The must-watch title on every major streamer this January
The must-watch title on every major streamer this January
There’s a lot dropping this month, but each service has one release that I’m really looking forward to.
January doesn’t usually mess around when it comes to new releases, and this year every streamer showed up early. The holidays are over, routines are back, and suddenly there’s a wave of premieres that feel bigger, darker, and more ambitious than usual. Returning favorites, bold new series, and a few high-concept swings are all landing at once, and it’s the kind of month that makes the post-holiday slowdown way easier to deal with. There’s crime, fantasy, espionage, horror, and some seriously fun chaos mixed in. If you’re trying to figure out where to start, here’s the top title on every major streamer for January.
Top title on each streamer for the month of January 2025:
‘Wonder Man’ | Series | Disney+
I’m always a sucker for anything that gives you a peek behind the Hollywood curtain, and this looks like a really fun way to do it. “Wonder Man” premieres Tuesday, Jan. 27 on Disney+, with all episodes dropping at once. The show follows Simon Williams, an aspiring actor who can’t quite get his career moving, and Trevor Slattery, a washed-up performer who’s clearly chasing one last shot. When they both get tangled up in a big studio remake of the superhero movie “Wonder Man,” things turn into a scramble for relevance, validation, and survival in an industry that chews people up fast.
I love stories about actors chasing roles and the messy business behind the scenes, and mixing that with a Marvel-flavored satire feels like a smart twist. This one looks light, self-aware, and way more interested in the chaos of show business than saving the world.
Wonder Man
Simon and Trevor, two actors at opposite ends of their careers, chase life-changing roles.
‘‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ | Series | HBO Max
This is the show I’m most excited about heading into January because it feels like the perfect reset for Westeros. “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” debuts Sunday, Jan. 18 on HBO Max, with episodes rolling out weekly. Instead of dragons and massive wars, this one zooms in on something smaller and more personal. Ser Duncan the Tall is a wandering hedge knight with a big heart and not much else, and Egg is his sharp, mysterious young squire.
Watching them travel from tourney to tourney feels like a chance to see Westeros from ground level again. Their story is about friendship, honor, and trying to do the right thing in a brutal world that rarely rewards it. I love that this isn’t about saving the realm or winning a throne. It’s about two people trying to survive with their moral compass intact.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros: a young, naive but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits await these improbable and incomparable friends.
‘Gangs of London’ Season 3 | Series | AMC+
AMC+ keeps proving it’s not afraid of going dark, brutal, and all the way in, and Season 3 of “Gangs of London” looks like its most explosive chapter yet. The new season premieres Thursday, Jan. 15, on AMC+, with episodes rolling out weekly, and it wastes no time throwing London into chaos. A spiked shipment of cocaine kills hundreds, and what follows is a city-wide power vacuum that pulls every major player into the fight. Elliot is now fully embedded as a top-level gangster alongside the Dumanis, but this attack sends shockwaves through every crew, from the Wallaces to Luan, Lale, and the street gangs caught in the crossfire.
Watching everyone scramble to figure out who’s pulling the strings is what makes this season feel bigger, meaner, and even more dangerous than before.
Gangs of London
When the head of a criminal organisation, Finn Wallace is assassinated, the sudden power vacuum his death creates threatens the fragile peace between the intricate web of gangs operating on the streets of the city. Now it’s up to the grieving, volatile and impulsive Sean Wallace to restore control and find those responsible for killing his father.
‘PONIES’ | Series | Peacock
I’ve always loved a good espionage story, and I’m literally reading “The Night Manager” right now, so this one immediately jumped out at me. “PONIES” premieres Thursday, Jan. 15 on Peacock, and the hook is strong right out of the gate. Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson play embassy secretaries who’ve spent years being overlooked, until their husbands’ mysterious deaths pull them straight into Cold War-era intrigue.
What I like about this setup is how it flips the usual spy story perspective. These aren’t trained agents or operatives but smart women forced to navigate a dangerous world that suddenly sees them as expendable. With two strong leads, a stylish period backdrop, and a plot built on secrets and shifting loyalties, this feels like the kind of sharp, twisty thriller I’ll be all in on.
PONIES
In 1977 Moscow, two “PONIES” (“persons of no interest”) become CIA operatives and uncover a Cold War conspiracy their husbands were killed for.
‘Hijack’ Season 2 | Series | Apple TV
If you’ve missed seeing Idris Elba in full action hero mode, “Hijack” is back right on time. Season 2 premieres Wednesday, Jan. 14 on Apple TV, and it’s easily one of my most anticipated January returns. I’ve already called this the best under-the-radar drama on Apple TV, and the new setup looks just as intense.
This time, the crisis unfolds on a Berlin underground train, with commuters taken hostage and no room for mistakes. The tension that made Season 1 so addictive is still front and center, and Elba’s calm, commanding presence is once again doing all the heavy lifting. With episodes rolling out weekly, this feels like another lean, high-pressure thriller that’s going to be hard to look away from.
Hijack
Expert negotiator Sam Nelson is in for the ride of his life—and so is everyone on board with him—after a group of hijackers take control. Sam will try every move in his playbook to take them down…as the stakes grow higher by the second.
‘The Beauty’ | Series | Hulu
This one immediately caught my attention because it feels like a classic Ryan Murphy swing. Created by Murphy, “The Beauty” starts streaming Wednesday, Jan. 21 on Hulu, and the premise is wild in the best way. A mysterious STD spreads across the world, making people impossibly beautiful, but also increasingly dangerous, and the show leans hard into horror and social satire.
Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall lead a stacked cast, and the whole thing can’t help but remind me of “The Substance,” one of the most unsettling body horror movies I’ve seen in years. Stories that use physical transformation to dig into vanity, obsession, and power always get under my skin, and if Murphy really lets this one go dark, it could end up being one of Hulu’s most talked-about shows of the year.
The Beauty
The world of high fashion turns dark when international supermodels begin dying in gruesome and mysterious ways. FBI Agents Cooper Madsen and Jordan Bennett are sent to Paris to uncover the truth. As they delve deeper into the case, they uncover a sexually transmitted virus that transforms ordinary people into visions of physical perfection, but with terrifying consequences.
‘The Rip’ | Movie | Netflix
I’ll always have time for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, especially after their “Good Will Hunting” days, so this one feels like an easy yes. “The Rip” hits Netflix on Friday, Jan. 16, and it looks like total fun. Directed by Joe Carnahan, the movie pairs Damon and Affleck as Miami cop partners who stumble into a nightmare scenario after finding $24 million stashed in a safehouse. They’re required to count the money on site, which turns one long night into a pressure cooker where trust starts cracking fast.
Throw in a stacked supporting cast with Steven Yeun and Kyle Chandler, and you’ve got a lean crime thriller built on tension, bad decisions, and the kind of chemistry only longtime collaborators can pull off. I’m very ready to watch these two back in crime mode together.
The Rip
Trust frays when a team of Miami cops discovers millions in cash inside a run-down stash house, calling everyone — and everything — into question.
‘Girl Taken’ | Series | Paramount+
“Girl Taken” premieres Thursday, Jan. 8 on Paramount+, and it looks like another heavy, emotionally driven thriller that leans into the kind of storytelling the service’s been getting really good at. Based on Hollie Overton’s novel “Baby Doll,” the series follows twin sisters Lily and Abby, whose lives are torn apart when Lily is abducted by a trusted local teacher. Years later, Lily escapes, but coming home doesn’t bring the relief she imagined.
Her family has changed, the trauma hasn’t loosened its grip, and the man who stole her childhood is still out there, trying to control the story. What makes this setup hit hard is how much it focuses on the aftermath. Survival is only the beginning. With Alfie Allen playing the abductor and a strong central performance from Tallulah Evans, this looks like a raw, difficult watch that’s more about resilience and sisterhood than shock value.
Girl Taken
Follow the story of twin sisters Lily and Abby, whose lives are shattered when Lily is abducted from their quiet rural English town by beloved local teacher Rick Hansen. After years of abuse in captivity, Lily escapes - only to discover that freedom brings its own challenges.
‘The Wrecking Crew’ | Movie | Prime Video
I’ve been loving how hard Prime Video has been leaning into action comedies lately, and they’re clearly keeping the good times coming with this one. “The Wrecking Crew” drops Wednesday, Jan. 28, and it feels right in line with the fun chaos of recent Prime hits like “Heads of State” and “Playdate.”
Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista star as estranged half-brothers who’re forced back together after their father’s mysterious death, which quickly turns into a messy hunt for the truth. Secrets come out, loyalties get tested, and what starts as a family reunion spirals into something way bigger and more dangerous. Momoa and Bautista together feel like perfect casting for this kind of high-energy, muscle-bound comedy, and if Prime keeps nailing this lane, I’m happy to keep showing up.
The Wrecking Crew
Estranged half-brothers Jonny and James reunite after their father’s mysterious death. As they search for the truth, buried secrets reveal a conspiracy threatening to tear their family apart.