15 Cozy Holiday Shows For Bingeing With An Oversized Blanket & A Mug Of Cocoa

A very merry… homicide? OK, I know, but hear me out. In this Hallmark series, Sarah Drew (yes, April from Grey’s Anatomy) plays Emily Lane, a newcomer to the quaint town of Fletcher’s Grove. There, she runs an impossibly charming Christmas shop — and keeps stumbling into murders. But trust that it is full-on cozy between all the twinkle lights and flirty banter with Peter Mooney’s Sam. Plus (!), Emily has a mysterious past of her own that just seems to get juicier every season. Season 3 premieres Thursday, Nov. 5, and Good Witch queen Catherine Bell joins the fun, so now’s the time to catch up.

Where to stream: Hallmark+, Netflix (Seasons 1 and 2)

Is there anything more quintessentially holiday-esque than baking? The GBBS holiday specials give you everything you love about the lovely culinary competition (The tent! Paul Hollywood! Desserts that make you drool!), but bring back fan-favorite bakers from past seasons to whip up festive showstoppers. I love that the stakes are blissfully low here; no one’s going home in tears. It’s the TV equivalent of a warm mince pie, and the rare show the whole fam will actually watch together. Bonus: You may be inspired to bake! If you’re anything like me, you will not succeed… but you’ll be inspired, nonetheless.

Where to stream: Netflix

This cutie-pie series has only one season, with just eight half-hour episodes. That’ll get you through a marathon night of gift wrapping, won’t it? Cynical Dash (Austin Abrams) and endlessly sunny Lily (Midori Francis) trade dares in a red notebook they leave for each other all over New York City at Christmastime. I mean, come on, you can’t ask for much cozier than that. It’s like a scavenger hunt crossed with You’ve Got Mail, minus the corporate bookstore villainy. It’s swoony and gorgeous and features the historic Strand bookstore, and I’ll never fully forgive Netflix for canceling it after one season.

Where to stream: Netflix

I realize this isn’t technically a holiday show, but I just feel like nothing says “cozy winter” quite like this sitcom about a fish-out-of-water New York doctor stuck in the tiny, quirky, snowy town of Cicely, Alaska. It’s peak ‘90s comfort TV, aka weird in the best ways. I highly recommend watching the whole series from the start. However, if you just need a quick fix, start with the Christmas episode “Seoul Mates” from Season 3 and then just keep going until spring.

Where to stream: Prime Video

One of my favorite Christmas shows to come out of the last few years, this series sees Mae Whitman (forever Amber from Parenthood) as Kate, a perfectly content single textile designer in an English village whose best friends sign her up for a holiday matchmaking program. The gist: 12 themed dates leading up to Christmas. It’s all very Bridget Jones by way of a Christmas market with (bonus!) Jane Seymour and Mary McDonnell along for the ride, not to mention a sweet B-plot about Kate’s dad finding love again. Six episodes with a satisfying ending and no cliffhanger? Total bliss.

Where to stream: Hallmark+

Since we’re on the subject of Hallmark holiday series, might I put you on to Hallmark’s official first-ever holiday series? This one follows six families on one cul-de-sac as they navigate the chaos (and, yes, joy) of the season. It’s a totally stacked cast, too, thanks to Ian Harding, Erin Cahill, Rachelle Lefevre, and Dennis Haysbert in the mix. Basically, it’s a warm ensemble-cast hug of a show that’ll have you weirdly ready to head home for the holidays and straight into your family’s distinctive brand of holiday dysfunction.

Where to stream: Hallmark+, Prime Video

Anyone who’s ever fielded “So… are you seeing anyone new?” over holiday dinner will relate to our heroine here: Johanne, a 30-something nurse who panics under family pressure and claims she’s bringing a boyfriend home for Christmas. Ah, classic setup! That means she has 24 days to find one, so the race is on. This Norwegian rom-com is funny and real and snowy and absolutely worth the subtitles.

Where to stream: Netflix

I never thought I’d be so into a reality series about glassblowing, but here we are! Here, glassblowers make holiday ornaments, snow globes, and festive sculptures out of molten glass and, I gotta be honest, it’s oddly soothing. It’s a solid choice when you need the kind of background TV to put on that the kids won’t complain about.

Where to stream: Netflix

Dennis Quaid is in peak Dennis Quaid form as an intense family patriarch who meets his youngest daughter’s musician boyfriend over the holidays. It’s got that classic multicam sitcom feel, laugh track and all, that nails the delightful agony of spending a holiday week trapped in your parent’s house. It’s only one season, making it an easy binge.

Where to stream: Netflix

There’s just something about a show that takes place in a small town where everybody’s all up in your business that feels somehow inherently holiday-esque. So no, this one’s not specifically a Christmas series, but it feels right at home on the list. Anna Lambe stars as Siaja, a young Inuk mom who walks away from her marriage and tries to build a new life in the tiny Arctic town of Ice Cove. It’s a super-snowy series that manages to come across incredibly warm, not to mention laugh-out-loud funny. Season 1 swept the Canadian Screen Awards, and Season 2 lands on Netflix Nov. 5.

Where to stream: Netflix

Was there ever any doubt? Stars Hollow in the snow is the blueprint for cozy TV. Lorelai’s love of wintry weather (“I smell snow”), the town’s over-the-top seasonal festivities, Luke’s Diner, enough coffee to kill a horse… it’s like a holiday show that happens to be year-round. Whether you’re watching for the 20th time or finally indoctrinating your teen, there’s truly no wrong time to go back to Stars Hollow. There’s definitely a right time, though, and it’s now.

Where to stream: Netflix

How do I love this show? Let me count the ways: 1. Tina Fey, 2. Will Forte, 3. Colman Domingo, 4. Steve Carell, 5. Kerri Kenney-Silver, 6. Marco Calvani, 7. Erika Henningsen… OK, OK, you get the point. Which is that there are many reasons to love this Netflix series about a group of longtime friends who vacation together four times a year. Every season of the show includes a winter getaway, complete with cozy cabin vibes. Season 2 dropped this spring and Season 3 is in production, so you’ve got 16 episodes to work through for now.

Where to stream: Netflix

Ugh, my heart! In this lovely series, the late, great Treat Williams stars as a big-shot New York neurosurgeon who uproots his grieving kids to a tiny mountain town in Colorado. Cue snow streets and small-town eccentrics and lots of earnest WB-era feelings! In full transparency, this one might make you cry into your hot cocoa. At four seasons long, it makes for the perfect long December binge.

Where to stream: Prime Video, Pluto TV

I cannot stress enough how much any self-professed devotee of cozy shows should be watching this adaptation of James Herriot’s books. All Creatures Great and Small follows a young vet in the Yorkshire Dales, and every season ends with the exact kind of Christmas special your holiday-loving heart hopes for, between snowy farmhouses, roaring fires at the pub, and loved ones gathered around the table at Skeldale House. Season 7 doesn’t hit PBS until Jan. 17, 2027, so you’ve got this final stretch of the year to get all caught up.

Where to stream: PBS app (with PBS Passport) and PBS Masterpiece on Prime Video

Host Jonathan Bennett (aka Aaron Samuels) and judge Melissa Peterman put 10 aspiring leading men through festive challenges in this Hallmark holiday competition. Think Santa auditions, gingerbread builds, and scene work with Hallmark royalty like Tyler Hynes and Alison Sweeney. The goal? To crown one the next star of a Countdown to Christmas movie. It’s cheesy in the way that all the best holiday stuff is, and will actually hit you right in the feels when you least expect it.

Where to stream: Hallmark+