This Winter has been exceptional for television and film. Getting cozy in your bed to binge watch a movie series or tv show has never felt so good until the Winter months. New television and movies get a lot of hate for the constant repeats of just plain bad writing (AI), so I took a poll on Fizz asking students if they were excited for new film and television media. With 336 votes for “Yes, it’s so good” and 357 “No, new media sucks” it’s safe to say television and movies are under a bit of scrutiny in 2025-26. Good thing I watched some of the new stuff to tell you if it’s worth it or not! Below is a compilation of a few recent releases of television and film that I have enjoyed in the months of 2025 into 2026.
Not to be a spoiler but I can not go much further into this article without talking about “Stranger Things” season 5. The release dates were scattered between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years but kept every viewer engaged, on the edge of their seats, until the very end of the series. Often Season 1 is praised for its horror aspect which was very much lost in season 5, being more modern and lacking plot points. Due to this, I would give the season a 7/10. I feel this score represents the eight episodes due to the creative, dramatic, and qualitative effect of the season not being as high as previous seasons. The audience believed there should be higher stakes of the characters’ lives, and did not think the gang’s fight with Vecna was long enough for them to have been fighting the manipulator in the “Upside Down” for years now. I took a poll on Fizz to see how many students watched “Stranger Things” 5 and overwhelmingly got the statistic of “Yes” with 1218 votes versus 424 saying “No”.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo did their “big one” in “Wicked: For Good,” released on November 21, 2026. Within nine weeks globally the movie made $520 million in the box office, not as much as the first movie with its gross being $758 million. The music, the acting, the costumes, and the minute details made the movie absolutely dazzling and unforgettable, resulting in me giving it a 9/10. To watch the movie is to be thrown into the world of Munchkin Land and the land of Oz as it nostalgically brings viewers back to Dorothy and her friends going to see the wizard. Incredible sets and CGI made the movie feel like you were there and that visiting Oz could be attainable! Maeve Cronin, a sophomore, loves the franchise and gushed that “It continued the story perfectly, and seeing the emotions and friendship between Elphaba and Glinda made it beautifully tragic.” She saw it in theaters when it came out and said “it was unforgettable!”
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” soared into new heights on its release in December to an ecstatic audience. James Cameron’s story brings viewers into the technicolor dream world of Pandora following the plot of the Sully family after Neteyam’s death. A long-time viewer of the movie series, Emily Matos, a sophomore, eagerly waited for this film to release and told me she “loved the way the movie does such an excellent job of transporting you into the world of Pandora,” as she explained her excitement about the movie. This is a top recommendation for movies to watch as I rate it an 8/10 and wish to watch it again.
Timothée Chalamet marketed his supposedly table tennis centered movie “Marty Supreme” for quite some time before the release on Christmas Day. Though audiences seemed to be ready for a movie strictly about table tennis, the movie deterred from that plot most of the time. While watching it, I claimed it felt like watching three movies at the same time as I tried to keep track of every plot line. You may be thinking I would give this movie a bad score, but I rate it a 7/10. The acting, visual effects, score, and commitment to learning table tennis by Chalamet is what brings it to 7 instead of 6.5. I would not recommend going to the movie theater to see this, but waiting until it is streaming to watch with friends and be confused all together. I would not say I will be watching “Marty Supreme” again, but I would recommend this movie to a young adult who wants a little motivation.
Overall, while new television and film are clearly debated in 2025–26, this winter proved that good movies and television are far from dead. Between the nostalgia-fueled finale of “Stranger Things,” the spellbinding magic of “Wicked: For Good,” the immersive beauty of “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” or even the chaotic charm of “Marty Supreme,” there was something worth watching for everyone. Not every release was perfect, but that’s half the fun of being a viewer. Grab a blanket, press play, and decide for yourself, because winter TV season definitely delivered more hits than misses.