The Holdovers

The Holdovers is currently streaming in Australia on Paramount Plus, and in the US on Peacock Premium and USA Network, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. An 8/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Paul Giamatti leads a cast with real comic timing. Available now on Paramount Plus — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, The Holdovers earns its spot. The Holdovers gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam. Between them, Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa carry the comedy without ever forcing it. It was released in 2023. The Holdovers earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

For viewers who want something light without wanting something stupid, The Holdovers respects your intelligence. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Paul Giamatti anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.