Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
MOVIES
— At long last, “Top Gun: Maverick” is coming to a streaming hub. The biggest film of the year is gearing up to land on Paramount+ as of Thursday after its high-flying run in theaters in which it became the highest grossing film of the year with over $1.4 billion in worldwide ticket sales. In the unlikely chance you’ve been holding out for this moment to finally watch the film which finds Tom Cruise back in the cockpit, the AP’s Mark Kennedy, in his review, wrote that "Top Gun: Maverick" is "a textbook example of how to make a sequel.”
— Netflix also saved a big gun for the holiday corridor with Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” hitting the service on Friday, Dec. 23. The crowd-pleasing whodunnit brings back Daniel Craig’s honey-voiced detective Benoit Blanc and puts him on a private Greek island with a group of self-styled disruptors to solve a new mystery (what the mystery is is even part of the mystery this time). The star-studded cast includes Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista. With its wealthy protagonists, intrigue and enviable vacation fashions, it’s a terrific chaser for those mourning the loss “White Lotus” season 2.
— Also coming to Netflix is “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical,” which will be available to watch Christmas Day. The adaptation of the 2011 stage musical (itself an adaptation of the 1988 children’s classic) follows a young girl with a big imagination who decides to take a stand against her tyrannical keepers. Emma Thompson plays Miss Trunchbull and Lashana Lynch is Miss Honey, while Alisha Weir takes on the title role in this well-reviewed romp that doesn’t shy away from the source material’s darker themes.
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
MUSIC
— How better to celebrate the holidays than with The Queen of Christmas herself? Mariah Carey is offering a two-hour primetime concert special on CBS on Tuesday. “Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!” will also be available to stream live and on demand the next day on Paramount+. Filmed in New York City at Madison Square Garden, the concert special will feature the singer-songwriter performing a repertoire of her festive holiday hits, including the perennial favorite, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
— A more somber event happens online on Wednesday when Theater of War presents Sophocles’ “Antigone” outdoors on a burial ground for enslaved Africans in downtown Savannah, Georgia, alongside choirs and singers from Savannah, St. Louis and New York City. Performers at the free event include Kara Young, Jesse Eisenberg, Ato Blankson Wood, Krista Tippett and the Rev. Leonard Small. Live choral and gospel music will help frame the audience-driven dialogue after the play. A Zoom link will be distributed via email and available to registered attendees.
— AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy
TELEVISION
— The U.S. has remade a number of modern-day competition shows that first aired in the UK. “American Idol” came from “Pop Idol,” “Dancing with the Stars” is inspired by “Strictly Come Dancing.” The UK also had “Lions’ Den” before we began airing “Shark Tank.” Now, comedian Michael McIntyre brings his hit British game show “The Wheel” stateside for a two-week stretch on NBC beginning Monday. Hosted by McIntyre, each episode features six celeb guests (including Bobby Berk of “Queer Eye,” Chrissy Metz of “This is Us,” and “Yellowjackets” actor Christina Ricci) who help everyday people win money.
— The 1965 animated special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas,” about the plucky Chuck who is pulled out of a seasonal funk by a tiny eyesore of a Christmas tree, remains a holiday favorite year after year. Apple TV+ will exclusively stream the cartoon this year, but good news, between Thursday, Dec. 22 and Dec. 25 it’s free. Subscribers will have more time to watch.
— “The Best Man,” a romantic comedy released in 1999 featuring an all-star cast of young, attractive Black actors including Taye Diggs, Nia Long and Terrence Howard, was a box office hit, cementing it in pop culture. A long-awaited sequel in 2013 called “The Best Man Holiday” was also successful. Director-writer Malcom D. Lee wraps up the franchise with a new limited series on Peacock. To underscore the finality of it all, the title of the series is “The Best Man: The Final Chapters.” All eight episodes drop Thursday on the streaming service.
— A new six-episode anthology series called “Snap” coming to ALLBLK has been compared to “Black Mirror” in that it tackles social and ethical questions through storytelling. Eric Benet created and acts in “Snap” alongside Michael Buscemi, Clifton Powell and Tisha Campbell. It debuts Thursday. ALLBLK is a subscription video on demand (SVOD) service dedicated to Black entertainment.
— Alicia Rancilio
