Apple TV Plus’ drama Emancipation starring Will Smith and the return of HBO’s fantasy drama His Dark Materials highlight the list of new shows premiering during the first full week of December. 

The December 9 premiere of Emancipation, which follows the travails of a man who escapes from slavery, stars Will Smith in his first major project since his infamous slap of Chris Rock during last March’s Academy Awards Ceremony.

HBO on December 5 will debut the third and final season of its fantasy series His Dark Materials. Two new episodes will debut each week leading up to the series finale on December 26, according to the network.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of December 5 to December 11 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

December 8 – Doom Patrol (returning series) – HBO Max

December 8 – South Side (returning series) – HBO Max

December 9 – Little America (returning series) – Apple TV Plus

December 9 -- Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio (animated movie) -- Netflix

December 9 -- Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (animated movie) -- Disney Plus

HBO and BBC One have renewed drama His Dark Materials for season three. There will be eight episodes and production starts in Cardiff next year. 

“Bringing Philip Pullman’s epic, intricate and culturally resonant body of work to television has been a tremendous privilege,” said Francesca Orsi, executive VP, HBO Programming. “We thank our incredible partners at the BBC and the entire Bad Wolf team, led by the indefatigable Jane Tranter, for their exceptional work on the first two seasons. We look forward to completing the trilogy with this final chapter in Lyra’s journey.”

Season two, with seven episodes, wraps Dec. 28. Seasons one and two are available on HBO Max. 

Season two began as Lyra, distraught over the death of her best friend, embarked upon a journey in a mysterious abandoned city. There she meets Will (Amir Wilson), a boy who is also running from a troubled past.                                          

Cast includes Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, Amir Wilson, Ariyon Bakare, Andrew Scott, Will Keen, Ruta Gedmintas and Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

“It’s been a joy to see how His Dark Materials has brought British TV audiences of all ages together on BBC One and BBC iPlayer,” said Ben Irving, BBC Drama commissioning editor, Wales. “Fans of Philip Pullman’s incredible books, and newcomers alike, have been enthralled by adventuring with Lyra and Will through multiple worlds. We are thrilled that they will be able to continue their journey in a third series of this beautifully realized drama. Our thanks to our partners at HBO and the dedicated creative team at Bad Wolf for making a landmark series that will continue to be watched and enjoyed on the BBC for years to come.”

Pullman’s His Dark Materials books are a trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.  

His Dark Materials is produced by Bad Wolf in association with New Line Cinema for BBC One and HBO. Executive producing are Jane Tranter, Dan McCulloch, Joel Collins and Julie Gardner for Bad Wolf; Philip Pullman, Jack Thorne, Tom Hooper; Deborah Forte, Toby Emmerich and Carolyn Blackwood for New Line Cinema; and Ben Irving for the BBC.

Verizon Media and HBO are working together on an ad campaign that uses augmented reality to promote season two of the HBO show His Dark Materials.

The campaign is running in native ads in content on Verizon Media properties including Yahoo News and Yahoo Sports.

Verizon Media used its first-party data and real audience information to reach television fans at scale, driving tune in from viewers likely to connect with the show.

With the AR experience, viewers can see their daemon come to life. A Daemon is a physical manifestation of a person’s “inner self” that takes the form of an animal. The ads also give viewers the option to download HBO’s His Dark Materials AR app.

Verizon Media said that entertainment seekers are 4.8 times more likely to want to learn more about a brand when the advertising is high-quality and fun.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion special is one of several specials and reality-themed shows that dominate new content debuting over the next seven days. 

HBO Max’s Westbrook Media-produced Fresh Prince special will debut Nov. 19 and will feature a star-studded reunion of the hit NBC comedy series as the show celebrates its 30th anniversary. 

Also on the docket this week is the Nov. 19 season four premiere of MTV’s Jersey Shore Family Vacation series as well as a Nov. 22 Showtime documentary on the life of comedian John Belushi.

On the scripted front, HBO's fantasy/drama series His Dark Materials (pictured) debuts its second season on Nov. 16. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of Nov. 16 to Nov. 22 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Nov. 18 -- No Man’s Land (drama) -- Hulu

Nov. 18 -- Resist (documentary) -- YouTube

Nov. 18 -- The Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse (animated) -- Disney Plus

Nov. 19 -- For the Love of Jason (drama) -- UMC

Nov. 19 -- I Hate Suzie (drama/comedy) -- HBO Max

Nov. 20 -- Run (drama movie) -- Hulu 

Nov. 20 -- Small Axe (drama) -- Prime Video

Nov. 20 -- Marvel’s 616 (reality) - Disney Plus

Nov. 21 -- Between the World and Me (drama) -- HBO

Season two of His Dark Materials begins on HBO Nov. 16. Based on Philip Pullman’s book trilogy, the series follows Lyra, a brave young woman from another world. Lyra’s quest to find her kidnapped friend leads her to uncover a plot of a secret organization, encounter extraordinary beings and protect dangerous secrets.

Dafne Keen plays Lyra. 

The season begins after Lord Asriel, played by James McAvoy, has opened a bridge to a new world. Distraught over the death of her best friend, Lyra follows Asriel into the unknown. In an abandoned city she meets Will, played by Amir Wilson, a boy from our world who is also running from a troubled past. Lyra and Will learn their destinies are tied to reuniting Will with his father but find their path is thwarted as a war begins to brew. Mrs. Coulter, played by Ruth Wilson, searches for Lyra, determined to bring her home by any means necessary.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is also in the cast, playing Lee Scoresby. 

His Dark Materials is produced by Bad Wolf in association with New Line Cinema for BBC One and HBO. 

The executive producers are Jane Tranter, Dan McCulloch, Philip Pullman, Jack Thorne, Joel Collins, Tom Hopper, Otto Bathurst, Ryan Rasmussen, Julie Gardner, Toby Emmerich and Carolyn Blackwood for New Line Cinema, and Deborah Forte and Ben Irving for BBC One. 

HBO's fantasy series His Dark Materials and the return of Showtime's Shameless highlight  shows making their debuts during the week of Nov. 4. 

His Dark Materials, debuting Nov. 4, is based on the novel series of the same name by Phillip Pullman and follows a young woman from another world who --on a quest to find her kidnapped friend -- encounters extraordinary beings and dangerous secrets, according to HBO.

Also this week, Showtime's Emmy-winning comedy series Shameless, starring William H. Macy, will mark its 10th season premiere on Nov. 10. 

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

Nov. 5 -- The End of the F***ing World (returning series) -- Netflix

Nov. 5 -- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (returning animation series) -- Netflix

Nov. 6 -- The Apollo (documentary) -- HBO

Nov. 8 -- Green Eggs and Ham (animation) -- Netflix

Nov. 10 -- Back to Life (comedy) -- Showtime

Nov. 10 -- Dublin Murders (drama) -- Starz

Nov. 10 -- Rick and Morty (returning series) -- Adult Swim