The Best Shows to Watch on Christmas: 11 Picks for the Couch, the Family, and the Hangover

If you only click one thing today, it's The Bear Season 2, Episode 6, "Fishes." That's the number-one pick on this list and it's not close. It's the greatest Christmas episode of television made in the last twenty years — a single, unbroken hour of a family imploding around a holiday dinner, and once you've seen it you'll never watch a Hallmark movie the same way again. Start there. The rest of this list is for what comes after.

A quick word on how this is ranked. Christmas TV has three shifts. Morning: everyone's in the room, the coffee's out, nobody wants to argue. Afternoon: the food coma, the couch, the dog on your feet. Late night: it's just you now, the tree lights are on, the dishwasher is running, and you want something with teeth. The picks below are tagged for the shift they belong to. Don't put on Fargo at 9 a.m. with your mother-in-law. I'm begging you.

Must-Watch Tier

The Bear — S2E6 "Fishes" (2022–present, 4 seasons, Hulu)

Start with Season 2, Episode 6. That's the Christmas episode, it stands alone, and you can watch it without having seen the rest of the show. It's the Berzatto family Feast of the Seven Fishes, shot like a horror movie, with Jamie Lee Curtis giving what's probably the best guest performance of the decade. If you liked Uncut Gems, yes. If you want something calm on Christmas Eve, absolutely not — this one will put your chest in a vice for 66 minutes. Time commitment: one episode, 66 minutes. One sitting, one glass of something strong, then you sit in silence for ten minutes afterward. Status: ongoing, Season 5 confirmed. Why it works on Christmas: because every family has its own version of that dinner, and watching someone else's on-screen is the closest thing to therapy you can bill to Disney.

🏆 DROP EVERYTHING

Fargo — Season 5 (2023, 5 seasons, Hulu)

Jon Hamm as a psychotic North Dakota sheriff who thinks he's a cowboy and Juno Temple as the housewife he can't kill. Season 5 is set in the dead of winter, snow in every frame, and it wraps up the week between Christmas and New Year's — which is the exact vibe you want when the presents are unwrapped and your brain needs something meaner than eggnog. Starter: Season 5, Episode 1. Each Fargo season is a self-contained story, so you don't need the other four. If you liked No Country for Old Men, yes. If you want a cozy hug, no — Sam Spruell plays a villain who might actually be a demon and it's not a metaphor. Time commitment: 10 episodes, 55 min each, roughly a weekend. Status: ended (this season), the show may or may not return. Noah Hawley is off doing Alien. Why it works on Christmas: the snow, the sweaters, the fireplaces — it looks like Christmas and it feels like a knife fight in a cold garage, which is honestly what most family Christmases feel like anyway.

🏆 DROP EVERYTHING

Slow Horses (2022–present, 5 seasons, Apple TV+)

Gary Oldman plays a British spy so foul that MI5 exiled him and his team of screwups to a broken office called Slough House. It's a spy show for adults, which is a genre we thought was dead. The season three finale takes place around Christmas and the season four opener is one of the best action sequences on TV. Starter: Season 1, Episode 1 — six-episode seasons, they move fast. If you liked Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, yes. If you need constant explosions, it's slower than that but the payoffs hit harder. Time commitment: 6 episodes per season, 45 min. One season in a day if you want. Status: ongoing, Season 6 in production. Why it works on Christmas: it's British, it's cold, it's about miserable people being competent at their jobs — the perfect thing to put on after the family's gone to bed and you finally have the good chair to yourself.

🏆 DROP EVERYTHING

Worth Your Time

Shrinking (2023–present, 3 seasons, Apple TV+)

Jason Segel plays a therapist who breaks the rules and starts saying what he actually thinks to his patients, which is a premise that could have been unbearable and somehow isn't. Harrison Ford is in it as a grumpy therapy mentor with Parkinson's, and he's genuinely great — the man's 83 and doing better sitcom work than most people half his age. Starter: Season 1, Episode 1. If you liked Ted Lasso, yes; if you thought Ted Lasso was diabetic, you'll like this better because it's funnier and has less hugging. Time commitment: 10 episodes, 30 min. A lazy afternoon. Status: ongoing, Season 4 confirmed. Why it works on Christmas: it's warm without being syrup, it's about people trying not to be miserable, and Harrison Ford in a cardigan is basically a Christmas ornament.

✅ WORTH IT

Doctor Who — Christmas Specials (2005–present, ongoing, Disney+)

Every year they drop a Christmas special. Some are bangers, some are dreadful — but the good ones are perfect Christmas Day TV. "A Christmas Carol" from 2010 is Matt Smith and Michael Gambon and a flying shark, and I refuse to elaborate. Starter: search "Doctor Who A Christmas Carol" on Disney+ and thank me later. If you liked Paddington 2, yes. If you don't do sci-fi, still yes — it's a Christmas fable in a bow tie. Time commitment: 60 min per special, watch as many as you like. Status: ongoing, new specials each year. Why it works on Christmas: designed for it, built for the whole family, and it's the rare thing where the sentimental swings actually land instead of curdling.

✅ WORTH IT

The Reacher franchise — Reacher Season 3 (2023–present, 3 seasons, Prime Video)

Alan Ritchson plays a 6'5" former military cop who wanders into towns, gets into fights, and leaves. That's the whole show. You can watch any season without having seen the others, so pick the one that sounds most fun and go. Season 3 is based on Persuader (the book on Amazon) and is the most vicious of the run. If you liked Jack Ryan or Bosch, yes. If you want subtlety, wrong show — a guy gets thrown through a wall in the first hour. Time commitment: 8 episodes, 50 min, a weekend. Status: ongoing, Season 4 filming. Why it works on Christmas: it's the platonic ideal of couch TV, requires zero brainpower, and your uncle who "doesn't watch much anymore" will absolutely sit down and stay for three episodes. Start a Prime Video free trial if you don't already have it.

✅ WORTH IT

Poker Face (2023–present, 2 seasons, Peacock, but streaming on Prime channels in some regions)

Natasha Lyonne plays a woman who can tell when anyone is lying, and each episode she solves a murder in a new town with a new guest star. It's a Columbo throwback, done by Rian Johnson, and it's the most rewatchable show on TV right now. Starter: Season 1, Episode 3, "The Stall" — Texas barbecue, family secrets, one of the best hours of the year it aired. If you liked Only Murders in the Building, yes but funnier. If you need serialized story, no — every episode is a one-off. Time commitment: 10 episodes, 60 min, but each episode is a movie so pace it however. Status: ongoing, Season 3 in production. Why it works on Christmas: one-and-done episodes mean people can wander in and out of the living room and nobody's lost.

✅ WORTH IT

Only for Fans / Specific Moods

The Crown — Christmas episodes (2016–2023, 6 seasons, Netflix)

Hear me out. Every season of The Crown has at least one Christmas or Sandringham episode, and if you're the one member of the family who wants to lie down in a dark room and be soothed by British people arguing in whispers, this is your medicine. Starter: Season 4, Episode 9, "Avalanche" — Diana at Sandringham, everyone in tartan, it's very handsome. If you liked Downton Abbey, yes. If you already think the royals are boring, this won't fix that. Time commitment: pick an episode, 55 min. Status: ended after Season 6. Why it works on Christmas: it looks like an oil painting, the volume can stay low, and it pairs well with a nap.

🛋️ BACKGROUND TV

Nailed It! Holiday (2018–present, 3 holiday seasons, Netflix)

Amateur bakers try to recreate elaborate holiday desserts and fail catastrophically. That's it. Nicole Byer hosts and she's the best in the game at this. Starter: any episode of the holiday season, they're standalones. If you have kids in the room, yes; if you have anyone in the room, yes. Time commitment: 30 min per episode, watch two, watch six, whatever. Status: ongoing, new holiday batches most years. Why it works on Christmas: it's the only cooking show that lets you laugh at people without feeling like a monster, because everyone signed up knowing they'd fail. Morning-shift TV.

🛋️ BACKGROUND TV

A Very Murray Christmas (2015, one special, Netflix)

Sofia Coppola directs Bill Murray singing Christmas songs with George Clooney and Miley Cyrus in a snowed-in hotel. It's 56 minutes, it's weird, it's half-drunk, and it's the closest thing streaming ever produced to an old-school variety special. Starter: it's a one-off, just press play. If you liked Lost in Translation, yes. If you want plot, no plot to be found. Time commitment: 56 min, one sitting. Status: standalone, no sequel and there shouldn't be one. Why it works on Christmas: it's late-night, low-stakes, and it feels like being at a party you weren't quite invited to but nobody's making you leave.

✅ WORTH IT

The Actual Skip

Emily in Paris Christmas — anything holiday-themed (2020–present, 4 seasons, Netflix)

I'm putting this here so you don't get lured in by the thumbnail. Netflix pumps out holiday specials of its algorithm shows every December and they exist purely to keep you on the app between the tree and New Year's. The writing is a series of tourism board captions. The wardrobe is stunning. The plot is that a hat had feelings. Starter: don't. If you liked Sex and the City, sorry, this is not that. Time commitment: don't. Status: ongoing forever, because it's profitable, not because anyone's asking. Why it doesn't work on Christmas: because Christmas is short and this is aggressively nothing. Put on Nailed It! instead and get the same energy with 100% more laughing.

🐍 SLOP

Frequently Asked

What's the single best Christmas episode of TV ever made?

The Bear Season 2, Episode 6, "Fishes." It's not close. If you want the sentimental answer, The West Wing Season 2, Episode 10, "Noel," featuring Yo-Yo Ma and a season-defining Josh Lyman breakdown. Two very different flavors, both peaks of the medium.

What should I put on with the whole family in the room?

Nailed It! Holiday for anyone under 12 and any grandparent, a Doctor Who Christmas special if you want a real story with no landmines, and Only Murders in the Building if the family skews older and likes a whodunit. All three keep the room together instead of splitting it.

Is there a Christmas show I can binge in one night?

Slow Horses Season 1 — six episodes, all in one long evening, and it's the best written show on this list. Season 3 finale is set at Christmas, so if you're powering through, you get a bonus payoff. It's the rare binge that doesn't feel like a chore.

What if I hate Christmas and I want a show that feels like it?

Fargo Season 5. Frozen, mean, funny, and every episode is set in the dead of a Midwestern winter. Or the second season of Slow Horses, which opens at a Christmas dinner that goes very badly. Both scratch the itch for people who need a break from the tinsel without leaving the season.

Start Here Tonight

Put on The Bear Season 2, Episode 6, "Fishes," at 10 p.m. after the last plate is in the dishwasher and the house has gone quiet. One hour. Nothing else on. It's the single best piece of Christmas television made this decade and it's the reason this list exists. If you want a chaser, roll into Slow Horses Season 1, Episode 1, and don't stop until you fall asleep. That's the night. Merry Christmas.

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