Netflix December 2025 releases overview for new movies, returning series and major holiday premieres

Netflix’s December 2025 lineup features new originals, returning hit series, major finales & holiday specials

Netflix is rolling out a packed slate of new programming this December, offering major original films, much-anticipated series installments, and a long list of library titles. The streamer’s December lineup highlights include the premieres of Jay Kelly, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and new seasons or volumes of hit shows such as Man Vs. Baby and Stranger Things 5.

Major Film Releases

Casale notes that two Netflix Original films are leading the month’s lineup. Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, featuring George Clooney as an aging actor confronting the consequences of his earlier choices, debuts on December 5. Rian Johnson’s third installment in the Knives Out franchise, Wake Up Dead Man, arrives December 12, bringing Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc back for another elaborate, star-studded mystery—this time involving a charismatic priest played by Josh Brolin.

New and Returning Series

On the TV side, Netflix premieres Man Vs. Baby on December 11, bringing Rowan Atkinson back as Trevor Bingley for a new comedic storyline set during the holidays. Casale also highlights Netflix’s biggest December event: the conclusion of Stranger Things. Volume 2 of Season 5 arrives December 25, with the series finale releasing December 31. These final chapters return viewers to Hawkins in 1987 as the characters take their last stand against Vecna.

Family titles, documentaries, international series, and holiday offerings also fill the month’s calendar, including new seasons of Emily in Paris, The West Wing returning to the platform, and a large list of films such as Pulp Fiction, Mean Girls, Forrest Gump, and Kung Fu Panda.

Full December Schedule

As detailed in Casale’s report, Netflix’s December schedule includes dozens of releases across film, TV, comedy specials, documentaries, and children’s programming. Highlights include:

• The Abandons – Dec. 4

• Owning Manhattan: Season 2 – Dec. 5

• Babylon and Cast Away – Dec. 7

• Record of Ragnarok: Season 3 – Dec. 10

• Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft: Season 2 – Dec. 11

• PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie – Dec. 14

• Murder in Monaco – Dec. 17

• Emily in Paris: Season 5 – Dec. 18

• Goodbye June – Dec. 24

Netflix will also stream live Christmas Day NFL games and multiple holiday films throughout the month.

Coming in January

Casale also previews notable upcoming titles. On January 9, Netflix releases People We Meet on Vacation, adapted from Emily Henry’s bestseller. The action-thriller The Rip, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, arrives January 16.

Netflix’s December slate signals a high-energy close to 2025, with major franchises concluding, new originals debuting, and a packed library refresh giving subscribers plenty to choose from.