The holidays are finally here! And don’t worry, there is plenty to watch that can fill your time off. From a brand new live-action “Star Wars” TV show to returning favorites and new films and documentaries, there’s something for everybody this week. It’s a holly jolly good time!
Now on with the television – and happy holidays!
“The Book of Boba Fett”
Wednesday, December 29, Disney+
While we don’t have a new season of “The Mandalorian” this year (that’ll happen sometime in 2022), we do have the next best thing: a spin-off centered on fabled bounty hunter Boba Fett (Tamuera Morrison) and his compatriot Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), as Fett takes the throne vacated by Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine. (Remember that “The Book of Boba Fett” takes place after the original trilogy and that Princess Leia killed Jabba the Hutt at the beginning of “Return of the Jedi.”) Beyond that, not much is known about the new live-action “Star Wars” series, besides the involvement of off-camera “Mandalorian” mainstays Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, who are this time joined by Robert Rodriguez (who directed the action-packed, Fett-centric Season 2 episode of “The Mandalorian”). Hopefully, we’ll learn how Fett escaped that Sarlacc pit and what he did in the desert for all those years and maybe it’ll point us in the direction of “Mandalorian” Season 3. Could Baby Yoda make an appearance like how the dog from “Empty Nest” would always show up on “Golden Girls”? Time will tell! [TRAILER]
“Insecure”
Sunday, December 26, HBO
HBO’s groundbreaking, extremely awkward comedy series, created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, wraps up its fifth and final season just after Chistmas. (The episode is written by Rae and directed by showrunner/executive producer Prentice Penny.) Through the past five seasons, Rae has navigated life as a contemporary African American woman, and the show has blossomed into a genuine cultural phenomenon, racking up countless accolades (including several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations). If the end of one of television’s most original comedies wasn’t enough to make you choke up, there will also be an original documentary about the series, called “Insecure: The End,” streaming on HBO Max on Dec. 26. And that trailer alone could trigger waterworks. [DOC TRAILER]
“The Lost Daughter”
Wednesday, December 29, Netflix
You thought Netflix was done making prestige awards bids that also serve as zeitgeist-capturing populist flashpoints? Think again! The last week of the year gives us “The Lost Daughter,” the feature directorial debut of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. Based on the novel by Elena Ferrante (adapted by Gyllenhaal herself), the film stas Olivia Colman as a middle-aged woman alone on holiday, who finds herself drawn to a young mother (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter. It triggers a number of personal revelations (Jessie Buckley plays a younger version of Colman’s character), as Colman gets more involved with the duo. Could Colman be headed for another golden statue? [REVIEW]
“The Super Bob Einstein Movie”
Tuesday, December 28 at 9 p.m., HBO
Bob Einstein, Albert Brooks’ late brother, is one of those comedians who has probably touched you, no matter your age. He did pioneering work on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” his alter ego “Super Dave” Osborne was an iconic presence on television in the 1980s and early ’90s, and more recently was a standout in Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” (Einstein also had a terrific cameo in Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Twelve.”) This documentary from writer-director Danny Gold features new talking-head interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Susie Essman, David Letterman, Sarah Silverman, Norman Lear, Cheryl Hines, Jimmy Kimmel, Steve Martin, Patton Oswalt, Rob Reiner, JB Smoove, Brooks and his family. Chances are you’ll laugh yourself silly … until you cry your eyes out. Also available on HBO Max. [TRAILER]
“The Imagineering Story”
Disney+
Is it ever a bad time to watch Leslie Iwerks’ illuminating, glacially paced documentary about the formation and evolution of Walt Disney Imagineering, the secretive group of engineers, artists and futurists responsible for the look and feel of Disney’s theme parks, attractions, cruise ships and select retail operations. (Also, for a little while they designed things for outside the company, like the Encounter restaurant at LAX.) “The Imagineering Story” is the perfect series for holiday viewing, the kind of series that the entire family can watch together, with each member appreciating a different aspect of the wizardry and creativity that it takes to bring these experiences to life. It’s also just nice to watch dreamers who are allowed to truly dream. [WATCH]
“Death to 2021”
Monday, December 27, Netflix
Last year, Netflix aired “Death to 2021,” a faux documentary from “Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker, that took a satirical look at the very worst year. This year, the format returns, with a similarly starry cast (including Hugh Grant, Lucy Liu, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Joe Keery, William Jackson Harper, Stockard Channing, Cristin Milioti, Diane Morgan and Nick Mohammed) but no Brooker. Still, it could be just as funny. After all, 2021 might have been an even lousier year. [TEASER]
“Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer”
Wednesday, December 29, Netflix
Earlier this year, Netflix and filmmaker Joe Berlinger unleashed “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel,” which was a fascinating look at the case of Elisa Lam and the very seedy downtown Los Angeles hotel where she wound up dead. For the second installment, Berlinger somehow finds a setting even seedier: Times Square in the late 1970s. That’s where a series of murders transpired, baffling police and journalists alike. If you need a New Year’s true-crime fix, this is the series for you. [TRAILER]
“Hilda and the Mountain King”
Thursday, December 30, Netflix
If you haven’t watched “Hilda” on Netflix, it’s one of the most charming, most beautifully animated series on television. Based on the graphic novel series by Luke Pearson, it follows Hilda (Bella Ramsey), a precocious young girl and her deer fox Twig, as they encounter magical creatures in their supernaturally Norwegian town of Trolberg. The show was originally only intended as a miniseries but was quickly renewed for Season 2 (which aired in 2020). “Hilda and the Mountain King” is a feature-length movie that sees Hilda transformed into a troll and looks, like the rest of the series, positively delightful (seriously, the animation by Mercury Filmworks is stunning). An end-of-the-year family treat! [TRAILER]
“’80s: Top 10”
Fr’iday, December 31, Disney+
This new series, from National Geographic and hosted by Rob Lowe, “takes viewers down memory lane with six top 10 lists of 1980s pop culture, as voted by a panel of ‘80s experts. Revisit 10 of the most memorable moments, gadgets, toys, fast foods, commercials and streetwear of the ‘80s and see which our panel put into the top spots, with stories you’ve never heard before from stars who were at the heart of the action.” So “I Love the ’80s” streaming version? Honestly, we’ll take it. This sounds like a perfect low-key New Year’s comfort watch. And, yes, we still love the ’80s. [TRAILER]
“Cobra Kai”
Friday, December 31, Netflix
Netflix’s improbable hit, a sequel series based on “The Karate Kid” that started as a YouTube Original (remember those?) but has since become a blockbuster and a surprise Emmy nominee (the last season was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series). Now back for its fourth (!) season, the series sees Ralph Macchio and William Zabka return from the film franchise, with a narrative from previously villainous Johnny’s point-of-view. Especially good for those who like their nostalgic comedy spiked with unexpected drama. Sweep the leg indeed. [TRAILER]
