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January is about new beginnings, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some pieces of the past hanging around this month. For much of the world, 2025 offers the first chance to see some of 2024’s most notable films and performances, including limited December releases like Hard Truths, September 5, Better Man, The Brutalist, and Sing Sing (a summer 2024 release getting a second chance in theaters).
January 2025: Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch
At home, January 2025 means the return of the buzzy, acclaimed series Severance. But that doesn’t mean the month doesn’t have promising new offerings, either. Here are a few of the best films and TV series worth watching this month, from theaters to streaming services like Prime Video, Paramount+, and Hulu.
Cunk on Life (Netflix, January 2)
TV documentary parodies so dead-on that you might mistake them for the real thing if you’re not paying close attention, the Netflix favorite Cunk on Earth and its companion series follow Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan), a not very knowledgeable but supremely confident host. In it she explores big topics and asks a lot of smart people extremely dumb questions. Creator Charlie Brooker (Black Mirror) keeps the series going with Cunk on Life. Expect, like the host, to learn absolutely nothing. Stream on Netflix
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix, January 3)
The bungling inventor Wallace and his loyal canine sidekick Gromit return after a 16-year absence for another feature-length adventure, this one a direct sequel to the terrific 1993 short “The Wrong Trousers.” This time the duo squares off, again, against the felonious penguins Feathers McGraw and faces the threat of AI in the form of some easily manipulated garden gnomes. Stream on Netflix
American Primeval (Netflix, January 9)
Peter Berg directs all six episodes of this new western miniseries set partly against the backdrop of the Utah War of 1857, during which Mormon leader Brigham Young attempted to hold onto power as governor against the wishes of the federal government. It’s an intriguing set-up featuring an equally intriguing cast that includes Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, and Jai Courtney. Stream on Netflix
Asura (Netflix, January 9)
Berg isn’t the only feature film director behind a miniseries in January, either. Hirokazu Kore-eda returns to the small screen with this adaptation of a 1979 novel in which four sisters confront their father’s secret as he lays dying. Stream on Netflix
Producer Dick Wolf’s latest is a procedural with a twist: Each episode follows police officers assigned to Long Beach but lasts less than 30 minutes and uses devices like cell phone and body camera footage instead of a more traditional style. Troian Bellisario stars opposite Eriq LaSalle and Lori Loughlin. Stream on Prime Video
The Pitt (Max, January 9)
Is there something in the air? The Pitt is another new series from a well-established executive producer who seems to be trying to shake up a familiar genre. John Wells reunites with his ER star Noah Wyle for this R. Scott Gemmill-created series set in a Pittsburgh high school. The twist: Each episode is set within a single 15-hour shift. Stream on Max
Hard Truths (Theaters, January 10)
Speaking of reunions, Mike Leigh’s latest reunites the director with Marianne Jean-Baptiste, the star of the great Secrets & Lies. Jean-Baptiste plays Pansy, a middle-aged Londoner whose depression creates a toxic environment wherever she goes. Michelle Austin co-stars as Chantelle, a sibling who struggles to understand and help her sister. Get Tickets on Fandango
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (Peacock, January 16)
Documentarian Morgan Neville’s contribution to Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary celebration is a four-part documentary exploring different aspects of the show and its history, including deep dives into the classic “More Cowbell” sketch and a look at the show’s famously troubled 11th season. Stream on Peacock
Wolf Man (Theaters, January 17)
With 2020’s The Invisible Man Leigh Whannell created a new spin on one of the characters in Universal’s stable of monsters. With Wolf Man he tries it again via what appears to be a loose remake of the 1941 classic. This version stars Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner as parents who find themselves stranded in a spooky house. Get Tickets on Fandango
Presence (Theaters, January 17)
Is there some kind of Barbenheimer-style name for a day in which two notable directors each release new horror movies. The latest from Steven Soderbergh, Presence is a mystery-shrouded ghost story written by David Koepp and starring Julia Fox and Lucy Liu. Get Tickets on Fandango
Prime Target (Apple TV+, January 22)
Leo Woodall heads the cast of this star-packed conspiracy thriller as Edward, a mathematics grad student who suddenly finds both his work and life being threatened. Among those doing the threatening and/or working to help him: Stephen Rea, Martha Plimpton, David Morrissey, and Jason Flemyng. Stream on Apple TV+
Star Trek: Section 31 (Paramount+, January 24)
No one had more fun on Star Trek: Discovery than Michelle Yeoh playing the mirror universe version of a Starfleet hero who (mostly, and with great effort) put her evil ways behind her to fit into her new home. Yeoh reprises the role for this spin-off movie exploring her work for “Section 31,” Starfleet’s hush-hush covert ops wing. Stream on Paramount+
Paradise (Hulu, January 28)
In yet another creator-and-star reunion Sterling K. Brown leads the cast of the new series from This is Us creator Dan Fogelman. Brown plays a man whose history with a U.S. President (James Marsden) draws him into a mystery. Julianne Nicholson co-stars. Stream on Hulu
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (Disney+, January 28)
The X-Men enjoyed tremendous success in animated form with X-Men ’97. Now it’s the Marvel Universe’s webslinger’s turn. Hudson Thames plays Peter Parker opposite Colman Domingo as Norman Osborn who, in this alternate universe, takes the young superhero under his wing. Stream on Disney+
You’re Cordially Invited (Prime Video, January 30)
Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) directs this comedy starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon as rivals for a wedding venue each has accidentally booked. Stream on Prime Video