We’ll be honest: December is a pretty slow TV month in 2023. But that doesn’t mean the next few weeks don’t boast some highly anticipated shows, like The Crown, which ends with the second half of season six. And that’s not all: Canadian sitcom Letterkenny and FXX’s beloved Archer also bow out for good, while buzzy projects like Disney+’s Percy Jackson & The Olympians arrive just in time for the holidays. To help you navigate what’s what, here’s The A.V. Club’s guide for the next month.
If you’re in the mood for a YA drama, or you just want to see Suits star Sarah Rafferty on your screen again after having binged the show over the summer, Netflix has the series for you. Based on Ali Novak’s novel, My Life With The Walter Boys centers on 15-year-old Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez), who moves from New York City to rural Colorado after the tragic death of her parents. She has to now live with her new guardian, Dr. Katherine (Rafferty), and 10 very rowdy dudes on a farm. [Saloni Gajjar]
The British heist drama Culprits stars Gemma Arterton, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Amara Karan, and Niamh Algar. They play a crew of criminals in this eight-episode thriller who successfully commit a heist and part ways. However, they quickly realize that a mystery assassin is hunting them down one by one, Agatha Christie-style. Instead of dwelling on the heist, Culprits deals with the aftermath of their actions. The show drops on Hulu and Disney+ simultaneously. [Saloni Gajjar]
It’s time to bid farewell to The Crown, a show that helped usher Netflix into its prestige-drama era when it premiered in 2016. The Crown’s sixth and final season wraps with part two, which follows up on the Royal Family in a post-Diana Spencer world. The episodes will cover events from 1997 to 2005, so don’t expect anyone to even utter the name Meghan Markle. However, The Crown will touch upon Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton’s (Meg Bellamy) early relationship, Prince Charles’ (Dominic West) wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams), and the death of Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville), among other key moments. [Saloni Gajjar]
Yoshihiro Togashi’s famous Japanese manga Yu Yu Hakusho gets a live-action adaptation thanks to Akira Morii and Kazutaka Sakamoto. The fantasy adventure show centers on Yusuke (Takumi Kitamura), an unruly teen who dies while saving another kid from a speeding car. In the afterlife, he learns that he doesn’t have a place either in heaven or hell, but he can go back to the human world to investigate demons. And that’s just what he does. [Saloni Gajjar]
Longtime The Onion writer Dan Guterman is behind this adult-animated sci-fi comedy miniseries, which follows our titular protagonist (voiced by Baskets’ excellent Martha Kelly) as she copes with the impending—you guessed it—end of the world. The cast also boasts Bridget Everett, Patriot’s Michael Chernus, The Last Man On Earth’s Mel Rodriguez, and The Mindy Project’s Beth Grant. [Tim Lowery]
One of Prime Video’s many “big beefcake boys” is back. The streaming platform that hosts The Terminal List, Jack Ryan, Citadel, and other action spy dramas revives Reacher for round two. Based on Lee Child’s novels, the series tags along with former military cop Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson). In this new batch of episodes, he receives a coded message from his former Army unit about mysterious murders and reunites his former teammates to solve the brutal case. [Saloni Gajjar]
The long-running adult-animated comedy calls it quits for good with this three-episode series-finale “event.” And if it’s anywhere near as great as Archer’s dynamite last season, we’re in for quite a treat. Looking for a quick catchup on the show’s underrated later batches before jumping into its conclusion? The A.V. Club’s William Hughes has you covered. [Tim Lowery]
Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg’s fantasy drama takes us back into the world of Percy Jackson & The Olympians—and this one stars actual age-appropriate teens. The Disney+ series follows the titular 12-year-old, played by Walker Scobell, who is accused by the Greek god Zeus (Lance Reddick in his final TV role) of stealing his precious thunderbolt. The ensemble also features Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri, Glynn Turman, Megan Mullaly, Jason Mantzoukas, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jay Duplass, and Virginia Kull. [Saloni Gajjar]
Patrick Macmanus’ true-crime anthology Dr. Death is back with a fascinating new case and actors. Season two untangles the mystery of Swiss-Italian doctor Paulo Macchiarini (Édgar Ramírez), whose synthetic organ transplant puts him on the global map. It also leads investigative reporter Benita Alexander (Mandy Moore) to his doorstep, and she quickly learns Paulo isn’t who he says he is. The show’s second season also stars Judy Reyes and Jack Davenport. [Saloni Gajjar]
Did you think Marvel would give us a break between Loki and Echo? Think again because What If... is returning to Disney+. The show isn’t directly connected to the MCU, so we can enjoy the animated series for what it is: an alternate multiverse reality where our heroes aren’t portrayed the way we’re used to seeing them. Jeffrey Wright is back as the Narrator in these nine new eps, which promise Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) fighting a resurrected, villainous Steve Rogers (Josh Keaton), and Tony Stark (Mick Wingert) on the planet Sakaar, among other fun stuff. [Saloni Gajjar]
That’s a wrap on the popular Canadian sitcom Letterkenny. Created by and starring Jared Keeso, the series is set in the titular fictional rural town. In the show’s 12th and final season, the citizens explore live comedy, nightlife and, of course, a lot of happenings at Ag Hall. And hey, we might be losing Letterkenny, but luckily we have its excellent spin-off Shoresy to help fill the void. [Saloni Gajjar]
Spain’s global hit Money Heist (La Casa De Papel) might’ve closed its doors in 2021, but never say never when it comes to reviving IP. Co-creators Álex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato bring the franchise back with a prequel, Berlin. Set before the events of Money Heist, it follows Berlin (Pedro Alonso) in his heist-planning heyday as he takes the Royal Mint of Spain hostage to rob $44 million worth of jewels. There’s probably going to be another rendition of “Bella Ciao” at some point during the show, right? [Saloni Gajjar]
Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3 (December 1, Starz)
Single’s Inferno season 3 (December 12, Netflix)