January is all about clean slates, bold resolutions, and settling into winter with a fresh queue of new TV shows and movies on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and other major streaming services. With the holidays in the rearview and awards season creeping closer, the month’s lineup feels like a reset button, offering comfort viewing, glossy escapism and prestige dramas designed to get people talking again.
Movie nights aren’t slacking either. The crime thriller “The Rip” teams up Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, while the bubbly “People We Meet on Vacation” leans into sun-splashed flirtation. Here’s our guide on what to watch in January 2026.
What to watch in January 2026
‘Run Away’ (Jan. 1, Netflix)
For the third year in a row, Netflix kicks off the new year with its latest mystery thriller series based on a best-selling Harlan Coben novel. “Run Away” centers on a family man, Simon Greene (James Nesbitt), whose happy home life is thrown into chaos when his eldest daughter, Paige (Ellie de Lange), runs away from home.
Simon will stop at nothing to locate her, but as he investigates her disappearances, he unearths dark secrets that could tear his family apart for good. Also starring Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver and Alfred Enoch, “Run Away” is another Netflix/Coben collaboration packed with twists and turns and disposable thrills. — Rory Mellon
Premieres January 1 on Netflix
‘The Pitt’ season 2 (Jan. 8, HBO Max)
It’s time to scrub in! On January 8 at 9 p.m. ET, we’ll be back in the E.R. trenches of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center with Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle), Nurse Katherine LaNasa (Dana Evans), Dr. Frank Landon (Patrick Ball) — fresh off a rehab stint following his benzo-stealing indiscretions — Dr. Samira Mohan (Supriya Ganesh) and the rest of the gang.
And while you can still expect the same sharply written trials and tribulations of hospital life told in a tension-building, real-life format, the second season will jump the action forward to Fourth of July weekend, where a cyberattack on a nearby hospital creates a massive influx of patients and a whole lot of holiday chaos at PTMC. — Christina Izzo
Premieres January 8 on HBO Max
‘The Traitors’ season 4 (Jan. 8, Peacock)
A fresh cast of gullible Faithfuls and ruthless Traitors is here, including “Real Housewives” alums Lisa Rinna and Porsha Williams, former Olympic athletes Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, culinary icon Kristen Kish, Drag Race star Monét X Change and Taylor Swift’s future mother-in-law Donna Kelce. They’re entering the castle for another round of high-stakes duplicity, dramatic reveals and downright ridiculous challenges, all for the chance to win a $250,000 prize pot. Scottish icon Alan Cumming is back as the fetchingly caped host to guide both players and viewers through the Traitors’ treacherous spree. — CI
Premieres January 8 on Peacock
‘A Thousand Blows’ season 2 (Jan. 9, Hulu)
The second installment of Steven Knight’s bare-knuckle boxing drama catches up with Sugar Goodson (“Adolescence” great Stephen Graham), Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby), Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) and her Forty Elephants gang, and the rest of the Londoners residing in the city’s gritty East End a year after the tragic events of that shocking season one finale.
Hezekiah is broken by grief, Sugar is self-destructively turning to the bottle and Mary, of course, has a plan, “one which will involve all those she holds dearest,” reads the official logline. “And this time it’s riskier than ever.” Along with those returning players, Ned Dennehy and Catherine McCormack join the ensemble for season 2. — CI
Premieres January 29 on Hulu
‘Coldwater’ (Jan. 9, Paramount+)
“Coldwater” was first released in the UK a while back, but it’s now finally reaching audiences elsewhere after being rebranded as a Paramount Plus original. This twisting psychological thriller stars “Walking Dead” actor Andrew Lincoln, and based on its gripping premise and trailer, it’s the kind of show that keeps you hooked until the very last episode. Sounds like the perfect binge-watch to me!
Stay‑at‑home dad John (Lincoln) relocates his family from London to the remote Scottish village of Coldwater after a violent incident at a playground brings his personal crisis to a head. Hoping for a fresh start, the family settles into quiet village life, where John quickly befriends next‑door neighbour Tommy (Ewen Bremner), a confident and well‑liked local. Though initially welcoming, a series of unsettling occurrences leads John to question who Tommy really is and whether his new life is as safe and simple as it first appeared. — Alix Blackburn
Premieres January 9 on Paramount+
‘People We Meet on Vacation’ (Jan. 9, Netflix)
January is a type of streaming escapism, like booking a summer vacation to distract from the seasonal blues. New Netflix rom-com “People We Meet on Vacation” looks poised to offer a much-needed ray of sunshine in what is often the dreariest month of the year.
Based on Emily Henry’s best-selling novel, it’s a will-they-won’t tale about two very different people: the free-spirited Poppy (Emily Bader) and the more uptight Alex (Tom Blyth). They’ve been best friends for years, with an annual tradition of spending the summer vacationing together. But when they start to consider the dynamics of their relationship, things get complicated. — RM
Premieres January 9 on Netflix
‘The Night Manager’ season 2 (Jan. 11, Prime Video)
A decade after it first became a hit, “The Night Manager” returns with unfinished business on its mind. Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine is back under an alias, running quiet MI6 surveillance and pretending the past stayed buried. Spoiler: It doesn’t.
One familiar face pulls him off the books and into a new arms-running nightmare, this time centered on Colombian power broker Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva). With Olivia Colman’s Angela Burr nudging Pine back into danger and allegiances cracking fast, season 2 is a reminder of why the globe-trotting spy can never clock out. — KW
Premieres January 11 on Prime Video
‘Industry’ season 4 (Jan. 11, HBO)
The fourth season of “Industry” arrives with the energy of a show that already blew itself up once and decided to keep going anyway. Season 3 ended like a mic drop, closing the Pierpoint chapter and scattering its survivors into new nexuses of power.
Now, Harper (Myha’la) and Yasmin (Marisa Abela) are back on top — richer, meaner, and circling each other as a glossy fintech disruptor ignites a globetrotting power struggle. Yasmin’s marriage to Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington) is already fraying, while Harper courts danger again. And then there’s Eric (Ken Leung), still scrapping and reminding us that the work is ugly. An era ended; something worse is starting. — KW
Premieres January 11 on HBO and HBO Max
‘Hijack’ season 2 (Jan. 14, Apple TV)
If Idris Elba asks you to board public transit with him, politely decline. “Hijack” is back for season 2, and Sam Nelson (Elba) has traded the friendly skies for a Berlin subway car packed with commuters — and a bomb.
Once again, the calmest man in the room finds himself negotiating with highly motivated criminals while authorities scramble above ground. Expect minute-by-minute tension, a meticulously planned takeover, and a villain who’s been obsessing for a year. Think a modern take on “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” with better suits. — KW
Premieres January 14 on Apple TV
‘Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials’ (Jan. 15, Netflix)
Nearly a century after the original Agatha Christie novel dropped, Netflix is taking the Queen of Crime’s 1929 page-turner “The Seven Dials Mystery” and turning it into a three-part adaptation written by “Broadchurch” creator Chris Chibnall.
Blending country-house caper with international espionage, the series follows determined young sleuth Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent (Mia McKenna-Bruce) investigating a secret society after a prank on a houseguest leads to, of course, murder. Helena Bonham Carter, Martin Freeman, Corey Mylchreest (“Queen Charlotte”), Ed Bluemel “(Sex Education”) and Nabhaan Rizwan (“KAOS”) round out the strong ensemble.— CI
Premieres January 15 on Netflix
‘Ponies’ (Jan. 15, Peacock)
“Game of Thrones” royalty Emilia Clarke and “The White Lotus” alum Haley Lu Richardson saddle up for Peacock’s new espionage thriller from “The Spy Who Dumped Me” cohorts Susanna Fogel and David Iserson.
Set in 1977 Russia, the eight-episode spy drama sees Clarke and Richardson play the titular “PONIES” — that’s “persons of no interest” in intelligence speak, FYI — two anonymous secretaries working in the American Embassy in Moscow. But when their respective husbands die under mysterious circumstances, the women trade those lowly desk jobs for high-stakes field work, becoming CIA operatives to uncover a Cold War conspiracy behind the tragedy. — CI
Premieres January 15 on Peacock
‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Jan. 15, Paramount+)
The latest Star Trek series jumps to the 32nd century and asks what Starfleet looks like after everything’s fallen apart due to the cataclysmic event portrayed in “Star Trek: Discovery.” The answer: the first new class of cadets in over a century, training aboard the USS Athena while navigating rivalries, first loves and a looming threat to the Federation itself.
The shows skews younger, messier and more emotional — like a teen drama set in space. With Holly Hunter running the Academy and Stephen Colbert chiming in as a digital dean, class is officially back in session. — KW
Premieres January 15 on Paramount+
‘The Rip’ (Jan. 16, Netflix)
Netflix’s lineup of crime thrillers is already impressive, but one movie arriving in 2026 is shaping up to be a must-watch. That movie is “The Rip,” and after seeing the first trailer, I’m completely on board with its dark and unexpectedly action-packed vibe. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck team up once again under the direction of writer-director Joe Carnahan. Considering their Oscar-winning collaboration on “Good Will Hunting” and the success of their solo projects since, this reunion comes with high expectations.
“The Rip” follows a team of Miami police officers who, during a routine operation, uncover millions of dollars hidden in an abandoned stash house. As word spreads about the enormous cash seizure, tensions and suspicions flare within the unit. The officers must work through the fallout of their discovery while dealing with external pressures from outside forces also aware of the haul. — AB
Premieres January 16 on Netflix
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ (Jan. 18, HBO)
After a “Thrones”-less 2025, we’re finally heading back to Westeros for a slice of smaller-scale, on-the-ground drama from George R.R. Martin’s fantasy realm.
Set roughly a century before the events of HBO’s smash-hit original, this latest “Game of Thrones” spinoff is poised to introduce us to two unlikely heroes wandering the realm: the naïve but courageous Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his diminutive squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), from Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg.
This initial, six-episode season is based on the first of the three Dunk & Egg novellas, “The Hedge Knight,” which saw our lowborn hero encountering the thrills and spills of a combat tournament at Ashford Meadow, where he falls foul of some dangerous folk. Expect intense fantasy action when “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” premieres mid-January. — Martin Shore
Premieres January 18 on HBO and HBO Max
‘Steal’ (Jan. 21, Prime Video)
Have you ever thought about how you’d respond if you were suddenly trapped in a bank robbery? While hopefully we never have to face that scenario, the gripping new crime drama “Steal” delves into just that. Arriving on Prime Video in the New Year, the series follows the aftermath of a brutal heist at an investment firm across five adrenaline-filled episodes.
In “Steal,” Zara (Sophie Turner) is an everyday employee at Lochmill Capital, whose workday takes a terrifying turn when a group of armed intruders invades the office. They force her and her colleague Luke (Archie Madekwe) to follow their orders in the pension fund investment firm. Investigators led by Detective Chief Inspector Rhys (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) begin probing the theft of billions from ordinary people’s pensions. Rhys, battling a recent gambling relapse, must manage his own struggles as he investigates the complicated series of events unfolding before him. — AB
Premieres Jan. 21 on Prime Video
‘The Beauty’ (Jan. 21, FX)
After a decade-plus of prolific screen collaborations — from ten seasons of the FX anthology “American Horror Story” to the 2022 Netflix miniseries “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” — actor Evan Peters and creator-producer Ryan Murphy are back at it again with the upcoming sci-fi body-horror series “The Beauty,” based on the comic book of the same name by Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley.
Premiering on both FX and FX on Hulu on January 21 with its first three installments, the 11-episode series sees the world of high fashion turn dark when international supermodels begin dying in gruesome and mysterious ways. Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope, Ashton Kutcher and Rebecca Hall join Evans in the star-studded cast. — CI
Premieres January 21 on FX (via Sling, Fubo or YouTube TV) and on Hulu
‘Wonder Man’ (Jan. 27, Disney+)
Marvel’s next Disney Plus series just might be its most intriguing in ages. Disney bills “Wonder Man” as a “story about filmmaking and ambition,” and I can’t help but wonder how exactly the superhero elements of its title hero will play into the series itself.
The “Wonder Man” show revolves around Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an aspiring Hollywood actor (with powers of his own) trying to score a big break. Simon happens across British actor, Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley) — who played the false Mandarin in “Iron Man 3”, if you need a reminder — and during their chance meeting, he learns that a legendary director intends to remake the superhero movie “Wonder Man” in order to reimagine the genre. Together, we follow these two performers as they pursue potentially life-changing roles in Von Kovak’s ambitious remake and get a peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry in the process. — MS
Premieres January 27 on Disney+
‘Shrinking’ season 3 (Jan. 28, Apple TV)
The hangout comedy that quietly became one of TV’s best ensembles is officially back for season 3, with Jimmy (Jason Segel) finally on the other side of grief and forgiveness and nervously inching toward whatever comes next.
And yes, that means dating. Cobie Smulders reprises her role as Sofi, reopening old sparks and new complications. Meanwhile, Paul (Harrison Ford) remains the blunt truth speaker he’s always been. Season 3 promises more ethically dubious “Jimmying,” warm laughs, and a standout guest turn from Michael J. Fox. — KW
Premieres January 28 on Apple TV
‘The Wrecking Crew’ (Jan. 28, Prime Video)
Two of Hollywood’s best beefcakes, Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista, flex their comedy muscles in the upcoming buddy-cop action flick “The Wrecking Crew.” (Claes Bang, Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon, Stephen Root and Morena Baccarin also star.)
Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto (“Blue Beetle”) and written by Jonathan Tropper (“Your Friends & Neighbors”), the Prime Video flick follows two half-brothers — a loose-cannon cop (Momoa) and a disciplined Navy SEAL (Bautista) — who must get over their personal problems and work together to unravel a conspiracy behind their father’s murder in Hawaii. — CI
Premieres January 28 on Prime Video
‘Bridgerton’ (Jan. 29, Netflix)
Dearest readers! After much shuffling around, the “Bridgerton” spotlight is finally shifting to bohemian, bisexual second son Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and the love story that plays out in Julia Quinn’s novel “An Offer from a Gentleman.”
In a mix of “Cinderella” and “Downton Abbey,” season 4 of Netflix’s Regency-era romance sees Benedict meet and fall for the mysterious Lady in Silver at a masquerade ball—only, she is secretly a lowly but resourceful housemaid named Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). The upcoming eps will not only delve into their rags-meets-riches romance but also the societal reverberations of their unexpected coupling on the Ton. — CI
Premieres January 29 on Netflix
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