‘Tis the season for romance, murder mysteries, and a good dose of fresh comedy. Here are the new shows coming to streaming in December that Jenna Guillaume is most excited about…
The Flatshare (December 1)
Based on the bestselling novel by Beth O’Leary, The Flatshare takes one of the most popular romance tropes—“there was only one bed!”—and turns it up a notch. Starring Jessica Brown Findlay and Anthony Welsh, it’s about two cash-strapped twentysomethings on very different schedules who agree to not only be roommates, but share the sole bed in their small flat—even though they’ve never even met. They communicate through post-it notes in their shared space without ever seeing each other, and it’s all very funny and romantic.
Three Pines (December 2)
Based on the iconic Chief Inspector Gamache novels by Louise Penny, Three Pines stars Alfred Molina as Gamache, a talented detective investigating a series of murders in the idyllic village of Three Pines in French Canada. The show follows several standalone mysteries alongside a case that unfolds over the course of the whole first season involving a missing Indigenous girl, which gives a fresh new interpretation on the content of the books while still remaining faithful overall.
Riches (December 2)
Abby Ajayi, who previously was one of the writers on Inventing Anna, has created her own series in Riches, a six-episode British drama which explores the fallout of a family feuding over their late father’s cosmetics empire as a result of the children of his two different wives disagreeing over their inheritance (or lack thereof). If you love high-stakes family drama and rich people tearing each other apart, Riches is definitely for you. Deborah Ayorinde, Hugh Quarshie, Sarah Niles, Brendan Coyle, and Hermione Norris star.
Irreverent (December 4)
Created by Paddy Macrae, Irreverent is a dramedy set in Far North Queensland. Colin Donnell stars as a Chigaco criminal who kills a member of the mafia and must go into hiding—assuming the identity of the new clergyman in a small coastal town in Australia in order to do so. It has double layers of fish-out-of-water tension as main character “Mack” adjusts to his new life both in FNQ and as a supposedly pious person. The fantastic Aussie cast includes Kylie Bracknell, Briallen Clarke, Tegan Stimson, Ed Oxenbould, Wanye Blair, and Calen Tassone.
The Most Beautiful Flower (December 7)
This Mexican coming-of-age series is quirky and funny, with a whole lot of heart. It stars Esmeralda Soto as Mich, a curvy and confident teen navigating the highs and lows of high school, including friendship, body image, and a love triangle that is more of an octagon. It’s loosely based on the high school experiences of Mexican comedian Michelle Rodríguez, who co-created the series.
The Recruit (December 16)
Noah Centineo is given space to unleash the full force of his charm and leading man potential in The Recruit, in which he plays a young lawyer hired by the CIA who stumbles into a complicated international conflict after an informant threatens to expose her involvement with the agency. The eight-episode spy adventure is action-packed while bringing a lot of the off-beat humour that has become a hallmark of the genre.
Treason (December 26)
Another spy drama, this time a limited series from the UK, Treason was created by Bridge of Spies writer Matt Charman. It stars Charlie Cox as Adam, an MI6 agent whose dream life is derailed when his past comes back to haunt him in the form of Kara, a Russian spy played by Olga Kurylenko, who sets off a chain of mutual destruction in Adam’s life and in his marriage to Maddy (Oona Chaplin). Ciaran Hinds and Tracy Ifeachor aso star.
