The Best Shows To Watch On Netflix In December 2020

Todd Van Luling
·Senior Culture Reporter, HuffPost
Updated ·5 min read

The new show on Netflix:

“Song Exploder” (Volume 2, Netflix Original)

Premise: This docuseries is an adaptation of the popular podcast of the same name created by Hrishikesh Hirway. In the Netflix series, each episode focuses on a different musician or band as the artists explain their songwriting craft.

Netflix released a first volume of episodes in October.

Netflix descriptors: “Understated,” “inspiring” and “investigative”

The opening of "Song Exploder" on Netflix. (Photo: "Song Exploder"/Netflix)
The opening of "Song Exploder" on Netflix. (Photo: "Song Exploder"/Netflix)

How it starts: Dua Lipa stands with her back to the camera and a bright light in front of her. In a voiceover, she explains she has to write about what she knows rather than creating make-believe characters.

Notable cast: The second season includes Natalia Lafourcade, Dua Lipa, Nine Inch Nails and The Killers

Runtime: Four episodes of roughly 25 minutes each

Bonus: Here’s the podcast episode for the original Nine Inch Nails episode.

Also new:

“Tiny Pretty Things” (Netflix Original)

(A big Netflix release, but earned only a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes)

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Shows from earlier in the month:

“Big Mouth” (Season 4, Netflix Original)

Premise: Nick Kroll co-created this animated comedy about middle schoolers going through puberty and coming of age. This season focuses on going to a summer camp while the kids mature into having crippling “anxiety” for the first time.

The show is, first and foremost, a comedy but makes sure to have nuanced and diverse takes on the terrors of puberty as well ― a rarity in American culture.

The show has earned four Emmy nominations so far, including a win for Maya Rudolph in “Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.”

Setting: New York City suburb

Netflix descriptors: “Raunchy,” “witty” and “quirky”

The opening of Season 4 of "Big Mouth." (Photo: Netflix/"Big Mouth")
The opening of Season 4 of "Big Mouth." (Photo: Netflix/"Big Mouth")

How it starts: The show created a musical “recap” of the previous episodes that goes beyond Netflix’s typical montage of earlier scenes. The characters explain what has happened through song for about 2 minutes.

After the recap, the show cuts to a yellow bus for Camp Mohegan Sun, stopping in front of a wood drop-off shelter. Totem poles serve as columns for the shelter. The main character, Nick, steps out of the bus wearing a backup and slaps the back of his neck while saying, “Ow, fucking mosquitos.”

Notable cast: Fred Armisen, Ayo Edebiri, Jessi Klein, Nick Kroll, Jason Mantzoukas, John Mulaney and Maya Rudolph

Runtime: The fourth season runs 10 episodes of roughly 28 minutes

Bonus: Netflix put out a short video of one of the characters, Maury the Hormone Monster, doing a guided meditation.

“The Great British Baking Show: Holidays” (Season 3, Netflix Original)

Premise: In this two-episode special, contestants from the past as well as the cast of the show “Derry Girls” compete to make the best holiday desserts.

Particularly of note, the bakers make gingerbread houses that are far better than anything you and I will be building this season.

This special follows the successful rollout of the latest season of “The Great British Baking Show” on Netflix.

Netflix descriptor: “Feel-good”

The opening of Season 3 of "The Great British Baking Show: Holidays" on Netflix. (Photo: Netflix/"The Great British Baking Show: Holidays")
The opening of Season 3 of "The Great British Baking Show: Holidays" on Netflix. (Photo: Netflix/"The Great British Baking Show: Holidays")

How it starts: Contestants walk through a green field toward the competition tent while host Sandi Toksvig asks in narration, “What better way to spend Christmas than getting together with old friends?”

The contestants wish one another good luck and Christmas cheer while putting their aprons on, getting set up in the tent, and preparing to kick off the competition.

Notable cast: Noel Fielding, Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith and Sandi Toksvig

Runtime: The third season runs two episodes of roughly 55 minutes

Bonus: Here’s a clip from a previous iteration of the show focused on making beautiful cakes.

Trailers for a couple more shows Netflix added in December:

“Selena: The Series” (Netflix Original)

(This is a big release, but earned a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes)

“Detention” (Netflix Original)

All the shows that have joined Netflix this month so far:

Dec. 1

  • “Are You The One” (Seasons 1-2)

  • “Gormiti” (Season 1)

  • “The Holiday Movies That Made Us” (Netflix Original)

  • “Ink Master” (Seasons 1-2)

  • “Super Wings” (Season 3)

  • “Stargate SG-1” (Seasons 1-10)

  • “Transformers Rescue Bots Academy” (Season 2)

Dec. 2

  • “Alien Worlds” (Netflix Documentary)

Dec. 4

  • “Bhaag Beanie Bhaag” (Netflix Original)

  • “Big Mouth” (Season 4, Netflix Original)

  • “The Great British Baking Show: Holidays” (Season 3, Netflix Original)

  • “Kings of Joburg” (Season 1)

  • “Pokémon Journeys: The Series” (Part 3, Netflix Family)

  • “Selena: The Series” (Netflix Original)

Dec. 5

  • “Detention” (Netflix Original)

Dec. 7

  • “Manhunt: Deadly Games”

Dec. 8

  • “Bobbleheads The Movie” (2020)

  • “Lovestruck in the City” (Netflix Original)

  • “Mr. Iglesias” (Part 3, Netflix Original)

  • “Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure” (Netflix Family)

  • “Super Monsters: Santa’s Super Monster Helpers” (Netflix Family)

Dec. 9

  • “Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love: Christmas” (Netflix Family)

  • “The Big Show Show: Christmas” (Netflix Family)

  • “The Surgeon’s Cut” (Netflix Documentary)

Dec. 10

  • “Alice in Borderland” (Netflix Original)

Dec. 11

  • “The Mess You Leave Behind (El desorden que dejas)” (Netflix Original)

Dec. 14

  • “Hilda” (Season 2, Netflix Family)

  • “Tiny Pretty Things” (Netflix Original)

Dec. 15

  • “Black Ink Crew New York” (Seasons 1-2)

  • “The Challenge” (Seasons 10 and 13)

  • “Pup Academy” (Season 2)

  • “Song Exploder” (Volume 2, Netflix Original)

  • “Teen Mom 2” (Seasons 1-2)

Dec. 16

  • “Anitta: Made In Honorio” (Netflix Documentary)

  • “BREAK IT ALL: The History of Rock in Latin America” (Netflix Documentary)

  • “How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding” (Netflix Original)

  • “The Ripper” (Netflix Documentary)

  • “Run On” (Netflix Original)

  • “Vir Das: Outside In ― The Lockdown Special” (Netflix Original)

Dec. 18

  • “Home for Christmas” (Season 2, Netflix Original)

  • “Jeopardy! Champion Run V”

  • “Jeopardy! Champion Run VI”

  • “Jeopardy! Teacher’s Tournament”

  • “Jeopardy! College Championship”

  • “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions”

  • “Sweet Home” (Netflix Original)

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.