Television viewers on December 31, 2025, will have plenty of options to celebrate the transition to 2026, including star-studded New Year's Eve countdown specials and the series finale of Netflix's Stranger Things. Hosts like Ryan Seacrest and Anderson Cooper will lead festivities with live performances, while other programming spans sci-fi, sports, and marathons.
The evening kicks off with various shows across broadcast and streaming platforms. On Prime Video, the latest episode of Fallout sees Lucy entangled in the Legion's civil war, complicated by the arrival of Xander Harkness, played by Kumail Nanjiani, affecting the Brotherhood and Maximus. Apple TV+ continues Palm Royale, where Palm Beach society heads to Switzerland targeting the Dellacorte trust. Disney+ offers a new installment of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, with Percy and Annabeth facing their flaws at a resort sanctuary.
A standout event is the series finale of Stranger Things on Netflix. The trailer features flashbacks to the Hawkins crew's younger days, building to terrifying carnage, including a haunting shot of Dustin reacting to an approaching cloud of doom. This concludes the long-running sci-fi horror series after multiple seasons.
New Year's Eve specials dominate the night. ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest includes performances by 4 Non Blondes, 50 Cent, 6lack, AJR, BigXthaPlug, Chance the Rapper, Charlie Puth, Chappell Roan, Ciara, Demi Lovato, Diana Ross, DJ Cassidy's Pass the Mic Live! with Busta Rhymes, T.I. and Wyclef Jean, Filmore, Goo Goo Dolls, Jess Glynne, Jessie Murph, Jordan Davis, EJAE, Audrey Nuna and REI AMI, Leon Thomas, LE SSERAFIM, Lil Jon, Little Big Town, Madison Beer, Maren Morris, Mariah Carey, New Kids on the Block, OneRepublic, Pitbull, Post Malone, Rick Springfield, and Russell. Hosts are Ryan Seacrest, Rita Ora, Rob Gronkowski, Julianne Hough, and Chance the Rapper.
CNN presents New Year's Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, featuring Robyn, Shakira, Brandy and Monica, Bryan Adams, Florence + The Machine, and RAYE.
CBS airs New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash, hosted by Bert Kreischer and HARDY, with Jason Aldean, Lainey Wilson, Bailey Zimmerman, CeCe Winans and the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Riley Green, Marcus King, Megan Moroney, Zach Top, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, and Stephen Wilson Jr.
Additional programming includes a Twilight Zone marathon on Syfy, college football bowl games on ESPN such as Iowa vs. Vanderbilt at 12 p.m., and NBC's A Toast to 2025 hosted by Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, recapping the year's moments with guests from acting, sports, and news. A new horror film, Together, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, streams on Peacock, depicting a couple's encounter with a corrupting force.
