Best new film and TV December 2022

New on Netflix December 2022

Fancy some Netflix and chill? Of course you do! Here are the TV shows and films that will keep you warm through the cold month of December.

Lady Chatterley's Lover: This film adaptation of the raunchy novel by DH Lawrence stars actor of the moment Emma Corrin and Jack O'Connell who you may recognise as Cook from cycle two of Skins. The consensus seems to be that the film isn't anything new but that O'Connell has everyone thirsting after him which is, as you can imagine, fair enough. (Out now)

Harry & Meghan: The long-awaited Prince Harry and Meghan Markle documentary is scheduled to drop this month on Netflix and provide an insider's glance into the couple's struggles with the UK press and Royal Family. (Volume 1: 8 December, Volume 2: 15 December)

Alice in Borderland Season 2: If you loved Squid Game (or have caught any of those escape room-themed horror films), you'll love Alice in Borderland. The premise is familiar: play a series of dangerous, quasi-randomly decided games or you'll be executed by a red laser. Fun! The first season is available to watch now and the follow-up arrives later this month. (22 December)

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio Guillermo del Toro is the filmmaker with a flair for the uncanny, gifting us the likes of Pan's Labyrinth and The Shape of Water. Now, he's giving Pinocchio, a classic in the "anthropomorphising toys for kids stories" genre, the spooky treatment. (9 December)

Emily in Paris Season 3: Emily is back and yep, she's still in Paris! Everyone's fave American abroad and PR girly will be returning to our screens for another dose of improbable outfits, cultural miscommunications and misjudged romantic endeavours. The TV version of millennial pink but we do love it so... (21 December)

The Witcher: Blood Origin: Love fantasy epic The Witcher? Get ready for its Blood Origin prequel, set some 1200 years before the events of the main series but promising all the same witchy, mystic fun as the original. (25 December)

White Noise: This Noah Baumbach adaptation of the cult Don DeLillo novel of the same name is an absurdist, star-studded exploration of a small town at the end of times after a train crash leads to a major chemical waste spillage. One for the doomsday preppers! (In select cinemas now, on Netflix 30 December)

New films December 2022 to watch in cinemas

Time for some festive fare in the cinema with the Xmas movies that are sure to have bums on seats.

Violent Night: Starring Stranger Things's David Harbour, Violent Night is one part Bad Santa, one part Die Hard as a drink-driving (drink-sleighing?) Santa has to save a wealthy family being held hostage by a bunch of mercenaries with festive names. Take it all with a pinch of eggnog. (Out now)

The Silent Twins: Starring Letitia Wright fresh off the success of the Black Panther sequel, this hard-hitting biographical drama explores the true story of the Gibbons sisters who were institutionalised at Berkshire's Broadmoor Hospital. (9 December)

Avatar: The Way of Water: The follow-up to the behemoth Avatar movie, this mega sequel explores the lives of the Na'vi people ten years on. With a budget of between $350 - 400 million, it's one of the most expensive films of all time and a real feast for the eyes. (16 December)

New TV December 2022

If you're one of the smug people among us who have access to a real IRL TV and an up-to-date TV license to boot, here are some gems on the old box to look out for.

Planet Sex: Cara Delevingne takes viewers through an exploration of the world of sexuality and gender, beginning with the orgasm gap and stopping off at porn, plastic surgery culture and more, with special guests like drag queen Gottmik. Rigorously researched, with a host of scientific experts, there's more brain scans in this than there is bonking. (Every Thursday at 10pm on BBC 3)

I Am Ruth: From the BAFTA-nominated I Am anthology series , Kate Winslet stars alongside her drama in this feature-length drama exploring the impact of social media on young people. Drawing on themes such as self-esteem, mental health and gender, it takes a serious but not sensationalistic look at the dangers of being very online. (8 December, Channel 4)

Motherland Christmas special: if you don't happen to have two kids or a mortgage, this BBC comedy about London middle-class motherhood might not tickle your fancy. Then again, it's showing on Christmas, making it perfect viewing with the parents: whether they relate or just find the bourgeois struggles outright bizarre. After all, whether you're laughing with the characters or at them, you're still laughing... (BBC One and BBC iPlayer, this Christmas)

New on streaming December 2022

So many streaming platforms, so little time. Here's our pick of the shows to make time for.

Slow Horses Season 2: This espionage series follows Gary Oldman as the boss from Hell who heads up a dysfunctional MI5 department. Whether you're there for the mystery, or hoping that these spies unionise, it'll have you gripped. (Out now, Apple+)

The Flatshare: A ~quirky~ romcom about the housing crisis? Okay, then. The Flatshare is about two singletons - a journalist and a palliative care nurse - who share a house but on opposing schedules, so they never meet and only communicate via Post Its. (Out now, Paramount +)

Tell Me Everything: A throwback to the gritty hedonism of Skins, teen drama Tell Me Everything grapples with masculinity, substance abuse and mental health for a new generation after 16-year-old protagonist Jonny deals with the grief of losing his father. (8 December, ITVX)

Bonus!

Gossip Girl (the reboot) Season 2: The new season of the GG reboot sees familiar faces (mostly Michelle Trachtenberg's Georgina Sparks) resurfacing as teenaged power lesbian Monet (Savannah Smith) takes a lunge for the Constance Billard crown. Hopefully this new season will deliver the messy gays and high school throuples which defined the first season. If you can't eat the rich, at least watch them get into cat fights... (1 December, HBO Max in US if you're brave enough to torrent or use a VPN - likely coming to BBC and BBC iPlayer in late 2022 or early 2023).

What you might have missed in November

Did you spend November snowed under with work/going out out/ love/ lust? Well, we've been there. When your social or professional calendar is overloaded, your Netflix queue tends to be the last thing on your mind. But now the nights are colder, you may have your eyes sites on some entertainment to help stave off the winter chill. Good thing we've got a handy list of the best film and TV launched last month then!

Bones and All: Timothée Chalamet in a cannibal love story, do we really need to say more? Still airing in cinemas.

The Wonder: Sebastián Lelio gives us a rugged period drama feature featuring Florence Pugh at her spikiest. You can catch this on Netflix.

Wednesday: A pigtailed teen goth uncovers a hidden conspiracy at a school for outcasts in this wholesome-adjacent tv show. Also available on Netflix.

Aftersun: Grab the tissues for this emotionally taut film exploring mental health, grief and coming of age on a package holiday to Turkey. It's still in cinemas fresh off its success at the British Independent Film awards where it, and its star Paul Mescal, won a whopping 7 awards!

The Menu: Basically this Anya Taylor Joy-starring horror film is like The Exterminating Angel* if it featured a murderous celeb chef. It's still on in cinemas across the country.

Newly announced TV and film

Film and TV to look out for, because we all need a reason to look forward to 2023...

Bikinis and Poster Girl dresses at the ready: a Maya Jama-helmed season of Winter Love Island will be warming up our screens in January 2023. (date TBA, ITV)

Get ready to see a new side of Nan Goldin: Directed by Laura Poitras, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed documents the American photographer's battle against the US opioid crisis. (in cinemas 27 January)

Mummy issues and murderous "nice guys" aplenty: You season 4 is dropping earlier than expected. This time around, Joe (Penn Badgley) is in London and rubbing shoulder with Oxbridge types. We're sure that will go well... (9 February, Netflix)