HBO Max is rounding out the year with one of its most multifaceted December slates yet, bringing together prestige documentaries, anticipated sequels, standout comedy, and a noteworthy emphasis on music history. The platform clearly aims to close 2025 on a commanding note by introducing new programming across nearly every major category, from documentary and drama to animation and sports. Music takes center stage throughout the month, beginning with a series of in-depth profiles released under HBO’s expanding “Music Box” banner. These originals offer intimate examinations of artists including Jeff Buckley, Wizkid, and Adam Duritz, while Christmas Day brings a more whimsical entry with Happy And You Know It, a look into the growing world of toddler pop. Paired with the release of Paul Anka: His Way on December 1, the service is presenting a broad survey of musical storytelling in both scope and tone.
Outside the music spotlight, December is anchored by a substantial collection of original films and series. Sports fans receive one of the month’s most prominent releases with Hard Knocks: In Season With The NFC East, which follows four NFL teams during the decisive end of their season. Comedy also plays a central role thanks to Sarah Squirm: Live + In The Flesh, a highly anticipated HBO Original stand-up debut arriving mid-month. On the film side, the platform is offering an appealing mix of sequels and animated features, such as The Family McMullen, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, and A24’s Ne Zha II. When combined with a wide list of library arrivals and a full slate of reality, lifestyle, and holiday programming, the lineup demonstrates HBO Max’s commitment to providing broad, high-impact entertainment to close out the year.
Featured HBO Max Programming – December 2025
Original Series and Specials
Date | Title | Type | Highlight
Dec 2 | Hard Knocks: In Season With The NFC East | HBO Original Series | Follows the Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, and Commanders during the final NFL season stretch.
Dec 12 | Sarah Squirm: Live + In The Flesh | HBO Original Comedy Special | Stand-up special from the Saturday Night Live comedian, Sarah Sherman.
Original Documentaries – Music Box Series
Date | Title | Type | Subject
Dec 4 | It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley | HBO Original “Music Box” Doc | Explores the life, talent, and untimely death of the enigmatic artist Jeff Buckley.
Dec 11 | Wizkid: Long Live Lagos | HBO Original “Music Box” Doc | An intimate look at the Nigerian Afrobeats star’s rise to global stardom.
Dec 18 | Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately? | HBO Original “Music Box” Doc | A portrait of frontman Adam Duritz and the emotional toll of the band’s rapid ascent.
Dec 25 | Happy And You Know It | HBO Original “Music Box” Doc | A joyful exploration of toddler pop and the unique world of kids’ music.
Original Documentaries – Other
Date | Title | Type | Subject
Dec 1 | Paul Anka: His Way | HBO Original Documentary | Traces Paul Anka’s seven-decade journey through stardom and reinvention.
Dec 4 | Architecton | A24 Documentary | A study of the materials that shape human environments, from stone to concrete.
Featured Films
Date | Title | Type | Summary
Dec 5 | The Family McMullen (2025) | Warner Bros. Pictures Film | A sequel revisiting Barry McMullen and his family as they navigate midlife entanglements.
Dec 12 | Spinal Tap II: The End Continues | Bleeker Street Film | The iconic band reunites after a 15-year hiatus for one final performance.
Dec 20 | Ne Zha II | A24 Film | The young hero returns, facing an ancient force threatening human existence.
Full List of December 2025 Arrivals
December 1
- 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After: Pillow Talk, Season 9 (TLC)
- Adult Swim Yule Log (Adult Swim)
- Adult Swim Yule Log 2: Branchin’ Out (Adult Swim)
- Atomic Blonde
- Battle of the Sexes
- Bright Leaf
- Christmas with the Kranks
- Dames
- DeLorean
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
- Girls Trip
- Gunsmoke in Tucson
- Hidden Figures
- I’ll See You in My Dreams (1952)
- Illegal
- Jim Thorpe: All-American
- Jimmy the Gent
- Key Largo
- Kid Galahad
- Larceny Inc.
- Law of the Badlands
- Little Caesar
- Liz and the Blue Bird
- Lu Over the Wall
- Mad Men, Seasons 1-7
- Mandalay
- Millennium Actress
- Mind Game
- Miss Congeniality
- Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
- Mission to Moscow
- My Dream is Yours
- Ne Zha
- Night and Day
- Paul Anka: His Way (HBO Original)
- Perfect Blue
- Pierrot le fou
- Racket Busters
- Riffraff
- Romance on the High Seas
- Santa Fe Trail
- Shin Godzilla (GKIDS)
- Shining Victory
- Shoeshine
- Sing and Like It
- Song of My City
- Summer Wars
- Table 19
- Taking Woodstock
- The Color Purple (1985)
- The Colors Within
- The Damned Don’t Cry
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- The Matrimonial Bed
- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
- The Sea Wolf (1941)
- The Seventh Victim
- The Shop Around the Corner
- They Won’t Believe Me
- Tiny Furniture
- Trouble Along the Way
- Walk Softly, Stranger
- Walk the Dark Street
- Wedding Crashers
- Wilson
- Wolf Children
- X-Men First Class
December 2
- Capital One MLB Open
- Chopped: Volume 4, Season 63 (Food Network)
- Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East (HBO Original)
- New Orleans: Soul of a City (CNN Original Series)
- “The Hidden Homeless,” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN Original)
December 3
- Fixer to Fabulous, Season 7 (HGTV)
December 4
- About Face, Season 1 (TLC)
- Architecton (A24)
- Cheap A$$ Beach Houses, Season 1 (HGTV)
- Dunkman, Season 1
- Dylan’s Playtime Adventures, Season 1D (Max Original)
- It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (HBO Original)
December 5
- Batwheels, Season 3A (Cartoon Network)
- House Hunters International: Volume 9, Season 205 (HGTV)
- House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 247 (HGTV)
- The Family McMullen (2025)
December 7
- The Christmas Showdown (OWN)
December 8
- 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Season 8 (TLC)
December 9
- Bugs Bunny Builders, Season 2I (Cartoon Network)
- Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House (Magnolia Network)
December 11
- Wizkid: Long Live Lagos (HBO Original)
December 12
- Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh (HBO Original)
- Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
- Stolen Children (HBO Original)
- This Is Spinal Tap
December 13
- Vantara: Sanctuary Stories, Season 1 (Animal Planet)
December 14
- Toad and Friends, Season 1D
- Very Merry Mystery (OWN)
December 15
- Assassination in the Valley of the Kings (Discovery)
- The Bold Type, Seasons 1-5
- Tony Shalhoub Breaking Bread (CNN Original Series)
- Truck U, Season 21
- White House Christmas (HGTV)
December 16
- The Secrets We Bury (ID)
- “MisinfoNation: White Genocide,” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN Original)
December 17
- Obsession: The Murder of a Beauty Queen (HBO Original)
December 18
- Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately? (HBO Original)
- Saving Yellowstone with Dennis Quaid, Season 1 (Animal Planet)
December 19
- House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 248 (HGTV)
- Teen Titans Go!, Season 9F (Cartoon Network)
December 20
- Adult Swim’s The Elephant (Adult Swim)
- Ne Zha II (A24)
December 21
- Secrets in the Sand, Season 2 (Science)
December 22
- Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires (2025)
- The Last Captains, Season 1 (Discovery)
December 23
- “The Exorcists,” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN Original)
December 24
- Guy’s Grocery Games, Season 40 (Food Network)
December 25
- Happy And You Know It (HBO Original)
December 26
- Heaven (HBO Original)
December 27
- Junk or Jackpot?, Season 1 (HGTV)
December 28
- Home Reimagined, Season 1B (Magnolia Network)
- My Pet Ate What!?, Season 1 (Animal Planet)
December 29
- Celebrity IOU, Season 11 (HGTV)
- Two Guys Garage, Season 24
December 31
- Building Outside the Lines, Season 3 (Magnolia Network)
Live Sports on Select Plans
Subscribers on select plans will continue to see expanded live sports offerings throughout December. This includes two major College Football Playoff games on December 20 and an ongoing schedule of NHL on TNT broadcasts during the month. Basketball fans will have coverage of Men’s Big East and Men’s and Women’s Big 12 matchups. Wrestling viewers also have a full slate of AEW programming, including holiday specials such as “Dynamite on 34th Street” and “Collision Christmas,” culminating in the AEW World’s End pay-per-view event on December 27.
