December 2023 media picks and news
In time for the final month of 2023, here’s a look at media of interest coming out for December.
Movies
Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce, Dec. 1
Migration, Dec. 22
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Dec. 22
Amazon Prime Video
A full list of programming is available here.
Merry Little Batman, Dec. 8
Disney+
A full list of programming is available here.
Marvel Studios’ “What If…?” (season 2), Dec. 22d
Doctor Who Holiday Special: The Church on Ruby Road, Dec. 25
Netflix
A full list of programming is available here.
The Great British Baking Show: Holidays (Season 6), Dec. 8
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Dec. 15
Paramount+
A full list of programming is available here.
The World According to Football, Dec. 1 (ad-free/Showtime tier only)
The 46th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, Dec. 27
Peacock
A full list of programming is available here.
Christmas on Cherry Lane, Dec. 9 (Hallmark Channel)
Friends & Family Christmas, Dec. 17 (Hallmark Channel)
Miscellaneous
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, Dec. 31 (ABC)
Sports
NBA Christmas Day games:
Bucks vs. Knicks, noon ET (ESPN)
Warriors vs. Nuggets, 2:30 PM ET (ABC / ESPN)
Celtics vs. Lakers, 5 PM ET (ABC / ESPN)
76ers vs. Heat, 8 PM ET (ESPN)
Mavericks vs. Suns, 10:30 PM ET (ESPN)
My thoughts
At the movies, the final installment of the DCEU series of films (that kicked off with the darker-and-edgier “Man of Steel”) finally comes to a merciful end with “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” Despite the Sea King’s original film becoming the top-grossing DC film of all time, instead of capitalizing on its success, Warner Bros. basically frittered it all away in favor of “Black Adam” and the like. Thus, the whole DC line of films is getting a reboot, headed by “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn.
“Migration” is an Illumination film about a family of migrating ducks.
“Merry Little Batman” is a Batman holiday special debuting on Amazon Prime Video, since Warner Bros. decided to license it out instead of putting it on their own streaming service.
Over on Disney+, the latest “Doctor Who” Christmas special introduces the newest Doctor (aka “the Fifteenth Doctor”), played by Ncuti Gatwa. It marks the first time the Doctor is played by a Black actor.
On Netflix is the debut of “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,” a sequel to the 2000 stop-motion animated film “Chicken Run.”
Holiday specials
Among the Christmas specials this month is a “SpongeBob” special made last year, which debuts on Paramount+ on December 1. Oddly, it’s been on YouTube all this time for free. Or not oddly; it’s just a clip show of previous SpongeBob holiday/winter themed specials.
The traditional Dick Clark New Year’s Eve special is on as usual. A recent agreement between ABC and Dick Clark Productions will see the specials (with Ryan Seacrest hosting) airing through 2029. Apparently, its title isn’t dropping the “Dick Clark” part. Ironically, “Dick Clark” has now been on the air longer than the show it was meant to replace as a hipper/younger counterpart, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. If wondering, Lombardo was a Canadian bandleader who popularized “Auld Lang Syne” as a New Year’s song; Lombardo’s orchestra debuted on radio in 1929, and was a New Year’s Eve TV mainstay from 1956 until 1976 (Lombardo passed away in 1977).
Insert overused “Make the Yuletide Gay” pun here
The Hallmark Channel is famous for its holiday movies, and in recent years has tried to expand out into films including or starring LGBTQ characters. By contrast, there’s the recent launch of rival channel “Great American Family,” which is trying to play up being “traditional,” i.e. not gay-friendly.
Fortunately, the recent spike in homophobic backlash against media isn’t dissuading Hallmark. The greeting card/holiday film giant is debuting two films in December featuring gay characters. “Christmas on Cherry Lane” features three couples, one a pair of men, who all deal with holiday hijinks. Meanwhile, “Friends & Family Christmas” stars two women who pretend to be a couple, using the romance genre’s “fake dating” trope.
Sports stuff
Christmas Day brings the annual marathon of NBA basketball games. Two of them are on ABC (and thus also simulcast on ESPN3/ESPN+), while the other three are on ESPN.
“The World According to Football” is a documentary miniseries on Showtime about soccer (football) and its affects on culture in several countries around the world, including here in the United States.Image:
Image: Actor Ncuti Gatwa, as the Fifteenth Doctor. (BBC)