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For all the doom and gloom that January brings, the 2023 edition of the so-called worst month of the year has been nothing short of spectacular when it comes to offering new movies and TV shows to stream.
Last weekend, feature film hits such as The Menu and The Pale Blue Eye were released. However, this weekend is playing host to some of the most highly anticipated new series of 2023, with HBO’s The Last of Us and Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 taking center stage.
Below, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest new movies and TV shows streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, and more in the coming days. Wrap your eyes around these top picks ASAP.
The Last of Us (HBO Max)
What can we say about The Last of Us that you don’t already know? The marketing campaign of the new HBO series has been so all-encompassing that the video game adaptation is already one of the biggest shows of 2023.
For those who don’t know yet, The Last of Us tells the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), an unlikely duo trying to cross a post-apocalyptic United Stars in the aftermath of a mold outbreak that has left the most of the world’s population into wild, man-eating creatures known simply as “the infected.” The tentpole series comes from the game’s original writer Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, who explained to us in an interview how the move to TV allowed the pair to develop this era-defining story.
We called The Last of Us “sincere and unforgiving” in our review, so it’s bound to make its way onto our list of the best HBO shows in the weeks to come. The first episode of the series is coming to HBO Max in the US on January 15, and Sky Atlantic and NOW simultaneously (albeit overnight) on January 16 in the UK. Surprisingly, it will also be available on Prime Video in France.
Streaming on HBO Max in the US from Sunday and on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK from Monday.
Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 (Netflix)
Vikings: Valhalla turned out to be an unexpectedly popular spin-off of Prime Video’s Vikings series when it first aired in February 2022, and the show’s highly anticipated second season has already arrived on Netflix to continue its world-travel story.
Picking up a month after the Season 1 finale, the historical drama’s second outing finds Leif (Sam Corlett), Freydís (Frida Gustavsson) and Harald (Leo Suter) on the run after the brutal battle at Kattegat. The trio are forced to part ways after becoming enemies of the state, reinventing themselves in the process – but their respective legendary legacies beckon.
In a interview with TechRadarseries creator Jeb Stuart explained how he “didn’t want to do the same thing” with the show’s follow-up, suggesting Vikings: Valhalla will take its place on our list of the best netflix shows.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Hunters Season 2 (Prime Video)
Hunters, Prime Video’s thriller series starring Al Pacino, returns this weekend for its second (and final) season.
Set two years after a failed mission scattered the titular Nazi fighters across the globe, this eight-episode follow-up finds Jonah (Logan Lerman) considering the prospect that Adolf Hitler himself might still be alive .
The Hunters’ debut season was met with a lukewarm reception from critics, but the “bonkers” and “absurd” second outing could make its way onto our list of the best Prime Video shows.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
The Traitors (Peacock, BBC iPlayer)
Reality series The Traitors was an unexpected hit in the UK when it premiered in November 2022, and now a US version of the show is available to stream in its entirety on Peacock and BBC iPlayer.
Hosted by Alan Cumming (instead of Claudia Winkleman), but filmed in the same location as its UK counterpart, The Traitors brings together 20 celebrity contestants to take on a series of challenges with the aim of earning a cash prize. The catch? Three of the contestants – dubbed “the Traitors” – will devise a plan to steal the prize from the rest.
This Among Us-style game show, an adaptation of the Dutch TV series De Verraders, looks set to occupy your Twitter feed for some time to come – so check it out ASAP.
Now available to stream on Peacock in the US and BBC iPlayer in the UK.
Velma (HBO Max)
Well, who saw this one coming? Created by Charlie Grandy (The Mindy Project, The Office), HBO Max’s latest adult animated series tells the origin story of beloved Scooby-Doo character Velma Dinkley, “the unsung and underappreciated mastermind of Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc.” . gang.”
Mindy Kaling, Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, Wanda Sykes and more lend their voices to possibly one of the best HBO Max shows, which has been described as a “spunky re-imagining” of the Scooby-Doo universe. The first two episodes of Velma are available to stream now, with the remaining eight arriving in pairs every Thursday through February 9.
Now available to stream on HBO Max.
Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 (Paramount Plus)
Paramount plusThe Jeremy Renner-led drama series, Mayor of Kingstown (not to be confused with HBO’s Mare of Easttown), returns Sunday for its second season.
The show from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan follows the McLusky family as they traverse the goings-on of the US criminal justice system, and Kingstown season 2 mayor finds head honcho Mike dealing with the fallout from a disastrous prison riot .
Mayor of Kingstown is already among the best Paramount Plus shows, so we hope the sequel continues the good form of the debut season. New episodes become available to stream every Friday.
Streaming on Paramount Plus from Sunday.
Breakpoint (Netflix)
The mega-popular sports docuseries F1: Drive to Survive returns to Netflix next month, but the first half of a new tennis-focused production, Break Point, is coming to the streamer this weekend.
From the same producers as Drive to Survive, this fly-on-the-wall series gives viewers a rare insight into the highs and lows of the tennis world, with commentary from players like Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz and Ons Jabeur.
Critics have praised Break Point as “riveting almost from the first run,” so Netflix hopes its latest courtroom drama can revive a sport whose biggest stars are on their way out. Expect it to appear on our list of the best Netflix documentaries soon.
Now available to stream on Netflix.