'Emancipation' Debuts, 'His Dark Materials' Launches Final Season: What's Premiering This Week (December 5-11)

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

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.