Netflix is adding 38 new shows and movies to its streaming service this week. That’s a substantial amount to add to your watchlist, especially since this week brings Netflix’s biggest show of the year: the “Stranger Things” series finale. Yes, the beloved horror series comes to an end this week with the season 5 finale on New Year’s Eve.
If you don’t care about “Stranger Things,” don’t worry, there’s still plenty to watch. “Run Away” is a brand new show that adapts a Harlan Coben mystery novel, and for those who loved “Fool Me Once,” it’s probably going to be your next binge watch.
Malcolm McMillan
Malcolm has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. Every week, he hunts down the top shows and movies to watch on Netflix.
New on Netflix this week: Top picks
‘Stranger Things’ season 5: The finale
This is the last time I shall be including “Stranger Things” in this weekly Netflix column, because this week marks the end of the beloved Netflix series. After the two-hour-and-one-minute-long series finale on New Year’s Eve, we won’t get another “Stranger Things” episode. Ever.
If you’re someone who hasn’t watched the show, and wants a quick rundown because you don’t have the time to binge five seasons of TV, here’s the skinny. “Stranger Things” is set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the mid-1980s. Thanks to the Hawkins National Laboratory opening a portal to an alternate dimension known as the “Upside Down,” this town becomes a focal point for the paranormal and supernatural.
In season 1, Hawkins resident Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappears into the Upside Down. He’s eventually rescued by his friends and a young psychokinetic girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), but he still maintains a connection to the dark dimension. Season 5 is set four years after those events, and “Stranger Things: The Finale” will be the final chance that the Hawkins kids have to defeat the evil entity known as Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
Watch the “Stranger Things” series finale on Netflix starting Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET
‘Run Away’
“Run Away” is based on Coben’s 2019 novel of the same name. This mystery drama series stars Ruth Jones as Private Investigator Elena Ravenscroft, who has been tasked with investigating the disappearance of Simon Greene’s (James Nesbitt) daughter, Paige (Ellie de Lange). Her investigation is going apace when, suddenly, Paige’s boyfriend, Aaron (Thomas Flynn), is found dead by the police.
The police had suspected that Paige was being kept by Aaron against her will, but with Aaron’s death, she’s now a possible suspect for Aaron’s murder. She’s not the only suspect, though. Some think, including Elena, that Simon might have killed Aaron to bring his daughter home. Harlan Coben adaptations have become a staple of Netflix in recent years, and this one could very well be his next hit for the streaming service.
Watch on Netflix starting Jan. 1
‘Members Only: Palm Beach’
Forget Apple TV’s “The Palm Royale,” this is what it’s like now to be a Palm Beach socialite. In “Members Only: Palm Beach,” we follow five members of the Palm Beach elite: Hilary Musser, a real estate developer who’s been in Palm Beach for over two decades; Taja Abitbol, a hospitality and wellness entrepreneur with friends familiar with the reality TV scene; Rosalyn Yellin, a former fitness dance instructor whose mentor, Gale, is the current “Queen of Palm Beach”; and young upstarts Ro-mina Ustayev and Maria Cozamanis, who think that some rules and traditions are meant to be broken.
If you’re someone who can’t get enough Housewives — Real, Desperate, or otherwise — then this show is one you’ll want to add to your watchlist.
Watch on Netflix starting Dec. 29
‘Ricky Gervais: Mortality’
Ricky Gervais has been a comedy icon for decades. From stand-up comedy specials, appearances in shows like “The Office” (U.K.) and a few Golden Globes monologues, there’s a good chance you’ve come across at least some of his work already.
This week, Gervais brings his latest comedy special, “Mortality,” to Netflix. In this hour-long special, which he’s been taking on the road since 2024, Gervais examines his own mortality with brutal honesty and leaves nothing off limits when discussing life, death and the state of the world.
Watch on Netflix starting Dec. 30
‘Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story’
Earlier this year, Hulu’s documentary “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” examined the rise and fall of vlogger Ruby Franke. While Franke initially seemed to be showing off her big, happy family to the world, it turned out something much darker was going on, especially after she turned to counselor Jodi Hildebrandt for help. Hildebrandt convinced Franke that her children were possessed, which led to a series of abuses that ultimately landed both women in prison.
Now, Netflix is taking its turn to examine the disturbing relationship between Franke and Hildebrandt in “Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story.” If you’re someone who has to watch every true crime documentary out there, then this one definitely needs to be added to your watchlist.
Watch on Netflix starting Dec. 30
‘Dr. Seuss’s Red Fish, Blue Fish’ season 2
For most of you reading this article, when you think of “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,” you think of the Dr. Seuss classic that you probably were read to as a kid. But Netflix has taken that iconic children’s book and its titular characters and transformed it into a Netflix Jr. kids’ show.
So if you need something to distract your kids this week, or have the family over for the holiday break and need something for your younger relatives, starting in the new year, you can hit play on “Dr. Seuss’s Red Fish, Blue Fish” season 2. They’ll be able to watch these fish friends fly a kite or look for lost treasure, and you’ll be able to take a much-needed break.
Watch on Netflix starting Jan. 1
‘Love from 9 to 5’
“Love From 9 to 5” (Amor de Oficina in its original Spanish) stars Ana González Bello as Graciela. She’s an exemplary worker, and with her boss about to step down, she could be the next CEO of the major underwear company she works for.
There are just two problems. First, she’s not the only one up for the job. Her boss’s son, Mateo, is also seeking to take over his father’s company, and since he’s part of the family, he has the upper hand. Second, it turns out she just slept with Mateo before discovering that he’s now her main rival at work. Now, they have to navigate office politics and office romance, and based on the trailer, it looks like that’s going to prove complicated.
Watch on Netflix starting Jan. 1
Everything new on Netflix: Dec. 29-Jan. 4
DECEMBER 29
“Members Only: Palm Beach” (Netflix series)
In this reality series, a group of socialites navigate the drama and decadence of Palm Beach, where the parties are lavish and the gossip is endless.
DECEMBER 30
“Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story” (Netflix documentary)
Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandy, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.
“Ricky Gervais: Mortality” (GB) (Netflix comedy special)
In a special that further solidifies his reputation as one of the most influential voices in comedy, Gervais takes on his own mortality in a brutally honest and darkly funny stand-up special about his life, death and the state of the world.
DECEMBER 31
“Stranger Things” season 5: The Finale (Netflix series) (Releasing at 8 p.m. ET)
With Hawkins under lockdown, El in hiding and danger lurking at every turn, the entire party unites with a single goal: to hunt and kill Vecna.
- “Sleeping with Other People”
JANUARY 1
“Dr. Seuss’s Red Fish, Blue Fish” season 2 (Netflix family)
Up, down… lost, found! Whether they’re flying a kite or looking for lost treasure, Red and Blue’s ocean adventures are always the opposite of boring.
“Love from 9 to 5” (MX) (Netflix series)
A hardworking employee and the boss’s charming son compete for the CEO position at a major underwear company, but romance threatens to sabotage them.
“My Korean Boyfriend” (BR) (Netflix series)
Five Brazilian women, each at a different stage of life and love, travel to South Korea and meet their crushes in this K-drama-inspired reality show.
“Run Away” (GB) (Netflix series)
James Nesbitt and Ruth Jones star in this twisting, turning adaptation of Harlan Coben’s bestseller about a father’s search for his runaway daughter.
“Time Flies” (AR) (Netflix series)
Fresh out of prison and low on options, two women run a fumigation business — until a shady client pulls them back into the life they fought to escape.
- “12 Years a Slave”
- “30 Minutes or Less”
- “Becky”
- “Brüno”
- “Colombiana”
- “Conan the Destroyer”
- “Dawn of the Dead”
- “Despicable Me”
- “Despicable Me 2”
- “District 9”
- “Dune” (2021)
- “Erin Brockovich”
- “Falling Skies” seasons 1-5
- “Forever My Girl”
- “Free Solo”
- “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call”
- “Green Room”
- “Harry and the Hendersons”
- “Hellboy”
- “Johnny Mnemonic”
- “Just Go With It”
- “Lone Survivor”
- “Man on Fire”
- “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life”
- “My Girl”
- “Only the Brave”
- “Pitch Perfect”
- “Priscilla”
- “Twins”
- “Wild Things”
JANUARY 2
“Land of Sin” (SE) (Netflix series)
When a teenager goes missing, a detective with personal ties to the case joins a tense investigation that reveals fierce loyalties and old family feuds.
JANUARY 3
- “The Following” seasons 1-3
Leaving Netflix This Week
Leaving 12/29/25
“10 Things I Hate About You”
“Idiocracy”
“Sweet Home Alabama”
Leaving 12/30/25
“Ready Player One”
Leaving 12/31/25
“Evil” seasons 1-3
Leaving 1/1/26
“Agatha Christie’s Crooked House”
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”
“Baby Driver”
“Blue Beetle”
“Blue Crush”
“Blue Streak”
“Captain Phillips”
“Clear and Present Danger”
“Coach Carter”
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“Death Becomes Her”
“Dirty Dancing”
“Doctor Sleep”
“Don’t Worry Darling”
“Dreamgirls”
“Fifty Shades Darker”
“Fifty Shades Freed”
“Fifty Shades of Grey”
“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”
“Ghost”
“The Goonies”
“The Hangover”
“The Hangover: Part II”
“The Hangover: Part III”
“How to Be Single”
“I Love You, Man”
“Isn’t It Romantic”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”
“Kung Fu Panda 3”
“Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life”
“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”
“Life of the Party”
“Lost” seasons 1-6
“Mad Max: Fury Road”
“The Martian”
“The Mask”
“Meet Joe Black”
“Ocean’s 8”
“Runaway Bride”
“Scarface”
“Star Trek”
“Star Trek Beyond”
“Star Trek Into Darkness”
“The Sweetest Thing”
“Taxi Driver”
“Training Day”
“Zero Dark Thirty”
Leaving 1/2/26
“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story”
Leaving 1/3/26
“Mr. Robot” seasons 1-4
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