Bid adieu to Hulu’s Pen15 and Netflix’s Money Heist
Also this weekend: Apple TV+’s Mariah Christmas, a holiday GBBO, IMDB’s Alex Rider returns, and a Discovery+ docuseries on the Chicago Strangler
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, December 3, and Saturday, December 4. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Pen15 (Hulu, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): “After just two seasons and an animated episode, Pen15 leaves behind an indelible legacy in the genre. It captures the essence of growing pains with pinching accuracy, and thankfully no baseless drama or romantic entanglements. Instead, the show firmly roots itself in its truth to become the funniest, most pivotal teen comedy to emerge in the streaming era.” Read the full review of season two, part two here. The show is co-created by and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle.
Money Heist (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): One of Netflix’s most popular global dramas, Spain’s La Casa De Papel a.k.a. Money Heist comes to an end after five seasons. In the final five episodes, the team deals with the death of one of their own, while the Professor (Álvaro Morte) tries to save the crew still trapped inside the Bank Of Spain—might he finally actually show up at the actual scene of crime? The trailers seem to suggest so. Money Heist might be ending, but Netflix has ordered a spin-off centered on the Berlin (Pedro Alonso). Set in the past, it will explore the criminal mastermind’s origins, and will release in 2023. Also, an official Korean adaptation of the show is set to premiere next year.
Regular coverage
The Wheel Of Time (Amazon Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.)
Great British Bake-Off: Holidays (Netflix, 3:01 a.m.)
Wild cards
Alex Rider (IMDb TV, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): Based on Anthony Horowitz’s book of the same name, this British spy thriller returns for an eight-episode second season. Teen spy Alex Rider (Otto Farrant) is just about ready to hang his hat after the events of the season one finale, but his MI6 recruiter Alan Blunt (Stephen Dillane) has other, definitely more dangerous plans, and Alex begins unraveling a sinister political plot.
Mariah Christmas: The Magic Continues (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.): Is it even Christmastime if Mariah Carey doesn’t grace us with her presence and performance on-screen? In this holiday special, Carey will sing her new single, ““Fall In Love At Christmas,” along with other smash hits like “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” She will be joined by artists like Khalid and Kirk Franklin, and the special will include an exclusive interview by Zane Lowe with the singer and her 10-year-old twin sons.
The Hunt For The Chicago Strangler (Discovery+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): Narrated by actor and Chicago native Tonya Pinkins, this three-episode true crime series charts the investigation of one of the city’s most notorious serial killers. Since 1999, 51 women have been found strangled across Chicago, their bodies dumped in garbage bins, alleyways, and abandoned buildings. The case remains unsolved to this day, but the docuseries follows the case and features interviews with victims’ families, activists, experts, police, and survivors. The Hunt For The Chicago Strangler remembers the women—predominantly Black—whose lives were taken, and highlights the work of The Murder Accountability Project (MAP), a nonprofit that tracks thousands of unsolved murders using a groundbreaking algorithm that signals a red alert to detect pattern.