The Dandelion Chandelier Entertainment Calendar showcases the best in the world of pop culture, including top new movies, TV shows, new plays and podcasts in December 2019. Plus new drops and tours launching in pop music, and the top music festivals in December 2019. For the full December 2019 Luxury Calendar, click here.
what’s happening in pop culture this december 2019?
No one will be bored this December when it comes to entertainment. No, we’re not talking about an encore presentation of your family’s Thanksgiving day drama, we’re talking about the world of pop culture. In the movie theaters this month you will find blockbusters galore with the likes of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Bombshell hitting theaters.
On the small screen there are holiday specials a-plenty in addition to the return of some fan favorites, most notably The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
There are also some big openings on the stage this month: A Soldier’s Play; and the revival of West Side Story. On top of that you can catch a few Christmas inspired concerts too, including one from the Queen of Christmas herself at MSG.
Oh, and there are also some dramatic new podcasts to keep you busy too. Here’s to an entertaining December!
the best in pop culture this december 2019
1. best new movies and film festivals in december 2019
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will bring a final conclusion to the Skywalker saga that started way back in 1977 – Dec 20
Starring Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly and Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, Bombshell explores the real life scandal involving Fox News’s Roger Ailes – Dec 20
The best new movies in December 2019: Bombshell. Courtesy Photo.
Promising to be one of this year’s most talked about films is the big movie musical, Cats starring Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Idris Elba, James Corden and Judi Dench to name a few Dec 25
The best in pop culture in December 2019: Taylor Swift in the trailer for the movie version of Cats.
Directed by Greta Gerwig, the latest movie adaption of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women features an insanely stacked cast that includes Laura Dern, Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Meryl Streep and Timothée Chalamet. Get ready to grab your girlfriends and go – Dec 25
In a nice bit of counter-programming to Little Women, opening on the same day is a war movie. Two British soldiers embark on a dangerous mission to save 1,600 men from certain doom during World War I in 1917. Directed by Sam Mendes, the film stars Game of Thrones’ alum Richard Madden and Benedict Cumberbatch – Dec 25
2. big television events in december 2019
The Moodys on Fox is a six-episode American version of a popular Australian miniseries about a man who comes home to celebrate the holidays with his dysfunctional family. Denis Leary, Elizabeth Perkins, Jay Baruchel and others star – Dec 4
Idris Elba stars in In The Long Run on Starz about a family in the ’80s who’s visited by an unconventional relative from Sierra Leone – Dec 6
The best in pop culture in December 2019: Idris Elba and Bill Bailey star in “In the Long Run.”
Apple TV+ will debut Truth Be Told, an adaptation of Kathleen Barber’s book Are You Sleeping, starring Octavia Spencer as a true-crime podcast host looking into the potential wrongful murder conviction of a man (Aaron Paul) – Dec 6
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel returns to Amazon Prime and Midge is heading on the road for her first-ever stand-up tour – Dec 6
Missing Game of Thrones? Then tune into The Witcher on Netflix. Henry Cavill stars in this adaptation of the popular fantasy series about monster hunter Gerald of Rivia, who unites with a sorceress and princess in order to fight an impending darkness – Dec 20
3. best new plays in december 2019
After enjoying some of the best holiday decorations London has to offer, head to the Playhouse Theatre where James McAvoy stars in the new production of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac – Dec 6
Harry Connick Jr. will bring Cole Porter’s storied repertoire to life in A Celebration of Cole Porter at the Nederlander Theatre – Dec 7 – 29
West Side Story opens at the Broadway Theatre. This time around Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker has provided the choreography, marking this the first major New York revival to deviate from Jerome Robbins’ choreography – Previews Dec 10, Opens Feb 6
The best in pop culture in December 2019: The stars of the 2019 revival of West Side Story.
Grand Horizons at the Helen Hayes Theatre tells the story of the husband and wife of 50 years, Bill and Nancy, exploring a family turned upside-down and the wild, unpredictable and enduring nature of love – Previews Dec 23, Opens Jan 23
David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood star as Sergeant Vernon C. Waters and Captain Richard Davenport in A Soldier’s Play at the American Airlines Theatre – Previews Dec 27, Opens Jan 21
The best in pop culture in December 2019: A Soldier’s Play.
4. best pop music events in december 2019
Cher takes over MSG for two nights with the Cher: Here We Go Again Tour – Dec 3 – 4
Former One Direction star and current Gucci muse Harry Styles will release his second solo studio album entitled Fine Line – Dec 13
The best in pop culture in December 2019: The cover of Harry Styles’ new album Fine Line.
The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball is at MSG with Taylor Swift and The Jonas Brothers as headliners – Dec 13
Blake Shelton will drop his latest album Fully Loaded: God’s Country before heading out on tour next year – Dec 13
What better way to get in the holiday spirit than with the Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas Concert at MSG? – Dec 15
5. best new podcasts in december 2019
Finding or providing care – whether for one’s aging spouse, parents or family members – has become an all-consuming struggle for many Americans. Mindy Fred’s The Shape of Care illuminates the costs (financial and otherwise) of hiring that assistance, the toll on the caregivers and the need for a rethinking of a widening hole in the infrastructure of American health care where 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day
The New York Police Department has begun to mine its own material for a true-crime podcast of its own called Break in the Case
If you loved Tom Hanks’s portrayal of Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, then you might also love Finding Fred. Each episode of this 10-part series peels back a layer of the seemingly simple, idyllic world of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
The best in pop culture in December 2019: The new podcast about Mr. Rogers, Finding Fred.
Because I Watched tells moving and heartwarming stories about how watching certain movies and TV series can impact our own lives in major ways
Greg Jenner works on the Horrible Histories TV series, well-known to kids and their parents for its sharp and funny take on the past. Now Jenner has made what is basically Horrible Histories as a podcast for grown-ups called You’re Dead to Me, with comedians and serious academics as guests, investigating various colourful characters and dramatic events from history. Topics include Stonehenge as explored by Richard Herring (with the help of an archaeologist); the history of football; the Spartans; and Boudica with comedian Sara Pascoe
the best in pop culture this december 2019
That’s it. Our top picks for the best in the world of pop culture this December 2019. Let’s get it started.
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Jillian Tangen is the Head of Research at Dandelion Chandelier and a former Senior Research Analyst at McKinsey & Co and Analyst at Shearman & Sterling. She is an avid fan of Nordic design, having owned an independent lifestyle store and sales agency focused on emerging Scandinavian design. Jillian lives in New York and is married with three young children. She loves cross-country skiing, the New York Rangers, reading, travel and discovering new brands.
Join our community
For access to insider ideas and information on the world of luxury, sign up for our Dandelion Chandelier newsletter. And see luxury in a new light.