Short answer: December 2025 is led by major returning seasons rather than a flood of entirely new shows. Stranger Things Season 5 is the month’s biggest event release, while Fallout Season 2 is the strongest choice for adult science fiction. For a new series, start with Netflix’s frontier drama The Abandons. Emily in Paris Season 5 and Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 round out the broad-audience picks.
This is a U.S.-focused guide to December 2025 streaming releases. It separates genuine series premieres from new seasons, identifies binge and weekly-release schedules, and recommends each title according to the kind of viewer it suits best.
What is actually new in December 2025?
The month’s most prominent releases are not all new shows. Netflix is bringing the concluding episodes of an established phenomenon with Stranger Things Season 5; Prime Video is continuing Fallout; Netflix is returning to Emily in Paris; and Disney+ and Hulu are releasing the second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Among wholly new scripted series, The Abandons is the most substantial broad-audience recommendation. Other notable premieres include the limited thriller Little Disasters, Peacock’s high-concept spy series The Copenhagen Test, Hulu’s Korean political crime drama Made in Korea, and Starz’s Spartacus: House of Ashur.
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That distinction matters if you are looking for a fresh starting point rather than the next chapter of a show you already follow.
The best TV shows streaming in December 2025
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Stranger Things Season 5 — Netflix
December release dates: Volume 2 on December 25; series finale on December 31. Volume 1 arrived on November 26.
Best for: science fiction, horror, teen ensemble drama, nostalgia, and viewers who want a major shared television event.
The fifth and final season is the month’s clearest pop-culture centerpiece, even though the season technically began in November. After the opening of the Rifts, the central characters are united against Vecna while Hawkins remains under military quarantine. The December releases contain the season’s final large batch of episodes and its conclusion.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesSpecial offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.The staged schedule makes this less of a conventional Christmas binge than a sequence of event drops: the second volume arrives on Christmas Day, followed by the finale at the end of the year. That makes it a natural choice for viewers who want something to discuss with friends and family during the holiday period.
Important starting-point warning: Season 5 is the conclusion of a long-running story. New viewers should begin with Season 1 rather than treating this as an entry point.
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Fallout Season 2 — Prime Video
Release date: December 16 on Prime Video’s regional listing, followed by weekly episodes. Some U.S. calendars list December 17, which appears to reflect release-time or time-zone conventions.
Best for: adult science fiction, post-apocalyptic action, dark humor, and fans of video-game adaptations.
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The official December listing identifies returning performers Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, and Kyle MacLachlan, alongside additions including Justin Theroux, Macaulay Culkin, and Kumail Nanjiani. Prime Video’s weekly rollout means this is a series to follow over several weeks rather than consume all at once.
If you want a mature genre show with game-world mythology, serialized plotting, bleak situations, and a willingness to be strange, Fallout is the strongest December return after Stranger Things.
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Emily in Paris Season 5 — Netflix
Release date: December 18, with the season available as a full-season Netflix release.
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Season 5 expands the show’s geography. Emily is now leading Agence Grateau’s Rome operation and faces professional and romantic complications across Rome and Venice, while Parisian settings and familiar characters remain part of the series.
This is a straightforward choice when you want glossy escapism rather than a demanding mystery or an intense genre commitment. Its heightened, melodramatic tone is part of the appeal, but viewers who prefer naturalistic workplace drama may find its romantic and professional complications too broad.
It is a returning season, not a new series, but it is one of Netflix’s most recognizable December releases and an obvious option for a light, visually lavish binge.
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Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 — Disney+ and Hulu
Release date: December 10, with two episodes at launch followed by weekly Wednesday releases.
Best for: families, young-adult fantasy, mythology, and viewers who prefer a weekly adventure.
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The second season adapts the Sea of Monsters storyline. Camp Half-Blood’s protective border is breached, Grover is endangered, and Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Tyson set out on a quest involving the Golden Fleece.
The season has a useful built-in advantage for families: its literary source gives the story a clear foundation, while the weekly schedule leaves room for discussion between episodes. It is also the month’s strongest family-oriented fantasy return.
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Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.Families who want a reading companion can pick up The Sea of Monsters, the Percy Jackson book behind the new season. It is companion reading rather than required preparation, and the show can be watched on its own.
Because Disney+ and Hulu availability can vary by market, check the listing for your location before assuming that both services carry the season.
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The Abandons — Netflix
Release date: December 4, with the full season available at once.
Best for: Westerns, historical melodrama, family sagas, ensemble conflict, and viewers who want a wholly new Netflix drama.
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Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.Set in Washington Territory in 1854, this Western follows two sharply contrasting families. One is wealthy and bound together by blood; the other is a found family made up of orphans and outcasts. Their conflict draws in land, silver, power, violence, and a forbidden romance.
Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson lead the opposing matriarchs, giving the series a recognizable central rivalry. The combination of frontier politics, family loyalty, and competing claims to land makes The Abandons the month’s most substantial new Netflix scripted drama.
It is best approached as a new Western drama with a large-scale family conflict. The available information establishes its premise, setting, cast, and release pattern, but does not support presenting it as universally acclaimed or as the month’s uncontested critical winner.
More worthwhile December 2025 premieres
Little Disasters — Paramount+
Release date: December 11. All six episodes are available together.
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Adapted from Sarah Vaughan’s novel and starring Diane Kruger, Little Disasters is the best choice here for viewers who want domestic suspense in a compact format. Its six-episode structure makes it suitable for a focused weekend binge, without the long franchise history attached to Stranger Things or Fallout.
The Copenhagen Test — Peacock
Release date: December 27. All eight episodes arrive together.
Simu Liu plays Alexander Hale, a first-generation Chinese-American intelligence analyst who discovers that his brain has been hacked. Unknown parties can access everything he sees and hears, turning a familiar espionage setup into a high-concept surveillance thriller.
As a late-month release, it is a good option for viewers who want an eight-episode binge after the holiday rush. Its premise is distinctive enough to separate it from a routine spy procedural, but there is no basis here for claiming awards, ratings, or broad critical acclaim.
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Release date: December 24, with two episodes at launch followed by weekly episodes.
Set in 1970s South Korea, the series follows an ambitious KCIA agent who leads a double life as a smuggler while facing a determined prosecutor. Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung are part of the cast.
This is the December pick for international crime drama, political intrigue, and viewers who enjoy a serialized mystery that unfolds gradually. Its Christmas Eve launch and weekly schedule make it a better choice for ongoing viewing than for an immediate all-night binge.
Spartacus: House of Ashur — Starz
Release date: December 5.
Starz’s corporate filing lists Season 1 as premiering in December. The series is aimed squarely at fans of the Spartacus franchise, Roman spectacle, gladiatorial action, and historical fantasy with an adult edge.
The available release information confirms the premiere and franchise connection but provides limited episode-level detail. It is therefore best recommended on genre fit rather than on unsupported claims about its plot, reviews, or reception.
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Other December series on Prime Video
Prime Video’s December slate also includes several more specialized options:
- The Merchants of Joy — December 1: a documentary portrait for viewers who want nonfiction rather than scripted drama.
- Surely Tomorrow — December 6: a Korean romance.
- Merv — December 10: a relationship comedy.
- Human Specimens — December 18: a dark literary mystery.
- Miss Sophie: Same Procedure as Every Year — December 22: a comic holiday mystery.
These titles are useful alternatives if you are choosing by genre instead of overall prominence. None displaces Fallout as Prime Video’s principal December recommendation, but each serves a different viewing mood.
December 2025 release calendar
The following dates are U.S.-oriented and describe the first availability or the relevant December event. Release times, catalogs, and platform access may differ in other countries.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Abandons | Netflix | Full season | December 4 | New series |
| Spartacus: House of Ashur | Starz | Premiere date listed by Starz | December 5 | New series and franchise continuation |
| Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 | Disney+ and Hulu | Two episodes, then weekly | December 10 | Returning season |
| Little Disasters | Paramount+ | All six episodes | December 11 | New limited series |
| Fallout Season 2 | Prime Video | Premiere, then weekly | December 16 on the Prime Video listing; some calendars show December 17 | Returning season |
| Emily in Paris Season 5 | Netflix | Full season | December 18 | Returning season |
| Made in Korea | Hulu | Two episodes, then weekly | December 24 | New series |
| Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2 | Netflix | Batch release | December 25 | Returning final season |
| The Copenhagen Test | Peacock | All eight episodes | December 27 | New series |
| Stranger Things Season 5 finale | Netflix | Finale release | December 31 | Returning final season |
Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 was released on November 26, so the season is already in progress before its two December drops.
Which December show should you watch?
- For the biggest event: Choose Stranger Things Season 5, provided you have watched the earlier seasons.
- For adult science fiction: Choose Fallout Season 2 and expect a weekly rollout.
- For a wholly new mainstream drama: Start with The Abandons.
- For a family fantasy: Choose Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2.
- For romance, fashion, and travel fantasy: Choose Emily in Paris Season 5.
- For a short thriller binge: Choose Little Disasters.
- For a high-concept spy story: Try The Copenhagen Test.
- For international political crime drama: Try Made in Korea.
- For Roman spectacle and gladiatorial action: Choose Spartacus: House of Ashur.
- For a nonfiction option on Prime Video: Try The Merchants of Joy.
Before you press play
- Check whether you are starting a season or a series. Stranger Things, Fallout, Emily in Paris, and Percy Jackson all assume some degree of familiarity with earlier episodes.
- Check the release pattern. A full-season release supports immediate bingeing, while Fallout, Percy Jackson, and Made in Korea are built around weekly follow-up viewing.
- Check regional availability. The dates and platforms in this guide are U.S.-oriented. A title may launch on a different service, arrive later, or be unavailable in another market.
- Do not treat prominence as a quality guarantee. The recommendations weigh event status, premise, audience fit, franchise importance, and availability. They do not claim universal critical agreement or supply unverified ratings and viewing figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all of these December 2025 releases completely new TV shows?
No. The Abandons, Little Disasters, The Copenhagen Test, and Made in Korea are new series or limited series. Stranger Things, Fallout, Emily in Paris, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians are returning shows with new seasons. Spartacus: House of Ashur is a new series connected to an established franchise.
Did Fallout Season 2 premiere on December 16 or December 17?
Prime Video’s regional listing records December 16, 2025, followed by weekly episodes. Some U.S. entertainment calendars list December 17, most likely because of release-time and time-zone conventions. Check the Prime Video listing in your location for the applicable launch time.
Can I start with Stranger Things Season 5?
You can, but it is not recommended. Season 5 is the final chapter and follows events built across four earlier seasons. Start with Season 1 if you are new to the series.
Do I need to read The Sea of Monsters before watching Percy Jackson Season 2?
No. The season adapts the Sea of Monsters storyline, making Rick Riordan’s second novel a useful companion, but the television series is intended to be watchable without reading the book first.
The Bottom Line
December 2025 is strongest when approached as a month of major returns and carefully chosen premieres. Watch Stranger Things for the cultural event, Fallout for adult genre television, Percy Jackson for family fantasy, and Emily in Paris for glossy escapism. If you want something genuinely new, make The Abandons your first stop; if you want a shorter commitment, choose Little Disasters.
Quick Recap
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