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New year, new month, new things coming to streaming!
New year, new month, new things coming to streaming!

Pop CultureJanuary 1, 2023

What’s new to Netflix NZ, Neon and other streaming services in January

New year, new month, new things coming to streaming!
New year, new month, new things coming to streaming!

What are you going to be watching in January? We round up everything coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ+.

The biggies

The Last of Us (on Neon from January 16)

Don’t do it. Don’t touch it. Leave it alone. The Last of Us, a video game that arrived on the Playstation 4 in the middle of 2013, is an untouchable piece of media, a ruthless post-apocalyptic zombie assault on the synapses. But it’s so much more than a survival horror game: underpinning it is a story of redemption, an examination of father-daughter relationships, and a look whether you can ever repair the wounds of the past. That ending – wow, that ending – still hits me nearly 10 years on. So why make a TV show out of it? Adaptations of popular video games are notoriously bad, but this HBO series has many things going for it, including the game’s creator Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl’s master crafter Craig Mazin at the helm, and two leads – Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey – that really do seem to be capturing the essence of Joel and Ellie. Is this the one that breaks out of the video game mould? I’m crafting shivs in preparation. / Chris Schulz

The Lying Life of Adults (on Netflix from January 4)

As Elena Ferrante-heads await the final season of the HBO series My Brilliant Friend, here comes Netflix with an adaptation of the Italian author’s 2019 novel. Set (again) in Naples – this time in the early 1990s – The Lying Life of Adults is a coming-of-age story about a misfit teen from an affluent family whose search for her estranged aunt takes her into the working-class parts of the city. Valeria Golino, familiar to viewers of a certain vintage from her roles in Rain Man and the Hot Shots comedies, plays Aunt Vittoria; newcomer Giordana Marengo is the tomboy-ish protagonist Giovanna. Along with lots of lovely views of the Amalfi Coast, Gen-Xers can expect a healthy dose of ’90s fashion nostalgia from this six-parter. / Catherine McGregor

Poker Face (on TVNZ+ from January 26)

Since Russian Doll, one of the most inventive series of the streaming era, anything new from that show’s co-creator and star Natasha Lyonne is worth checking out. But a Natasha Lyonne series created by Rian Johnson (Knives Out)? That’s appointment viewing. Poker Face is a real throwback: a case-of-the-week mystery comedy-drama, inspired by the classic detective show Columbo, featuring a slate of guest stars including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, Nick Nolte and Chloe Sevigny. January 26 can’t come soon enough. / Sam Brooks

Crossfire (on TVNZ+ from January 2)

Keeley Hawes (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) continues her long run of characters having a terrible time in this new British thriller from the team behind Apple Tree Yard and The Responder. Hawes plays a woman on holiday in Spain with family and friends when her resort is attacked by gunmen, and she has to do everything she can to escape. She also has secrets to protect and numerous hotel corridors to run through, so she has a lot on her plate. This is anything but a relaxing holiday watch, but fans of Hawes won’t be disappointed. / Tara Ward

The notables

That 90s Show (on Netflix from January 19)

Firstly, some terrible news: we are now further from the 90s than That 70s Show was from the 70s. But before you turn into dust, you might have time to tune into this reboot/sequel series, which focuses on Leia Forman, the daughter of Eric Forman and Donna Pincotti, and her teenage friends in the year 1995. The Forman grandparents, Red and Kitty, return from the original series, and the OG cast members are slated to make appearances in some capacity as well. / SB

Cunk on Earth (on Netflix from January 31)

Philomena Cunk is one of Britain’s best comedy exports. The character, created by comedian Diane Morgan and satirist Charlie Brooker (of Black Mirror fame), skewers the type of TV presenter who walks slowly towards the camera, explaining things they have barely any qualifications to explain. Morgan’s comedy is drier than decade-old sandpaper and sharper than a butcher’s knife come Christmas, and over the past decade she’s directed Cunk’s questionable abilities at topics including Christmas, Shakespeare and British history. Cunk on Earth, the character’s Netflix debut, sees her taking on world history, interviewing experts and generally making a twat of herself. / SB

The Rig (on Amazon Prime Video from January 6)

Big, dumb action TV shows have been MIA lately, but The Rig is making up for that by being bigger and dumber than most. You can probably guess the plot from the title: an oil rig off the coast of Scotland is enveloped by fog, hit by earthquakes and cut off from the rest of the world. It’s the kind of show where lots of people run frantically around control rooms, the ocean scenery looks greenscreened at all times, scaffolding falls into the sea regularly, and actors are forced to mutter lines like: “If we punch the earth long enough, eventually it’s going to punch back.” But it’s also from some of the team that delivered the excellent dob-in-a-cop Netflix drama Line of Duty, so clearly they know what they’re doing with this nonsense. / Chris Schulz

Extraordinary (on Disney+ from January 25)

Another superhero series? Yes, but don’t keep scrolling! This one comes from the producers of Killing Eve, and seems more Fleabag than Ant-Man. In the world of Extraordinary, everybody gets a power on their 18th birthday, but at 25, Jen (Máiréad Tyers) has still yet to get her power, whether it’s super-strength, flight, or some other cool mutant power. Frustrated at being the only normal in a world of supernormals (and therefore abnormal in herself), she goes on a hunt to discover her power. / SB

The movies

Top Gun: Maverick (on Neon from January 24)

Did anybody need a Top Gun: Maverick sequel? Maybe just Tom Cruise. But did anybody want it? If the $1.5 billion at the box office, the near universal critical acclaim, and the award nominations are any indicator, then yes they absolutely did. I can’t guarantee that a streaming platform is the best place to watch this blockbuster, but if you missed this long-awaited follow-up to the gayest piece of 80s military propaganda (a surprisingly high bar to clear), then you now have access to it from your very own lounge. / SB

If These Walls Could Sing (on Disney+ from January 6)

This Disney documentary marks the directorial debut of Mary McCartney (daughter of Beatle Paul) and honours Abbey Road, the music studio made famous by the Beatles. Featuring archival footage, never-heard-before session tapes and interviews with the likes of Paul McCartney, Ringo Star, Elton John and Noel Gallagher, If These Walls Could Sing takes us behind the famous doors and into the history of the world’s most famous – and longest running – studio. Fun fact: in the 1970s, financial troubles meant Abbey Road was nearly turned into a car park, only to be saved by the Star Wars movie soundtrack. Turns out there’s plenty more to Abbey Road than just that famous pedestrian crossing. / TW

Lizzo: Live in Concert (on Neon from January 1)

It’s a Lizzo concert! What more do you need for your New Year’s Eve hangover? Nothing. Enjoy 2023, y’all. / SB

The rest

Netflix

January 1

Kaleidoscope

Lady Voyeur

The Way of the Househusband: Season 2

F9: The Fast Saga

January 4

The Lying Life of Adults

How I Became a Gangster

Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street

The Hills: Season 1-2

January 5

Ginny & Georgia: Season 2

Woman of the Dead

Copenhagen Cowboy

January 6

The Ultimatum: France: Season 1: Part 2

Pressure Cooker

The Pale Blue Eye

Mumbai Mafia: Police vs The Underworld

January 10

Andrew Santino: Cheeseburger

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

January 11

Sexify: Season 2

Noise

January 12

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House

Vikings: Valhalla: Season 2

Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight: Season 2

January 13

Sky Rojo: Season 3

Trial by Fire

Dog Gone

Break Point

January 15

The Internship

January 18

Bosch and Rockit

January 19

That 90’s Show

Women at War

Khallat+

Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre

January 20

Fauda: Season 4

Sahmaran

Bake Squad: Season 2

Bling Empire: New York

Represent

Shanty Town

Devotion

Mission Majnu

January 23

Narvik

January 25

Against the Ropes

January 26

Daniel Spellbound: Season 2

Record of Ragnarok: Season 2

January 27

Lockwood and Co

Kings of Jo’Burg: Season 2

The Snow Girl

You People

January 30

Daniel Spellbound: Season 2

Princess Power

January 31

Cunk on Earth

Pamela, a Love Story

Neon

January 1

We Baby Bears

Lizzo: Live in Concert

We Bare Bears The Movie

January 2

Teen Mom OG: Season 9

Romantic Getaway

The Smurfs

The Smurfs 2

January 3

The Astronauts

Redeeming Love

January 4

Spongebob Squarepants: Season 12A

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

January 5

The Shawshank Redemption

January 6

Bump: Season 3

Easy A

January 7

Uncle Grandpa: Season 5

The Duel

January 8

The Duke

January 9

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

January 13

The Casagrandes: Season 2

Black Sheep

January 14

Minions: The Rise of Gru

January 16

The Last of Us

January 17

Your Honour: Season 2

January 18

Ghost in the Shell

January 19

Butterbean’s Cafe: Season 2

January 20

We’re Here: Season 2

January 22

Summer Camp: Season 1-5

Ascension

January 24

Top Gun: Maverick

January 25

Person of Interesting: Season 1-5

January 26

Lego Mixels: Season 1

Beverly Hills Cop

Beverly Hills Cop 2

Beverly Hills Cop 3

January 28

The Phantom of the Open

January 29

The Forgiven

TVNZ+

January 1

Rise of the Billionaires

Normal People

Fighter Pilot: The Real Top Gun

Ghostbusters (1984)

Ghostbusters 2

28 Days

The Eight Hundred

Woman at War

The Kleptocrats

The Men Who Stole the World

Kidnapped for Christ

Beers of Joy

Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story

Dying for a Crown

I’ll Be Watching

The Murder Pact

Surviving the Outback

The Seahunter

Dr Jackie

X-Rated: YC

Emergence

Game of Bros

The Machine

The Capote Tapes

The Beatles and Indie

Hollywood Bulldogs

January 2

Crossfire

Tess of the D’Ubervilles

January 3

StartUp

300 Years of French and Saunders

January 4

Uncovered: Killed by Hate

Bride Wars

Knight and Day

Marley and Me

January 6

‘Kura: Season 3

January 8

Mistresses: Season 1-8

January 9

The Dry

Happy Valley: Season 1-2

Ad Astra

The Big Short

Heat

Birdman

Noah

The Internship

Fantastic Mr Fox

January 10

The Bachelor Australia

The Calling

January 11

Banana

Cucumber

Uncovered: The Cult of Yahweh Ben Yahweh

January 12

The Grudge

The Grudge 2

Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

The Blair Witch Project

January 14

90210: Season 1-10

Street Kings

The Fountain

A Time to Kill

Bboys ont he Side

Empire Records

JFK

January 15

7.7 Billion People and Counting

Feast to Save the Planet

January 16

The Fades

January 17

Suits: Season 1-10

January 18

Murder and Justice: The Case of Martha Moxley

January 20

Trigonometry

January 21

Broken

January 23

Fight for First: Excel Esports

January 24

The Bachelor US

I Hate You

January 25

The Game

January 26

Poker Face

January 29

Thirteen

January 31

Alone

Disney+

January 4

Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Season 2

January 6

If These Walls Could Sing

January 9

Koala Man

January 11

Chasing Waves

January 25

Extraordinary

Amazon Prime Video

January 3

Last Seen Alive

January 6

The Rig

Infinite Storm

January 13

Hunters: Season 2

The Test: Season 2

January 15

The Story of Us

Love, Once and Always

A Dash of Love

Date with Love

All Things Valentine

The Perfect Bride

Matching Hearts

Love at First Glance

Love to the Rescue

Home By Spring

January 16

Mayor of Kingstown: Season 2

January 20

The Legend of Vox Machina: Season 2

Everything Everywhere All At Once

January 27

Shotgun Wedding

Alan Partridge – Stratagem

Apple TV+

January 13

Servant

Super League: The War for Football

January 20

Truth be Told

January 27

Shrinking

AMC+

January 5

Kevin Can F**K Himself: Season 2

The Walking Dead: Origins

Acorn TV

January 2

The Good Karma Hospital: Series 4

January 9

Shetland: Series 6

January 16

The Paradise: Series 2

January 30

Vera: Series 11

Shudder

January 19

Sorry About the Demon

January 26

The Lair

Keep going!