The TV Cave Daily TV Guide: What to Watch on December 31

New year, new chaos on your screen. Whether you’re staying up all night, sneaking in some early-morning streaming, or just here for the midnight countdowns, The TV Cave has your December 31 TV lineup locked and loaded. From post-apocalyptic drama to wall-to-wall New Year’s Eve spectacles, here’s how to spend the final hours of 2025 with your remote firmly in hand.

🌙 Early Morning Streaming (3:00 AM ET)

Because sleep is optional and cliffhangers are forever.

Fallout

Prime Video Lucy finds herself tangled in the Legion’s internal power struggle, while a very unexpected arrival shakes up the Brotherhood and Maximus’ already messy plans. If you like your end-of-the-world stories with moral dilemmas and shifting alliances, this is your cue.

Palm Royale

Apple TV Palm Beach’s elite trade sunshine for Swiss sophistication as old money, new ambitions, and a generation-skipping trust collide. Glamour, secrets, and social maneuvering—passport not required.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Disney+ Percy and Annabeth check into what looks like a peaceful resort sanctuary… which of course means emotional reckonings and mythological complications are right around the corner.

Together (New to Streaming)

Hulu James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan star as a couple forced into extended lockdown, discovering that surviving each other may be harder than surviving the world outside. Intimate, funny, and uncomfortably relatable.

👁️ Late-Night Classics (5:00 AM ET)

The Twilight Zone Marathon

SYFY (through Friday at 6:00 AM ET) Step into a marathon where twists, irony, and existential dread never sleep. Perfect background viewing—or full immersion—while the rest of the world catches up to your schedule.

🏈 Afternoon Sports Takeover (Starting at 12:00 PM ET)

If your New Year’s Eve plans include wings, jerseys, and yelling at the TV, you’re covered.

College Football

ESPN

• Iowa vs. Vanderbilt (12:00 PM ET)

• Nebraska vs. Utah (3:30 PM ET)

• Miami vs. Ohio State (7:30 PM ET)

CBS

• Arizona State vs. Duke (2:00 PM ET)

ABC

• Michigan vs. Texas (3:00 PM ET)

Clear your calendar—or pretend you’re “just watching one game.”

🎉 Prime-Time New Year’s Eve Events (8:00 PM ET)

This is where the night goes big, loud, and glitter-heavy.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest

ABC The ultimate countdown returns with an absolutely stacked lineup of performers across every genre imaginable. Ryan Seacrest leads the charge with a rotating group of co-hosts as music, confetti, and celebrity cameos take over your living room.

New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen

CNN Part concert, part commentary, part unpredictable chaos. Anderson and Andy ring in the new year with major musical performances and their signature unscripted energy.

New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash

CBS Country music fans, this one’s for you. Nashville brings the hits, the heart, and a parade of genre favorites as the clock ticks down to midnight.

Stranger Things

Netflix The end is here. The series finale flashes back to the Hawkins kids’ earliest days before unleashing one final wave of terror. Expect emotion, devastation, and the kind of ending fans will be talking about well into 2026.

🥂 Late-Night Wind Down (10:30 PM ET)

A Toast to 2025

NBC Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager host a reflective, celebratory look back at the year that was, joined by familiar faces from across entertainment, sports, and news. Cozy, uplifting, and a gentle landing after the confetti storm.

Final Thoughts from The TV Cave

Whether you’re chasing nostalgia, spectacle, football glory, or one last binge before the calendar flips, December 31 has something queued up for every kind of viewer. Stock the snacks, charge the remote, and we’ll see you on the other side of midnight.