TV shows worth binge-watching over your holiday break

"The Best Man: The Final Chapters," "Kindred," "Harry & Meghan" and more made our list this year.

From the final entry in the story that began with 1999’s “The Best Man,” to a brand new fantasy series on your favorite streaming services, theGrio has a list of the perfect “binge-worthy” shows for you to catch up on during the holidays.

The Best Man: The Final Chapters

The Best Man, TheGrio.com
THE BEST MAN: THE FINAL CHAPTERS — Episode 102 — Pictured: (l-r) Melissa De Sousa as Shelby, Nia Long as Jordan, Regina Hall as Candy, Harold Perrineau as Julian, Sanaa Lathan as Robin, Taye Diggs as Harper. (Photo by: Peacock)

How could we not start with “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” series on Peacock? A show 23 years in the making, the series reunites the entire original cast (Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Melissa De Sousa, Regina Hall, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan and Harold Perrineau) of the hit 1999 film and 2013 holiday-themed sequel for one last hurrah, in an entry that is already receiving positive reviews from critics.

In a recent interview with theGrio, stars Taye Diggs and Nia Long opened up about their experience shooting the series, with Diggs referring to the experience as a “family reunion” of sorts. He explained, “When you act together you end up forming more of a familial bond, so it feels like a family reunion. And then you add the Dominican Republic, which is where we first started filming, that makes it more fun … it was hard work but we can stand in the comfort of saying that we are proud of it.”

All episodes of “The Best Man: The Final Chapters” are streaming now on Peacock.

The Sex Lives of College Girls

One of the buzziest shows of late is Mindy Kaling’s fun, hilarious and sexy new series, “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” While the show officially premiered last fall, the second season just dropped its finale last week, and has the internet and critics alike begging for more episodes. Luckily, they’re in store for more as the show was recently renewed for a third season.

The hit comedy follows four girls (Alyah Chanelle Scott, Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, and Reneé Rapp) as they navigate all aspects of their freshman year at the fictional Essex College, including studying, extracurriculars and sexual exploration. Whitney, played by Scott, is a highlight of the series, a star soccer player and daughter of a powerful U.S. senator, played to perfection by Sherri Shepherd. Through Whitney, the audience spends plenty of time with the robust Black student community at Essex, and also gets a first look at the many experiences young Black women face when navigating dating in college.

All episodes of “The Sex Lives of College Girls” are streaming now on HBO Max.

Kindred

Another powerful series hitting streaming services lately is “Kindred,” a television adaption of Octavia E. Butler’s novel of the same name. The series centers Dana, played by Mallori Johnson, an aspiring writer and young Black woman who recently relocated to Los Angeles. But as she begins to start her new life in her new home, she is violently thrusted back in time to a plantation in the 19th century, which she soon learns has direct links to her present-day family.

Butler’s novel was adapted for television by playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose works like “Gloria” and “Everybody” were Pulitzer Prize finalists. All episodes of “Kindred” are streaming now on Hulu.

The Real Housewives of Miami

Variety Miami Entertainment Town Presented by CN Bank - Arrivals
Guerdy Abraira attends Variety’s Miami Entertainment Town presented by CN Bank on April 7, 2022, in Miami. (Photo by Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images for Variety)

“The Real Housewives of Miami” are back…again! Eight years after their last season aired on Bravo, last year, the show was rebooted on Peacock, reuniting “OG” housewives Larsa Pippen, Alexia Nepola, Adriana de Moura and more with newbies Guerdy Abraira, Dr. Nicole Martin and Kiki Barth to name a few. The show was a success for the franchise as a whole, proving a series can be rebooted and still deliver years later.

The fifth season of “The Real Housewives of Miami” (and second season since the reboot) just kicked off on Peacock, giving viewers plenty of time to jump right in. Abraira and Barth, the first Haitian castmembers ever on Miami, continue to bring laughs, drama and exciting dynamic with the rest of the women, all while they gather around housewife Lisa Hochstein as she deals with an unprecedented (and very public) divorce.

The first six episodes of “The Real Housewives of Miami” are available to watch now on Peacock.

The Witcher: Blood Origin

Fantasy fans are in for a treat with Netflix’s new prequel series, “The Witcher: Blood Origin.” Connected to the popular series, “The Witcher,” the new series stars Sophia Brown as Éile, “an elite warrior who is blessed with the voice of a goddess.” TheGrio has followed Brown since her casting was first announced last summer, and now the series is days away from dropping on Netflix.

Also starring Michelle Yeoh, the series takes place 1,200 years before the main “The Witcher” series, introducing viewers to a mysterious and brave old world. Check out the trailer for the series below:

Harry & Meghan

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have finally had their say, and have the biggest docuseries in Netflix history to show for it. Just two weeks after it premiered on the streamer, the highly anticipated series documenting their love story and eventual step-back from the royal family has everyone talking and only continues to grow as the holidays approach.

At the time of the drop of the first three episodes on Dec. 8, the series was the biggest documentary debut on the streaming service ever, and only grew its viewership in its second week after the final episodes dropped. Check out a clip below:

Gossip Girl

Another popular reboot is HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl,” returning viewers to the Upper East Side of the beloved series. This time around, however, the cast is decidedly more diverse, particularly with leads Jordan Alexander and Whitney Peak.

Like the first series, the show follows the scandalous and salacious lives of elite private school students at the fictitious Constance Billard St. Jude’s School. Check out the trailer for season 2 below, which is streaming now on HBO Max.

Riches

Rounding out our list is one of our favorite selections of the year, Prime Video’s “Riches.” A deliciously addictive series, the show comes from Abby Ajayi, who previously wrote on popular Shondaland shows like “How To Get Away With Murder” and “Inventing Anna.”

The series, “follows the exploits of the stylish, privileged, super-successful Richards family,” per an official description obtained by theGrio. “When Stephen Richards (Hugh Quarshie) passes suddenly, the family’s world comes crashing down.” Check out the lavish trailer for the series below:

The entire first season of “Riches” is available to watch now on Prime Video.

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