The Must-See Binge Watch this Holiday Season

The “Christmas TV show” genre is not the most saturated genre out there. But, with all the stresses the holiday season often brings, a Christmas binge watch that feels rooted in reality can be just what you need. Enter Netflix’s Home for Christmas.

In recent years, Netflix has attempted to add to the list of holiday season-themed TV shows with many titles like Dash & Lily and Merry Happy Whatever. These all seemed to fall short, not accomplishing much that a classic Christmas movie hasn’t already done better. Amidst the few series, there is also a seemingly annually increasing onslaught of boring, flat Hallmark and Lifetime-wannabe holiday cheese-fest movies. Still, there’s a desire for a modern, holiday show to binge while wrapping presents, relaxing on your time off between Christmas and New Years, or mentally recovering from a little too much family time. And, Netflix seems to know it. So, who would’ve thought that the series to break the mold would be a modern, naturalistic Sex and the City-esque Norwegian romantic dramedy?

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The first season of Home for Christmas premiered in 2019, and its second came out in 2020. Not only is it a genre pioneer of sorts, but it’s actually the first ever Norwegian original series to hit Netflix. Norwegian theatre, television, and movie creator, Per-Olav Sørensen, directed the two-season series, and it proved to be a success among international viewers. It has a whopping 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Home for Christmas follows Johanne (Ida Elise Broch) on her quest to find a date to bring home for the holiday and avoid judgment and questions from her family (a likely relatable plight for many viewers). In the opening scene, Johanne finds herself sandwiched between two twin babies at the annual Advent dinner table with her family. Her voice-over bemoans that her family all share priorities about raising children and marriage. Not only is she alone in her station in life, but she admits that she doesn’t really know what she wants. As this inner monologue comes to a head, Johanne blurts out, to her family’s surprise and excitement, that she has a boyfriend. This sets off the rest of the series: She has 24 days to find a date to bring home for Christmas.

Home-for-christmas-iceskating — Image Via Netflix

The two seasons that follow are romantic and heartwarming. But, while they set the cozy, love-focused scene for a Hallmark movie-esque viewing experience, Home for Christmas manages to veer pretty far in the other direction. Aside from its mastery of a lesser-explored genre, this series is unique in its treatment of the holiday. It’s modern, gritty, and definitely not family-friendly. It lacks that familiar holiday cheesiness while remaining Christmas spirit-laden, all the same. It manages to capture a very Holiday season tone without the Christmas movie corniness that might push some viewers away. There are sex scenes, language, and nudity that are absent from most Christmas movies, but the spark of warmth and holiday magic is still there. It allows for that spark to feel like it can exist for people in times in their life that don’t feel like they fit into the gingerbread cookie-cutter life that’s often peddled to us around this time of year.

Johanne is the backbone of the series, and she is an original and nuanced character. She’s tough but warm; strong but vulnerable; not unlike many modern women but still aspirational. Johanne is like a modern, deeper Carrie Bradshaw from Oslo. She has that element of making people feel like their pace and choices in life are represented and does it with style. Johanne is in her 30s; she’s a career woman sans girlboss energy. She doesn’t follow the tired trope of a “big city businesswoman” who became too distracted by climbing the corporate ladder to “settle down” and start a family. Very reminiscent of Grey’s Anatomy, she’s a nurse with close, gossipy friendships with her patients and heavy flirtations with her coworkers. Her job fulfills her in the spirit of giving and hope. She’s single because of relationships that didn’t work out. Johanne seems uninterested in prospective partners that seem great on paper. Instead, she falls for someone who doesn’t seem “right” at all. It all feels both real and inspiring, and this is not only rare for a holiday series, but for television in general.

When watching Home for Christmas, anti-dubbing purists (who don’t speak Norwegian) are free to watch the original version with subtitles. For others, Netflix hooked the series up with the ever-coveted and difficult-to-achieve great English dubbing, which makes it an easy transition for English speakers. And, it means you can watch while staying focused on your gift-wrapping or tree-trimming without being beholden to any subtitles. Notably, Allegra Clark, who voices Johanne in the English dub, is delightfully warm and likable, and she leaves little to be lost in translation. She makes for a perfect pair of leading ladies with Ida Elise Broch. They both feel fresh, magnetic, and approachable.

Since the series was made for Netflix, you can enjoy it on the (arguably) most binge-friendly streaming service. Additionally, there are six 30-minute episodes per season, so it will fly by as any great binge watch does. The first season ends with a sweet but well-crafted cliffhanger that sparks excitement for Season 2, and the second season picks up right where it left off. The Season 2 finale doesn’t offer a cliffhanger like its predecessor. Instead, it ties up neatly and makes for what feels like a fitting and satisfying series finale. Still, fans hope for a third season.

It’s no surprise that there is a market for a series that brings holiday magic to those who may not find Santa Claus and mistletoe to be the most resonant topics. Maybe if Netflix viewers are very good this year, they’ll get a third season or a new series to expand the genre under the tree in 2022. Until then, Home for Christmas is the perfect binge-watch (or rewatch) this holiday season.