MW Here's what's worth streaming in January 2026 on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and more
By Mike Murphy
From returning favorites like 'The Pitt' and 'Bridgerton' to newcomers like 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' and 'Wonder Man,' there's a lot on tap to kick off the new year
Noah Wyle and Supriya Ganesh star in Season 2 of "The Pitt," coming in January to HBO Max.
The new year is starting on a high note, at least for streaming viewers.
With new seasons of returning favorites, including HBO Max's "The Pitt," Apple's "Hijack," Netflix's "Bridgerton" and Peacock's "The Traitors," the long-awaited return of Amazon's "The Night Manager," and newcomers such as the "Game of Thrones" spinoff "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" and Marvel's "Wonder Man," there should be no shortage of new - and hopefully good - shows to watch.
But since neither your eyeballs nor your wallet can handle everything on the way, we're here to help you sort the wheat from the chaff (or maybe in this case, "The Pitt" from "The Beast Games").
With a bit of strategic churning - that is, adding and dropping services month to month - you can watch the best of the best while keeping your monthly streaming budget just under $50. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month. And it's always worth watching out for time-sensitive deals and money-saving bundles.
Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget - rating the major services as "play," "pause" or "stop," similar to investment analysts' traditional ratings of buy, hold and sell - and picks the best shows to help you make your monthly decisions.
Here's a look at what's coming to the various streaming services in January 2026, and what's really worth the monthly subscription fee:
HBO Max ($10.99 a month with ads, $18.49 with no ads, or $22.99 'Ultimate' with no ads)
HBO Max's January lineup is not the biggest, but it's certainly the buzziest - and perhaps the best.
After a superb first season, "The Pitt," the Emmy winner for best drama, is back for its second season (Jan. 8). The frenetic hospital drama - featuring an ensemble that includes Noah Wylie, Katherine LaNasa, Patrick Ball and Taylor Dearden - will once again highlight one dramatic shift in real time over its 15 weekly episodes. Expect the new season to be just as harrowing and addictive as the first. "There is something that happens that throws a monkey wrench into the whole hospital, and especially the ER, which causes things to be a little more chaotic than usual," writer R. Scott Gemmill recently told Entertainment Weekly.
Meanwhile, "Industry" (Jan. 11), which deserves to be a much bigger hit than it is, returns for its fourth season. The high-finance drama expands its reach even more this season, now that most of its main characters have split from the London investment bank Pierpoint, where much of the first three seasons' worth of action took place. With Rob (Harry Lawtey) departed for Silicon Valley (and off the show, at least this season), the show shifts its focus as Harper (Myha'la) looks to undermine a fintech startup that's backed by her frenemy Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and her new billionaire husband, Henry Muck (Kit Harrington), while their former boss Eric (Ken Leung) has his eye on the next big thing. Get ready for more scheming, backstabbing, psychosexual entanglements and financial-buzzword bingo, this should be fun. (Great use of New Order in the trailer, too.)
Then there's the new "Game of Thrones" prequel. The six-episode "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" (Jan. 18) takes place between the events of "GoT" and its big-budget prequel "House of the Dragon" (Season 3 drops in August, btw), but will be decidedly less sprawling and dragon-ey (as in, no dragons at all). Based on the novellas by George R.R. Martin, the series follows naïve hedge knight Dunk (Peter Claffey) and his bald young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) on their misadventures around Westeros. With a short season, smaller scope and much lighter tone, this could be the welcome antidote to the humorless, plodding "HotD," and get Westeros fans excited again. Plus, Martin challenged the show to "do the best jousting sequences that were ever done on film," and showrunner Ira Parker said they made it happen, touting one particular jousting scene as "badass." And like sword fights, jousting is never not entertaining.
HBO Max also has the two-part documentary "Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old" (Jan. 22), and is adding a bunch of Brooks' classic movies, such as "Blazing Saddles," "High Anxiety" and "Spaceballs" (all Jan. 1); along with the documentary "33 Photos From the Ghetto" (Jan. 27), about the WWII Warsaw uprising, and the A24 films "The Smashing Machine" (Jan. 23), starring Dwayne Johnson, and "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" (Jan. 30) starring Rose Byrne and Conan O'Brien (in a role very much not what you'd expect from Conan).
There are also a pair of U.S. women's soccer matches, against Paraguay (Jan. 24) and Chile (Jan. 27); a full slate of NHL games, including the Winter Classic outdoor game from Miami (Jan. 2); college basketball; and the new season of Unrivaled (starting Jan. 5), the highly entertaining 3-on-3 women's basketball league featuring WNBA stars like Paige Bueckers, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
'Premium smut': You can also catch up with the winter's hottest show (in more ways than one), the Canadian gay hockey romance "Heated Rivalry," which just ended its first season. After premiering almost out of nowhere, it became a word-of-mouth hit and is now reportedly HBO Max's top-rated non-animated acquired series since its launch in 2020. And much like Netflix's surprise summer hit "The Hunting Wives," it shows there's still a strong market for horny TV. The show's creator, Jacob Tierney, is understandably thrilled. "It's great to be loved ... We were always like, 'We're trying to make premium smut here,' and so we're now premium smut on HBO!" he told Variety. It's already been renewed for a second season.
For sale: HBO Max parent Warner Bros. $(WBD)$ has agreed to sell itself to Netflix (perhaps the least-worst option), but Paramount Skydance $(PSKY)$ hasn't given up its takeover bid, and by the time you read this, details may have changed significantly. But regardless of who wins, it'll be consumers who lose, in the form of inevitably higher prices, less choice and fewer shows as the result of consolidation and cost-cutting. Don't be fooled by the hype: Consumers never benefit from media mergers, and that's not about to change.
Play, pause or stop? Play. "The Pitt" is already one of the best shows in TV, "Industry" is soapy fun and "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" looks intriguing. Plus, there's HBO's vast library to fall back on.
Apple TV ($12.99 a month)
Like HBO Max, what Apple $(AAPL)$ lacks in quantity in January, it'll more than make up for in quality. There are only four new shows of note, but all of them should be worth watching.
Idris Elba trades a plane for a train in Season 2 of the action thriller "Hijack" (Jan. 14), playing a crisis negotiator who's onboard a hijacked subway train in Berlin - and this time he may be a suspect. Season 1 was one of Apple's biggest hits ever, and so what if it just takes the tried-and-true "Die Hard" playbook and runs with it - as long as it's a winning formula.
The therapy comedy "Shrinking" made the leap to a buzzy hit last year, and returns with its third season (Jan. 28). Balancing earnest schmaltz with sharp humor, the show works best as a hangout comedy about an extended friend group with dynamite chemistry, with echoes of previous Bill Lawrence shows like "Scrubs" and "Cougar Town." And the already-loaded cast - led by Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams and Christa Miller - is getting even better, adding Michael J. Fox in a recurring guest role.
Apple's also got Season 3 of the spy thriller "Tehran" (Jan. 9), about a female Israeli deep-cover agent (Niv Sultan) in Iran and her cat-and-mouse game with a brilliantly sinister Iranian spycatcher (Shaun Toub). Hugh Laurie joins the cast playing an international nuclear inspector. The first two seasons were gripping thrill rides, but it'll be interesting to see how the new season feels in light of the grim real-life events that have reshaped both Israel and Iran in the three years since it last aired.
And then there's Season 2 of the multilingual French-Japanese wine drama "Drops of God" (Jan. 21). Season 1 ran well under the radar of most viewers, but it received critical raves. The new season will see Camille (Fleur Geffrier), the daughter of a late wine expert, and Issei (Tomohisa Yamashita), the brilliant protege of her father, scouring the world to uncover the origin of the world's greatest wine. It may not sound like compelling TV, but somehow it is, with family drama, competitive pressures, beautifully cinematography and fascinating insight into an exclusive world that most of us will never know.
Bye, Carol: Season 1 of "Pluribus" just ended, and for those who enjoy smart, thoughtful TV that doesn't just hand you its plot on a platter, it's a must-watch. Creator Vince Gilligan ("Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul") continues his streak of sublime dramas, and the longer that star Rhea Seehorn goes without a best-actress Emmy the more outrageous it feels. "Pluribus" is a rare show that forces viewers to actually slow down and think: What does it mean to be human? What is happiness? Is the show a metaphor about the encroachment of AI? Or critical thinking vs. the hive mind? Or a metaphor for depression? Or the pandemic? Or loneliness? Yes! That's what's so cool, it works on so many levels that it can be interpreted as any or all of those, it's all the eye of the beholder - which is perhaps the most uniquely human thing of all. "I really, really want people to engage with 'Pluribus' any darn way they want to," Gilligan recently told Vulture. "Sometimes I hear people say it means something or another, and I think, 'I hadn't thought of that!'" At times funny, thrilling and
MW Here's what's worth streaming in January 2026 on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and more
By Mike Murphy
From returning favorites like 'The Pitt' and 'Bridgerton' to newcomers like 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' and 'Wonder Man,' there's a lot on tap to kick off the new year
Noah Wyle and Supriya Ganesh star in Season 2 of "The Pitt," coming in January to HBO Max.
The new year is starting on a high note, at least for streaming viewers.
With new seasons of returning favorites, including HBO Max's "The Pitt," Apple's "Hijack," Netflix's "Bridgerton" and Peacock's "The Traitors," the long-awaited return of Amazon's "The Night Manager," and newcomers such as the "Game of Thrones" spinoff "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" and Marvel's "Wonder Man," there should be no shortage of new - and hopefully good - shows to watch.
But since neither your eyeballs nor your wallet can handle everything on the way, we're here to help you sort the wheat from the chaff (or maybe in this case, "The Pitt" from "The Beast Games").
With a bit of strategic churning - that is, adding and dropping services month to month - you can watch the best of the best while keeping your monthly streaming budget just under $50. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month. And it's always worth watching out for time-sensitive deals and money-saving bundles.
Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget - rating the major services as "play," "pause" or "stop," similar to investment analysts' traditional ratings of buy, hold and sell - and picks the best shows to help you make your monthly decisions.
Here's a look at what's coming to the various streaming services in January 2026, and what's really worth the monthly subscription fee:
HBO Max ($10.99 a month with ads, $18.49 with no ads, or $22.99 'Ultimate' with no ads)
HBO Max's January lineup is not the biggest, but it's certainly the buzziest - and perhaps the best.
After a superb first season, "The Pitt," the Emmy winner for best drama, is back for its second season (Jan. 8). The frenetic hospital drama - featuring an ensemble that includes Noah Wylie, Katherine LaNasa, Patrick Ball and Taylor Dearden - will once again highlight one dramatic shift in real time over its 15 weekly episodes. Expect the new season to be just as harrowing and addictive as the first. "There is something that happens that throws a monkey wrench into the whole hospital, and especially the ER, which causes things to be a little more chaotic than usual," writer R. Scott Gemmill recently told Entertainment Weekly.
Meanwhile, "Industry" (Jan. 11), which deserves to be a much bigger hit than it is, returns for its fourth season. The high-finance drama expands its reach even more this season, now that most of its main characters have split from the London investment bank Pierpoint, where much of the first three seasons' worth of action took place. With Rob (Harry Lawtey) departed for Silicon Valley (and off the show, at least this season), the show shifts its focus as Harper (Myha'la) looks to undermine a fintech startup that's backed by her frenemy Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and her new billionaire husband, Henry Muck (Kit Harrington), while their former boss Eric (Ken Leung) has his eye on the next big thing. Get ready for more scheming, backstabbing, psychosexual entanglements and financial-buzzword bingo, this should be fun. (Great use of New Order in the trailer, too.)
Then there's the new "Game of Thrones" prequel. The six-episode "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" (Jan. 18) takes place between the events of "GoT" and its big-budget prequel "House of the Dragon" (Season 3 drops in August, btw), but will be decidedly less sprawling and dragon-ey (as in, no dragons at all). Based on the novellas by George R.R. Martin, the series follows naïve hedge knight Dunk (Peter Claffey) and his bald young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) on their misadventures around Westeros. With a short season, smaller scope and much lighter tone, this could be the welcome antidote to the humorless, plodding "HotD," and get Westeros fans excited again. Plus, Martin challenged the show to "do the best jousting sequences that were ever done on film," and showrunner Ira Parker said they made it happen, touting one particular jousting scene as "badass." And like sword fights, jousting is never not entertaining.
HBO Max also has the two-part documentary "Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old" (Jan. 22), and is adding a bunch of Brooks' classic movies, such as "Blazing Saddles," "High Anxiety" and "Spaceballs" (all Jan. 1); along with the documentary "33 Photos From the Ghetto" (Jan. 27), about the WWII Warsaw uprising, and the A24 films "The Smashing Machine" (Jan. 23), starring Dwayne Johnson, and "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" (Jan. 30) starring Rose Byrne and Conan O'Brien (in a role very much not what you'd expect from Conan).
There are also a pair of U.S. women's soccer matches, against Paraguay (Jan. 24) and Chile (Jan. 27); a full slate of NHL games, including the Winter Classic outdoor game from Miami (Jan. 2); college basketball; and the new season of Unrivaled (starting Jan. 5), the highly entertaining 3-on-3 women's basketball league featuring WNBA stars like Paige Bueckers, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
'Premium smut': You can also catch up with the winter's hottest show (in more ways than one), the Canadian gay hockey romance "Heated Rivalry," which just ended its first season. After premiering almost out of nowhere, it became a word-of-mouth hit and is now reportedly HBO Max's top-rated non-animated acquired series since its launch in 2020. And much like Netflix's surprise summer hit "The Hunting Wives," it shows there's still a strong market for horny TV. The show's creator, Jacob Tierney, is understandably thrilled. "It's great to be loved ... We were always like, 'We're trying to make premium smut here,' and so we're now premium smut on HBO!" he told Variety. It's already been renewed for a second season.
For sale: HBO Max parent Warner Bros. (WBD) has agreed to sell itself to Netflix (perhaps the least-worst option), but Paramount Skydance (PSKY) hasn't given up its takeover bid, and by the time you read this, details may have changed significantly. But regardless of who wins, it'll be consumers who lose, in the form of inevitably higher prices, less choice and fewer shows as the result of consolidation and cost-cutting. Don't be fooled by the hype: Consumers never benefit from media mergers, and that's not about to change.
Play, pause or stop? Play. "The Pitt" is already one of the best shows in TV, "Industry" is soapy fun and "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" looks intriguing. Plus, there's HBO's vast library to fall back on.
Apple TV ($12.99 a month)
Like HBO Max, what Apple (AAPL) lacks in quantity in January, it'll more than make up for in quality. There are only four new shows of note, but all of them should be worth watching.
Idris Elba trades a plane for a train in Season 2 of the action thriller "Hijack" (Jan. 14), playing a crisis negotiator who's onboard a hijacked subway train in Berlin - and this time he may be a suspect. Season 1 was one of Apple's biggest hits ever, and so what if it just takes the tried-and-true "Die Hard" playbook and runs with it - as long as it's a winning formula.
The therapy comedy "Shrinking" made the leap to a buzzy hit last year, and returns with its third season (Jan. 28). Balancing earnest schmaltz with sharp humor, the show works best as a hangout comedy about an extended friend group with dynamite chemistry, with echoes of previous Bill Lawrence shows like "Scrubs" and "Cougar Town." And the already-loaded cast - led by Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams and Christa Miller - is getting even better, adding Michael J. Fox in a recurring guest role.
Apple's also got Season 3 of the spy thriller "Tehran" (Jan. 9), about a female Israeli deep-cover agent (Niv Sultan) in Iran and her cat-and-mouse game with a brilliantly sinister Iranian spycatcher (Shaun Toub). Hugh Laurie joins the cast playing an international nuclear inspector. The first two seasons were gripping thrill rides, but it'll be interesting to see how the new season feels in light of the grim real-life events that have reshaped both Israel and Iran in the three years since it last aired.
And then there's Season 2 of the multilingual French-Japanese wine drama "Drops of God" (Jan. 21). Season 1 ran well under the radar of most viewers, but it received critical raves. The new season will see Camille (Fleur Geffrier), the daughter of a late wine expert, and Issei (Tomohisa Yamashita), the brilliant protege of her father, scouring the world to uncover the origin of the world's greatest wine. It may not sound like compelling TV, but somehow it is, with family drama, competitive pressures, beautifully cinematography and fascinating insight into an exclusive world that most of us will never know.
Bye, Carol: Season 1 of "Pluribus" just ended, and for those who enjoy smart, thoughtful TV that doesn't just hand you its plot on a platter, it's a must-watch. Creator Vince Gilligan ("Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul") continues his streak of sublime dramas, and the longer that star Rhea Seehorn goes without a best-actress Emmy the more outrageous it feels. "Pluribus" is a rare show that forces viewers to actually slow down and think: What does it mean to be human? What is happiness? Is the show a metaphor about the encroachment of AI? Or critical thinking vs. the hive mind? Or a metaphor for depression? Or the pandemic? Or loneliness? Yes! That's what's so cool, it works on so many levels that it can be interpreted as any or all of those, it's all the eye of the beholder - which is perhaps the most uniquely human thing of all. "I really, really want people to engage with 'Pluribus' any darn way they want to," Gilligan recently told Vulture. "Sometimes I hear people say it means something or another, and I think, 'I hadn't thought of that!'" At times funny, thrilling and
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December 31, 2025 08:00 ET (13:00 GMT)
MW Here's what's worth streaming in January 2026 -2-
heartbreaking, it's easily one of the best shows of 2025. The only complaint here is that we probably have to wait a couple of years for Season 2.
Play, pause or stop? Play. Apple's got some fantastic shows. Do yourself a favor and check them out. Don't forget, if you got a new Apple device around the holidays, you may have a free 90-day trial subscription.
Amazon's Prime Video ($14.99 a month with ads, $8.99 without Prime membership, both +$2.99 to avoid ads)
The spy-thriller miniseries "The Night Manager," based on the John le Carré novel, won over critics and audiences when it aired way back in 2016. Now, almost a decade later, it's back for a second season (Jan. 11). Tom Hiddleston returns as a former hotel worker, now low-level MI6 agent, who gets drawn into a dangerous conspiracy while infiltrating a gun-running operation in Colombia. Olivia Colman returns as a veteran spymaster, joined by new cast members Diego Calva and Camila Morrone as two-thirds of a "dream throuple." Expect a slick, sexy and smart thriller - this should be one of the best shows of the new year.
Amazon's (AMZN) streaming service also has "The Wrecking Crew" (Jan. 28), a Hawaii-set action-comedy movie starring Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista as estranged brothers who reunite to solve the mystery of their father's death; the Korean rom-com "Spring Fever" (Jan. 5); Season 2 of the repulsive competition show "Beast Games" (Jan. 7); Season 3 of the "Judge Judy" spinoff "Judy Justice" (Jan. 19); and "Steal" (Jan. 21), a heist thriller series starring Sophie Turner ("Game of Thrones").
There's also a full slate of NBA games, an NFL wild-card playoff game (Jan. 10 or 11), and the new comedy-sports chat show "Good Sports with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson" (every Tuesday).
Don't forget new episodes every week of "Fallout" (season finale Feb. 4), the violent, tonally jarring yet compelling post-apocalyptic drama.
Play, pause or stop? Play. "Fallout" is good and "The Night Manager" could be great. You probably have Prime for shopping anyway, so consider this a nice bonus.
Peacock ($10.99 a month with ads, or $16.99 with no ads)
It's time to start thinking about Peacock again.
Ahead of its must-see coverage of the Winter Olympics in February, the streaming service has a pair of intriguing shows in January. The smash hit and Emmy-winning reality competition series "The Traitors" (Jan. 8) returns for its fourth season. Hosted by Alan Cumming, this season's cast includes a slew of reality-show veterans along with celebs including Olympics figure-skating commentators Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, "Top Chef" host Kristen Kish, actor Michael Rappaport, comedian Ron Funches and NFL mom Donna Kelce. It's a solid guilty-pleasure series.
There's also the new series "Ponies" (Jan. 15), a Cold War espionage thriller set in 1977 Moscow, as two U.S. embassy secretaries (Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson) get caught up in intrigue while investigating the mysterious deaths of their husbands.
Peacock's also got the annual Rose Parade from Pasadena (Jan. 1) and the Critics Choice Awards (Jan. 5); new episodes of NBC and cable shows like "Brilliant Minds," "Chicago Fire," "The Hunting Party," "Real Housewives," "Saturday Night Live," "Vanderpump Rules" and "Jeopardy"; and a full slate of live sports, including NFL playoffs (Jan. 11 and 18), the NBA, Premier League soccer and winter sports.
Play, pause or stop? Pause and think it over. There's a good sports lineup, and "The Traitors" and "Ponies" could make a subscription worthwhile. But the budget move would be to wait until February and sign up to watch the Olympics, and catch up on those two shows then. Keep in mind, if you have Comcast $(CMCSA)$ internet or cable, you probably qualify for free Peacock access.
Disney+ ($11.99 a month with ads, $18.99 with no ads)
Disney $(DIS)$ has its first Marvel miniseries in a while, with the meta superhero-showbiz comedy "Wonder Man" (Jan. 27), starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ("Watchmen") as Simon Williams, an aspiring actor who acquires superpowers at the same time he's auditioning for a starring role in classic superhero movie remake. Ben Kingsley co-stars as his friend (and rival?), veteran actor and former terrorist leader Trevor Slattery. All eight episodes will drop at once.
There's also "Hey A.J.!" (Jan 14), a whimsical animated family comedy series based on the books by former NFL star Martellus Bennett; the NatGeo adventure-challenge series "Pole to Pole with Will Smith" (Jan 14); and Season 5 of the animated "Phineas and Ferb" (Jan. 17); along with weekly episodes of the teen fantasy adventure "Percy Jones and the Olympians" (season finale Jan. 21).
Welcome back, Dr. Jones: Disney is also adding the classic "Indiana Jones" movie trilogy: "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (all Jan. 1). "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is also being added, but the less said about that one, the better. (2023's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" is already available on Disney+.)
Play, pause or stop? Pause. "Wonder Man" looks like it could be fun, and "Percy Jackson" is hitting its stride in an improved Season 2.
Netflix ($7.99 a month for standard with ads, $17.99 standard with no ads, $24.99 premium with no ads)
Netflix $(NFLX)$ is saving its biggest premiere of the month until the very end, with the return of the popular Regency-era romantic drama "Bridgerton" (Jan. 29). Season 4 will be split into two parts, with four episodes dropping then, and the other four coming Feb. 26. The focus this time around turns to young bohemian Benedict (Luke Thompson), who falls for the mysterious Lady in Silver - unbeknownst to him, lowly maid Sophie (Yerin Ha) - at a masquerade ball. Steamy, swoony twists ensue.
But before that comes, there's "Run Away" (Jan. 1), a Harlan Coben thriller about a father's desperate search for his missing daughter; "His & Hers" (Jan. 8), a crime thriller starring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal as estranged spouses, one a reporter the other a cop, who suspect each other in a murder; the classic murder-mystery series "Agatha Christie's Seven Dials" (Jan. 15), starring Mia McKenna-Bruce, Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman; the seventh and final season of the family sitcom "The Upshaws" (Jan. 15); the ice-skating romantic drama "Finding Her Edge" (Jan. 22); and "Free Bert" (Jan. 22), a chaotic family sitcom starring comedian Bert Kreischer.
Meanwhile, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck reunite for director Joe Carnahan's crime thriller movie "The Rip" (Jan. 16), about a team of Miami cops whose loyalties are tested after they stumble upon millions of dollars in a drug stash house.
Netflix is also the new home of the WWE, with "Monday Night Raw" events every Monday night, along with Season 2 of the behind-the-scenes wrestling docuseries "WWE Unreal" (Jan. 20). There are also the standup comedy specials "Marcelo Hernandez: American Boy" (Jan. 17) and "Mike Epps: Depusional" (Jan. 27); "Star Search" (Jan. 20), a live reboot of the classic talent show; and "Skyscraper Live" (Jan. 23), as free-solo climber Alex Honnold tries to scale a 101-story skyscraper in Taiwan.
And while "Lost" (Jan. 1) and "Mr. Robot" (Jan. 3) are leaving, Seasons 1-3 of Kristen Bell's classic teenage detective drama "Veronica Mars" are coming (Jan. 14), along with all five seasons of the underrated 2009-'13 TNT cop drama "Southland" (Jan. 16).
You can also catch up with the two-hour series finale of "Stranger Things," which dropped on New Year's Eve. Season 5 so far has been a frustrating watch, but it's maintaining its massive viewership up until the end.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. There's nothing essential on the way, and the one big premiere, "Bridgerton," premieres so late in the month that you'd might as well wait until February.
Hulu ($11.99 a month with ads, or $18.99 with no ads)
"A Thousand Blows," Steven Knight's historical drama set in Victorian London, is back for its second season (Jan. 9). Picking up a year after the events of Season 1 knocked each character down a notch, Season 2 will find Jamaican-immigrant boxer Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby) still consumed by grief, exiled crime-ring leader Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) getting her gang back together and local underworld boss Sugar Goodson (Stephen Graham) mired in drink and depression. It's a well-paced, compelling drama that will scratch that "Peaky Blinders" itch.
Hulu's also got Season 3 of "Tell Me Lies" (Jan. 13), the toxic-relationship college drama; the concert documentary "Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska Live" (Jan. 7); "Hoops, Hopes & Dreams" (Jan. 19), a documentary about how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used basketball to connect with young voters; and FX's "The Beauty" (Jan. 21), a new conspiracy thriller/body-horror series from creator Ryan Murphy.
There's also a full schedule of weekly ABC and Fox shows, including "Best Medicine" (Jan. 5), "The Rookie" and "Will Trent" (Jan. 7), "The Masked Singer" (Jan. 8), "Animal Control" (Jan. 16), "Memory of a Killer" (Jan. 26), "American Idol" (Jan. 27) and "Extracted" (Jan. 28).
Play, pause or stop? Stop. It's not a terrible month for Hulu, it's just that other streamers have better lineups.
Paramount+ ($8.99 a month with ads, $13.99 a month Premium with no ads)
With the exception of the eye-rolling yet addictive oil drama "Landman" (season finale Jan. 18), Paramount's lineup looks pretty skippable this month.
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December 31, 2025 08:00 ET (13:00 GMT)
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