What to Watch this week: Avatar sequel The Way of Water, and Yellowstone prequel 1923

After a 13-year wait, one of the most anticipated sequels finally makes its debut: James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water. Almost as much time has passed for the movie's main characters, Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), who now live in the jungles of Pandora with their growing family.

It's a big week for the Yellowstone franchise: the OG series has its midseason finale, and the new prequel series 1923 makes its debut. Starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, the series centers on an earlier generation of the Dutton family as they fight to protect their ranch.

Also this week: The Voice and Survivor both crown new winners; Maya Rudolph is joined by new cohost Amy Poehler for a new season of Baking It!; and ABC celebrates the 30th anniversary of Beauty & the Beast with a special starring H.E.R., Josh Groban, and more.

Hear more on all of this week's must-see picks on EW's What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall. Be sure to listen/subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, or via your own voice-controlled smart speaker (Alexa, Google Home).

What to Watch this week

Monday, December 12

Streaming
Baking It (season premiere) - Peacock
Midsomer Murders (season prem) - Acorn TV
Whitstable Pearl (season finale) - Acorn TV
Judy Justice - Amazon Freevee
The Checkup With Dr. David Agus (season finale) - Paramount+
Doc Martin - Acorn TV

8 p.m.
A Nashville Country Christmas (special) - CMT
The Great Christmas Light Fight (season finale) - ABC
Family Reunion: Love & Hip Hop Edition - VH1
Below Deck - Bravo
Holiday Baking Championship - Food Network/Discovery+
The Neighborhood (fall season finale)- CBS
The Voice - NBC
90 Day: The Single Life - TLC (and streaming on Discovery+)
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta - VH1
Bachelor in Paradise - ABC
Below Deck: Mediterranean - Bravo

8:30 p.m.
Bob Hearts Abishola - CBS

9 p.m.
Celebrity IOU - HGTV
Southern Hospitality - Bravo
His Dark Materials - HBO
Love It or List It - HGTV
The Culpo Sisters - TLC (and streaming on Discovery+)
The Surreal Life - VH1
Love & Hip Hop: Miami - VH1
The Cleaning Lady (season finale) - FOX

10 p.m.
Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown - Food Network/Discovery+
Quantum Leap - NBC
The Good Doctor (season finale) - ABC

11 p.m.
Barmageddon - USA

11:30 p.m.
E! News - E!

Tuesday, December 13

Streaming
Kindred (series debut) - Hulu
Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge (series debut) - Amazon Prime Video
Tom Papa: What a Day! (comedy special) - Netflix
Last Chance U: Basketball (season premiere) - Netflix
Sampled (docuseries debut) - Paramount+
The Battle for Justina Pelletier (docuseries debut) - Peacock
Welcome to Chippendales - Hulu

Movies
The Banshees of Inisherin - Digital
Boy Scout's Honor - VOD

8 p.m.
FBI (fall season finale) - CBS
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (fall season finale) - ABC
Bering Sea Gold - Discovery
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter (season finale) - MTV
The Renovator - HGTV
Deadliest Catch - Discovery

9 p.m.
Beat Bobby Flay - Food Network/Discovery+
Professionals - The CW
Below Deck Adventure - Bravo
FBI: International (fall season finale) - CBS
Pelosi in the House (doc) - HBO
Good Bones - HGTV
Fixer to Fabulous - HGTV
The Voice (season finale) - NBC
La Reina del Sur - Telemundo

10 p.m.
My Big Fat Fabulous Life - TLC
VICE TV's Tales From The Territories - VICE TV
FBI: Most Wanted (fall season finale) - CBS

Wednesday, December 14

Check Local Listings
NOVA: Rebuilding Notre Dame - PBS

Streaming
Back in the Groove - Hulu
Too Hot to Handle (season finale) - Netflix
Willow - Disney+
The Santa Clauses (season finale) - Disney+
Leverage: Redemption - Amazon Freevee
Tell Me Lies - Hulu

8 p.m.
The Challenge - MTV
Pawn Stars Do America - History Channel
Survivor (season finale) - CBS

9 p.m.
The Real Love Boat - CBS
Chucky - SYFY
LEGO Masters (season finale) - Fox
Love Without Borders - Bravo
Farmhouse Fixer - HGTV (and streaming on Discovery+)
Property Brothers: Forever Home - HGTV

9:30 p.m.
Love At First Lie - MTV

10 p.m.
Money Court - CNBC
Murder Under the Friday Night Lights - ID
Hard Knocks in Season: The Arizona Cardinals - HBO (and streaming on HBO Max)

10:30 p.m.
Reno 911 - Comedy Central

Thursday, December 15

Streaming
The Game (season premiere) - Paramount+
The Spectular (series debut) - Topic
Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery (special) - Netflix
Harry & Meghan (season finale) - Netflix
Sonic Prime (series debut) - Netflix
Call Me Miss Cleo (doc) - HBO Max
South Side - HBO Max
The Real Housewives of Miami - Peacock
Doom Patrol - HBO Max
Hush - ALLBLK
Wicked City - ALLBLK
Gossip Girl - HBO Max
Criminal Minds: Evolution - Paramount+
Fleishman Is in Trouble - Hulu
Gangs of London - AMC+
The Sex Lives of College Girls (season finale) - HBO Max
First Wives Club - BET+
Sesame Street - HBO Max and Cartoonito
Emeril Tailgates - The Roku Channel
The Family Business - BET+
Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-head - Paramount+

8 p.m.
Winter House - Bravo
Siesta Key: Miami Moves - MTV
Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (special) - ABC
Christina on the Coast - HGTV
Record Breaking Christmas (movie) - Lifetime

9 p.m.
Walker Independence - The CW
Luxe for Less - HGTV
Hip Hop Homicides - WEtv
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles - Bravo
So Help Me Todd (fall season finale) - CBS
Pickled - CBS
Cribs - MTV

9:30 p.m.
Mountain Men: Ultimate Marksman - History Channel
Alone: The Skills Challenge - History Channel

10 p.m.
The Parent Test (series debut) - ABC
I Am Shauna Rae - TLC
Branson - HBO (and streaming on HBO Max)
Race for the Championship - USA
True Crime Story: Indefensible - SundanceTV (and streaming on AMC+)
CSI: Vegas (fall season finale) - CBS

Friday, December 16

Streaming
The Recruit (series debut) - Netflix
Cook at All Costs (series debut) - Netflix
If These Walls Could Sing (doc) - Disney+
The Volcano: Rescue From Whakaari (doc) - Netflix
Judy Justice (winter season finale) - Amazon Freevee
Dance Monsters (series debut) - Netflix
Metallica Presents: The Helping Hands Concert - Paramount+ (8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT)
America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation - Amazon Freevee
Slow Horses - Apple TV+
Three Pines - Amazon Prime Video
Mythic Quest - Apple TV+
Play-Doh Squished - Amazon Freevee
The Mosquito Coast - Apple TV+
Acapulco (season finale) - Apple TV+
Shantaram (season finale) - Apple TV+

Movies
BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (movie) - Netflix
Avatar: The Way of Water (movie) - In theaters

8 p.m.
Penn & Teller: Food Us - The CW
A Christmas to Treasure (movie) - Lifetime
The L Word: Generation Q - Showtime
Lopez vs. Lopez - NBC

8:30 p.m.
Young Rock - NBC

9 p.m.
Fixer Upper: The Castle - Magnolia Network (and streaming on HBO Max and Discovery+)
The Greatest @Home Videos: Holiday Special - CBS
Love After Lockup (season premiere) - WEtv
20/20 - ABC
Dateline - NBC

10 p.m.
Battle of the Bling - HGTV
We're Here - HBO (and streaming on HBO Max)
The Proof Is Out There - History Channel
Saving the Manor - HGTV
Blue Bloods - CBS
The Last Cowboy - CMT

Saturday, December 17

Streaming
Snow Day (movie) - Paramount+

8 p.m.
The Holiday Dating Guide (movie) - Lifetime
The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2022 (special) - The CW

10 p.m.
Deadline to Disaster - The Weather Channel

11:30 p.m.
Saturday Night Live - NBC

Sunday, December 18

Streaming
1923 (series debut) - Paramount+
Tulsa King - Paramount+

7 p.m.
America's Funniest Home Videos - ABC
60 Minutes - CBS

8 p.m.
Home Town - HGTV
Christmas Cookie Challenge (season finale) - Food Network/Discovery+
Celebrity Jeopardy! - ABC
Single and Ready to Jingle - Lifetime
The Real Housewives of Potomac - Bravo
Yellowstone (winter season finale) - Paramount Network
Wrapped Up in Love (movie) - Lifetime
90 Day Fiancé - TLC

8:30 p.m.
When Christmas Was Young (movie) - CBS
The Equalizer - CBS
The Great North - Fox

9 p.m.
Spector - Showtime
George & Tammy - Showtime
Coroner (season finale) - The CW
Family Karma - Bravo
Dangerous Liaisons - Starz
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune - ABC

9:30 p.m.
East New York - CBS

10 p.m.
Step Up - Starz
NCIS: Los Angeles - CBS
Sister Wives - TLC

11 p.m.
Ziwe - Showtime

*times are ET and subject to change