Year-end traditions may vary, but they all involve overeating and nodding off in front of the TV, which is where Netflix comes in. Besides the potentially promising trio of A Very Murray Christmas (12/4), Bill Burr’s F Is For Family (12/18), and a live show from Canada’s cult comedy troupe Trailer Park Boys (12/9), however, the service’s original series offerings for December are uninspiring, if not downright dire. (The Ridiculous Six (12/11) and Real Rob (12/1), anyone?)
It is adding last year’s Black Mirror ”White Christmas” special (12/25), though, as well as additional episodes from the fourth season of Comedy Bang! Bang! (12/4) and the third season of Maron (12/28) for the comedy snobs. Then there are final seasons of Parenthood (12/30), Hart Of Dixie (12/15), and Nurse Jackie (12/31), all arriving in time for an end-of-year completist catchup.
The selection of new movies similarly follows Netflix’s seeming strategy of “10 percent gold, 90 percent crap,” with potential best-of-2015 contenders like Tangerine (12/2), Phoenix (12/8), and Queen Of Earth (12/22)—and the 1962 Doris Day/Cary Grant comedy That Touch Of Mink—alongside cheaply-produced documentaries, middling indies and decade-old Hollywood blockbusters, direct-to-video tripe, and a striking number of Christian-themed entertainments. (‘Tis the season?) Darkman (12/1), though. That movie is underrated.
In the last-call category, looks like parents only have a couple more weeks to traumatize their children in time for the holidays, as Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal both expire on 12/1, as do All About Eve, Batman Begins, The Great Escape, The Hustler, and Silence Of The Lambs. Meanwhile, fans of—let’s say—a different sort of metric of cinematic quality only have until 12/1 to watch Left Behind: The Movie and 12/6 to watch The Oogieloves In The Big Balloon Adventure, while adult men who just happen to feel a deep spiritual connection to Pinkie Pie can introduce the concept to their families over the holidays with Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans Of My Little Pony, which doesn’t expire until 12/30.
A complete list of titles coming to Netflix in December is below. (The full list of titles leaving Netflix in December can be found at The Daily Dot.)
December 1
#DeathToSelfie (2014)
30 For 30: Chasing Tyson (2015)
50 Shades Of THEY: Season 1