Picture Credit: Netflix, Vertical, AMC
There are just three sleeps until Christmas, and there’s a lot to look forward to on Netflix this week. For fans of the NFL, we’ll see the second annual live NFL games on Netflix, and if you’re a fan of Stranger Things, you’ve got a fresh new batch of episodes all leading up to the finale next week. For everyone else, there are lots of new movies and series to look forward to.
On the removal front this week, it’s your last chance to watch all the Transformers movies before they disappear on December 26th. That includes the 2007 original, Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, and Age of Extinction. After a two-year stint, the comedy series The Royals is departing Netflix again over the weekend.
We’re also still getting word of more movies and series coming up in the first month of the year. You can find a list of everything we know coming up throughout January in the US here.
Most Anticipated New Releases on Netflix This Week
Stranger Things (Season 5 – Volume 2)
Coming to Netflix: Thursday Evening

If you can believe it, we’re now a month past since volume 1 dropped, and it was one hell of an opening to the final season of Stranger Things. Big twists and surprises were aplenty, and that’ll continue as we rocket towards the season finale set to debut during New Year’s celebrations. We won’t go too much into depth on what to expect from the next batch of episodes. Still, based on our sources, you can expect family revelations, scientific discoveries, big fights, reconcilations, hospital escapes, and a big plan coming together to bring down Vecna for once and for all.
Worth noting that you won’t be able to binge the new episodes Christmas morning, but rather have to wait, much like with Volume 1, until the evening to watch (if you’re in the US, early morning for Europe) with its 5 PM PST and 8 PM EST primetime launch window.
Countdown to Stranger Things 5
Stranger Things 5 Volume 1
Stranger Things 5 Volume 2
Stranger Things 5 Finale
Eden (2025)
Coming to Netflix: Tuesday
Based on a true story, famed director Ron Howard brings to life the tale of three groups of settlers hoping to call a small, dangerous island in the Galápagos Islands home. It’s not got a great water supply, and dangerous creatures roam the island, but it turns out that it’s not the island they need to be afraid of; it’s each other.
It’s got a stacked cast led by Jude Law and Vanessa Kirby in one corner, Daniel Brühl and Sydney Sweeney in another, and Ana de Armas in another.
Having just watched this (on Prime Video here in the UK), it was an enjoyable experience and easy to get through to the end. I won’t be rushing back for a rewatch anytime soon, but the character dynamics between the three friendly (at least on the face of it) groups and the slow unravelling of everyone’s minds make for a good Christmas watch.
Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale (Season 1)
Coming to Netflix: Friday
In what will be the final AMC addition to Netflix in 2025 (and there’s been a lot), we’ll see the debut of the fantasy series Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale, which will give you a brief window to catch up before new episodes, making up season 2, begin airing on AMC and AMC+. “Set in a contemporary world,” the synopsis reads, continuing, “where witchcraft is real, Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale takes place in the idyllic English town of Sanctuary, where for hundreds of years witches have lived peacefully as valued members of society. Until now…”
The series didn’t get a lot of coverage when it first dropped, so it’s likely to quickly pick up some new fans upon its Netflix debut. Among the cast are Elish Liburd, Elaine Cassidy, and Amy De Bhrún.
Full List of What’s Coming to Netflix This Week
Coming to Netflix on Monday, December 22nd
- Carl the Collector (Season 1) – PBS Kids animated series. An autistic raccoon with a passion for collecting various items navigates everyday adventures and challenges with a group of woodland pals.
- Elway (2025) Netflix Original – The definitive story of Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway.
- I DOL I (Season 1 – New Episodes Weekly) – Korean drama series.
- Sicily Express (Limited Series) Netflix Original – Italian Christmas comedy series.
- The Closer (Seasons 1-7) – The crime drama stars Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, an Atlanta-born deputy chief who leads the LAPD’s Priority Homicide Division with sharp interrogation skills.
Coming to Netflix on Tuesday, December 23rd
- Eden (2025) – Streaming premiere of this thriller movie starring Jude Law and Ana de Armas.
- King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch (Season 3) Netflix Original – Netflix docu-series.
- Say Yes to the Dress (Multiple Seasons) – Reality series.
Coming to Netflix on Wednesday, Christmas Eve
- Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) – The follow-up film to the hit series sees the Crawley family split between a French villa mystery and a movie shoot at the estate, directed by Simon Curtis and starring the full ensemble, including Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, and Elizabeth McGovern.
- Goodbye June (2025) Netflix Original – New drama directed and starring Kate Winslet. As Christmas approaches, four adult siblings and their difficult father are thrown into emotional chaos by their mother, June’s, declining health, which she navigates on her own terms with sharp humor, blunt honesty, and deep love.
- Tom Segura: Teacher (2025) Netflix Original – Stand-up comedy special.
Coming to Netflix on Thursday, Christmas Day
- Christmas Game Day – Live NFL Games:
- Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Commanders
- Detroit Lions vs Minnesota Vikings
- Stranger Things (Season 5 – Volume 2) Netflix Original – The next batch of three episodes of the final season of Stranger Things.
- The Best You Can (2025) – Romantic comedy starring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.
- Wrath of Man (2021) – An enigmatic employee of an armored truck company catches his co-workers off guard when he unleashes his violent skills during an attempted heist.
Coming to Netflix on Friday, December 26th
- Animal Control (Multiple Seasons) – Fox sitcom series starring Joel McHale and Vella Lovell. An officer and his colleagues in Seattle’s Animal Control tackle animals and humans.
- Cover-Up (2025) Netflix Original – Documentary following the career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh.
- Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale (Season 1) – AMC fantasy series.
Coming to Netflix on Saturday, December 27th
- The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2024) – Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton headline this British drama described as an uplifting tale of self-discovery and learning to seize the moment.
Coming to Netflix on Sunday, December 28th
- The Girl Who Got Away (2021) – Horror about a woman who survived a bloody childhood kidnapping finds her life threatened when the vicious serial killer who abducted her escapes from custody.
What are you going to be watching over the Christmas period? Let us know in the comments down below.















