What to watch this weekend.Credit: Netflix / Focus Features / AmazonThis Sunday marks the halfway point for December, which means that well be just about two weeks from New Years Eve and then . . . somehow itll be 2025. A quarter of a century down, three more to goif we live that long. In any case, we have serial killers, space marines and magical Colombian villages to explore in this weekends streaming guide. Theres some new animation to enjoy from the makers of Love, Death & Robots, an ambitious adaptation of one of the most important literary works of the last century, and lots more.Every week, I search high and low for the best (and sometimes worst) shows and movies for you to watch (or avoid), some of which Ive seen but plenty I havent. This is a guide for you and for me, as I like to stay on top of everything coming out and its just so easy to miss new shows and movies. If I miss anything in this guide, please dont hesitate to send me a tip on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook.Alright, lets dive right in!You can check out last weekends streaming guide right here.Whats New & Notable This Weekend (12/13/24)100 Years Of Solitude (Netflix)MORE FOR YOUBased on one of the most important novels of the 20th century, 100 Years Of Solitude is a lush, beautifully filmed adaptation. Im only a little ways into the 8-episode Part 1 (a second 8 episode half-season releases at an unspecified date) but Im already entranced. Check it out.Carry-On (Netflix)Taron Egerton stars in this flight-based terrorism thriller. Egerton plays TSA agent Ethan Kopek who is blackmailed into bringing a dangerous carry-on bag onto a flightor watch his girlfriend get executed. The bad guy is played by normally nice guy, Jason Bateman. This follows very much in the tradition of Die Hard as action-thriller dressed up as Christmas movie. Its getting pretty good reviews, too!Secret Level (Prime Video)Secret Level is a collection of video game-themed animated short films from the creators of Love, Death & Robots, the hit animated anthology on Netflix. This one is on Prime Video and has a lot of familiar games that it draws on, from D&D to Warhammer 40k. The quality of each short varies a lot, and the selection is kind of odd. I was surprised to see Sifu get its own episode given thats a pretty small, unknown game compared to PAC-MAN. Its also hilarious that Concordone of gamings most galling failureshas its own episode. The game didnt even stick around long enough to be here when the show came out! This lone episode will have a longer lifespan than Concord the game. 8 episodes are out now. The remaining 7 come out next Tuesday.Dexter: Original Sin (Paramount+)Im not sure how to feel about yet another Dexter spinoff, this one a prequel explainingas prequels dohow Dexter became Dexter, something that was effectively already explained in the main show, in about the amount of time we needed. Ill have to watch the premiere and see if its worth diving back into the Dexter-verse. The Dexter Extended Universe?No Good Deed (Netflix)From the creator of Dead To Me, a dark comedy about a middle-aged married couple in Southern California attempting to sell their home. Dark secrets, cutthroat buyers and more make this sound a bit soapy, but possibly a fun binge.The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (In Theaters)Im going to wait until this animated Lord of the Rings anime is out on streaming as it really just doesnt look like something worth seeing on the big screen. Its getting decent reviews, though audiences (84%) are far more upbeat than critics (52%) about this prequel. Im just not sure I love this style of animation for Lord of the Rings. Id rather see Western 2D animation, though thats just personal bias.Joker: Folie Deux (Max)Jokers poorly-received sequel is finally on streaming. You can watch the musical follow-up to the brilliant first film on Max. Since I never went to this in theaters, I plan on watching it soon. Its a musical, and by all accounts not a very good one, but I like musicals and frankly this sounds like a reasonably subversive movie that could be quite thought-provoking.Conclave (Peacock)With a 93% critic score and 86% audience score, Conclave is the stuff Oscar dreams are made of. Its a mystery thriller that takes place after the death of Pope Gregory XVII. The College of Cardinals comes together for a papal conclave to choose a new popeand things go spectacularly wrong.Bonus: Jane The Virgin (Prime Video)Ive been burning through the first season of Jane The Virgin recently (which I purchased on Prime Video) and its just fantastic. Its a rom-com mystery thats basically an American parody/homage to telenovelas. Gina Rodriguez plays Janea virgin who gets pregnant by mistake (I dont want to spoil it)and shes so, so charming in the role. I have a massive crush, no doubt. The rest of the cast is great also and really lovable and its a fun melodramatic mystery with lots of twists and turns. Im reminded endlessly of Bad Monkey, right down to the entertaining narrator and recaps. If you missed this show when it came out (debuting way back in 2014) do yourself a favor and give it a watch.What Im Watching WeeklyInstead of doing an entire section on whats currently streaming with trailers and all the restwhich can make these posts overly-long and bulkyI thought Id just do a rundown of some of the shows that Im currently following, some of which Im behind on or not sure Ill keep watching.I started the spy thriller Black Doves on Netflix but I keep getting tired and sleepy whenever I watch it and I think the show feels too slick and empty to keep my attention. A glossy, hollow, not very gripping spy drama thats tonally very hard to pin down, but not in a good way, despite its great cast.Ive been pretty impressed with Skeleton Crew on Disney+. The new Star Wars show has been billed as The Goonies in space which is pretty accurate, though its not as good as that movie. Still, Episode 3 brought Jude Laws character, Crimson Jack, into the mix and hes really helped the series find its stride. Honestly, hes already one of my favorite Disney-era Star Wars characters. I like how this show is just a fun adventure without a whiff of preachiness.Im also still catching up on Rivals (Hulu/Disney+) which continues to be one of my favorite things on TV thanks to a strong cast and some very steamy scenes. The show follows the showbiz shenanigans of the rich and famous in 1980s UK and its a ton of fun so far.Im a little behind on Outlander. Its a show that I really do genuinely like, but which also annoys me with its constant melodrama that can make some characters really feel like theyre stuck in a loop. Claire, in particular, just drives me crazy at times. And Im irritated that their sojourn in Scotland was so short!Im also enjoying the last few episodes of Shrinking on Apple TV. Season 2 isnt as good as Season 1, but I like the characters enough that Im not too bothered by it. Oh and Silo continues to be great on Apple TV, though Im an episode or two behind there also. Busy times!Finally, Dune: Prophecy will air its fifth and penultimate episode this Sunday and I just dont have any clue how theyre supposed to get me to care about any of it with just two more episodes and not a single likable or relatable character!What are you watching, dearest readers? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook.Further Reading From Yours Truly: