tv

'It's my job to recommend TV shows. These are the 10 to watch in December.'

Can we believe it's... December?

What the hell.

The malls are packed, the parties are planned, and Mariah is playing out of every speaker, but if you find yourself with some free time in amongst all the festivities, there's also a lot of television to sink your teeth into.

From local comedies to murder mysteries, here are the shows to look out for this month.

Colin From Accounts - Binge.

Image: Binge.

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Husband and wife team Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer team up in this very enjoyable new local comedy.

They play Gordon and Ashley, two single(ish) people who are brought together by a nipple, a car accident and an injured dog. 

Colin From Accounts does everything you want it to do. It's packed with 'will-they-won't-they' chemistry, snark and the balance of high and low brow (read: toilet) humour that really is benefited from the pure... Aussieness of it all.

It's one of the best new shows of the year.

Colin From Accounts is available December 1 on Binge.

The Flatshare - Paramount+.

Image: Paramount+.

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As a romantic-comedy novel tragic, I am SO EXCITED about the release of The Flatshare, based on the bestselling (and truly charming) book of the same name by Beth O'Leary.

It stars Jessica Brown Findlay and Anthony Welsh as Tiffany and Leon, two Londoners with a creative and pretty depressing answer to the cost-of-living crisis: they share a one-bedroom flat, with Tiffany getting it from 8pm-8am, and Leon (a night nurse) from 8am-8pm.

Their contract says they aren't allowed to meet, but this is a rom-com! That's no boundary! The pair begin to communicate through post-it notes on the wall and I'm sure you can guess the rest.

It sounds super frothy - please don't think too hard about the plausibility of it - but the production value is there, and the underlying storyline about Leon trying to save money to help get his (innocent) brother get out of prison gives it depth.

You'll be quickly suckered in, and rooting for these actually very-well-rounded characters.

The Flatshare is available December 1 on Paramount+.

Riches - Prime Video.

Image: Prime Video.

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Riches is the latest addition to my favourite TV genre: terrible rich people doing terrible rich people things.

The six-episode series begins with the death of British-Nigerian businessman Stephen Richards, who established a very successful hair care line called Flair & Glory.

He leaves behind six children, Nina and Simon from his first marriage, and the very spoilt Claudia, Alesha, Gus and Wanda from his second. 

The youngest kids seem set to inherit their dad's fortune, but everything changes when Stephen's will reveals he left the entire company to Nina and Simon, setting off a war between the two sides of the family.

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Think Succession's Roy family, if Logan died in episode one and gave the whole company to... Connor.

Riches premieres December 2 on Prime Video.

Three Pines - Prime Video. 

Image: Prime Video.

This one's for the small town murder mystery fans.

Three Pines is adapted from Louise Penny’s New York Times best-selling Chief Inspector Gamache series. Alfred Molina plays Armand Gamache as he investigates a number of mysterious murders in the Quebec village of Three Pines.

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As Gamache delves into the town's history, he uncovers long-buried secrets and must face some ghosts of his own.

The series covers a number of murders across its eight episodes, with another mystery about the disappearance of an Indigenous girl running through the whole season, widening out the series to have conversations about police corruption and treatment of Indigenous communities.

Three Pines premieres December 2 on Prime Video, with two new episodes weekly.

Irreverent - Netflix.

Image: Netflix.

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The opening scene of Irreverent is truly outrageous, involving a wedding, a crocodile and exclaims of 'not another dead Reverend!' It's so outlandish, you simply have to laugh.

From there, the series evolves into a fish out of water tale involving an American crook trying to hide from Chicago's deadliest crime family.

Coincidentally, his escape leads him to meet Reverend Mackenzie Boyd, who is on his way to run the church in a small Far North Queensland town, but also facing a crisis of self.

Long story short, the Reverend who arrives in the town is not really Reverend Mackenzie Boyd.

After a lifetime of criminality, 'Mack' finds himself coming around to the 'good' he has to pretend he knows how to do. It's a redemption story all about the power of community.

Irreverent premieres December 4 on Netflix.

If These Walls Could Sing - Disney+.

Image: Disney+.

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London's Abbey Road Studios is probably the most famous recording studio in the world. And as the title suggests, the walls have seen A LOT. 

If These Walls Could Sing is directed by Mary McCartney, about the history of the studio and the experiences and memories of the musicians who have played there.

It features perhaps the most stacked cast of legendary musicians of all time, including her father Paul, Ringo Starr, Jimmy Page, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Kate Bush and Shirley Bassey.

A must-watch for music fans. 

If These Walls Could Sing premieres December 16 on Disney+.

1923: A Yellowstone Origin Story - Paramount+.

Image: Paramount+.

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Is there any TV phenomenon as big as Yellowstone right now? Beginning as just an enormously popular single series (airing on Stan here in Aus), writer Taylor Sheridan has evolved the universe into a number of spin-offs.

The latest prequel is 1923, which follows a generation of Duttons trying to keep their Montana range going in the years of prohibition and the Great Depression.

Really, all you need to know is that this series features the most impressive acting pair in a long time: Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren play this generation's heads of the Dutton family.

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1923: A Yellowstone Origin Story premieres December 19 on Paramount+.

Emily in Paris - Netflix.

Image: Netflix.

Don't pretend you're not excited.

Mindy, Camille, Gabriel, Alfie and uh, I guess Emily too, are back for a third season of work, love triangles, mismatching outfits and not learning French.

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One year after moving to Paris, Emily finds herself at a crucial crossroads in every aspect of her life. Faced with two very different paths, Emily will have to decide exactly where her loyalties lie — at work and in her romantic life — and what those decisions mean for her future in France.

And of course, season three has everything you want from Emily in Paris: fashion, flashy adventures and... hotties.

Emily in Paris season three drops December 21 on Netflix.

I Hate Suzie - Stan.

Image: Stan.

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The critically acclaimed dark comedy-drama I Hate Suzie, starring Billie Piper, is back for a second season, aptly titled I Hate Suzie Too.

Piper returns as Suzie Pickles, an actress whose career and personal life was thrown into chaos when nude photos of her were leaked in season one.

In the new episodes, Suzie attempts to rebrand herself after the traumatic experiences of the first season. With a new agent, new PR, and a new job, Suzie is determined to win the love of the public and fund a more stable life for her son. 

I Hate Suzie Too premieres December 21 on Stan.

Bump - Stan.

Image: Stan.

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Australia's favourite dysfunctional blended family returns just in time for your post-Christmas come down.

The new season of Stan's biggest-ever Original Series Bump picks up four years after season two, with Oly (Nathalie Morris) and Santi (Carlos Sanson Jr) now in their early 20s, navigating a whole new set of challenges and curveballs including new partners, co-parenting and Jacinda starting school.

Of course, the rest of the Chalmers-Davis family return too, bringing their own mayhem to the series that will always make you laugh and cry.

Bump season three drops Boxing Day on Stan.

Chelsea McLaughlin is Mamamia's Senior Entertainment Writer and co-host of The Spill. For more pop culture takes, recommendations and sarcasm, you can follow her on Instagram.

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Feature image: Netflix/Binge/Paramount +/Stan.

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