10 TV series (and a half) to watch this Christmas
Barbara Frigerio of Artribune presents a curated list of TV series for the Christmas holidays, deliberately avoiding traditional Christmas shows with fake snow and clichés. The selection includes international and Italian productions spanning genres from comedy to drama, with a focus on strong female characters, LGBTQ+ themes, and social issues. Notable series include 'Lessons in Chemistry' (Apple TV+) about a female chemist in the 1950s, 'Only Murders in the Building' (Disney+) set in a New York apartment building, 'Fellow Travelers' (Paramount+) exploring gay love in 1950s Washington, 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Prime Video) following a female stand-up comedian, 'The Morning Show' (Apple TV+) about journalism and gender abuse, and the French series 'Call My Agent!' with its Italian remake 'Chiama il mio agente' (Sky, NOW). Italian productions 'Circeo' (Paramount+, Rai) and 'La legge di Lidia Poet' (Netflix) are also highlighted, the former based on the 1975 Circeo massacre and the latter on Italy's first female lawyer. The article concludes with a list of iconic Christmas episodes from series like 'The Bear', 'The Buccaneers', 'Glee', 'Ted Lasso', 'Downton Abbey', 'Black Mirror', 'Friends', 'Euphoria', and 'Stranger Things'.
Key facts
- Article published on Artribune by Barbara Frigerio.
- List includes 'Lessons in Chemistry' (Apple TV+), 'Only Murders in the Building' (Disney+), 'Fellow Travelers' (Paramount+), 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' (Prime Video), 'The Morning Show' (Apple TV+), 'Call My Agent!' (French) and 'Chiama il mio agente' (Italian remake, Sky, NOW), 'Circeo' (Paramount+, Rai), 'La legge di Lidia Poet' (Netflix).
- 'Circeo' is inspired by the 1975 Circeo massacre and the subsequent trial led by Donatella Colasanti and lawyer Tina Lagostena Bassi.
- 'La legge di Lidia Poet' is about Italy's first female lawyer, played by Matilda De Angelis, set in Turin.
- Iconic Christmas episodes listed from 'The Bear', 'The Buccaneers', 'Glee', 'Ted Lasso', 'Downton Abbey', 'Black Mirror', 'Friends', 'Euphoria', and 'Stranger Things'.
- Series avoid traditional Christmas clichés and focus on diverse themes including feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, and social justice.
- Article mentions actors Stefano Accorsi, Paola Cortellesi, Pierfrancesco Favino, Paolo Sorrentino, Sabrina Impacciatore, Serena Rossi, Gabriele Muccino, Dario Argento, Valeria Golino, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Emanuela Fanelli, Corrado Guzzanti.
- Costume designer for 'The Buccaneers' is Italian Giovanni Lipari.
Entities
Artists
- Barbara Frigerio
- Meryl Streep
- Matt Bomer
- Jonathan Bailey
- Reese Witherspoon
- Jennifer Aniston
- Camille Cottin
- Stefano Accorsi
- Paola Cortellesi
- Pierfrancesco Favino
- Paolo Sorrentino
- Sabrina Impacciatore
- Serena Rossi
- Gabriele Muccino
- Dario Argento
- Valeria Golino
- Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
- Emanuela Fanelli
- Corrado Guzzanti
- Matilda De Angelis
- Donatella Colasanti
- Tina Lagostena Bassi
- Giovanni Lipari
- Lee Sung Jin
- Bonnie Garmus
- Edith Wharton
- Thomas Mallon
- Ron Nyswaner
- Lisa Nur Sultan
- Federico Baccomo
- Dario D'Amato
Institutions
- Artribune
- Apple TV+
- Disney+
- Paramount+
- Prime Video
- Netflix
- Sky
- NOW
- Rai
- Showtime
Locations
- New York
- Manhattan
- Washington
- Turin
- Italy
- France
- United Kingdom