2019 is right around the corner, laying out a fresh slate for us all, but if Netflix’s January batch of incoming programming is any indication, the streamer is poised for another huge year, adding more movies and television shows that you can shake a stick at. We’ll walk you through next month’s highlights below.
On the film side, it’s going to be a huge month for blockbusters, particularly of the superhero variety: Netflix is adding one of Paste’s top superhero movies ever made, as well as the sequel to the top movie on that list. The former, streaming on Netflix starting on Jan. 1, 2019, is none other than Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, starring the late Heath Ledger—in one of the most indelible performances of the 21st century—as Batman’s anarchic nemesis, the Joker. Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his iconic turn in the universally acclaimed 2008 superhero thriller, which also stars Christian Bale as the titular caped crusader, Michael Caine as his trusty assistant Alfred Pennyworth, Aaron Eckhart as Gotham’s white knight Harvey Dent, Gary Oldman as police commissioner Jim Gordon and Maggie Gyllenhaal as assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes, among others. The latter film we were alluding to above is, of course, Disney-Pixar’s The Incredibles 2, the long-gestating (and surprisingly excellent) sequel to Brad Bird’s 2004 animated super-family adventure. While Bird’s Incredibles follow-up won’t reach Netflix until Jan. 30, it’s worth waiting for—after all, fans of the first film had to wait over a decade to find out whether the Parr family was able to take down The Underminer, so what’s 30 days more?
We digress—a slew of other films are coming next month, the bulk of which hit on Jan. 1, including: Oscar-nominated Beatles musical Across the Universe, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 2006 drama Babel, Ridley Scott’s 2001 war film Black Hawk Down, Rio slums-set epic City of God, Taylor Sheridan-scripted 2016 standout Hell or High Water, the classic action films of the original Indiana Jones trilogy (and the unfortunate footnote that is 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Guillermo del Toro’s gothic fairytale Pan’s Labyrinth, Quentin Tarantino masterpiece Pulp Fiction, classic mid-’90s dating comedy Swingers, 1991’s spooky The Addams Family outing, Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning crime epic The Departed, 1999’s fun, Brendan Fraser-starring The Mummy (and 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns) and Zack Snyder’s divisive Watchmen adaptation. That’s just Jan. 1, mind you—coming later in the month are all-time-great comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Jan. 2), summer 2018’s stylish Star Wars adventure Solo: A Star Wars Story (Jan. 9), Ridley Scott’s Denzel Washington-starring crime biopic American Gangster (Jan. 16), Netflix original Fyre Festival documentary FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (Jan. 18) and this summer’s Marvel Cinematic Universe entry Ant-Man and the Wasp (Jan. 29), to name only a few.
That brings us to January’s incoming TV offerings, which are only slightly less plentiful and impressive than its film list. Leading the way on Jan. 1 is the third and final season of Netflix’s Emmy-nominated series adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, both previous seasons of which have earned widespread acclaim, with Paste being no exception. As revealed in the third season’s recently released trailer, the poor, parentless Baudelaire siblings must undertake “the most important mission in V.F.D. history” in the series’ last seven episodes, thwarting the villainous Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris) once and for all … we hope. Another Netflix original series returns on Jan. 11, when the second season of Friends from College debuts, spanning eight episodes. The comedy series’ debut season earned underwhelming reviews, but Netflix apparently felt the show—which stars Keegan-Michael Key, Cobie Smulders, Annie Parisse, Nat Faxon, Fred Savage and Jae Suh Park as a group of college friends who reconnect in their 40s—was worthwhile enough for another go. Following on Jan. 15 is a new comedy special from Sebastian Maniscalco, Stay Hungry, in which the energetic stand-up “takes on life’s many annoyances with his singularly expressive approach in a live special based on his memoir of the same name,” per Netflix.
The streamer’s best TV addition may very well fall on Jan. 17, when American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace arrives on the service—we recently ranked the second season of FX’s American Crime Story anthology, which begins with the murder of its eponymous fashion designer before moving backwards in time through the events that led to it, among the very best TV shows of 2018. “Underappreciated by critics, under-watched by audiences, and misunderstood by those expecting the focus to remain squarely on House Versace … the second installment of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series is an even pricklier treatment of ‘true crime’ than the first,” wrote Paste’s Matt Brennan in praise of the season. Making their debuts the very next day, Jan. 18, are Netflix’s Gina Rodriguez-starring, animated Carmen Sandiego series, season five of long-running Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie, and the debut of Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, a provocative new docuseries from the Run the Jewels rapper and activist. Jan. 25 is a bittersweet day, as it brings us part two of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s fourth and final season, which will conclude with a double-sized episode. The oft-Emmy-nominated comedy series, starring the delightful Ellie Kemper (The Office) as its titular doomsday cult survivor, and created by 30 Rock duo Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, has been one of Netflix’s very best original shows since its 2015 premiere. Last—or first, for all we know—among Netflix’s January TV highlights is the second season of Marvel antihero series The Punisher, which debuts on the streamer at a yet-to-be-revealed date in January.
Our last order of business before calling 2018 quits is taking note of everything leaving Netflix after the ball drops, as a number of standout titles come off the service next month. Vanishing from the streamer on Jan. 1 are Wesley Snipes-starring action flicks Blade and Blade II, Francis Ford Coppola’s strange adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, infamous Halle Berry vehicle Catwoman, iconic over-the-top actioner Face/Off, true-life Texas football drama Friday Night Lights, beloved rom-com How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Oscar-nominated Anne Rice adaptation Interview with the Vampire, Sean Penn-directed Christopher McCandless story Into the Wild, animated franchise-starter Kung Fu Panda, another rom-com classic in Love Actually, Ben Stiller-starring screwball comedy Meet the Parents and its followup Meet the Fockers, Clint Eastwood’s Best Picture-winning Million Dollar Baby, the schlock-tastic Sharknado and its first four sequels, the untouchable Godfather trilogy, Stephen King adaptation The Green Mile, animated cult classic The Iron Giant and Stanley Kubrick’s outstanding take on The Shining. That’s not all: Departing later in the month are indie-horror hit It Follows (Jan. 13), big-time blockbuster Armageddon (Jan. 14), acclaimed Star Wars standalone Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Jan. 18) and game-changing J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Jan. 19). Catch ‘em while you can, folks.
You’ll find Netflix’s sizzle reel and complete January slate down below.
Avail. 1/1/19
A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 3— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Across the Universe
Babel
Black Hawk Down
City of God
COMEDIANS of the world— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
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— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
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— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Watchmen
xXx
XXX: State of the Union
Avail. 1/2/19
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Avail. 1/4/19
And Breathe Normally— NETFLIX FILM
Call My Agent!: Season 3— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
El Potro: Unstoppable— NETFLIX FILM
Lionheart— NETFLIX FILM
Avail. 1/9/19
GODZILLA The Planet Eater— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Avail. 1/10/19
When Heroes Fly— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 1/11/19
Friends from College: Season 2— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
ReMastered: Massacre at the Stadium— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Sex Education— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Solo— NETFLIX FILM
The Last Laugh— NETFLIX FILM
Avail. 1/15/19
Revenger— NETFLIX FILM
Sebastian Maniscalco: Stay Hungry— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 1/16/19
American Gangster
Avail. 1/17/19
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace
Avail. 1/18/19
Carmen Sandiego— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Close— NETFLIX FILM
FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
GIRL— NETFLIX FILM
Grace and Frankie: Season 5— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
IO— NETFLIX FILM
Soni— NETFLIX FILM
The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes: Season 2 Part B— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Trigger Warning with Killer Mike— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Trolls: The Beat Goes On!: Season 5— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 1/21/19
Justice— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 1/24/19
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Avail. 1/25/19
Animas— NETFLIX FILM
Black Earth Rising— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Club de Cuervos: Season 4— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Kingdom— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Medici: The Magnificent— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Polar— NETFLIX FILM
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 4 Part 2— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 1/27/19
Z Nation: Season 5
Avail. 1/29/19
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias: One Show Fits All— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp
Avail. 1/30/19
Disney•Pixar’s The Incredibles 2
Coming Soon
Marvel’s The Punisher: Season 2— NETFLIX ORIGINAL
LAST CALL
Leaving 1/1/19
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 Seventeenth Year
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: The Sixteenth 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 5
Sharknado: The 4th Awakens
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
Leaving 1/4/19
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World
Leaving 1/13/19
It Follows
Leaving 1/14/19
Armageddon
Leaving 1/18/19
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Leaving 1/19/19
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring