Festive binge list: 15 series to stream these holidays [watch]We round up the most bingeworthy series to watch this holiday season. And yes, it includes House of the Dragon' and The White Lotus'! by Mariette van Niekerk
06-12-2022 15:50
in Entertainment
Binge on these must-watch series during the holidays. Image: Supplied
Holidays are a time to unwind and relax. And of course to watch and catch up on your favourite shows on Showmax.
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These 15 shows are so bingeworthy, you'll regret it if you don't ad it to your watch-list immediately.
ALSO READ: Netflix and chill this festive season with some of these shows
15 MUST-SEE SERIES FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON HOUSE OF THE DRAGON S1 | Binge from 15 December 2022
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HBO's smash hit prequel to Game of Thrones traces the war for succession within House Targaryen at the height of its power, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. The 10-episode first season is based on parts of the novel Fire & Blood by George RR Martin.
Already renewed for a second season, House of the Dragon's premiere drew almost 10 million viewers, the largest-ever audience for any new original series on HBO, with the finale drawing 9.3 million viewers the most of any HBO series since the conclusion of Game of Thrones in 2019.
Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen is portrayed at different ages by breakout stars Emma D'Arcy and Milly Alcock, while Teen Choice nominee Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One, Sound of Metal, Slow Horses) and Emily Carey (Casualty, 12-year-old Diana in Wonder Woman) play Alicent Hightower. The ensemble cast also includes BAFTA winner Paddy Considine (The Outsider), Emmy nominee Matt Smith (The Crown, Doctor Who), BAFTA nominee Rhys Ifans (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Notting Hill), BAFTA Scotland winner Bill Paterson (Fleabag), and Graham McTavish (Dwalin in The Hobbit trilogy).
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THE WHITE LOTUS S2 | Binge from 12 December 2022
Season 2 of The White Lotus swaps Hawaii for Sicily, following a new group of vacationers jetting off to a different White Lotus resort.
Season 1 was the most awarded show at the 2022 Emmys, winning 10 awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Directing and Writing and Supporting Actress for Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya who returns in Season 2.
The new cast includes Peabody Award winner Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), People's Choice winner Theo James (Divergent), Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Emmy winner Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), Teen Choice nominees Meghann Fahy (Sutton in The Bold Type) and Haley Lu Richardson (Five Feet Apart), BAFTA winner Tom Hollander (The Night Manager), BAFTA nominee Will Sharpe (Landscapers, Giri/Haji), multi-award-winning Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore and Adam DiMarco (Todd/Elliott in The Magicians).
HIS DARK MATERIALS S3 | Tuesdays from 6 December 2022
The third and final season of the HBO and BBC One fantasy epic His Dark Materials is based on The Amber Spyglass, the final novel in Philip Pullman's Carnegie-winning book trilogy, which was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Best Young-Adult Books of All Time.
Season 3 follows Lyra (MTV Movie Award winner Dafne Keen from Logan) and Will (Emmy nominee Amir Wilson from The Letter for the King) as they journey to a dark place from which no one has ever returned. As her father's great war against the Authority edges closer, they will learn that saving the world comes at a terrible price.
Oscar nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, tick, tick BOOM!) returns as Lee Scoresby, with BAFTA winner Ruth Wilson (Saving Mr. Banks, Luther) as Mrs Coulter, and BAFTA nominee James McAvoy (X-Men's Charles Xavier) as Lord Asriel. British-Nigerian Black Reel nominee Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World, Lost) joins the cast this season, along with the likes of Emmy nominee Sian Clifford (Fleabag) and Ghanaian-British actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Mary Poppins Returns).
POWER BOOK III: RAISING KANAN S1 | Binge from 12 December 2022
The second spin-off to the hit crime drama Power, the prequel series Power Book III: Raising Kanan chronicles a journey into the drug trade, as 15-year-old Kanan Stark makes a bid to join the growing family business.
Young actor Mekai Curtis steps into the lead role as the young Kanan, the character played in the original series by Emmy and Grammy winner Curtis 50 Cent Jackson, who once again executive produces alongside Emmy nominee Courtney A. Kemp and series creator Sascha Penn (Creed II).
The cast also includes Black Reel, Teen Choice and MTV Movie Award nominee Omar Epps (Love & Basketball, This Is Us, House M.D.), rapper Joey Bada$$ (Leon in Mr. Robot and the original Rebel in Wu-Tang: An American Saga), London Brown (Reggie from Ballers), Black Reel winner Omar J. Dorsey (Queen Sugar, When They See Us, Selma), and Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (Chris Alston in The Deuce, Bob Stookey in The Walking Dead, and D'Angelo Barksdale in The Wire).
The hit series has already been renewed for a second and third season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADzSyRvZul0
RAMY S3 | Binge from 19 December 2022, first on Showmax
Ramy Youssef's acclaimed comedy Ramy centres on Ramy Hassan's sometimes awkward, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes disastrous experiences as a first generation Egyptian-American and Muslim millennial in New Jersey.
Among its numerous accolades, the series won a 2020 Peabody Award, and was nominated for three 2020 Emmys Best Actor and Best Director in a Comedy for Youssef, and Best Supporting Actor for Season 2 guest star Mahershala Ali. Youssef also picked up two nominations at the Critics Choice Awards, where the show was nominated for Best Comedy in 2021.
All the core cast members are back for Season 3, includin
