Thanksgiving 2025: The Ultimate Streaming Guide for Your Holiday Week

As families gather for Thanksgiving, a new tradition has taken root alongside turkey and stuffing: the holiday streaming marathon. This Thanksgiving week, entertainment giants are rolling out a feast of blockbuster movies, long-awaited series finales, and nostalgic specials, transforming holiday downtime into a prime-time viewing event. This guide offers an in-depth analysis of the top-tier content vying for your attention, ensuring your holiday relaxation is perfectly curated.

Quick Context

The modern Thanksgiving holiday has evolved beyond a single-day feast, now encompassing a full week of travel, reunions, and significant downtime. This makes it a critical period for the entertainment industry. Streaming services have capitalized on this captive audience, strategically scheduling major releases to capture the attention of families and individuals seeking shared experiences or a quiet escape. This trend highlights a significant cultural shift, where digital content plays an integral role in how we celebrate and connect during the holidays.

Surprising Trend: Thanksgiving as a Streaming Battleground

What was once a quiet week for new releases has transformed into a fiercely competitive landscape. Platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video view Thanksgiving week as a golden opportunity to launch flagship content, knowing millions are at home and actively seeking entertainment. This period has become as crucial for streaming premieres as the summer blockbuster season is for cinemas, with services debuting content designed to generate buzz and dominate cultural conversations.

Key Factor: How Local Weather Shapes Viewing Habits

Holiday plans are often at the mercy of the elements, and regional weather plays a significant role in how people spend their time off. For instance, unpredictable and often cold weather during late November, such as in Omaha, can make indoor activities far more appealing. This scenario is mirrored across the country, where inclement weather can ground travel plans and encourage families to gather around the screen, making a well-curated streaming list an essential part of the holiday toolkit.

What You Need to Know

This Thanksgiving week offers a diverse and compelling slate of new streaming options, catering to a wide range of tastes. From dystopian sci-fi to heartfelt holiday specials and nostalgic sitcom reunions, there's something for everyone to enjoy after the feast. Here is a breakdown of the most anticipated releases set to define the holiday viewing experience.

Core Development: Major Movie Premieres on Demand

Headlining the cinematic offerings is Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17,” arriving on Prime Video. The dystopian sci-fi film, starring Robert Pattinson, explores themes of identity through the story of an "expendable" employee who is repeatedly cloned. For those seeking historical drama, Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel” will also be available on Hulu. This critically acclaimed film, starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer, brilliantly deconstructs a medieval tale from three conflicting perspectives, offering a powerful and thought-provoking narrative.

Core Development: The Return of Television Titans

Perhaps the week's most anticipated release is the fifth and final season of "Stranger Things." Netflix is dropping the first four episodes, promising a dramatic start to the series' conclusion that star Millie Bobby Brown predicts will make fans "lose their damn minds." In a completely different vein, comedy fans can look forward to the "Everybody Loves Raymond" 30th anniversary special on Paramount+. Hosted by Ray Romano and creator Phil Rosenthal, the special reunites the cast to celebrate the iconic sitcom and pay tribute to the late Peter Boyle and Doris Roberts—making it a perfect dose of holiday nostalgia.

Core Development: New Comedy and Holiday Specials

Kevin Hart also joins the Thanksgiving lineup with his new Netflix special, “Kevin Hart: Acting My Age,” where he tackles the universal theme of getting older. For those craving something more festive, Hallmark+ presents “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas.” This holiday film features a story of music and Christmas magic, packed with cameos from country music stars like Brad Paisley, Mickey Guyton, and Megan Moroney. Meanwhile, Hulu offers a satirical take on the genre with a new “Family Guy” special, cheekily titled “Disney’s Hulu’s Family Guy’s Hallmark Channel’s Lifetime’s Familiar Holiday Movie,” which pokes fun at the classic big-city-girl-finds-love-in-a-small-town trope.

Core Development: A Musical Journey for the Ages

Following the success of Peter Jackson's "Get Back," Disney+ gives Beatles fans another reason to be grateful. The platform is releasing “The Beatles Anthology,” a comprehensive nine-episode documentary series that traces the legendary band's entire journey. This deep dive provides the perfect opportunity for a multi-generational viewing experience, allowing families to immerse themselves in the history of one of the world's greatest musical acts.

Why This Matters (Implications)

The strategic release of high-profile content during Thanksgiving week signifies a profound shift in entertainment consumption and holiday traditions. Streaming platforms are no longer just passive libraries of content; they are active participants in shaping the holiday experience. By offering exclusive premieres and event-style releases, they are creating new communal traditions centered around shared media. This directly competes with other holiday staples like Black Friday shopping and football, vying for the limited attention and time of families. The living room has become the new cinema, and the remote control is the key to a modern form of holiday bonding, where discussing the latest episode of a hit show becomes as much a part of the celebration as sharing a slice of pie.

What Experts Are Saying

Critics and entertainment journalists have already begun weighing in on the week's biggest releases. In her review for The Associated Press, Jocelyn Noveck praised Robert Pattinson’s work in “Mickey 17,” stating, “It’s his movie, and he saves it from Bong’s tendencies to overstuff the proceedings.” She highlights his “extremely physical, committed, even exhausting performance” as a key factor in the film's success. Similarly, AP film writer Jake Coyle offered a glowing analysis of “The Last Duel,” writing that the film “is more like a medieval tale deconstructed, piece by piece, until its heavily armored male characters and the genre’s mythologized nobility are unmasked.” These expert opinions help guide viewers toward quality content, reinforcing the significance of these holiday streaming events.

Potential Impact & Future Outlook

The growing trend of major Thanksgiving week releases is likely to intensify in the coming years. We can expect streaming services to invest even more heavily in creating "can't-miss" holiday events, potentially including interactive specials, live components, or global premiere parties. This will further solidify the holiday week as a critical window in the annual entertainment calendar, on par with major film festivals or awards season. The long-term impact will be a permanent change in how society approaches holiday leisure time, with digital entertainment becoming an indispensable element of the festive season. As this battle for viewership continues, consumers can look forward to an ever-expanding menu of high-quality content designed to bring people together, whether they are in the same room or connecting from miles away.

This Thanksgiving, the biggest stories may not be shared over the dinner table, but on the screen. As you plan your holiday, this lineup of entertainment offers a perfect way to relax, connect, and create new memories. What will be on your screen this Thanksgiving week? Share your must-watch list in the comments below.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/stream-tv-movies-music-thanksgiving-2025-b78ff516badbd3e61e56321b5238376a