It's the most wonderful time of year — in more ways than one. TV is bursting with new shows to watch this week on Netflix, Prime Video and the other streaming services, as well as broadcast and cable.
This week's new TV shows include the series finales of The Crown and Archer, both long-running fan favorites. Reacher season 2 brings back the hulking ex-military vigilante, plus a new docuseries tracks the World Cup journey of the U.S. Women's National Team.
Here's our guide on the new TV shows to watch this week.
Under Pressure: The U.S. Women's World Cup Team (Netflix)
Netflix has been steadily building up its sports documentaries section. The latest entry is this series following the U.S. Women’s National Team through their preparations for the 2023 FIFA World Cup. As the most decorated team in soccer history, the U.S. women must grapple with intense pressure, criticism and doubt and conflicts about equal pay. Their journey is filled with joy and euphoria, as well as hardships like injuries.
The doc features veteran champs Alex MOrgan and Lindsey Horan, 18-year-old rising star Alyssa Thompson, and World Cup first-timers Savannah DeMelo, Lynn Williams and Kristie Mewis.
Premieres Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 3:01 a.m. ET on Netflix
The Crown season 6 part 2 (Netflix)
Long live the Queen … in our memories. As we all know, Queen Elizabeth II died last year after reigning for seven decades. And with her passing comes the final chapter of Peter Morgan’s fictionalized version of her story.
Part 1 of season 6 dealt with Diana’s tragic death; in part 2, Prince William (Ed McVey) and Prince Harry (Luther Ford) will grapple with their loss. We’ll also witness romance blossom between Will and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) when they meet at St. Andrews University.
While Morgan hasn’t stated how he’ll close out the series, our guess is that it’ll run up to year 2002, which saw the deaths of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret and the celebration of Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee.
Premieres Thursday, Dec. 14 at 3:01 a.m. ET on Netflix
Reacher season 2 (Prime Video)
Jack Reacher, the hulking former military policeman, is hitting the road again to apply his very particular set of skills to a new crime in a new location involving new people. Lee Childs' books are essentially an anthology, and the series creator Nick Santora has indicated he will keep to that structure.
Season 2 will adapt Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11th book, which plunges Reacher into a conspiracy that is killing old friends. Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) joins the cast as Langston, an ex-NYPD officer now working for a defense contractor.
Premieres Friday, Dec. 15 at 12:01 a.m. ET on Prime Video
Such Brave Girls (Hulu)
This BBC co-production comes from the wickedly funny mind of British comedian Kat Sadler. She also stars in the series, alongside her real-life sister Lizzie Davidson and veteran actress Louise Brealey. Josie, Billie and their single mum Deb are navigating life with nothing but poor judgment and self-esteem issues tied to people who couldn’t care less about them. They’re also vain, narcissistic, selfish and heavily in debt. Even so, they’re still trying to claw their way toward a better life and the all-consuming love they crave.
Premieres Friday, Dec. 15 at 12:01 a.m. on Hulu
Archer: Into the Cold (FX)
The world’s greatest spy has one final mission to carry out. The long-running raunchy animated comedy is concluding after 14 seasons with a series finale event that will send off Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin), Lana (Aisha Tyler), Cyril (Chris Parnell) and the rest of the characters into the sunset.
Plot details are thin on the ground, but season 14 ended with The Agency learning that the U.N. had declared all private spy organizations illegal and ordered them to shut down within 30 days. We have a feeling that something or somebody nefarious will imperil the world within that time period and Archer and Co. will have to save the day yet again. And they’ll curse up a storm doing it.
Premieres Sunday, Dec. 17 at 10 p.m. ET on FX and FXX (via Sling or Fubo)
Streams next day on Hulu
