What To Watch Streaming This Weekend: Our Top Movie And TV Picks

Though linear TV may always have its place in the world, streaming entertainment is the new normal, and will likely maintain that reign for the foreseeable future. But for all the advantages of having so many movies and TV shows at arm’s length, the potential downside is an overwhelming amount of content to sort through to find what’s most worthy of your time; Netflix’s new releases alone can be an intimidating batch to sort through. That’s where CinemaBlend comes in, as we’re curating a weekly rundown of the most anticipated new streaming movies and series, recent trending highlights and longer-lasting hits whose popularity can’t stop, won’t stop. 

Below you’ll find a smaller group of high-profile releases getting the spotlight, while a rundown featuring plenty of other recent highlights will be in the schedule lower down! 

What To Watch Streaming Highlights

From fantasy prequels to shirtless beach football to the Queen of Christmas, these streaming streaming highlights would keep anyone busy while wrapping presents and then later cleaning up all of that wrapping paper.

The Witcher: Blood Origin Season 1 (Netflix)

Release Date: December 25

Ahead of Henry Cavill’s final season heading up The Witcher, the dark fantasy’s first live-action spinoff is one of the more violent Christmas treats of the year. Starring Michelle Yeoh, Sophia Brown and Minnie Driver, The Witcher: Blood Origin takes place a full 1,000 years before the flagship’s timeline, and centers on a group of outcasts coming together to take on a seemingly undefeatable force.

Stream The Witcher: Blood Origin on Netflix!

2022 Back That Year Up Special (Peacock)

Release Date: December 23

Remember Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg’s hilarious reaction show for the 2021 Summer Olympics? Swap out Snoop for Saturday Night Live mainstay Kenan Thompson, and replace athletics with the chaos that was the year 2022, and you have the recipe for Peacock’s year-end special, which will feature guests such as Nick Cannon, Roy Wood, Jr., Rob Gronkowski, and more.

Stream 2022 Back That Year Up on Peacock!

Strange World (Disney+)

Release Date: December 23

A throwback of sorts to Disney’s animated adventures of the late ‘90s, Strange World marks the first of the studio’s films with an LGBTQ+ lead character. It hit theaters in November 2022 to some critical praise, but somewhat surprisingly became one of Disney’s biggest box office bombs of the modern era. It could easily have far better success via streaming, where the controversial backlash won’t have as much influence.

Stream Strange World on Disney+!

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Peacock)

Release Date: December 23

While some viewers are still confused by the mystery of Glass Onion’s one-week-only theatrical release, Rian Johnson’s latest Benoit Blanc whodunnit is now here for anyone with a Netflix subscription to try and figure out in style. With a star-studded cast headed up by returning star Daniel Craig, the Knives Out sequel is the gift that keeps viewers guessing. 

Stream Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix! 

Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount+)

Release Date: December 22

At long last, nearly seven months after it first flew into theaters, Tom Cruise’s latest generation-spanning blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick is available to stream ad nauseam with a Paramount+ subscription. Come for the fan-fave character’s humbled cockiness, and stay for scene-stealing turns from co-stars Miles Teller and Glen Powell, as well as the emotional return of Val Kilmer’s Iceman. 

Stream Top Gun: Maverick on Paramount+! 

Emily In Paris Season 3 (Netflix)

Release Date: December 21

Lily Collins’ romantic dramedy Emily in Paris has been a big enough hit for Netflix that the platform had previously granted it a two-season renewal, making it the somewhat rare show to debut new episodes without panicked worries about abrupt cancellations. (Not that Netflix hasn’t reversed renewals in the past.) So far, the fun and flighty Darren Star creation is earning the predestined renewal, having ousted Wednesday’s streak atop the service’s Top 10 TV Shows ranking.

Stream Emily in Paris on Netflix!

Jack Ryan Season 3 (Prime Video)

Release Date: December 21

John Krasinski may have already announced his impending exit as hero analyst Jack Ryan, but fans thankfully don’t have to worry about him being gone just yet. Prime Video debuted the highly anticipated third season going into Christmas Week, with a fourth season presumed to debut in late 2023 or early 2024.

Stream Jack Ryan on Prime Video!

Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas To All Special (Paramount+)

Release Date: December 20

The purported Queen of Christmas has been a holiday staple for decades now, but her go-to hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has almost always been enjoyed through audio means only. For those who aren’t lucky enough to check out her concert merriment in person, the CBS special Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All! makes for delightful and fancy-free fun, with appearances from Slick Rick, Drew Barrymore, the Radio City Rockettes, and more.

Stream Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All on Paramount+!

1923's First Two Episodes (Paramount+)

Release Date: December 18

Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren head up the latest entry in Taylor Sheridan’s expanding Yellowstone universe, and while the prequel 1923 may never eclipse its predecessor’s massive success, the new western drama reached more than 7 million viewers with its series premiere being simulcast across both streaming and linear TV. So don’t wait until the two-season spinoff is over to get invested, and hop on that horse posthaste. (Just make sure it’s not one of the Duttons’ horses.)

Stream 1923 on Paramount+! 

The Recruit Season 1 (Netflix)

Release Date: December 16

Hot off of his Black Adam heroics as Atom Smasher, actor Noah Centineo reteamed with his To All the Girls home of Netflix for a stereotype-bucking role in the action thriller The Recruit. The series follows a CIA lawyer that gets swept up into a dangerous situation involving the potential exposure of highly confidential information, and quickly rose to nearly the top of Netflix’s Top 10 list upon its arrival, so dive in before the ending gets spoiled for you on social media.

Stream The Recruit on Netflix!

Even More Shows And Movies To Watch This Weekend

When there's still a streaming itch that nothing listed above has managed to scratch, check out even more new and trending movies, TV shows and specials for your viewing pleasure. 

Here's hoping there are many options above that can sate your streaming urges. And for those looking head to what'll be available in the coming year, our 2023 TV premiere schedule and 2023 movie release schedule are one-stop shops for just such planning purposes.