It’s the final month of the very long year of 2020, and a new month means a whole lot of new content on Netflix. This December, the line-up of Netflix Originals is an incredibly varied selection of genres for both movies and series. For those of you sick of watching the gazillionth Christmas movie or series, this list is for you. 

1. Mank
   Mank is a biographical movie through the eyes of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz while he finishes the script of the infamous film Citizen Kane. Mank is directed by David Fincher (Gone Girl), the script was written by his father Jack Fincher in the 1990s, and it has a star-studded cast with actors such as Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, and Lilly Collins. The movie has already received positive reviews, and the phrase ‘Oscar-worthy’ has been thrown around a couple of times.Mank is coming to Netflix on 4 December.
2. The Prom
   Ryan Murphy, the man who brought you Glee, American Horror Story, and — more recently — Ratched, is now bringing a musical to the small screen. The Prom is about four actors who lost their jobs after their Broadway show shutdown. To regain fame, they travel to Indiana to help a girl get to prom with her girlfriend. The movie is filled with big names such as Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and James Corden, and going off of the trailer, it’s going to be a spectacle.The Prom is coming to Netflix on 11 December.
3. Tiny Pretty Things
   Based on the novel by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton, the series Tiny Pretty Things is adapted by Michael MacLennan, the writer and producer of Queer as Folk. After the star student at an elite ballet school dies, her replacement finds herself in a world filled with lies, backstabbing, and betrayal. Tiny Pretty Things promises to give us some great drama to fill our boring days.Tiny Pretty Things is coming to Netflix on 14 December.
4. The Ripper
   For all those true-crime aficionados, you’re in luck because Netflix has yet again given us a new true-crime series. In The Ripper, the series takes a closer look at its namesake, the English serial killer who terrorized England in the ‘70s. What’s almost freakier, is that the real Yorkshire Ripper died two weeks ago. Crazy coincidence, right?The Ripper is coming to Netflix on 16 December.
5. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
   The title might already sound familiar because Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the last movie the late Chadwick Boseman starred in. Based on the play of August Wilson and produced by Denzel Washington, the movie is set in 1927, Chicago. It tells the story of one of the earliest African-American professional blues singers, Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). The movie takes place in a recording studio over the span of one day when Ma Rainey records her hit song. Chadwick Boseman plays the ambitious trumpeter Levee, who is part of Ma Rainey’s band but wants to make his own claim on the industry. Both Davis and Boseman have already received positive reviews for their performance, so we’re in for a treat.Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is coming to Netflix on 18 December.
6. The Midnight Sky
   George Clooney directs and stars in this science-fiction film based on the novel Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton. Clooney plays Augustine Lofthouse, a scientist who finds himself stuck in the Arctic after the Earth experienced a post-apocalyptic event. At the same time, a crew of astronauts, one of whom is played by Felicity Jones, is returning to Earth, unaware of what happened to their home.The Midnight Sky is coming to Netflix on 23 December.
7. Bridgerton
   What’s more perfect than being extremely lazy on Christmas Day? Nothing, right? Well, Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, has got us covered with her new series Bridgerton. Described as a mix between Downton Abby and Gossip Girl, Bridgerton is based on the best-selling nine-part book series of Julia Quinn and is set in the 17th century in the high society of London. Just as in Gossip Girl, there will be voice over, done by none other than the brilliant Julie Andrews. That alone makes it worth watching.Bridgerton is coming to Netflix on 25 December.
8. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
   On New Year’s Eve, instead of celebrating in a club, a lot of us will probably be staying home. However, Netflix is making sure we’re closing out the year with a wicked bang: the final installment of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. After the first three seasons, where we got to know the 16-year-old witch Sabrina Spellman and her friends, we’ll finally learn how it all ends.Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is coming to Netflix on 31 December.

Text and photo: © M VL