Everything new to streaming in January 2019
If you think your New Year’s resolution is anything other than to spend more time on the couch, you’re dreaming. Let us help.
A new year and a new you?
Ha. As if.
The old you, the you that loves to lounge and binge — there’s nothing wrong with that person. We support you.
So here’s what’s coming to streaming platforms next month, with some highlights and the full charts below.
Bloom (Stan, January 1): Stan’s new Australian series asks the question, what if you had a second chance at being young? The drama starring Bryan Brown, Jacki Weaver, Phoebe Tonkin and Ryan Corr explores the possibilities and drama in a flood-ravaged town where the discovery of a magical, rejuvenating plant stirs up trouble.
Star Trek: Discovery S2 (Netflix, January 18): Even if you’re not a Trekkie, don’t be put off by the Star Trekness of it all — it’s great TV, propelled by making the right choice, betrayal and things that go boom; it just happens to take place in space. The lead character, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is a compelling lead, one you’d happily follow on her adventures.
Luther S1-4 (Foxtel Now, January 3): Before the first new season of Luther in three years lands in February, rediscover why the Idris Elba cop show is so captivating with its macabre crimes, compelling villains and a lead officer who’s compromised but never compromising.
MORE: The movies you should’ve seen this year
Senna (Netflix, January 18): When Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna died on the tracks during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at the age of 34, it was a huge loss for the motorsports world. This wonderful and moving documentary tracks Senna from his 1984 debut to his death, looking at what drove him to be the best.
Hunger (SBS On Demand, January 11): In 2008, director Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave, Widows) made his feature debut with Hunger, heralding the arrival of an exciting filmmaker, but also of Michael Fassbender in his first serious role as IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands. There is a particularly arresting one-shot scene in which Sands discusses the morality of a hunger strike with a Catholic priest played by Liam Cunningham.
Hell Or High Water (Stan, January 4): A modern take on an old-school heist movie, it beautifully captures a bleak existence in post-GFC West Texas, following brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) who commit a string of small-fry bank robberies. Hell Or High Water is a morally ambiguous movie anchored by incredible performances.
True Detective S3 (Foxtel Now, January 14): The first season was phenomenal, the second season was divisive, bordering on derided. After a couple of years’ rest, True Detective returns with a new story. It stars Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff as two detectives in the Ozarks investigating a gruesome crime involving two missing children.
The Great British Bake Off S9 (Foxtel Now, January 8): There’s nothing more restorative than watching a group of very polite Brits bake biscuits, breads and tarts. This is the kind of cooking competition where no one is trying to sabotage anyone else, they don’t give nasty testimonials on camera about their rivals, but they do drink lots of tea. There is good in the world.
Lady Macbeth (Stan, January 25): A young woman is married off to a much older man, traded off to be his wife in rural England, where she meets a much more intriguing footman, stirring in her a violent and raw passion. The confronting Lady Macbeth is the breakout for Florence Pugh, an actor with a magnificent talent and one you’ll see everywhere in the coming years.
Delicatessen (SBS On Demand, January 1): Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 1991 post-apocalyptic dark comedy still holds up with its wicked story of the residents of a crumbling apartment building who turn to cannibalism.
Isle Of Dogs (Foxtel Now, January 18): Wes Anderson’s second stop-motion animation is droll, sophisticated and features nods to Akira Kurosawa. It’s the story of one plucky youngster’s quest to rescue his dog Spot after all the canines were exiled to a garbage island.
A Quiet Place (Foxtel Now, January 4): Fearsome aliens with incredible hearing have invaded the Earth and if you make a sound, you’re monster meat. With its chilling premise and heart-thumping execution, this family drama dressed up as a horror-thriller is a masterstroke of suspense and thrills.
MORE: The Favourite is wickedly funny
You’re The Worst S5 (SBS On Demand, January 10): The acerbic and dark comedy about Jimmy and Gretchen, two horrible people who just happen to find solace and love in each other, even if it’s not an uncomplicated happily-ever-after, wraps up with its fifth and final season, starting this month. We will miss them.
The Kimberley Cruise: Australia’s Last Great Wilderness (SBS on Demand, January 19): SBS made a big splash last year with its first commission into “slow TV”, a genre that’s included six-hour-long programs of fire crackling, people knitting and watching the world go buy on a train trip. One of four new slow TV experiences this month, amble through the Kimberley on a cruise from Broome to Darwin, watching as the natural beauty of Australia crawls by.
The Guard (Foxtel Now, January 1): Not the kind of buddy cop movie you’d see come out of Hollywood — head over to Ireland for this pee-your-pants, hilarious film starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. It’s violent, very Irish and very, very good.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt S4P2 (Netflix, January 25): Over four years, we’ve been to some dark places with Kimmy Schmidt, an eternally chirpy bunker kidnap survivor. The playful and offbeat series is ending on Kimmy and her wacky friends, the dramatic Tituss, rich-b*tch Jacqueline and old hippie Lillian, with these final episodes. So crack open that pinot noir.
Game Night (Netflix, January 1): A hilarious comedy that uses its impressive cast’s (Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman) charisma and pummels you with jokes, in a story about a group of friends whose weekly game night descends into chaos when real-life gangsters kidnap one of them.
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