10 excellent box sets perfect for festive nights in

03/12/2024

The Christmas holidays are the perfect time to cuddle up with your loved ones and lose yourself in a brilliant box set. But with so many streaming services and fantastic shows to watch, how can you decide which one to invest your time in?

Whether you’re interested in new releases or want to rediscover an old classic, read on to find 10 fantastic series that are perfect for a festive night in.

1. Succession

When the patriarch of the wealthy Roy family falls ill, his four children must come together for the first time in years. But they aren’t there to help their father; they’ve come home to fight for their chunk of his successful business.

This hilarious satirical comedy pokes fun at what rich people would do to be even richer, while also exploring the ugly nature of dysfunctional families. The explosive final season brought the show to an incredible end in May, so you can find all episodes of Succession on Sky or HBO.

2. The Power

This fascinating sci-fi show takes place in the same world as ours – except for one brilliant twist. When all teenage girls suddenly develop the power to electrocute people at will, women from all over the world must learn to control their new abilities as the gender balance shifts.

Adapted from the brilliant novel by Naomi Alderman, The Power is a thought-provoking story about womanhood and systems of power. You can find all episodes on Prime Video.

3. Dash & Lily

Lily (Midori Francis) wants to celebrate Christmas by finding love, while Dash (Austin Abrams) wants to avoid the holiday entirely. But when the two develop feelings for each other while trading messages and dares in a notebook hidden around New York City, neither will have the holiday they expected.

If you’re in the mood for a charming romantic comedy, Dash & Lily is the perfect show to get you in the festive spirit. You can watch all episodes on Netflix.

4. Community

Recently disbarred after lying about his bachelor’s degree, Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) must attend Greendale Community College to earn his job back and achieve his dream of being a lawyer. But his eccentric classmates and their hilarious misadventures might teach him more than any textbook could.

This hysterical and heartwarming sitcom has six seasons to keep you busy over the holidays, including four fantastic Christmas episodes. You can watch Community on Netflix.

5. Black Mirror

Charlie Brooker’s amazing anthology series explores how technology could affect humanity in the future.

Their festive episode, ‘White Christmas’, is told in three stories by Matt (Jon Hamm) and Joe (Rafe Spall) from a remote cabin on Christmas Day, and explores artificial intelligence and the ability to block people in real life.

You can watch all episodes of the captivating speculative show on Netflix.

6. A League of Their Own

This wonderful limited series is an adaptation of the 1992 film of the same name. Although the characters are fictional, the plot is based on the true story of the Rockford Peaches, an all-women’s baseball team that was founded during the second world war.

The brilliant team dynamics and uplifting message are sure to warm your heart in time for Christmas. You can find all eight episodes on Prime Video.

7. Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso’s expertise is in American football, not the English Premier League. Although someone is setting him up for a catastrophic failure, he still has his charm and relentless optimism – but will they be enough to bring the team together?

It boasts the record for the most-nominated first season in Emmy history and, with a fantastic festive episode in season two, Ted Lasso is an unmissable series for you to enjoy this Christmas. You can watch all three seasons on Apple TV+.

8. The Bear

After the unexpected death of his brother, young Michelin Star chef Carmen Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) inherits his family’s sandwich shop. The intense kitchen scenes and high-octane family drama will keep you hooked through both seasons.

The show was nominated for 13 Emmys and has its own festive episode, which shows a chaotic Berzatto Christmas five years before the events of the series. You can watch The Bear on Disney+.

9. black-ish

With eight seasons to plough through over the holidays, black-ish is the perfect holiday bingefest. The series follows Andre Johnson (Anthony Anderson) as he struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper class neighbourhood.

There are plenty of festive episodes to get you in the holiday spirit, including ‘Black Santa/White Christmas’, where Andre petitions to be his office’s Black Santa, and season two’s emotional ‘Stuff’, where the Johnsons try to teach their children the true meaning of Christmas.

You can watch black-ish on Hulu and Disney+.

10. Downton Abbey

Nothing says Christmas more than Britain’s most-loved period drama. If you have yet to meet the Crawley family, the show’s five festive episodes make now the perfect time to start.

Season two’s ‘Christmas at Downton Abbey’ remains a beloved holiday special, ending the season with an elegant, poignant episode that is guaranteed to make you excited for the holidays. You can find all six seasons of Downton Abbey on ITVX.