And just like that, we’ve arrived at the final month of the year. Saving the best for last, a fresh slate of shows arrives for the month of December, with plenty to look forward to. A surprising number of thrillers lead the list despite the Christmas season, with our first pick being Gyeongseong Creature. Starring Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee, the Korean drama takes us back to 1945 Gyeongseong, where an entrepreneur and a sleuth find themselves in a fight for survival against a mysterious monster born of human greed.
Next up: Saltburn. Award-winning director and screenwriter Emerald Fennell’s latest feature might not have hit the cinemas here in Singapore, but we’ll thankfully be able to watch it on the small screen soon. Dark comedy meets psychological thriller in this film, as an Oxford university student in mid-2000s England becomes obsessed with a wealthy schoolmate.
For a festive watch, cultural phenomenon Doctor Who‘s holiday specials prove exciting year after year. This time, The Church on Ruby Road sees Ncuti Gatwa stepping into the iconic role of the Doctor, inheriting the mantle from David Tennant who returned for the show’s 60th anniversary programme.
Below, find our full curation of shows to watch this December—all made available on popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video.
1 / 8
Sweet Home Season 2
The monster apocalypse continues in Sweet Home, as Season 2 raises the stakes with the emergence of new creatures and more mysterious phenomena. Having survived the neighbours in the Green Home turning into monstrous beings, Hyun-su (Song Kang) and the other residents now have to venture into the outside world—where new dangers await.
Watch Sweet Home Season 2 on Netflix now.
2 / 8
Saltburn
With a star-studded cast that includes Jacob Elordi, Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike and Carey Mulligan, award-winning director and screenwriter Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn weaves dark comedy with psychological thriller. Diving into the class divide in mid-2000s England, the film follows an Oxford university student who becomes obsessed with a wealthy schoolmate.
Watch Saltburn on Prime Video from 22 December.
3 / 8
Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road
Doctor Who’s holiday specials are an event in their own right. This year, The Church on Ruby Road is set to be the first full-length episode with the Doctor’s 15th incarnation—as Ncuti Gatwa steps into the iconic role to take us into the next age of the series. Arriving on the heels of the cultural phenomenon’s 60th anniversary programme, the episode follows three highly-anticipated specials that saw the return of David Tennant as the Doctor, and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.
Watch Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road on Disney+ from 25 December.
4 / 8
Gyeongseong Creature
The cast of Gyeongseong Creature alone is reason enough to tune into the highly anticipated series. Led by Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee, the series takes us back to 1945 Gyeongseong—the city we now know as Seoul, back then still under a grim age of colonial rule—where entrepreneur Jang Tae-sang and sleuth Yoon Chae-ok cross paths and find themselves at the mysterious Ongseong Hospital, having to face a monster born of human greed.
Watch Gyeongseong Creature on Netflix from 22 December.
5 / 8
Maestra: Strings of Truth
Following the rise and fall of Lydia Tár last year, a new conductor takes the stage in this mystery-thriller. Only five percent of conductors around the world are female, and former violinist Cha Se-eum is among the few. A world-renowned talent, she has fought her way to the top—but when a carefully kept secret turns her life upside down, everything she has worked so hard to achieve threatens to fall apart.
Watch Maestra: Strings of Truth on Disney+ from 9 December.
6 / 8
Leave the World Behind
In this apocalyptic thriller, Amanda (Julia Roberts) and Clay’s (Ethan Hawke) family vacation come to an unexpected halt when two strangers arrive at their rented holiday home, informing the family of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. As the looming threat grows more frightening by the minute, everyone is left to grapple with their places in a collapsing world.
Watch Leave the World Behind on Netflix from 8 December.
7 / 8
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Rick Riordan’s beloved Greek mythology-inspired fantasy novel series is brought to life on screen for the second time—with Riordan himself significantly involved in the production, a stark contrast from the previous film adaptation in 2010. With the first season following the story of The Lightning Thief, 12-year-old demigod Percy Jackson will find himself face to face with Greek god Zeus after being accused of stealing his thunderbolt.
Watch Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+ from 20 December.
8 / 8
Reacher Season 2
The second season of Reacher—based on Lee Child’s Jack Reacher book series—begins with Jack Reacher receiving a coded message that the members of his former military unit are mysteriously and brutally being killed off one by one. Reuniting with his former teammates, they must connect the dots to figure out who has betrayed them—and who will die next.
Watch Reacher Season 2 on Prime Video from 15 December.
