]
CHRISTMAS 4 SALE: Original holiday romantic comedy starring Shanti Lowry and Aaron D. Spears, concerning a billionaire getting divorced around Christmas and a case of mistaken identity. [BET+]
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24
ENCANTO: 2021 theatrical feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios, featuring original songs from "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. The story concerns the Madrigal family of Colombia, whose enchanted home grants a unique magical gift to everyone... except for young Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). The voice cast also includes John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, Angie Cepeda, Carolina Gaitán, Diane Guerrero, Alan Tudyk, Maluma, and María Cecilia Botero. (The animated short "Far From the Tree," which played before "Encanto" in theaters, also hits streaming on Friday.) [Disney+]
KING TUT IN COLOR: Original National Geographic documentary special depicting the archaeological discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in color for the first time. The colorization process was based on detailed notes made at the time by British archaeologist Howard Carter. [Disney+]
LOST TOMBS OF THE PYRAMIDS: 2020 TV special from National Geographic taking a fresh look at the Great Pyramids of Giza. For centuries, archaeologists and Egyptologists have assumed that the pyramids were designed as tombs, but new evidence indicates that they may have had alternative uses, and the pharaohs were actually interred elsewhere. [Disney+]
DON'T LOOK UP: Satirical sci-fi comedy from writer/director Adam McKay ("Vice"), starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as frustrated astronomers who discover a deadly comet on a collision course with Earth, but can't seem to capture anyone's focus or attention. The large ensemble cast also includes Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, and Ariana Grande. [Netflix]
THE SILENT SEA: Sci-fi thriller series from South Korea, about astronauts in the near future on a 24-hour mission to recover classified secrets from an abandoned research facility on the Moon. The series is based on creator Choi Hang-yong's 2014 short film "The Sea of Tranquility." "Squid Game" vets Gong Yoo and Heo Sung-tae co-star. [Netflix]
DAUGHTER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER (MADRE SOLO HAY DOS): Comedy-drama series from Mexico, starring Ludwika Paleta and Paulina Goto as two women who form an unconventional family together after discovering that their babies were switched at birth. Season 2 hits Netflix this weekend. [Netflix]
MINNAL MURALI: Malayalam-language superhero comedy from India, starring Tovino Thomas as a young tailor who's granted supernatural abilities after being struck by lightning on Christmas Eve. Guru Somasundaram co-stars as his chief rival, the villainous Vellidi Venkidi. Basil Joseph ("Godha") directed. [Netflix]
1000 MILES FROM CHRISTMAS (A 1000 KM DE LA NAVIDAD): Spanish-language holiday romantic comedy starring Tamar Novas as an unlikely guy in his 30s who gets reluctantly caught up in the Christmas spirit. [Netflix]
VICKY AND HER MYSTERY (MYSTÉRE): 2021 family drama feature from France about an 8-year-old girl (Shanna Keil) who moves with her father to a small mountain village, following the death of her mother, and forms a strong bond with a new adopted puppy. Vincent Elbaz, Marie Gillain, Tchéky Karyo, and Éric Elmosnin co-star. [Netflix]
STAND BY ME DORAEMON 2: 2020 animated sci-fi rom-com from Japan, based on the "Doraemon" manga and the 2014 film "Stand By Me Doraemon." In this new adventure, Nobita (Satoshi Tsumabuki) travels back in time to get to know his late grandmother, who died when he was still a young child. [Netflix]
SLUGFEST: 10-part docuseries about the long-time rivalry between comic book publishers DC and Marvel, based on Reed Tucker's book of the same name. Filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo ("Avengers: Endgame") produced; Kevin Smith provides narration. [Roku]
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25
JIMMY CARR: HIS DARK MATERIAL: The comedian's latest special features discussions of dark and unexpected topics, including a number of jokes that Carr identifies as potential "career enders." [Netflix]
STORIES OF A GENERATION – WITH POPE FRANCIS: Four-part docuseries from Italy, inspired by the book by Pope Francis, in which men and women over 70 from around the world -- a group that includes both celebrities and everyday people -- recall poignant stories from their pasts and share wisdom and advice for living. Participants include Pope Francis himself, primatologist Jane Goodall, and filmmaker Martin Scorsese. [Netflix]
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26
LETTERKENNY: The Canadian sitcom -- set in the fictional rural community of Letterkenny, Ontario -- returns to Hulu for a 10th season. (The show has already been renewed for Season 11.) The cast includes Nathan Dales, Michelle Mylett, K. Trevor Wilson, Dylan Playfair, Andrew Herr, Tyler Johnston, and creator Jared Keeso. [Hulu]
LULLI: Romantic comedy feature from Brazil starring Larissa Manoela as a young medical student who begins to hear other peoples' thoughts after being electrocuted by an MRI machine. [Netflix]
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