5 Christmas-Themed TV Shows Worth Watching All Year Round

One of the hardest choices you can make at Christmas is deciding what to watch with your loved ones. Picking the right TV show can enhance your holiday season by leaning into the Christmas spirit with laughter, joy, and merriment.Christmas-themed series are often built around the holiday season, so they can feel strange to watch at any other time. But there are a few Christmas shows that work all year round.

These special few shows can be watched in any season for a myriad of reasons. Some subvert the holiday spirit with mountains and mountains of violence, making for a compelling action story set around Christmas. Other series are set in such warm environments that you can almost forget that you’re watching something about Xmas. Romance is also a staple of these stories, and there really isn’t any time of year when you can’t watch a rom-com. 

These special Christmas-themed TV shows are worth watching outside the season thanks to their incredibly juicy drama and compelling, iconic characters that will keep audiences locked in no matter the season. Of course, they’re probably much more fun to watch during the actual holidays with the Christmas lights up and tree on display. But if you’re stuck looking for a series to watch, these five are worth a try any time of year. 

12 Dates of Christmas

Reality television works all year round, and in 2020, HBO was brave enough to create a Christmas-based dating reality show called “12 Dates of Christmas.” The series takes three main singles looking for love and shoves them in a house full of men and women who want to date them. But this is no ordinary house. 

The show is filmed in Schloss Leopoldskron, a romantic, sprawling mansion in Austria that was the main setting of “The Sound of Music.” After going on dates in the Christmas paradise hotel, the singles need to choose one person to take home to spend the holidays with their family, before deciding on New Year’s whether this is true love or another failed relationship. “12 Dates of Christmas” lasted two seasons, with another trio of singles leading the series in Season 2.

The Christmas theming is very in your face, but the messiness and truly romantic stories make it worth watching regardless of the season. With only three main contestants, it’s a lot easier to follow than other dating shows. But what makes it truly special is the fact that contestants aren’t the same gender or sexuality, allowing for gay and lesbian romances to be shown in conjunction with the straight ones. When most dating reality shows either separate queer storylines into spin-offs or fail to represent them altogether, “12 Dates of Christmas” shows that it’s possible to make a sexuality-diverse dating show and keep it entertaining.

How to Ruin Christmas

With “Christmas” in the title, “How to Ruin Christmas” already paints a picture of a snowy, cold TV show, but the series is set in hot, urban South Africa. The late Busi Lurayi is the lead in the Netflix comedy, playing Tumi Sello, your typical messy black sheep who returns home for her sister’s wedding. But Tumi’s presence sparks chaos, revealing secrets from all parties in attendance while threatening the ceremony taking place.

Once you get into the series, you realize the story isn’t just about Tumi. This is an ensemble family drama about the tension that arises when two families of different classes collide through marriage. Tumi’s sister, Beauty, is marrying a man from one of the wealthiest families in South Africa, and they have strict expectations and an obsession with public appearances. The show is ultimately an insightful look at cultural clashes in South Africa.

Despite the title, the series won’t feel strange if you watch it during another time of year, since the holidays really aren’t the focus. Of course, the premise is about returning home to family at Christmas and is set in December, but the big event is the wedding, not the holidays. The second and third seasons also revolve around a funeral and baby shower, respectively, which further shifts the focus from “Christmas.” “How to Ruin Christmas” is more about family than anything else.

Home for Christmas

“Home for Christmas” is a Norwegian romantic sitcom that follows Johanne, a single nurse, who tells her family she has a boyfriend to get them off her back about her relationship prospects. Johanne is left with 24 days to actually find a boyfriend she can take home to her parents. Her adventure leads to several weird and funny dates, along with a closer relationship with her co-workers. 

The series ran for three seasons, with each counting down to Christmas. But this is so much more than a Christmas show, as romance and Johanne’s journey of self-discovery take center stage. There was a five-year break between Seasons 2 and 3, giving the show a chance to depict an older Johanne and examine how she’s matured since the earlier seasons.

Another point in favor of “Home for Christmas” is that Netflix has released two international remakes of the sitcom: An Italian series called “I Hate Christmas” and a South African remake, “Yoh! Christmas.” While these adaptations start with the same plot points, they branch off in different directions, making them worthwhile viewing.

Hawkeye

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe released its first formal holiday special in 2022, Marvel created a Christmas show with the Avengers’ most grounded member as the lead. “Hawkeye” follows the master archer as he tries to repent for his dark past so he can get home to his family for the holidays. Although there’s a lot of Christmas theming — including the central message about forgiveness and renewal — “Hawkeye” is a story about grief that happens to feature some great action scenes. 

Hawkeye is assisted by Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), his successor in the comics and a future Young Avenger. Steinfeld and Renner have great chemistry, but the show is really worth watching for Steinfeld’s performance alongside Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena Belova. This series was Pugh’s second appearance as the Russian spy following “Black Widow,” and her journey and relationship with Kate really added a spark to the series. Fortunately, the finale is thrilling, with the show culminating in a grand “Home Alone”-inspired fight.

Black Doves

What’s more Christmassy than Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw killing hordes of people to uncover a conspiracy? Netflix’s “Black Doves” may not be the most Christmas-themed show out there, but it’s set in December and is filled with Christmas music. Like every adult before the holidays, the lead characters are rushing to solve their problems so they can get back home to their families in time.

The main cast in “Black Doves” have much bigger problems than most, however. Helen (Knightley) is married to a politician and has the perfect family on the outside, but secretly she’s a spy having an affair. When her lover is killed, Helen goes deep into London’s underworld to find his assassin and discover why he was killed. Along for the ride is Sam (Whishaw), a colleague of Helen at their organization who wants to leave that life behind.

The British spy show is already a unique choice since it’s so much more violent and dark than most series. It almost feels like the anti-Christmas show, like TV’s answer to “Die Hard.” But that just makes it so much easier to watch outside of the holiday season. The series earned rave reviews, including a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, and was renewed for a second season. If you haven’t watched “Black Doves” yet, now is a good time to start.