What are you going to be watching in January? With thanks to our friends at Nando’s, we round up everything coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand.
The biggies
The Gilded Age (weekly on Neon from January 25)
Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) adds his period drama touch to The Gilded Age, creating and writing this new HBO drama set in 1880s America. Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) and Christine Baranski (The Good Fight) play two rich New York aunts who adopt their orphaned niece and become caught up in a society shifting between old money and new, tradition and modernity. Gorgeous sets and costumes and plenty of melodrama mean The Gilded Age should go some way to filling the Downton void. / Tara Ward
Ozark (season four, part one on Netflix from January 21)
At first, Ozark felt like a basic Breaking Bad ripoff, another story about a mild-mannered man who finds he’s capable of doing terrible things. The show’s creator, Jason Bateman, has admitted as such. For those who’ve binged all three seasons on Netflix already, you’ll already know that Ozark has become something much more. Yes, it’s a twisted drug drama about a money launderer who gets in way over his head. Powered by sensational performances (the Emmy goes to … Julia Garner) and edge-of-your-seat storytelling, it consistently asks viewers the question: “What would you do?” Season three ended with blood. Judging by the trailer for season four, which will be split into two parts and is the series’ last, there’s much more where that came from. Let’s hope it’s been worth the very long wait. / Chris Schulz
Euphoria (season two on Neon weekly from January 10)
The hottest drama of 2019 finally returns to our screens. Time hasn’t necessarily been kind to Euphoria, the teen drama that tried to turn edge and style into substance and meaning, but it’s hard to deny that something about the series really works. That something? Zendaya, who has never been bigger than she is right now. I’ll watch anything for Zendaya, and the second season of Euphoria is no exception./ Sam Brooks
The Tourist (on TVNZ on Demand from January 3)
Jamie Dornan says hello to fifty shades of red in this tense new thriller set in the Australian outback. Dornan plays a British tourist being chased down by a big truck as they both drive across the desert, and when he wakes in hospital, can’t remember who he is or how he got there. Written by the team behind The Missing, Baptiste and Liar, this new drama promises plenty of surprising twists and turns, especially if you’re the one driving that big truck. / TW
The notables
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Windows (limited series on Netflix from January 28)
No, that’s not the new tongue-twister they’re trying out at drama schools across the globe, it’s a new dark comedy limited series starring Kristen Bell. The premise is more or less a play on Rear Window (or perhaps a pointed parody of the Amy Adams vehicle The Woman in the Window): We follow Anna (Bell), for whom every day is the exact same. She sits with her wine and watches the world pass her by from, yes, the window. When a handsome neighbour moves in across the street, life seems to change… until she witnesses a gruesome murder. Or is it the vino talking?/ SB
As We See It (on Amazon Prime Video from January 21)
The latest series from Emmy winner Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood), As We See It follows the lives of three roommates in their twenties who are all on the autism spectrum. We see the world through Jack, Violet and Harrison’s eyes, as they try to fall in love, hold down jobs and make friends in a world that struggles to accept them for who they are. Grab the tissues, this is going to pull on every heartstring. / TW
The Afterparty (limited series on Apple TV+ from January 28)
A murder-mystery comedy from the guys behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and 21 Jump Street? Starring Tiffany Haddish as a detective investigating said murder? Where each episode is told from a different character’s point of view and in a completely different film genre? Sign me the hell up. In all seriousness, this mini-series shows a lot of promise from the premise alone, but with actors like Ben Schwartz, Ilana Glazer, John Early and Sam Richardson, I’ll eat my various wigs and hats if it doesn’t meet all my expectations, and more. / SB
The Righteous Gemstones (season two weekly on Neon from January 11)
Praise be for a new season of the HBO comedy-drama about the powerful televangelist family and their corrupt megachurch. John Goodman plays family patriarch Dr Eli Gemstone, who – along with his three equally awful children – lives a life of blackmail, fraud and sin in the name of the good lord. There’s plenty of dark humour and star power here, and frankly, greed and corruption never looked so good. / TW
The movies
F9: The Fast Saga (on Neon from January 1, director’s cut on Amazon Prime Video from January 3)
Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell you F9 is a well made movie. I’m not going to declare it full of stunning cinematography, or world class, Oscar-worthy performances. F9 has exactly none of those. The acting is rudimentary, the CGI is subpar, and any storytelling is an afterthought. What F9 does is it gets the job done. You want car chases? That’s basically the whole film. You want high octane action and adrenalised fight sequences? Yes and yes. Do you want to a see a supercar pulled into a truck using a giant magnet? Of course you do. F9 is the most ridiculous movie ever made. You already know if you want to see it, and the answer is yes. / Chris Schulz
Eternals (on Disney+ from January 12)
This film has one audience: Marvel fans. Eternals is incredibly lucky that a lot of people are Marvel fans, because its premise sounds about as accessible as the surface of the sun: the Eternals, an immortal alien race who have been hanging around Earth for millennia, come out of hiding in order to confront their ancient, evil counterparts, the Deviants. If that makes sense to you, great! If it doesn’t, it’s a high budget film directed by Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao, starring Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayke, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani and Brian Tyree Henry throwing lasers at each other. Go forth. / SB
Every film in the Twilight saga (on Neon from January 12)
Hey, a late Christmas for some of you! Have a good one. / SB
This post is made possible by our friends at Nando’s.
The rest
Netflix
January 1
The Hook Up Plan: Season 3
Chief Daddy 2 – Going for Broke
Young Sheldon: Season 4
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
January 4
Action Pack
January 5
Rebelde
Four to Dinner
January 6
The Club: Part 2
The Wasteland
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood: Book 2
January 7
Hype House
Mother/Android
Johnny Test: Season 2
January 10
Undercover: Season 3
January 11
Dear Mother
January 12
Chosen
The Journalist
How I Fell in Love with a Gangster
January 13
Photocopier
Brazen
January 14
After Life: Season 3
The House
Archive 81
This is Not a Comedy
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure
January 18
The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman
Mighty Express: Train Trouble
January 19
Too Hot to Handle: Season 3
El marginal: Season 4
Heavenly Bites: Mexico
January 20
The Royal Treatment
Midnight Asia: Eat – Dance – Dream
January 21
Summer Heat
Ozark: Season 4: Part 1
My Father’s Violin
Munich – The Edge of War
That Girl Lay Lay
January 24
Three Songs for Benazir
January 25
Snowpiercer: Season 3 (weekly)
Neymar: The Perfect Chaos
Ada Twist, Scientist: Season 2
January 26
The Sinner: Season 4: Percy
Frame
Romper Stomper
January 27
Framed! A Sicilian Murder Mystery
January 28
Feria: The Dark Light
In From the Cold
The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness
Home Team
Angry Birds: Summer Madness
The Orbital Children
Neon
January 1
Bob the Builder: Season 21
Fireman Sam: Season 12
Thomas and Friends: Season 24
PAW Patrol: Season 6b
Singing Safari
January 2
Deliciousness
Fires
Ron’s Gone Wrong
January 3
The Casagrandes
F9: The Fast Saga
Steven Universe: The Movie
January 4
Chicken Run
Hibiscus and Ruthless
January 5
The Wine Show: Season 3
Fantastic Mr. Fox
January 6
Regular Show: The Movie
January 7
Adventure Time Distant Lands
Voyagers
January 8
Six Minutes to Midnight
The Unholy
January 9
A Discovery of Witches: Season 3
Tom and Jerry: The Movie
January 10
Euphoria: Season 2
Charlie’s Angels
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle
January 11
The Righteous Gemstones: Season 2
January 12
It’s Pony
Steven Universe
Twilight
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Twilight Saga: New Moon
January 14
Peacemaker
French Exit
January 15
The Night House
The Professor and the Madman
January 16
Chaos Walking
January 17
Thomas and Friends: Season 23
Liverpool Narcos
Wiener Dog Internationals
January 18
The Fungies!
Olympus has Fallen
January 19
Frayed: Season 1-2
January 20
Timmy Time: Season 3
London Has Fallen
January 21
Catfish: The TV Show: Season 8
Long Story Short
January 22
Antlers
January 23
Judas and the Black Messiah
January 24
Billions: Season 6
January 25
The Gilded Age
LA LA Land
January 26
First Dates: Season 6-8
A Royal Night Out
January 27
My Week with Marilyn
January 28
Butterbeans Cafe
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
The Devil has a Name
January 29
Great White
January 30
Mortal Kombat
January 31
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Hateful Eight
TVNZ OnDemand
January 1
Outrageous Fortune
The Ideal Palace
Blue is the Warmest Colour
Is Love Racist? The Dating Game
Finding Vivien Maier
InRealLife
The Song Catcher
Whitney
Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story
Kidnapping in Paradise
Girl in the Basement
Bear Grylls: Mission Survive
Bottom Feeders: Season 3
Cheetah in August
Trasfinite
Boy Boy Montreal
The Heart Dances – The Journey of the Piano: The Ballet
Wayne
Breaking Habits
Chicken People
January 3
The Tourist
January 4
The Bachelor
Dragon Nine Realms
January 5
Guilt
January 6
Good Sam
Heroes
Heroes Reborn
January 10
Ahikāroa: Season 4: Part 2
January 12
Superman & Lois
January 13
Hollington Drive
January 18
4400
Bloom
January 22
Deadly Power
January 21
The Game
January 23
The Rolling Stones: Crossfire Hurricane
Queen: Days of Our Lives
January 28
Malory Towers
January 29
Demons in the City of Angels
January 31
SEAL Team: Season 5
Disney+
January 5
Delicacies Destiny
The Fosters: Seasons 1-5
Tokyo Mer
The Simpsons: Season 32
Siren: Seasons 1-3
Good Trouble: Seasons 1-2
January 7
The Big Short
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Marley and Me
The Perfect Adventure
January 12
Gabby Duran and the Unsittables
Out the Shadows: The Man Behind the Steele Dossier
Chibi Tiny Tales
January 19
The World According to Jeff Goldblum
January 21
The Hate U Give
January 26
Breakthrough: Seasons 1-2
World’s Deadliest Snakes
Winnie the Pooh, A Valentine For You
January 28
Hit Monkey
Amazon Prime Video
January 1
F9: The Fast Saga: Director’s Cut
January 6
Les Norton
This is Us: Season 6
Arctic Drift
January 7
The Tender Bar
January 13
Every Breath You Take
Nike’s Big Best
January 14
City of Lies
All Things Valentine
Deepest Cut
Do, Re and Mi: Season 1
Hotel Transvylania: Transformania
Home by Spring
Iain Stirling: Season 1
Love to the Rescue
Matching Hearts
The Story of Us
January 18
Songbird
January 20
The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog
The Expendables
The Expendables 2
The Expendables 3
January 21
As We See It
My Son
January 25
Shane Warne
January 26
This is Us: Season 6
January 31
Happy Feet
Penguins of Madagascar
Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitter Adventures
Superstar
The Sparks Brothers
Apple TV+
January 7
El Deafo
January 12
Wild Things: Siegfried and Roy
January 14
The Tragedy of Macbeth
January 21
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock
Servant: Season 3
January 28
The Afterparty
Acorn TV
January 3
Gold Digger
January 10
Queens of Mystery: Season 2
Rectify: Season 3
January 17
Poldark: Season 2
Republic of Doyle: Season 6
January 24
The Madame Blanc Mysteries
January 31
Cracker: Season 2
Shudder
January 4
Meander
The Source of Shadows
January 11
Eyes of Fire
Alison’s Birthday
Edge of the Knife
January 18
The Devil Below
Green Room
Southbound
All Cheerleaders Die
January 28
Come True