Talk about a week with something truly for everyone, the last week of December features a variety of options – from a new Harlan Coben-based Netflix series (“Missing You”), a documentary about a weirdo millionaire who wants to be 18 again (“Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever” on Netflix) and a brand-new Wallace and Gromit movie (“Vengeance Most Fowl” on Netflix). That and so much more. Like we said – something for everyone.
On with the television!
Missing You
Wednesday, Jan. 1, Netflix
Netflix’s latest Harlan Coben adaptation, following “Stay Close,” “Fool Me Once” and “The Stranger,” takes inspiration from his 2014 novel “Missing You.” Interestingly, the action has been transported from New York City to England (filming took place in and around Manchester and the North West of England), with a detective (Rosalind Eleazar) who gets involved in the mysterious case of a missing woman. The twist? The main suspect is her former fiancé, who abruptly left her without a trace – and has been totally incognito ever since. If that isn’t the start of a compelling thriller, we don’t know what is. The adaptation was written by Victoria Asare-Archer and directed by Nimer Rashed and also stars Jessica Plummer, Richard Armitage, Lenny Henry and Marc Warren. The new series was produced by Quay Street Productions. Coben serves as an executive producer on the project, alongside Nicola Shindler, Richard Fee, Danny Brocklehurst, and Asare-Archer. Netflix described it as featuring “the author’s signature blend of twists, turns, and surprises that will have you on your toes ’til the very end.”
What If…? Series Finale
Sunday, Dec. 29, Disney+
Just a week after it started streaming on Disney+, the third and final season of the Marvel Studios animated series comes to a close. If you’ve never seen the show, it takes a hypothetical approach to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (with most of the actors returning to reprise their roles), where things are totally different than they are in the mainline continuity. The final episode is called “What If … What If?” which suggests some true craziness is on the horizon. “What If…?” has been consistently fun and entertaining. Hopefully it goes out on a high note.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Friday, Jan. 3, Netflix
Wallace and Gromit are back. In their latest adventure – their first full-length feature since 2005’s “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (see below) – absentminded inventor Wallace (now voiced by Ben Whitehead) and his silent pooch Gromit find themselves on the wrong end of a revenge plot, orchestrated by villainous penguin Feathers McGraw. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because Feathers McGraw, who disguises himself as a rooster with the help of a red rubber glove, was the antagonist of the Oscar-winning 1993 short “The Wrong Trousers.” Feathers gains access to Wallace’s latest invention – Norbot, a helpful gardening gnome that promises to revolutionize lawncare. (And, yes, there is definitely some additional commentary here, with a movie about the dangers of AI being made in the most lovingly handcrafted animated form.) Nick Park, who created the characters for his 1989 short “A Grand Day Out,” returns to direct alongside Merlin Crossingham, and they bring all of the visual wit and wonder that you’ve come to expect from the characters and their associated films, ending with a climactic chase that is every bit as exciting and hilarious as the train chase from “The Wrong Trousers,” and just as unexpected.
Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever
Wednesday, Jan. 1, Netflix
The latest must-see Netflix documentary centers around Bryan Johnson, a tech millionaire who is on an eternal quest to turn back the clock. Chris Smith, the filmmaker behind “Wham” and an executive producer of “Tiger King,” directs the new film, which Netflix says, “dives deep into his psyche, revealing the drastic shifts that took the entrepreneur from his own personal struggles to dedicating his time and energy — and a considerable amount of his fortune — to living long beyond even the most ambitious human life expectancy.” Sounds weird as heck! We’re in!
Avicii: I’m Tim
Tuesday, Dec. 31, Netflix
Avicii, the popular Swedish DJ and electronic artist, died tragically in 2018 at the age of 28. (He had struggled with mental health and died by suicide.) This documentary premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. The official synopsis reads, “Before Avicii, there was Tim. Through his own words, witness how a prodigious musical talent became one of the defining artists of his generation.”
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2025
Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m., ABC
Are you ready to rock and ring in the new year with Ryan Seacrest and assorted musical guests? Pop musician and Taika Waititi’s wife Rita Ora is Seacrest’s co-host, with performances from Alanis Morisette, Kesha, Lenny Kravitz and Natasha Bedingfield (these are some of the performers we actually recognized). Time to ring in 2025!
“Cunk on Life”
Thursday, Jan. 2, Netflix
That’s right – we’ve got a new Cunk limited series. The character of Philomena Cunk, played by Diane Morgan and originated by “Black Mirror” godhead Charlie Brooker, is a dim-witted investigative journalist. She starred on “Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe” and several series since and is back with what Netflix has described as a “witty mockumentary tracing the history of civilization.” All five episodes stream today. A big week for Netflix resurrecting niche characters from British pop culture, huh?
Going Dutch
Thursday, Jan. 2 at 9:30 p.m., Fox
“After an epically unfiltered rant, an arrogant, loudmouth U.S. Army Colonel is reassigned to the Netherlands, where he is punished with a command position at the least important army base in the world,” reads the official synopsis for this new primetime comedy series. Denis Leary, Danny Pudi, Catherine Tate, Laci Mosely and Taylor Misiak also star.
Lockerbie: A Search for Truth
Thursday, Jan. 2, Peacock
“Lockerbie: A Search for Truth” is one of two competing limited series based on the tragic 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. This series is based on the 2021 book “The Lockerbie Bombing: A Father’s Search for Justice” by Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph and stars Colin Firth as Swire, whose daughter Flora, died on the flight. (The bombing killed 243 passengers and 16 crew members and the debris killed another 11 people who it landed in a residential area.) Catherine McCormack, Sam Troughton and Mark Bonnar also star in the five-part series.
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