What to Watch in January 2026
- James Forryan
- Jan 1
- 6 min read
Your guide to all the best new films and TV shows coming to screens in January 2026
FILM
Song Sung Blue (January 1)
If you’re looking for a feel-good film to kick off the new year then look no further than Song Sung Blue. Based on the 2008 documentary of the same name by Greg Kohs, the film follows the story of Mike and Claire Sardina, a couple of struggling performers from Milwaukee who form the popular Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder, becoming known throughout the region as ‘America’s singing sweethearts’.
Directed by Craig Brewer (Footloose, Black Snake Moan), the film stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as the husband-and-wife duo, following their story from their first meeting and the band’s formation to their brushes with celebrity and surviving personal tragedies. Starring alongside them in this heartwarming biopic are Jim Belushi, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson and Fisher Stevens. Even if you’re not a huge fan of Neil Diamond’s music, this rousing tale is hard to resist and Jackman and Hudson’s terrific performances are simply a delight to watch.
Hamnet (January 9)
There have been plenty of depictions of William Shakespeare’s life over the years, but few have been as focussed on the legendary playwright’s personal life as this new film from Chloé Zhao, which tells the tragic story of his son, Hamnet - one that inspired the story of his play Hamlet (the film’s prologue helpfully explains that the two names were considered interchangeable).
Following the story of William and his wife Agnes from their initial romance to the birth of their children and their resulting grief when Hamnet falls ill, Zhao’s film stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, with a supporting cast that also includes Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn and Noah Jupe. Taking its cue from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name, Hamnet is a moving rendition of the heartbreaking tale behind one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated plays.
H is for Hawk (January 23)
Based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by Helen Macdonald, this film adaptation from director Philippa Lowthorpe stars Claire Foy as a woman who is grieving following the loss of her father, a photojournalist and keen wildlife photographer with whom she shared a close bond.
In the wake of her father’s death, she finds herself becoming detached from her work as a university professor and decides to adopt and raise a Eurasian Goshawk. The film charts her story as she nurtures the bird of prey and forms a bond that helps her through the grieving process by giving her life a new focus. Also starring Brendan Gleeson as Macdonald’s father, Alisdair, alongside Denise Gough, Emma Cunnife and Lindsay Duncan, this is an absorbing biographical drama with some outstanding performances that is bound to have you reaching for the tissues.
Nouvelle Vague (January 30)
Director Richard Linklater made his name in early 90s with films such as 1992’s Slacker, a movie whose title became shorthand for a new wave of lo-fi American filmmaking that also saw the rise of directors such as Kevin Smith and Cameron Crowe. It’s fitting, then, that Linklater should be the one to deliver this love letter to Jean-Luc Godard and other luminaries of the New Wave of French Cinema. Nouvelle Vague focusses particularly on the making of Godard’s 1960 breakthrough film Breathless, often credited as the film which kickstarted the movement and became a huge influence on cinema in Europe and beyond.
Guillaume Marbeck stars as Godard, with Zoey Deutch taking on the role of Breathless star Jean Seberg. Linklater’s film follows the story behind Godard’s directorial debut from conception to completion, offering a fascinating view into his philosophy of filmmaking. Billed as a comedy-drama, Nouvelle Vague is an entertaining homage to one of the 20th century’s most influential directors. Beautifully shot and dripping with style, Linklater’s film will make you want to revisit Godard’s incredible body of work.
Is This Thing On? (January 30)
Our final film pick for January is this darkly amusing comedy-drama directed by Bradley Cooper and starring Will Arnett alongside Laura Dern as Alex and Tess Novak, a couple on the edge of a divorce. As they figure out how to navigate their separation and what it means for their two sons, Alex finds himself accidentally becoming a stand-up comedian after drunkenly taking the stage at an open mic night and finds, to his surprise, that his raw take on divorced life strikes a chord with audiences.
Cooper also steps out from the director’s chair to take a supporting role as Alex’s best friend, while there are also appearances from Amy Sedaris, Ciarán Hinds, Andra Day and Sean Hayes. Due to land in cinemas on January 30, Is This Thing On? Features some tremendous performances from Arnett and Dern and is another fine addition to Cooper’s increasingly impressive list of director’s credits.
TV
The Night Manager – Season 2 (BBC One / iPlayer, January 1)
The long-awaited second series of The Night Manager finally arrives on our screens on New Year’s Day as Tom Hiddlestone returns to reprise the role of Jonathan Pine - or should that be Alex Goodwin? After dispatching the now-deceased Richard Roper into the hands of his Syrian captors, Pine has been living a relatively quiet life under his new assumed identity, but the peace is soon shattered when a chance encounter with one of Roper’s old associates forces our man into action - and a violent confrontation with a new enemy, the Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva). Pine finds himself entwined in a conspiracy designed to destabilise the country, but he’s fast running out of people he can trust.
Olivia Colman, Alistair Petrie and Noah Jupe all return to reprise their roles in this hotly-anticipated second series, which is due to begin its run on BBC One at 9pm on January 1. Don’t miss it…
Run Away (Netflix, January 1)
There’s good news for Harlan Coben fans in January as another twisting mystery from the writer makes its way to Netflix on New Year’s Day. Hot on the heels of Coben’s last outing Lazarus, starring Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy, Run Away sees the action unfolding in New York City and stars James Nesbitt as the father of a woman who goes missing in Central Park.
As he follows the trail of his missing, drug-addicted daughter, he uncovers family secrets and a grimy New York underworld - all of which seem connected to a string of murders.
Also starring Minnie Driver, Ruth Jones and Ellie de Lange, Coben’s latest mystery thriller will keep you guessing until the very end.
Lynley – Season 1 (BBC One / iPlayer, January 5)
Newly-adapted from the Inspector Lynley novels by Elizabeth George, Lynley originally aired on streaming service Britbox late in 2025, but makes its debut on BBC One this month and stars Leo Suter in the titular role of the aristocratic detective, with Sofia Barclay co-starring as DS Barbara Havers, the other half of this mismatched crime-fighting duo.
The pair have not long been introduced when they are dispatched to deal with their first case, investigating a suspicious death on Salcott Island. Adapted by screenwriter Steve Thompson and directed by Ed Bazalgette (who you may remember from his former life as frontman of new wave band The Vapors), this class-divide crime series provides a fresh take on the popular novels - one that’s bound to entertain.
Agatha Christie's Seven Dials (Netflix, January 15)
Sticking with the crime theme, January also sees the arrival of a new Agatha Christie adaptation - this time it’s her 929 novel The Seven Dials Mystery that’s getting the TV treatment, with Broadchurch creator and former Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall taking the helm of this new version. Mia McKenna Bruce, Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman star in this time-honoured murder mystery, which centres around a seedy nightclub and gambling den in the heart of London.
Split into three episodes, Agatha Christie's Seven Dials is due to arrive on Netflix on January 15. If you're a fan of Christie’s murder mysteries - and if you’re partial to a bit of Broadchurch too - you’ll want to mark your diaries for this one.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Sky Atlantic, January 19)
Our final pick is for the Game of Thrones fans out there and if spinoff series House of the Dragon wasn’t enough to satiate your appetite for all things Westeros, then this interesting prequel series might be just what you’re after. Set 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes its cue from George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas and stars Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall (‘Dunk’), with Dexter Sol Ansell starring alongside him as his young squire Prince Aegon Targaryen (‘Egg’).
Created by Ira Parker, this new spinoff series focuses on Dunk’s efforts to become a knight and impress himself on the royal houses by competing in a tourney, where he will pit his skills against seven other competitors. Not everything goes smoothly. however, and he soon finds himself with a fight on his hands.
Due to begin its run on Sky Atlantic on January 19, you’ll also be able to catch each episode a day later on streaming service NOW.
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