For all the misery 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.
This past weekend featured full-length hits like The Menu and The Pale Blue Eye. However, this weekend will feature some of 2023’s most anticipated new series, 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 that will be streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and more in the next few 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 for the new HBO series has been so comprehensive that the video game adaptation is already one of 2023’s biggest series.
For those who don’t already know: The Last of Us tells the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), an unlikely duo as they attempt to cross post-apocalyptic United Stars in the wake of a fungal epidemic that turns much of the world’s population into feral, man-eating creatures known simply as “infected”. The surefire series comes from the game’s original writer Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, who explained to us in an interview how moving to television allowed the pair to expand on this groundbreaking story.
We called The Last of Us “sincere and unforgiving” in our review, so it will no doubt make it onto our list of HBO’s best shows in the coming weeks. The first episode of the series will air on HBO Max in the US on January 15, and Sky Atlantic and NOW will air simultaneously (albeit overnight) on January 16 in the UK. Surprisingly, it will also be available on Prime Video in France.
Available to stream on HBO Max in the US from Sunday, and Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK from Monday.
Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 (Netflix)
Vikings: Valhalla turned out to be an unexpectedly popular Prime Video spin-off of Vikings when it first aired in February 2022, and the highly anticipated second season of the series has already arrived on Netflix to continue the story of poaching around the world.
The second-year historical drama field trip begins a month after the season one finale and finds Leif (Sam Corlett), Freydís (Frida Gustavsson) and Harald (Leo Suter) fleeing the brutal Battle of Kattegat. The trio is forced to split up after becoming enemies of the state, reinventing themselves in the process – but their legendary heritage beckons.
in interview with TechRadarSeries creator Jeb Stuart has clarified that he “didn’t want to do the same thing” in the series’ sequel, suggesting Vikings: Valhalla will keep its place on our list best Netflix shows.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Hunters Season 2 (Prime Video)
Prime Video’s Al Pacino thriller series Hunters returns for its second (and final) season this weekend.
In this eight-episode sequel, set two years after a failed mission that left the titular Nazi hunters scattered across the globe, Jonah (Logan Lerman) reckons with the prospect that Adolf Hitler himself may still be alive.
The Hunters debut season received a lukewarm reception from critics, but its “crazy” and “ridiculous” second outing could make our list the best Prime Video shows.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Traitors (Peacock, BBC iPlayer)
The reality series The Traitors was an unexpected hit in the UK when it premiered in November 2022, and now the 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 shot in the same location as its British counterpart, The Traitors brings together 20 celebrities who complete a series of challenges together to earn a cash prize. Hook? Three participants – referred to as “traitors” – devise a plan to steal the prize from the rest.
Adapted from the Dutch TV series De Verraders, this game show in the style of Among Us looks set to take over your Twitter feed for the foreseeable future – so watch as soon as possible.
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 newest adult animated comedy series tells the origins of beloved Scooby-Doo character Velma Dinkley, “the unknown and underrated mastermind of Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. . band.”
Mindy Kaling, Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, Wanda Sykes and more lend their voices to potentially one of HBO Max’s best shows, which has been described as a “bold re-imagining” of the Scooby-Doo universe. The first two episodes of Velma are available to stream now, and the remaining eight will arrive in pairs every Thursday through February 9.
Now available to stream on HBO Max.
The Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 (Paramount Plus)
Paramount PlusThe Jeremy Renner-led drama series The Mayor of Kingstown (not to be confused with HBO’s Mare of Easttown) returns for a second season on Sunday.
Taylor Sheridan’s show, the creator of Yellowstone, follows the McLusky family as they navigate the ins and outs of the US criminal justice system, and Season 2’s Mayor of Kingstown finds Warden Mike as he grapples with the aftermath of a catastrophic prison riot.
The mayor of Kingstown is already counted among the so-called the best Paramount Plus shows, so let’s hope the sequel maintains the good form established in its debut season. New episodes will be available to stream every Friday.
Available to stream on Paramount Plus starting Sunday.
Tipping Point (Netflix)
The mega-popular sports documentary series F1: Drive to Survive returns to Netflix next month, but the first half of the new tennis production, Break Point, hits streamers this weekend.
From the same producers as Drive to Survive, this fly-on-the-wall series gives viewers a rare glimpse into the ups and downs of the tennis world, with commentary from players including Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz and Ons Jabeur.
Critics hailed Break Point as “thrilling almost from the first point,” so Netflix will be hoping its latest courtroom drama can revitalize a sport whose biggest stars are on the move. Expect it to appear on our list of the best Netflix documentaries soon.
Now available to stream on Netflix.