It’s the first full week of 2026, and January is often a dead zone when it comes to theatrical releases. The 2026 movie schedule is no exception, but luckily, the world of streaming is more than able to pick up the slack. There are plenty of great streaming movies this month, and plenty of TV series are getting underway to keep you interested for the next several weeks.
The Pitt, Season 2 – January 8 (HBO Max)
The Pitt was one of the best new shows of 2025 and is absolutely one of the best reasons to have an HBO Max subscription. While so many other streaming hits can make us wait multiple years before giving us a new season, the hospital drama starring Noah Wiley isn’t making us wait. The Pitt Season 2 drops its first hour this week. The new season will take place on the Fourth of July, which will certainly lead to many emergencies for the doctors on call.
The Traitors, Season 4 – January 8 (Peacock)
The Traitors has become one of the biggest reality competition series of the streaming era, so you can be sure there will be millions of fans making sure they have their Peacock subscription up to date when the new season arrives this week.
His & Hers – January 8 (Netflix)
Tessa Thompson might find herself in the Oscar hunt thanks to Hedda, and Jon Bernthal is likely to have a huge 2026 as the Punisher in Spider-Man Brand: New Day and his own Disney+ special, but with a Netflix subscription this week, you can see them together in His & Hers. They play an estranged couple, he a police detective and she a journalist, investigating a murder together, while also suspecting each other might be guilty of the crime.
People We Meet on Vacation – January 9 (Netflix)
While I will go to the mat for the theatrical experience, there’s little argument that audiences more broadly don’t go to the movies as much anymore. One casualty of this change has been the character-driven romance. Luckily, we have streaming platforms like Netflix picking up the slack. Based on the novel of the same name, People We Meet on Vacation follows two old friends who spend one week a year going on vacation together, and the romance that eventually grows between them.
The Night Manager, Season 2 – January 11 (Prime Video)
The Night Manager, based on the John Le Carre novel, was one of the most popular and successful TV series ever when it debuted way back in 2016. It’s wild that it took nearly a decade for a second season to arrive. Of course, star Tom Hiddleston has been kind of busy since then. While the show was on cable the first time around, you’ll need a Prime Video subscription to watch Season 2.
With new seasons of Bridgerton, new additions to the Game of Thrones franchise,m and the first piece of the marvel Cinematic Universe in 2026 dropping this month, January may be cold, but the content is staying hot all month along.
