HBO Max is bringing plenty of gifts for subscribers in December 2022, all in time to enjoy by the holidays. The hottest HBO Max originals to look out for this month are all new seasons of some of the streaming service’s biggest shows. Season 2 of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl revamp has already begun and will be joined by new episodes of DC’s Doom Patrol and His Dark Materials releasing on a weekly basis in December 2022. In the case of His Dark Materials, this third season will be its last, coming to an end after a 3-year run. Since the series has always stuck close to its source material, which is only a trilogy of books, it makes sense for this adaptation to reach its finale now.
December 2022 brings a mighty list of additions to HBO Max’s library of new and returning titles. Paul Schrader’s beloved indie gem First Reformed is now available to stream, as is another popular A24 release in Green Room. Horror lovers can now binge an entire collection of Hellraiser films as well. Other exciting arrivals include Steven Spielberg’s Hook, David Fincher’s Gone Girl, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Burn After Reading, and Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Subscribers looking to catch up on some more recent theatrical releases should know that Amsterdam, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s decade-in-the-making DC action epic Black Adam are hitting their streaming debuts on HBO Max this month too.
Check out our monthly recs and the full list of everything coming to and leaving HBO Max in December 2022 below. You can also find this month’s latest additions and removals from Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ right here on DiscussingFilm.
Our Recs:
Gossip Girl: Season 2
Season 2 of HBO Max’s Gossip Girl will take place in the second semester of the same school year seen in the first season. The highly-anticipated return of Georgina Sparks, played by original series star Michelle Trachtenberg, will take place this season, opening the door for more surprise appearances from the classic cast.
When speaking on bringing back the despised chaos queen from the original series, creator and showrunner Joshua Safran told PopSugar, “We waited until season two so by the time she arrives, everybody is at the highest place for themselves to fall, and all she cares about is anarchy and destroying people she doesn’t even know.” How will the current generation of Gossip Girl stars fare against Georgina Sparks? And will fans be reunited with other familiar faces from the past? Tune in every week on HBO Max to find out.
Catch new episodes of Gossip Girl Season 2 every Thursday this December on HBO Max!
His Dark Materials: Season 3
His Dark Materials comes to a bittersweet end with its third and final season. The series has done a swell job of sticking close to Philip Pullman’s fantasy novel trilogy, which means that this closure is coming at the right time. Viewers who’ve read the third book, The Amber Spyglass, should have an idea of what to expect as the show closes out Lyra Belacqua’s other-worldly adventures, for now.
Child star Dafne Keen, known for her breakout role in Logan, has done a superb job of leading this series, and fans can only hope to see her career continue to grow in the years that follow. And who knows, with fantasy shows always being in high demand on streaming, audiences could see Philip Pullman’s current novels following the adventures of an older Lyra on the small screen in the future. Keen and the fellow cast of His Dark Materials have already expressed their interest in adaptaing The Book of Dust next, so fingers crossed.
His Dark Materials Season 3 premieres on HBO Max December 5, 2022!
Doom Patrol: Season 4
DC’s favorite group of ragtag misfits return in an all-new season of Doom Patrol. After the time travel shenanigans of last season, these latest episodes will see the group try their best to live up to their crime-fighting responsibilities as a fully-fledged team. Cliff Steele, played by the great Brendan Fraser, is now back in his original Robotman body while Jovian Wade’s Victor Stone is no longer a cyborg. Madame Rouge has turned a new leaf as a member of the gang, settling her personal grievances with April Bowlby’s Rita Farr. Diane Guerrero, Matt Bomer, and Mark Sheppard are set to reprise their roles with the new bad teased to be DC villain General Immortus. This fresh change of pace should make for the team’s toughest challenge yet.
Doom Patrol Season 4 kicks off on HBO Max December 8, 2022!
HBO Max Arrivals for December 2022
Coming December 1
3:10 to Yuma, 1957
10,000 B.C.
Black Sheep
Branson, HBO Original Docuseries Premiere (HBO)
Burn After Reading
Can’t Hardly Wait
Cheech & Chong’s Nice Dreams (HBO)
Cheech & Chong’s The Corsican Brothers (HBO)
Cheech & Chong’s Things Are Tough All Over
The Children Act (HBO)
De Palma (HBO)
First Reformed (HBO)
Friends With Benefits
Gossip Girl, Max Original Season 2 Premiere
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (HBO)
The Murdochs: Empire of Influence
Gone Girl (HBO)
Green Room (HBO)
Hellraiser III Hell on Earth (HBO)
Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (HBO)
Hellraiser V: Inferno (HBO)
Hellraiser VII: Deader (HBO)
Hellraiser: Hellseeker (HBO)
Hellraiser: Hellworld (HBO)
A Hollywood Christmas
Hook
Into the Forest (HBO)
Krisha (HBO)
The Maze Runner (HBO)
My Fellow Americans (HBO)
Paradise (Paraíso), Max Original Season 2 Premiere
The Purge: Anarchy
Redemption (HBO)
Reindeer Games (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
The Sea of Trees (HBO)
Sesame Street’s The Nutcracker, Max Original Special Premiere
Small Town Crime (HBO)
Sort Of, Max Original Season 2 Premiere
Step Up All In (HBO)
Step Up Revolution (HBO)
Stomp the Yard
Stomp the Yard: Homecoming
Street Kings (HBO)
The Tomorrow Man (HBO)
Trumbo (HBO)
Two Can Play That Game
Urban Cowboy
¡Viva Maestro!
Win Win
Coming December 2
Blippi Wonders, Season 2B
Hank Zipzer’s Christmas Catastrophe
Lellobee City Farm, Season 2
Coming December 4
Under the Stars (a.k.a. Sous les étoiles), Max Original Premiere
Coming December 5
His Dark Materials, Season 3 Premiere (HBO)
Coming December 6
Amsterdam (HBO)
Batwheels Holiday Special: Holidays on Ice
Bugs Bunny Builders Holiday Special: Looneyburg Lights
Sesame Street Mecha Builders Holiday Special: Yip Yip Tree Tree / The Snowman Scarecrow, Season 1
Unveiled: Surviving La Luz del Mundo, HBO Original Docuseries Premiere (HBO)
Coming December 8
Doom Patrol, Max Original Season 4 Premiere
South Side, Max Original Season 3 Premiere
Coming December 9
Silos Baking Competition: Holiday Edition, Special
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (HBO)
Coming December 10
Atsuko Okatsuka: The Intruder, HBO Original Premiere (HBO)
Coming December 12
Adult Swim Yule Log
Coming December 13
The Banshees of Inisherin (HBO)
Meet the Batwheels: The Best Present in the World, Season 1
Coming December 14
Selling the Hamptons
Serving the Hamptons
Queen of Versailles Reigns Again
Trixie Motel
Coming December 15
Jugada Peligrosa (ex El Patrón del Balón, Goles Limpios Dinero Sucio), Max Original Premiere
Coming December 16
Black Adam
Martin: The Reunion Special
Ranch to Table, Season 3
Coming December 22
I Hate Suzie, Max Original Season 2 Premiere
The Head, Max Original Season 2 Premiere
Coming December 23
Family Dinner, Season 3
Coming December 27
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (HBO)
Coming December 30
The Established Home, Season 2
This Place Rules (HBO)
Leaving HBO Max in December 2022
HBO Max subscribers will want to take note of many expiring titles in December 2022. Last year’s Mortal Kombat film adaptation is leaving early in the month. Those looking for some truly underrated gems will want to catch Sam Raimi’s A Simple Plan and Martin Scorsese’s Bringing Out the Dead before they’re gone at the end of the year. Edgar Wright’s The World’s End is set to depart HBO Max as well. Voyagers is a recent sci-fi flick that might be worth the watch before it leaves. Can’t go on without mentioning the indie gem Thoroughbreds, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke, as it’s a must-see for those who enjoy a well-done dark comedy. Check out the entire list of what’s leaving HBO Max in December 2022 below.
UPDATE: In some unfortunate news, a slew of HBO and HBO Max Originals will be leaving the service in December 2022. This confusing decision is the result of another Warner Bros. Discovery cost-saving measure under the new rule of CEO David Zaslav. Aside from canceling shows left and right and canceling almost complete projects at the near end of post-production (see Batgirl), the studio is now removing its own current programming from its own service. This may be frustrating for viewers to hear, but there is one bright side. A collection of departing shows will find a new home on third-party free ad-supported streaming (FAST) services, none of which have been announced. This counts for all seasons of Westworld, The Nevers, Finding Magic Mike, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Raised by Wolves, Legendary, and FBOY Island.
However, HBO Max originals that are leaving like Gordita Chronicles, The Garcias, Love Life, Made for Love, and Minx are currently not confirmed with new homes. This could change very soon as Warner Bros. Discovery tries its best to save money while appealing to the creators, crew, and avid fans of these shows. Hopefully, it won’t be long until all of these former originals find a more concrete platform/channel to live on. The list below has been updated to accurately reflect what’s leaving HBO Max in December 2022.
Leaving December 8
Mortal Kombat, 2021 (HBO)
Leaving December 13
Spark: A Space Tail, 2016 (HBO)
Leaving December 18
Westworld (HBO)
The Nevers (HBO)
Raised by Wolves (Max Original)
FBOY Island (Max Original)
Minx (Max Original)
Legendary (Max Original)
Finding Magic Mike (Max Original)
The Time Traveler’s Wife (HBO)
Love Life (Max Original)
Made for Love (Max Original)
Gordita Chronicles (Max Original)
The Garcias (Max Original)
Head of the Class
Leaving December 31
12 Rounds, 2009 (Unrated) (HBO)
12 Rounds 2 Reloaded, 2013 (HBO)
13 Going on 30
Africa, 1999
Astro Boy
A Kind Of Murder, 2016 (HBO)
A Perfect Planet
A Simple Plan, 1998 (HBO)
Against The Ropes, 2004 (HBO)
Arbitrage, 2012 (HBO)
Babylon A.D., 2008 (HBO)
Bad Teacher
Baggage Claim, 2013 (HBO)
Bend It Like Beckham, 2002 (HBO)
Blue Planet II
Blue Planet: Seas of Life
Bringing Out The Dead, 1999 (HBO)
Call Me By Your Name
Chaplin, 1992
Collision Course, 1989 (HBO)
Damien Omen II, 1978 (HBO)
Damsel, 2018 (HBO)
Down Periscope, 1996 (HBO)
Down With Love, 2003 (HBO)
Dr. Dolittle: Tail To The Chief, 2008 (HBO)
Dynasties
Ella Enchanted
Extraction, 2015 (HBO)
Frozen Planet
Fast & Furious 6, 2013 (HBO)
Good Will Hunting
Glory
Harlem Nights, 1989
Head Office, 1985 (HBO)
Highlander, 1986 (HBO)
Joyful Noise, 2012
Life,1999
Life Story, 1987
Little Monsters, 1989 (HBO)
Losing Isaiah, 1995 (HBO)
Monster’s Ball, 2001 (Unrated)
Nature’s Great Events
Odd Jobs, 1986 (HBO)
Omen IV: The Awakening, 1991 (HBO)
Ouija, 2014
Planet Earth
Planet Earth II
Pulp Fiction
Real Steel, 2011
Ricochet, 1991 (HBO)
Rocket Science, 2007 (HBO)
Romancing The Stone, 1984
Sabotage, 2014 (HBO)
Serengeti
Serengeti II
Seven Worlds, One Planet
Shakespeare in Love
Space Chimps, 2010 (HBO)
Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back, 2010 (HBO)
Spy Kids
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams
Spy Kids 3: Game Over
Starter For 10, 2006 (HBO)
S.W.A.T.
Sweet Dreams, 1985 (HBO)
Switch, 1991 (HBO)
That Awkward Moment, 2014 (HBO)
The Chosen, 1981 (HBO)
The Clearing, 2004 (HBO)
The Counselor, 2013 (Extended Version) (HBO)
The Devil’s Backbone
The Final Conflict, 1981 (HBO)
The Flight Of The Phoenix, 1965
The Hitcher, 1986 (HBO)
The Hunt, 2020
The Jewel Of The Nile, 1985
The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, 2003 HBO
The Mating Game
The Omen, 2006 (HBO)
The Omen, 1976 (HBO)
The Order, 2003 (HBO)
The World’s End, 2013 (HBO)
The X-Files: I Want To Believe, 2008 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Thor: Tales Of Asgard, 2011 (HBO)
Thoroughbreds, 2017 (HBO)
Tokyo Project (HBO)
Voyagers, 2021
