Santa is coming to town! And he’s right on time. Just in time for the holidays, one of the best Christmas movies is hitting Netflix. Each month, Netflix releases the list of movies they are adding to their streaming service. The 1994 film The Santa Clause is one of the top movies being added to Netflix in December. Along with the film’s two sequels, a Marvel movie is also slated for its Netflix debut. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 will give Netflix users all the Baby Groot moments they could possibly need. Groot would say “I am Groot” to that one!
But while we get a list of movies and TV shows coming to Netflix in December, we also get the list of what is leaving Netflix too. A series or film that fans love always tends to be on the chopping block during this time. Among the list of things leaving is: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Scary Movie 2, Scary Movie 3, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (seasons 1-11), and Holes. Tragic.
18. V for Vendetta
This movie was previously on Netflix this year. It left during the summer, but is back yet again! Too bad it return on the 5th of November. V is an activist who is trying to start a revolution using terrorist tactics to fight his oppressors. He finds an unlikely ally in Ivey (Natalie Portman) after saving her from the secret police.
When to watch: December 1st
17. The Crown: Season 2
This regal show is exactly what royal lovers need. It follows the life of Queen Elizabeth after she ascended the throne when her father died. The series is premiering season two, but it’s a huge hit for the platform. The second season finds the Queen struggling in the ‘60s. She’s distraught over having three Prime Ministers in only ten years. How will she cope?
When to watch: December 8th
16. Fuller House: season 3, part 2
Some Netflix shows release every episode at once, but for Fuller House, they mixed it up. Season three dropped part one earlier this year and now we’ve got part two. The series follows DJ, living in her childhood home, living a life strangely similar to her father Danny Tanner. In this section, the love triangle for DJ is finally going to be resolved! Who on Earth will she choose?
When to watch: December 2nd
15. Dark
The plot surrounding the new Netflix original series Dark has been vague thus far. But that is the perfect tactic to draw Netflix users in. The German-language supernatural family drama series was co-created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese. The show’s plot is listed as “The disappearance of two young children in a German town brings light to the fractured relationships, double lives and past of four families living there.” Sounds spooky, right?
When to watch: December 1st
14. Peaky Blinders Season 4
U.S. fans can rejoice! Peaky Blinders season four will be available very soon. After the episodes began airing on BBC Two, many wondered when they’d be available in the U.S. Peaky Blinders is “a gangster drama located in the streets of post-war Birmingham on the verge of the 1920s.” The six-episode season stars Cillian Murphy. The series welcome Adrien Brody as mafia scion Luca Changretta; Charlie Murphy as Jessie Eden, the trade union activist who made history in the 1920s fighting for equal pay for women; and Game of Thrones alum Aidan Gillen.
When to watch: December 21st
13. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
‘90s Jim Carrey is definitely the best of Jim. He always makes his characters come to life and this pet detective is no exception! The 1994 movie follows the goofy pet detective as he works a case. Ace finds animals that have gone missing. The NFL Miami Dolphins mascot is kidnapped and he’s called in as the problem-solver. Things take a quick turn though when Dolphins players start disappearing as well. The film’s sequel Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls also is available for streaming the same day.
When to watch: December 1st
12. Erased
On this streaming platform, we can always expect something strange and unusual. Erased looks like just that and we can’t wait to get a chance to watch the Netflix original movie. The plot has been kept under wraps, with just a short description currently available. “After his mother is killed, a man travels 18 years back in time and has a chance to stop a kidnapping that took the lives of three of his classmates.” 29-year-old Yuuya Furukawa, best known as Naoki Irie in Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo, is set as the protagonist.
When to watch: December 15th
11. Bill Nye Saves the World, season 2
Bill Nye the Science Guy. Bill! Bill! Bill! Back for season two, this Netflix original series is exactly what every ‘90s kids could ever want. Host Bill Nye brings famous guests and experts to his lab for a “talk show exploring scientific issues that touch our lives.” The show focuses on science and its relationship with politics, pop culture, and society. On the show’s first season, Bill tackled topics like climate change, alternative medicine, and video games from a scientific point of view. We can’t wait to see what he does next!
When to watch: December 29th
10. Wormwood
If you’re looking for a Netflix original series that is full of mystery, this is what you need. The show is a combination of documentary and fiction. Netflix lists the plot as “This six-part series explores the limits of our knowledge about the past and the lengths we’ll go in our search for the truth. A family story of one man’s sixty-year quest to identify the circumstances of his father’s mysterious death. A quest which brings him face-to-face with some of the darkest secrets of the United States.”
When to watch: December 15th
9. Dave Chappelle: Equanimity
Do you remember when Dave Chappelle just disappeared off the map? Well, thank god he is back! He premiered two standup specials earlier this year and now we’re lucky enough for a third. In March, he gave us The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium and Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits. His third Netflix special is set to release at the end of the month and we’re sure it’ll be full of laughs as well. You can catch his well-timed Trump jokes in Dave Chappelle: Equanimity. Thankfully, he shortened the specials name compared to his last two.
When to watch: December 31st
8. Bright
Will Smith is back and in a big way for Netflix! Bright is set “In an alternate present day, [where] humans, orcs, elves and fairies have been coexisting since the beginning of time. Two police officers, one a human, the other an orc, embark on a routine night patrol that will alter the future of their world as they know it. Battling both their own personal differences as well as an onslaught of enemies, they must work together to protect a young female elf and a thought-to-be-forgotten relic, which, in the wrong hands, could destroy everything.” It kind of seems like Blade Runner meets LOTR, plus Will Smith. All good things though, right?
When to watch: December 22nd
7. Trollhunters, season 2
Guillermo del Toro whipped this computer-animated fantasy for Netflix and season one was such a hit, they’re back for season two.The show is about in “the fictional town of Arcadia lives a secret civilization of trolls, which humans are oblivious to. The trolls’ common enemy are the Gumm-Gumms, evil trolls from the Darklands, whom the trolls’ chosen warrior, known as the ‘Trollhunter,’ is supposed to protect them from, among other dark miscreants.” Anton Yelchin will still voice Jim Lake on the show, as he recorded enough dialogue before his death in 2016.
When to watch: December 15th
6. Voyeur
After the success of Making a Murderer, Netflix knew that their audiences were fascinated with documentaries and doc-style TV shows. To quench that thirst, they’ve got a new original movie, Voyeur, that will make your skin crawl if you’ve ever stayed in a motel. The documentary is about legendary journalist Gay Talese as he “unmasks a motel owner who spied on his guests for decades. But his bombshell story soon becomes a scandal of its own.”
When to watch: December 1st
5. 8 Mile
8 Mile is basically a look into Eminem’s life before he became famous. The film provided Em with one of his most successful songs to date, “Lose Yourself.” The movie, also starring the late Brittany Murphy, follows Jimmy Smith Jr.’s life for one week. He is a struggling rapper, just trying to make a name for himself and be taken seriously. The name of the film comes from the area the film takes place in, as 8 Mile is known as the city limit for people living in Detroit.
When to watch: December 1st
4. Hitch
Will Smith isn’t just starring in a Netflix original film, one of his classics will also hit the streaming service. His 2005 hit Hitch, also starring Kevin James and Eva Mendes, will be available first thing in December. The movie follows love coach Alex “Hitch” Hitchens as he helps not-so-smooth men win over the women of their dreams. Hitch is usually focused on his clients, but in the process of helping one man, he winds up falling in love with a beautiful journalist. Things go haywire when she learns about his job and she thinks he’s not the man she fell for.
When to watch: December 1st
3. Trolls Holiday Special
After the success of Trolls in 2016, the band is back together! Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake return to voice the lead trolls, Princess Poppy and Branch. The film isn’t getting a sequel until 2020, but to tide us over, NBC is airing a Trolls special and it’ll hit Netflix a few weeks later. NBC released the holiday special’s plot. “Now that the Bergens’ one holiday is gone – and the Trolls don’t have to worry about being eaten by their neighbors – Poppy, the eternally optimistic Troll queen, has made it her mission to bring a brand new day of celebration to Bergen Town.” What is it about these lil’ guys that we love so much?!
When to watch: December 6th
2. The Santa Clause
The most magical part of this list is the fact that The Santa Clause trilogy is coming to Netflix! The first in the series is easily the best, but can anyone top the original? The Tim Allen Christmas movie follows his journey after putting on the big red suit. No one makes a better Santa than him! The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause will also be making their Netflix debut.
When to watch: December 12th
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Before Disney takes all of their content off Netflix, we get another Marvel hit. The sequel to the highly successful Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 takes place shortly after the events of the first film. They have to save the Galaxy, again. It’s safe to say the real standouts in this one are Baby Groot and the friendship between Drax and Mantis. Let’s not forget Yandu’s Mary Poppins moment!
When to watch: December 5th
Here’s the full list of Netflix releases in chronological order:
December 1st
8 Mile
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
All Hail King Julien: Season 5
A StoryBots Christmas
August Rush
Chef & My Fridge: 2017
Dark: Season 1
Diana: In Her Own Words
Dreamcatcher
DreamWorks Home: For the Holidays
Easy: Season 2
Exporting Raymond
Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story
Full Metal Jacket
Hitch
My Happy Family
Nacho Libre
Sahara
The Farthest – Voyager in Space
The Little Rascals
The Wackness
The Young Victoria
Tyson
V for Vendetta
TURN: Washington’s Spies: Season 4
Voyeur
While You Were Sleeping
December 4th
When Calls the Heart: Season 4
December 5th
Craig Ferguson: Tickle Fight
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
December 6th
Trolls Holiday Special
December 8th
El Camino Christmas
The Crown: Season 2
December 11th
Catwoman
The Magicians: Season 2
December 12th
Disney’s The Santa Clause
Disney’s The Santa Clause 2
Disney’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Judd Apatow: The Return
December 14th
41 Dogs in My Home
A&E: When Patients Attack
Ainsley Eats the Streets: Season 1
Halt and Catch Fire: Season 4
December 15th
A Five Star Life
Christmas Inheritance
Discovering Bigfoot
El Señor de los Cielos: Season 5
Erased: Season 1
Freeway: Crack In The System
Neverlake
Pottersville
Reggie Yates Outside Man: Volume 2
The Haunting of Helena
The Mafia Kills Only in Summer
The Ranch: Part 4
Trollhunters: Part 2
Ultimate Beastmaster
Wormwood
December 18th
Hello, My Twenties!: Season 2
December 19th
Miss Me This Christmas
Russell Howard: Recalibrate
The Indian Detective: Season 1
You Can’t Fight Christmas
December 20th
La Casa de Papel: Season 1
December 21st
Peaky Blinders: Season 4
December 22nd
72 Dangerous Animals: Latin America: Season 1
Bright
Dope: Season 1
Fuller House: Season 3, New Episodes
Rosario Tijeras: Season 1
The Toys That Made Us: Season 1
December 23rd
Creep 2
Myths & Monsters: Season 1
December 25th
Cable Girls: Season 2
Planet Earth II
December 26th
Todd Barry: Spicy Honey
Travelers: Season 2
All Hail King Julien: New Year’s Eve Countdown 2018
Beat Bugs: New Year’s Eve Countdown 2018
Larva: New Year’s Eve Countdown 2018
Pororo: New Year’s Eve Countdown 2018
Puffin Rock: New Year’s Eve Countdown 2018
Skylanders Academy: New Year’s Eve Countdown 2018
Trollhunters: New Year’s Eve Countdown 2018
True and The Rainbow Kingdom: New Year’s Eve Countdown 2018
Word Party: New Year’s Eve Countdown 2018
December 27th
Pusher
December 29th
Bill Nye Saves the World: Season 2: Part 1
Killer Legends
La Mante: Season 1
Shelter
The Climb
December 31st
Dave Chappelle: Equanimity
Fun Mom Dinner