Best new movies and series arriving on NOW in December 2021

Every month, a new slate of titles is added to NOW’s library of films and TV shows – and critic Clarisse Loughrey picks the very best among them to watch. For the full list of everything arriving on the platform, scroll down.

Top Picks: TV

Landscapers (December 7)

For 15 years, the bodies of Patricia and William Wycherley lay buried in their back garden. No one knew they were there. No one even had any idea they were dead. The pair had been shot and killed in their home in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, at some point over the May Day bank holiday in 1998. On the following Tuesday morning, their daughter, Susan, and her husband Christopher, opened a joint account into which they steadily siphoned the Wycherleys’s savings and pension payments.

Their story—strange and sad, with a darkly comic streak running through it—now arrives to screens courtesy of The Electrical Life of Louis Wain director Will Sharpe and stars Olivia Colman and David Thewlis. It’s bound to fascinate.

And Just Like That… (December 9)

I’d hazard a guess that more people are invested in the behind-the-scenes drama of the new Sex and the City revival than are excited for the show itself. That said, it’ll be worth tuning in just to find out how they do, inevitably, explain away Kim Cattrall’s decision not to join Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Davis for another round of cosmopolitans and innuendos.

What does that friendship group even look like without a Samantha Jones there to stir up trouble? Very little has been revealed about the 10-part series, beyond the confirmation that Chris Noth will be returning as Mr Big. But rest assured: And Just Like That… will be the talk of the season.

Chucky (December 3)

What a relief for those dyed-in-the-wool fans of Chucky—the new TV series is a direct continuation of the original franchise, instead of that bland, half-hearted, “modernised” reboot from 2019. Not only does it mark the return of Don Mancini, the man responsible for first trapping the soul of a serial killer inside of a talking doll (not literally, he just came up with the concept), but it reunites most of the franchise’s main players.

Brad Dourif is back as the voice of Chucky; his real-life daughter, Fiona Dourif, reprises the role she played in Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky; and Jennifer Tilly… well, she’s still playing Chucky’s love interest, Tiffany, who’s currently inhabiting the body of actress Jennifer Tilly. Does that sound over-complicated and just a little bit ridiculous? Good: that’s just how Chucky fans like it.

Top Picks: Movies

In The Heights (December 17)

This exhilarating adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2005 musical about identity, community and gentrification is the ideal way to close out the year. Not only is it one of the best films released in the past 12 months, but the very experience of watching it feels like a celebration. The sights, sounds and sensations of New York’s Washington Heights—from the thud of a power sprayer hitting the pavement to the tapping of acrylic nails—become part of life’s daily percussion. The film’s protagonist Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) says it best: “the streets were made of music”.

Another Round (December 12)

Winner of Best International Feature Film at this year’s Oscars, Another Round offers an all-encompassing look at Danish drinking culture. It’s mindful both of the value of its traditions and the devastating effect addiction has on people’s lives—told through the lens of four middle-aged friends who decide to test the theory that we operate at our best when ever-so-slightly inebriated. The film will be remembered best for its closing minutes, in which star Mads Mikkelsen lets loose in an invigorating and liberating dance sequence.

The Suicide Squad (December 26)

If you weren’t a fan of 2016’s Suicide Squad (a somewhat large majority of the population, I imagine), then don’t fret—James Gunn’s own take on DC’s most reluctant heroes is a million miles away from what came before. The Guardians of the Galaxy director has scoured the weirdest corners of comic book history to bring you such delights as Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Weasel (Sean Gunn) and King Shark (Sylvester Stallone). And while there are exploding limbs aplenty to be found, what’s most surprising is the sweetness and sincerity at its heart.