The new year arrives with a bang — with a ton of new movies and shows to watch in January 2024. There's something for everyone among the titles premiering on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock and other major streaming services.
With so much entertainment abundance, it's easy to feel a bit lost. That's why we've selected the best, buzziest and most interesting new shows and movies that you shouldn't miss. They include Marvel's latest entry, Echo, and the long-awaited True Detective season 4 and Feud season. Plus, January 2024 brings the survival thriller Society of the Snow, the dramedy Good Grief and the World War II drama Masters of the Air. Here's our guide on what to watch this month.
The Brothers Sun (Netflix, Jan. 4)
Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh takes on the role of a different kind of Chinese mother, though badass in her own way. Eileen is mom to Charles “Chairleg” Sun (Justin Chien) and Bruce (Sam Song Li). The latter is unaware of the truth of his family — that his father was the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad and that his older brother is a legendary killer.
When their father is shot by a mysterious assassin, Charles heads to Los Angeles to protect his family. But as Taipei’s deadliest societies and a new rising faction tussle for dominance, the Suns must grapple with the emotional wounds caused by their long separation and reform broken bonds before one of their countless enemies kills them all. - KW
Premieres Jan. 4 on Netflix
Society of the Snow (Netflix, Jan. 4)
Thirty years after Alive retold the story of the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight disaster comes this new take directed by J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) and featuring a cast of mostly unknown Uruguayan and Argentine actors. The survival thriller is based on journalist Pablo Vierci’s nonfiction book, which contained accounts from all 16 survivors.
In 1973, the flight was charted to fly a rugby team to Chile. On route, it crashed on a glacier in the heart of the Andes, with only 29 of the 45 passengers surviving. They find themselves in a brutal environment that forces them to resort to extreme measures to stay alive. - KW
Premieres Jan. 4 on Netflix
Foe (Prime Video, Jan. 5)
The premise of this sci-fi thriller doesn’t just sound like a Black Mirror episode, it’s almost an exact clone of season 6’s “Beyond the Sea.” Any similarities are just a coincidence, of course. Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal play married couple Hen and Junior, who live on a Midwestern farm ravaged by climate change. One day, a mysterious stranger (Aaron Pierre) arrives with the news that Junior has been selected for a mission to colonize another planet. During the years he’s gone, the government will replace him with a robotic clone to keep Hen company. She’ll get to keep her husband … sort of. - KW
Premieres Jan. 5 on Prime Video
Good Grief (Netflix, Jan. 5)
Marc (Dan Levy) finds his life upended by the sudden loss of his husband Oliver (Luke Evans). In his quest for healing, Marc embarks on a trip to Paris with his closest friends Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel). As they explore the picturesque streets of Paris, the trio confront some deep-seated truths and unspoken emotions in their friend group while dealing with their own problems. Though Marc has to find it within himself to move on and grieve on his own terms, ultimately time spent with those he cares about may be what saves him. - BV
Premieres Jan. 5 on Netflix
All Creatures Great and Small season 4 (PBS, Jan. 7)
The PBS series based on James Herriot’s real-life experiences as a veterinarian in rural England returns for its fourth season. When last we left the series, James (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen (Rachel Shenton) were settling into their life as a newly married couple, but the coming storm of World War II cast a shadow over everything, with James enlisting in the final episode of season 3. Season 4, which takes place in 1940, has already aired in the UK in October, but it will be new for U.S. audiences. We consider All Creatures Great and Small to be one of the best shows if you loved Ted Lasso, but we’re curious to see how war impacts the warmth of the show and its characters. — MP
Premieres Jan. 7 on PBS
Grimsburg (Fox, Jan. 7)
Fox’s newest animated comedy stars Jon Hamm voicing the role of ace detective Marvin Flute, the greatest sleuth the town of Grimsburg has ever produced. He’s capable of catching a cannibal clown and correctly identifying a mid-century modern armoire. Unfortunately, while Marvin is good at cracking cases, he isn’t so great at figuring out himself. He returns to Grimsburg to do just that and make peace with ferocious ex-wife Harmony (Erinn Hayes) and lovably unstable son Stan (Rachel Dratch). - KW
Premieres Jan. 7 on Fox (via Sling or Fubo)
Echo (Hulu and Disney Plus, Jan. 9)
Starring Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, Echo has Maya returning to her hometown to come to terms with her dark past and start embracing her Native American roots after the events of the Hawkeye TV show. However, Marvel swears you don’t need to have done your homework before watching, dubbing Echo its first “Spotlight” series, meaning it's a show that won’t be intended to move the MCU story forward. So even though Kingpin, a.k.a. Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Daredevil, a.k.a. Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) are returning, it’s okay if you’re unfamiliar with them — in theory.
All five episodes drop at once on January 9, so Echo is perfect for those who love a binge-watch. - MM
Premieres Jan. 9 on Hulu and Disney Plus
Ted (Peacock, Jan. 11)
Look, I’m not expecting prestige TV from the Ted TV show. Starring the voice of Seth MacFarlane as the vulgar, anthropomorphic teddy bear and Max Burkholder as his best friend John (Mark Wahlberg in the Ted movies), this show is a prequel to the two, surprisingly successful movies about a stuffed animal and his adult best friend. All I want from this exploration of Ted and John’s high school years is to laugh consistently and return to at least a bit of the magic of the first Ted movie. If this show manages that, I’ll be content - MM
Premieres Jan. 11 on Peacock
Role Play (Prime Video, Jan. 12)
Emma (Kaley Cuoco) is a suburban mother and wife with a secret. She's actually a contract killer. When Emma's husband (David Oyelowo) unwittingly stumbles upon her double life, he reacts in a bit of an unexpected fashion. Instead of being taken aback or angry, he joins her on a high-stakes mission that puts the two in grave danger. Meanwhile, a man named Bob (Bill Nighy) seems to have a mysterious connection to Emma's shadowy world. How are the two connected? What set Emma down the hitman career path? All is revealed in due time. - BV
Premieres Jan. 12 on Prime Video
Self Reliance (Hulu, Jan. 12)
In the heart of Los Angeles lives a jaded man named Tommy Walcott (Jake Johnson). Everything changes when he gets the chance to win $1 million. The catch? He must survive a harrowing 30-day game on the dark web, evading hunters whose sole objective is to kill him. It seems impossible until he discovers one vital loophole: the hunters can strike only when he's alone. He then sets off to convince friends, family, and even strangers to join him in this deadly game of survival, ensuring he's never alone. And that means by all means necessary. How far would you go to win a million? It looks like Tommy is going to pester everyone in the world. - BV
Premieres Jan. 12 on Hulu
The Traitors season 2 (Peacock, Jan. 12)
The reality TV sensation returns with a new cast who will be divided into “Traitors” and “Faithful.” The first season was an addictive watch thanks to the mix of Bravolebrities, Survivor castaways and other reality personalities scheming and backstabbing each other in a legit castle in the Scottish Highlands. Some of the names in season 2 include Sandra Diaz-Twine from Survivor, Peter Weber from The Bachelor, Phaedra Parks and Shereé Whitfield from Real Housewives of Atlanta, Maksim Chmerkovskiy from Dancing With the Stars, Chris 'C.T.' Tamburello from The Challenge and Peppermint from RuPaul’s Drag Race. - KW
Premieres Jan. 12 on Peacock
True Detective season 4 (HBO, Jan. 14)
HBO’s anthology crime drama returns for its fourth season. Starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as Alaskan detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro, True Detective: Night Country takes place during the cold, sunless winter months in the frozen tundra. Things kick off with the disappearance of eight men from the Tsalal Arctic Research Station but then quickly turn far more sinister. Don’t miss HBO’s potential first big hit of the year. - MM
Premieres Jan. 14 on HBO and Max
In the Know (Peacock, Jan. 25)
This Mike Judge and Zach Woods-helmed series stars Lauren Caspian (Woods), NPR's charmingly clueless third most popular host. But there's a catch. Lauren and his NPR crew are all stop-motion puppets. This comedy-meets-late night talk show is a peek behind the curtain of Lauren's fictional show "In the Know," where he gives hilariously off-the-mark interviews with real human guests. Think Space Ghost Coast 2 Coast for elder millennials with a hint of Idiocracy and you get the idea. - BV
Premieres Jan. 25 on Peacock
Masters of the Air (Apple TV Plus, Jan. 26)
Masters of the Air is a companion series to Band of Brothers and The Pacific, despite not calling HBO its home like the previous two limited series. The limited series follows the 100th Bomb Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces, the predecessor to the U.S. Air Force, during their combat missions against Nazi Germany. Like with the other two World War II limited series from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, Masters of Air has a massive ensemble cast with some heavy hitters in key roles — in this instance Austin Butler as Major Gale Cleven, Barry Keoghan as Lt. Curtis Biddick and Ncuti Gatwa as 2nd Lt. Robert Daniels. - MM
Premieres Jan. 26 on Apple TV Plus
Feud season 2 (FX, Jan. 31)
This Feud has been a long time coming — seven years in fact. That’s a long hiatus for a show, even an anthology series. Ryan Murphy isn’t quite ready for his swan song, so here comes Feud: Capote vs. the Swans. The story chronicles author Truman Capote’s (Tom Hollander) cultivation of an inner circle of society’s most elite women in the 1970s, nicknamed “the Swans.” Like Capote, Murphy gathers big-name actresses for his cast, including Naomi Watts as Barbara “Babe” Paley, Diane Lane as Slim Keith, Chloë Sevigny as C.Z. Guest, Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill, Demi Moore as Ann “Bang-Bang” Woodward and Molly Ringwald as Joanne Carso. What the women don't know is how Capote will eventually betray them. - KW
Premieres Jan. 31 on FX (via Sling or Fubo)
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