tv

'I watch TV for work. Here are the 8 shows everyone will be talking about in December.'

December is always a hectic month.

There are holiday parties and catchups and presents to buy, and that's before we even get to Christmas Day. And boy, do I bloody love Christmas. 

But do you know what December is also great for? Entertainment.

The final month of the year is always a banger month for television (and movies!), with networks and streaming services keen to offer us something great to watch while we're stuffed full of food and need some couch time, or for when we find ourselves with lots of spare hours during those weird days in between the public holidays, where no one knows what date or time it is.

So, what are this year's offerings? Here are the 8 shows everyone will be watching in December:

Bump (season 2).

Image: Stan.

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When Bump arrived on Stan on New Year's Day 2021, I anticipated it to be an easy, wholesome binge-watch.

I was right, but that doesn't do this series enough justice. It is, in my humble opinion, one of the best new shows of the year. It's funny, heartfelt and downright touching. 

Lucky for us, we're getting the entire second season on Boxing Day. Is there a better day to relax on the couch? 

The second season will follow teen parents Oly (Nathalie Morris) and Santi (Carlos Sanson Jr), plus their hilariously chaotic families, as they continue to get to know each other, juggle the demands of school, work and parenting, and raise their daughter, Jacinda.

As their school friends navigate their own experiences at home and school, Oly and Santi realise how alienating being a young parent can be. 

Santi's unexpected fatherhood also catches up with him, bringing back memories of losing his mum, and forces him to confront the impact it's still having on him and his dad, Matias (Ricardo Scheihing Vasquez).

Oh, and speaking of Santi's dad... the lives of the pair's parents doesn't become any less hectic.

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Oly's parents Angie (Claudia Karvan) and Dom (Angus Sampson) continue to deal with the fallout of their separation, Matias and Rosa (Paula Garcia) attempt to get back on track and all four try to understand the new relationships they have found themselves in... with and without each other.

Sounds complicated.

Bump season 2 premieres on Stan on December 26, a.k.a Boxing Day.

And Just Like That…

Image: Getty.

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It's finally happening!

Everyone's favourite besties Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis are back as Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte, to navigate love and friendship (and in the case of Kim Cattrall's Samantha, friendships lost) in their 50s.

Sex and the City was groundbreaking: it defined that era of television for women (and our wardrobes). It's revival, And Just Like That… picks up nearly two decades later, and it has some huge boots to fill.

While Cattrall is not back, the new series will introduce new characters, including Grey's Anatomy's Sara Ramirez as Che Diaz, a non-binary, queer stand-up comedian with a big presence and progressive views on gender roles.

There is so much to be intrigued about. 

Watch: Six times Samantha Jones was goals. Post continues below video.


Video via Mamamia.

Samantha's absence will be explained as just a standard ol' friendship fade, which might not be very dramatic, but is a pretty common occurrence that doesn't get nearly enough recognition in media. How will Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte feel about losing a friend? What will the group's dynamic be without her? Mr Big is also back, so what's up with him and Carrie now? How will the new characters slot in? How have they all adapted to a changing world? Will Carrie's style still be... Carrie?

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And most of all, can the revival recapture the magic of SATC? We'll soon find out.

And Just Like That... will debut on Foxtel and  Binge with two episodes on December 9, with new episodes each Thursday.

Landscapers.

Image: Stan.

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Fact: Olivia Colman makes anything worth watching.

Inspired by real events, Landscapers tells the love story of seemingly normal, mild-mannered married couple Susan (Coleman) and Christopher (David Thewlis), who become the focus of an extraordinary investigation when a couple of dead bodies are discovered in the back garden of a house in Nottingham.  

It turns out, Susan and Christopher have been on the run from reality for over 15 years. When Christopher makes a startling call home to his step-mother, their role in a terrible crime that remained undiscovered for over a decade begins to emerge. As their relationship is subjected to the glare of a full police investigation, the devoted couple are separated for the first time in their marriage. 

As the investigation moves forward, inspired by Susan's obsession with old Westerns and classic cinema, the fantasists cast themselves as Hollywood heroes in narratives of their own invention. Powered by Susan's imagination, Susan and Chris' fantasy world provides a much needed sanctuary from real-world horrors and their own clawing guilt, but also threatens to undo them completely. 

Landscapers premieres on Stan, December 8.

Emily in Paris (season 2).

Image: Netflix.

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Ah, Emily... In Paris.

The most guilty pleasure of 2020 is back this month, picking up right where season one left off. That means that yes, Very American and Very Clueless Emily is still in Paris, doing the absolute least to familiarise herself with the city and its culture, while also gaining thousands of Instagram followers for taking photos of her croissants.

If it sounds like I hate this show, it's because I kind of... do. But it's that kind of dislike where I also... really like it. Or simply cannot look away, despite my better judgement.

At the end of season one, Emily and her hot neighbour Gabriel (who is also the boyfriend of her new bestie, Camille) have finally slept together, with the assumption that Gabriel will be leaving for Normandy the next morning. But when Gabriel receives an investment generous enough to stop him moving, things because very messy for poor Emily, who - I'm not sure if you realised - lives in Paris.

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The official season two synopsis reads: "Now more entrenched in her life in Paris, Emily's getting better at navigating the city but still struggling with the idiosyncrasies of French life".

Classic Emily.

We can all scoff and mock Emily in Paris, but we all bloody watched it. And honestly, what better time to get off our high horses once again than at the end of yet another shitty year?

I for one am looking forward to seeing what angle Emily photographs her breakfast pastries from this time around.

Emily in Paris season two will drop on Netflix on December 22.

1883.

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So you're a Yellowstone fan, right? Isn't everyone?

As season four of the very popular series continues on Stan, its prequel is about to begin on Paramount+.

1883 is set a little before the time of the Dutton family members we know and love, but will introduce us to their ancestors, as they journey through Montana in search of land and a better future.

The cast is lead by iconic couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, who play husband and wife duo John and Margaret Dutton, and will also feature Oscar nominee Sam Elliott and Billy Bob Thornton.

As the Duttons travel through America's promised land, they spark, and become victims of, conflict on their way to claim the land we know as the Yellowstone ranch. 

 Like Yellowstone, there will be plenty of drama, gun-slinging and horse riding.

1883 premieres on Paramount+ on December 20.

The Witcher (season 2).

Image: Netflix.

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The Witcher is one of Netflix's biggest ever shows, so you can bet there's been a lot of people patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for this return.

It's been a long two-year wait, but Henry Cavill finally returns as Geralt of Rivia for the next instalment of the fantasy series, based on Andrzej Sapkowski's novels.

Season two will follow on from the first season's finale, which saw Geralt finally unite with Princess Ciri (Freya Allen) while Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) went missing following the battle of Sodden Hill. 

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Geralt brings Ciri to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. There, he must protect her not just from the wars outside but also from... the mysterious power she has inside her.

OMINOUS.

The Witcher season two drops on Netflix on December 17.

Love Me.

Image: Binge.

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Love Me is Binge's first locally produced original series, and it looks like a goodie.

The streaming service brought out the big guns for the occasion too. Starring Hugo Weaving, Bojana Novakovic and Bob Morley, the six-part miniseries follows three family members as they deal with the complexity of grief and navigate finding love at their various life stages.

There's Clara (Novakovic), who uses her sharp wit and self-deprecation to hide her anxiety about approaching 40, and her fears that focusing on her career may have come at the expense of her family.

Weaving plays her father, Glen, who is see-sawing between hope and despair while considering what love and intimacy can look like in his 60s.

Then there's little brother Aaron (William Lodder), who is facing an all-too-familiar crisis of identity has he navigates love in his early 20s.

It's uplifting, funny and real; exactly what we need in December.

All six episodes of Love Me drop on Binge on December 26, a.k.a Boxing Day.

Paris In Love.

Image: hayu.

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In case you haven't noticed, Paris Hilton is having a real moment.

Hilton recently married her venture capitalist partner Carter Reum in a three-day celebration, and if seeing all the photos of the famous guests, lavish decor and her many, many dresses piqued your interest, you'll be pleased to know... Hilton filmed her entire journey to the altar.

Because of course she did.

Over 13 episodes, Paris In Love will follow all the major milestones, highs and struggles of planning a wedding - such as bridal dress shopping, a bachelorette party and pre-wedding jitters.

The first four episodes of Paris In Love drop on hayu on December 3, with new episodes every Friday.

Feature image: Supplied/Getty.

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