We're all in love with watching and streaming more than ever now (or maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome with our TV?), but with so many services and programs out there vying for attention, how does one choose what's what? We'll hopefully make it a little easier for you with our guide to movies and television offerings coming out in the coming weeks that will probably be more fun to watch than King of Queens reruns. Y'know, fingers crossed.
Wonder Woman 1984 (PG-13)
HBO Max, Dec. 25
If you hadn't heard that Warner Brothers is shipping all its upcoming movies to the HBO Max service in addition to theaters if/when they reopen, now you know. For some, this induces rage, though we really don't know why—friends in the film biz tell us more options for viewing seems like a better plan than halting all productions until theaters reopen. Christopher Nolan's kind of mad, though, because he is an auteur, and ours is not to question art. Anyway, in this installment, we check in on Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) in the '80s for some reason. New Order blares in the background while jokes about neon clothes swirl beside SNL alum Kristin Wiig as the villainous Cheetah. Probably all hope will seem lost right up until the end when the good side wins.
Soul (PG)
Disney+, Dec. 25
Pete Docter, the director of Pixar's 2015 emotion-a-thon Inside Out, returns with another animated look at the things that drive us, this time in the form of a jazz musician (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who loses his love of jamz. Apparently his soul leaves his body and he has to journey with some sad-sack soul (Tina Fey) to some place of interpersonal realizations that'll somehow benefit them both, thus returning each to whatever their rightful place or body was.
The Magic School Bus Rides Again in the Zone (TV-Y)
Netflix, Dec. 26
It's not just the longest and weirdest-to-say title on the list, it's the revival of Canadian animated goodness for kids! This time, the teacher with the bus that can go to space for some reason takes the kids along on some pop star's New Year's Eve tour, whatever that means (how does one do a tour in one night? Is the pop star from Barenaked Ladies, the only Canadian band we can think of right now? Is there ham or hockey involved?). The kids learn about time zones and real-world parents get at least 46 minutes on the day after Christmas to sit in peace and weep.
Hope Gap (PG-13)
Amazon, Dec. 28
Bill Nighy and Annette Bening star in a movie about a couple who go to visit their son and then the dad's like, "I'm leaving your mom, son." Yikes.
Conan Without Borders
HBO Max, Dec. 31
Longtime late night (and later, not-so-late night) TV host Conan O'Brien leaves his talk show format behind after 250 years (poor Andy Richter) to star in yet another docu-series wherein a wealthy, white, fish-out-of-water type travels the globe poking fun at differing cultures (just Google O'Brien's trip to Cuba from a couple years back for reference). We didn't like it when Phil Rosenthal did it, we DID like it when Anthony Bourdain did it (because he showed us how cool the world was if we just try shit out), and though we think Conan was incredibly funny once upon a time, we're hoping he doesn't just lean into the "This isn't how we do it back home!" tomfoolery.
Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody Season 1 (NR)
Netflix, Jan. 4
An ongoing series about the history of pork belly in Korea, plus its many uses as a delicious ingredient in foods (and how to make those foods)? We can think of about a bazillion people who'd be on board for this.
Saved by the Bell (TV-14)
Peacock
This isn't a premiere, but we just think you should know. With 30 Rock's Tracey Wigfield calling the shots, a willingness to lambast the seminal teen show's cheesy roots, an openly trans lead and a more socially conscious tone, this reboot (continuation?) of the beloved high school dramedy might not be the best thing you've ever seen (it 100% won't be), but it will hit your nostalgia in all the right places if you're, like, 30-45. Also, if you can bang out the 10 episodes in a week, the NBC streaming service with the awful name has a free trial.
The History of Swear Words (Not-yet-rated, but probably TV-MA)
Netflix, Jan. 5
Listen the f*$# up, mother%*&@$#*—Nicolas Cage is back in documentary series form, this time digging into the origins of all our favorite effing swears. We fucking love it, and not just because they're some of the most fun words around, but because Nic Cage is somehow the best person for the job in a we-didn't-know-we-needed-this kinda way. Ah, etymology. Where the shit have you been all our lives?
