All the big shows coming to TV in December, including Slow Horses, The Witcher: Blood Origin, and National Treasure

Plus, get through the holidays with an Octavia Butler adaptation, a Yellowstone spin-off, and plenty of must-see returning series

By Saloni Gajjar, Sam Barsanti, Matt Schimkowitz, Tim Lowery | November 28, 2022 | 1:00pm

TV News The Witcher

All the big shows coming to TV in December, including Slow Horses, The Witcher: Blood Origin, and National Treasure

Clockwork from bottom left: James McAvoy in His Dark Materials (Photo: HBO); Lily Collins in Emily In Paris (Photo: Stéphanie Branchu/Netflix); Michelle Yeoh in The Witcher: Blood Origin (Photo: Lilja Jonsdottir/Netflix); Justin Bartha and Lisette Olivera in National History (Photo: Brian Roedel/Disney); Nia Long in Best Man: The Final Chapter(Photo: Nicolas Cordone/Peacock) Graphic: Libby McGuire

’Tis the damn season to spend time with new and returning shows to wrap up 2022. It’s been an excellent year for TV, and as it comes to a close there are still major releases on the way. The Witcher universe expands on Netflix, while the streamer also adds a new spy drama starring Noah Centineo. To no one’s surprise, Paramount+ is dropping another Yellowstone spin-off with big names in the cast. And look out for highly anticipated new episodes of Slow Horses and His Dark Materials, among other shows.

Riches (Dec 2: Prime Video)

Riches | Official Trailer | Prime Video

Created by Abby Ajayi (Inventing Anna), Riches is a six-part British drama starring Hugh Quarshie, Deborah Ayorinde, and Ted Lasso Emmy nominee Sarah Niles. The show boasts some juicy and Empire vibes and focuses on the cosmetics empire of self-made entrepreneur Stephen Richards. After he suffers a stroke, his family vies for control of the business, and their secrets come to the surface, putting the lives of his children from two different marriages on a collision course. [Saloni Gajjar]

Slow Horses season two (Dec 2: Apple TV+)

Slow Horses — Season 2 Official Trailer | Apple TV+

took us by surprise when it , becoming one of our and establishing itself as an original, taut, and unusually funny thriller. Now, it’s back for round two—the series has already been renewed for a third and fourth season—with a six-episode run based on Mick Herron’s Dead Lions novel that chronicles our band of disgraced MI5ers as they dig into the past. Be sure to look for The A.V. Club’s episode recaps each week. [Tim Lowery]

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George & Tammy (Dec 4: Showtime)

George & Tammy (2022) Official Trailer | SHOWTIME

Jessica Chastain likes playing characters named Tammy, huh? After an Oscar-winning performance in last year’s biopic The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, the actor leads the Showtime miniseries George & Tammy alongside Michael Shannon. The six episode show charts the rise of iconic country music artists Tammy Wynette and George Jones, whose whirlwind relationship was pivotal to their successes. It will also depict how their romance was shattered over the years as George battled addiction issues. Steve Zahn, Kelly McCormack, Walton Goggins, and Katy Mixon also star in the drama. [Saloni Gajjar]

His Dark Materials season three (Dec 5: HBO)

His Dark Materials: Season 3 | Official Trailer | HBO

Fantasy drama is based on Philip Pullman’s book trilogy of the same name, so it makes sense that the upcoming third season will be the show’s last. (Thankfully, no one decided to drag this one out needlessly.) This season finds Lyra (Dafne Keen) and Will (Amir Wilson) journeying to a place from which no one has ever returned and learning that saving the worlds comes at a terrible price. Meanwhile Lyra’s father’s great war against the Authority edges closer. The cast includes James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, James Cosmo, Anne-Marie Duff, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. [Saloni Gajjar]

Kindred (Dec 13: FX on Hulu)

Kindred | Official Trailer | FX

Based on Octavia E. Butler’s beloved 1979 time-travel novel, the eight-episode FX series chronicles Dana (Mallori Johnson), a Black writer in Atlanta who bounces between modern times in her house and a pre-Civil War plantation. Playwright and Watchmen vet Branden Jacobs-Jenkins adapted the material and acts as showrunner, while Darren Aronofsky is one of the executive producers. Micah Stock, Ryan Kwanten Gayle Rankin, and Austin Smith round out the cast. [Tim Lowery]

National Treasure: Edge Of History (Dec 14: Disney+)

National Treasure: Edge Of History | Official Trailer | Disney+

The Disney+ legacy series will be at a disadvantage when it premieres: without Nicolas Cage on hand, National Treasure has no national treasure. Producers wisely brought in another big name, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and some returning cast members, Harvey Keitel and Justin Bartha, to try and fill the Cage-sized hole at the show’s center. Disney is giving the show 10 episodes and a massive budget to figure out whether people will go for it, presumably hoping viewers stick it out to see if Ben Gates shows up for a cameo. [Matt Schimkowitz]

The Recruit (Dec 16: Netflix)

The Recruit | Official Trailer | Netflix

Noah Centineo’s attempts to prove he’s an adult continue with Netflix’s The Recruit. Created by and producer Alexi Hawley, this new spy drama follows Owen Hendricks, a fledgling lawyer who gets hired by the CIA. He’s immediately entangled in a convoluted international mission while negotiating with an asset, and finds himself at odds with menacing individuals and groups who are out to kill him. Laura Haddock, Aarti Mann, Kristian Bruun, and Colton Dunn co-star. [Saloni Gajjar]

1923 (Dec 18: Paramount+)

1923 | Teaser Trailer | Paramount+

We’ve seen what and the Dutton family are up to in the present day. We’ve seen what the cowboy Duttons were up to in . Paramount+ is now taking Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren somewhere in the middle to see what the Duttons were doing in Yellowstone in 1923. James Badge Dale, Jerome Flynn, and Robert Patrick round out the cast. [Sam Barsanti]

Emily In Paris season three (Dec 21: Netflix)

Emily in Paris Season 3 | Date Announcement Teaser | Netflix

Your favorite hate-watch returns for a third season. Darren Star’s will give you another chance to see Emily (Lily Collins) look fabulous while making ludicrous romantic and work decisions. In the new episodes, Emily will decide whether she wants to start a new marketing agency with her Savoir coworkers in Paris or return to Chicago. Her love quadrangle with Gabriel (Lucas Bravo), Camille (Camille Razat), and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) continues to evolve. And as the teaser promises, our girl gets bangs. What’s more tragically momentous than that? [Saloni Gajjar]

The Best Man: The Final Chapters (Dec 22: Peacock)

The Best Man: The Final Chapters | Official Teaser | Peacock Original

The cast of Malcolm D. Lee’s reunites for this eight-part Peacock drama, which catches us up on their characters’ evolving relationships, past grievances, and midlife renaissances. The returning ensemble includes Regina Hall, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Terrence Howard, and Harold Perrineau. All episodes will drop on December 22. [Saloni Gajjar]

The Witcher: Blood Origins (Dec 25: Netflix)

The Witcher: Blood Origin | Official Teaser Trailer | Netflix

Netflix is getting in on the fantasy-prequel fun with , a show set 1,200 years before a accidentally becomes the father figure to an important little girl named Ciri. Starring Sophia Brown, Michelle Yeoh, and Laurence O’Fuarain, the series will cover the events leading up to the “Conjunction Of The Spheres,” an important moment in mythology in which the universes of monsters, men, and elves are all combined into one. [Sam Barsanti]