Happy 2019 and welcome to another year of streaming goodness on Netflix! It’s that time of year when most of us take our foot off the accelerator, even just for a moment, to enjoy some much needed downtime. And what better way to spend it than with your favourite streamer? Let’s take a look at what January has in store on the American version of Netflix.
For Australians (or non USA residents really) that want to access the US version of Netflix, which has if not more content, then at least different content than the local version, the best way to do that is described in our updated guide here. Sure, there are other ways, cheaper ways, but none more reliable than what we have tested (and what we are actually using for ourselves). And sometimes the opposite is true, and if you're in the US, you might also want to check out some of the stuff in the Australian version that you won't get back home - our method works the other way too!
And while Netflix's library is out of sync geographically, there are still a lot of the same additions regardless of where you are, especially when it comes to Netflix originals. And so this article focuses on content that you won't get in Australia or hasn't been covered by our 'Netflix Australia: What's New in January' article, and so a quick glance of that article is recommended as well.
Before we get to January, there are often content that was added in December that was announced after we published our preview last month, and coming on New Year's Eve is a big one, one of the biggest stadium tours ever. Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour is the official concert film for the star's latest (and just concluded) tour. Get ready to be awed by the sights and sounds of this history breaking tour in this Netflix exclusive.
And here's a first - an interactive, I'd like to say TV show (?), from Netflix that, unfortunately, will only work on selected Netflix capable devices. I'm talking about Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the latest 'Black Mirror' episode with a distinct difference - you decide what happens! The blurb for the special goes like "In 1984, a young programmer begins to question reality as he adapts a dark fantasy novel into a video game. A mind-bending tale with multiple endings" - so with that story in mind, the interactive element of this piece of very unique content isn't so out of place. Try it now, but just not on the Apple TV, Chromecast or outdated devices.
Netflix introduces a brand new series to the stable this month and it’s causing loads of buzz. ‘Sex Education’ is set in the fictional town of Moordale, England, and centres around awkward teenager Otis Thompson whose extensive knowledge of the ins and outs (pun intended!) of sex are thanks not to his own experience but the embarrassing TMI teachings of his sex therapist mum. Otis discovers he can capitalise on this accidental expertise by starting an underground sex therapy clinic for his classmates. Starring Asa Butterfield (Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children) as Otis and Gillian Anderson (The X Files) as his mum. Catch it from January 11.
There are a number of series returns this month including ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.’ Starring Ellie Kemper whose performance as the titular Kimmy has earned her two Emmy nominations, Season 4 Part 2 is the swan song of this much loved comedic series as Netflix has not commissioned another season.
‘Grace and Frankie’ returns for its 5th season and continues to be as popular as ever. Aimed squarely at the hugely populated Boomer demographic, the series starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin is a surprise hit with a much younger fanbase, too. Check out the new season from January 18.
And don’t miss ‘American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.’ A gripping look inside the opulent lifestyle of the Italian fashion designer and his shocking death.
Star Wars fans should note the arrival of the latest addition to the franchise, ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story.’ As its name suggests, the movie focuses on the early years of one of the most beloved characters, Han Solo. Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!) stars as the young Solo – and of course, you’ll see where the enduring friendship with Chewbacca began. I know that the film's box office was a (relative) disappointment, perhaps that's just due to a bit of Star Wars fatigue right now, and some fans have decried the film as unnecessary, but it's still a great ride and there are some fine performances contained within. Plus Millennium Falcon!
All this talk of Han got you craving a hit of Harrison Ford? Well, don’t fret! The Indiana Jones franchise arrives at Netflix this month including the original and arguably the best installment – ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’
Other notable movie additions include two award-winning films featuring all-star casts – Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Departed,’ and Christopher Nolan’s contribution to the Batman franchise, ‘The Dark Knight’ – worth watching if only to witness the late Heath Ledger’s chilling portrayal of The Joker.
For family entertainment, see the ‘The Incredibles 2’, and ‘Marvel Studio Ant-Man and the Wasp’ starring Paul Rudd (Wet Hot American Summer) and Evangeline Lilly (Lost).
Also check out docuseries ‘Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.’ The four-episode series features previously unheard audio interviews with Ted Bundy on death row.
Parting is such sweet sorrow – so take care not to miss your faves before they leave the streamer for good. The Godfather franchise hangs around until the end of the month as does the Sharknado franchise. One is a triumph of cinema and the other is about sharks. If you love ocean life, who are we to judge?
If you haven’t watched ‘Love Actually’ this holiday season, what are you even doing? Get onto it! Likewise, ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’ They’re going, going, gone.
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So that's a great start for 2019 from Netflix! Happy streaming!
Here's a list of everything that's coming to the US version of Netflix in January. Content highlighted above shown in bold below.
Available January 1
A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 3
Across the Universe
Babel
Black Hawk Down
City of God
Comedians of the World
Definitely, Maybe
Godzilla
Happy Feet
Hell or High Water
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
It Takes Two
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jersey Boys
Mona Lisa Smile
Mr. Bean’s Holiday
Pan’s Labyrinth
Pinky Malinky
Pulp Fiction
Swingers
Tears of the Sun
The Addams Family
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Dark Knight
The Departed
The Mummy
The Mummy Returns
The Strangers
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
Watchmen
xXx
XXX: State of the Union
January 2
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
January 4
And Breathe Normally
Call My Agent!: Season 3
El Potro: Unstoppable
Lionheart
January 9
GODZILLA The Planet Eater
Solo: A Star Wars Story
January 10
When Heroes Fly
January 11
Friends from College: Season 2
ReMastered: Massacre at the Stadium
Sex Education
Solo
The Last Laugh
January 15
Revenger
Sebastian Maniscalco: Stay Hungry
January 16
American Gangster
January 17
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace
January 18
Carmen Sandiego
Close
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
Girl
Grace and Frankie: Season 5
IO
Soni
The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes: Season 2 Part B
Trigger Warning with Killer Mike
Trolls: The Beat Goes On!: Season 5
January 21
Justice
January 24
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
January 25
Animas
Black Earth Rising
Club de Cuervos: Season 4
Kingdom
Medici: The Magnificent
Polar
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 4 Part 2
January 27
Z Nation: Season 5
January 29
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias: One Show Fits All
Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp
January 30
The Incredibles 2
Leaving January 1
Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure
Blade
Blade II
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Catwoman
Face/Off
Finding Neverland
Friday Night Lights
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
I Am Ali
Interview with the Vampire
Into the Wild
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Kung Fu Panda
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Fifteenth Year
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Sixteenth Year
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Seventeenth Year
Like Water for Chocolate
Love Actually
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Marie Antoinette
Meet the Fockers
Meet the Parents
Million Dollar Baby
Monsters vs. Aliens
Mortal Kombat
Rent
Sharknado
Sharknado 2: The Second One
Sharknado 3
Sharknado The 4th Awakens
Sharknado: 5
The 6th Day
The Godfather
The Godfather: Part II
The Godfather: Part III
The Green Mile
The Iron Giant
The Princess Diaries
The Queen of the Damned
The Reaping
The Shining
January 4
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World
January 13
It Follows
January 14
Armageddon
January 18
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
January 19
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
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Angie Maddison is a contributor for Streambly. You can follow Angie on Twitter.
