What to Stream: ‘Emily in Paris,’ iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, ‘Him,’ Peter Criss and Riz Ahmed
Marlon Wayans, starring in the Jordan Peele-produced football thriller “Him,” and iHeartRadio Z100’s Jingle Ball 2025 starring Conan Gray, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll and Olivia Dean are some of the new TV, movies, music and games coming to a device near you.
Among the streaming offerings also worth checking out this week, selected by Associated Press entertainment journalists: a second season of “Fallout” is coming to Prime Video, season 5 of “Emily in Paris” is coming to Netflix and Peter Criss – the original Kiss drummer – will release a brand new self-titled album.
— Jordan Peele-produced “Him” (December 19 on Peacock) takes the hard hitting of the gridiron to bloody extremes. It stars Tyriq Withers as a promising quarterback whose mentorship with the veteran champion (Marlon Wayans) becomes increasingly dark and surreal. In my review I wrote that “Him” has an interesting point to make about QB hero worship, “the problem is that he has exactly one thing to say, which he does over and over again.”
— In David Mackenzie’s “Relay,” Riz Ahmed plays a faker who runs a secret service that brokers deals between corrupt corporations and potential threats. To preserve anonymity, he uses a “relay” telephone service, generally intended for deaf or hard of hearing people, to conceal his identity. This clever thriller premieres Friday, December 12 on Netflix after a late summer theatrical release. With Lily James and Sam Worthington.
— For a particularly attractive month of December, you can spend your vacation with Wong Kar-wai. The Criterion Channel is showing many of the Hong Kong filmmaker’s best films, including “Chungking Express,” “Fallen Angels” and “In the Mood for Love,” as well as his first television series, “Blossoms Shanghai.” A success in China, the 30-episode series takes place amid the opening of the Chinese economy in the 1990s and the revival of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. New episodes debut every Monday.
— AP writer Jake Coyle
—Alex Warren. BigXthaPlug. Conan Gray, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll. Jessie Murph. Kid LAROI. Laufey. Mgk. Monsta X. Myles Smith. Nellie. Olivia Dean. Ravyn Lenae. Renee Rapp. Bright. Zara Larsson. What do all these popular artists have in common? They’re performing at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour! On Wednesday, ABC will air iHeartRadio Z100’s Jingle Ball 2025 holiday special — made up of a few tour stops — which will be available to stream on Hulu the next day. It’s all the fun of a star-studded pop concert from the comfort of your couch.
— In 2023, glam rockers Kiss bid farewell for one last performance at New York’s famous Madison Square Garden. But that doesn’t mean their musical story ends there. On Friday, Peter Criss – the original Kiss drummer and founding member who left and rejoined the band several times – will release a brand new self-titled album.
— Maria Sherman, AP music editor
— A second season of “Fallout” arrives Wednesday on Prime Video. Based on a hugely popular video game, it is a post-apocalyptic series set two centuries after a nuclear war destroyed modern civilization. In season 2, Justin Theroux, Macaulay Culkin and Kumail Nanjiani join the cast which includes Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins.
— Emily, from “Emily in Paris,” is still living la dolce vita in Rome when season 5 premieres Thursday. The show created by Darren Starr follows the adventures of an American expatriate played by Lily Collins.
— A new documentary series called “Born to be Wild” follows six endangered baby animals who were orphaned or born as part of conservation programs. Narrated by Hugh Bonneville, it airs on Apple TV from Friday December 19.
—Alicia Rancilio
— The video game industry has wrapped up its schedule of major releases for the holidays, so now is a good time to catch up on titles you may have missed – or started and didn’t have time to finish. It was a strong year for role-playing games, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The Outer Worlds 2 leading the Associated Press top 10. If you fancy a trip to Japan, Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Ghost of Yōtei both offer expansive open-world journeys with RPG elements. Check out the rest of our top 10 for more ways to get your gaming device of choice working after New Year’s Day.
