My Top December TV Choices

We are nearly at the end of 2021 (how can that be?!), and TV viewers have a LOT of options to watch throughout the holiday month whether you want the endless array of movies, some sci-fi options, period piece dramas, action-adventures and some finales too.

Needless to say, the December TV calendar is jam-packed with so much to watch that it was hard to whittle the list down to a top 12 so I opted for a top 24 instead.

First of all, there are over 75 movies set to debut in December on the major and cable networks as well as streaming services; not all of my choices are holiday-related though:

HOLIDAY MOVIES

Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas on December 1 on The Roku Channel. The cast of the defunct NBC series return for the first holiday without Zoey’s dad Mitch; and she attempts to create a magical Christmas for her family just like the ones he used to do. For fans of the short-lived series, if this movie performs well enough, there is a chance that the Roku Channel could proceed with more episodes of the fan favorite drama.

Jingle Bell Princess on December 4 at 8 PM on GAC Family will star Merritt Patterson as a princess who is temporarily grounded due to mechanical issues with her jet. But after a wayward walk, a departed jet (it was presumed she was on-board) and a massive snowstorm, she is left stranded in Tucker, Maine. Enter a helpful airline employee and her son (Trevor Donovan) who help her out until she can make it home.

Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday on the Hallmark Channel on December 5 at 8 PM, starring real-life sisters Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Ashley Williams who work together to save a local theatre.

A Lot Like Christmas on GAC Family on December 5 at 8 PM. Maggie Lawson and Christopher Russell play sparring owners of Christmas tree lots who start falling for each other.

A Dickens of a Holiday! on December 10 on the Hallmark Channel movie 8 PM. Kristoffer Polaha plays an action movie star who is invited by his former high school classmate (Brooke D’Orsay) to play Scrooge in A Christmas Carol in order to make the 100th anniversary of their hometown’s Victorian festival a success.

A Christmas Miracle for Daisy at 8 PM on December 11 on GAC Family. Jill Wagner stars as an interior designer who lands a big job, doing a full redesign on a landmark home for which she learns is now owned by her former boyfriend (Nick Bateman), who is now also a devoted dad of his goddaughter.

A New Lease on Christmas on ION on December 12 at 8 PM. Grimm alum Claire Coffee is a real estate agent who falls for the local coffee shop owner (George Stults); but the new job she takes will require her to evict him for his shop.

A Christmas Proposal on December 12 on CBS at 8:30 PM. All Rise cast member Jessica Camacho is a down-on-her-luck chef, who dreams of starting her own line of food trucks, makes a business arrangement with a hotshot attorney (Adam Rodriguez) to help prove he’s the ideal candidate to take over his family firm.

Sister Swap: Christmas in the City on December 12 on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. The sisters – Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Ashley Williams – are back together again, this time to prepare for a local competition that will award money to the winner’s top charity.

Joy For Christmas at 8 PM on December 19 on GAC Family holiday movie. Cindy Busby plays a woman who has to oversee her family firm’s annual Christmas toy drive, which is in jeopardy. She needs to convince a pro athlete (Sam Page) to be the public face of the campaign.

‘Tis the Season to Be Merry on December 19 on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. Rachael Leigh Cook is an author looking for a new ankle for her upcoming book on relationships by heading to snow-covered Vermont where she meets charismatic aid worker (Travis Van Winkle).

NON-HOLIDAY MOVIE

The one non-holiday movie that will debut in December that I’m curious to watch is the Netflix movie called Mixtape that will feature Julie Bowen and Jackson Rathbone in a story about a quirky 12-year-old, who – as the world approaches Y2K (the year 2000) – sets out on a journey to find songs on a mixtape crafted by her late parents.

FINALES

The following shows will air their fall finales:

A Million Little Things on December 1 at 10 PM on ABC
9-1-1 and The Big Leap on FOX on December 4 at 8 and 9 PM
NCIS on CBS at 8 PM

Meanwhile, the series finale of Frankie Drake Mysteries will air on Ovation at 7 PM.

RETURNING DRAMAS

The following dramas will be back for new seasons:

Lost in Space (third and final season) on December 1 on Netflix
Alex Rider (second season) on December 3 on IMDbTV
The Witcher (second season) on December 17 on Netflix
Emily in Paris (second season) on December 22 on Netflix
Cobra Kai (fourth season) on Netflix on December 31

NEW SERIES DEBUTS

Lastly, the following two dramas will debut in December:

As anyone who watches TV assuredly knows by now, the Paramount Network drama Yellowstone, starring Kevin Costner, has become a big hit. The prequel series to Yellowstone simply called 1883 will debut on December 19 at 9 PM, after a new episode of its predecessor, following the Dutton family (Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton and Isabel May as their daughter Elsa) as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. Viewers can then continue watching the show on Paramount+.

The Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett on December 29 – a spin-off from The Mandalorian – finds bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) navigating the Galaxy’s underworld and fighting for Jabba the Hutt’s old territory.

Make sure to check out our full December TV calendar to find out all that December TV has in store, and share with us what you are most looking forward to watching.