For all the gloom January brings, 2023’s edition of what has been called the worst month of the year has been amazing when it comes to bringing new movies and TV shows to streaming.
This past weekend saw the arrival of long-running hits like The Menu and The Pale Blue Eye. This weekend, though, it’s hosting some of the most highly anticipated new series of 2023, 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 to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, and more over the next few days. Roll 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 the biggest shows of 2023.
For those still not in the know: The Last of Us tells the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), an unlikely duo trying to navigate a post-apocalyptic United Star Wars in the wake of a fungal outbreak that turns most of the world’s population into monstrous creatures. Cannibalism is known simply as “the infected”. The Tentpole series comes from the game’s original writer, Neil Druckmann, and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, who explained to us in an interview how making the move to TV allowed the pair to develop this era-defining story.
We called The Last of Us “straightforward and ruthless” in our review, so there’s no doubt that it will make our list of the best HBO shows in the coming weeks. The first episode of the series comes out on HBO Max in the US on January 15, and Sky Atlantic and NOW 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 Proving to be unexpectedly popular for Prime Video’s series Vikings when it first aired in February 2022, the highly anticipated second season of the show has arrived on Netflix continuing its story around the world.
The sophomore outing in the historical drama begins one month after the season one finale and finds Liv (Sam Corlett), Fredis (Frida Gustafsson) and Harald (Leo Sutter) on the run after the brutal battle at Kattegat. The trio is forced to split up after becoming enemies of the state, reinventing themselves in the process–but the legendary legacies of each loom large.
in Interview with TechRadarseries creator Gib Stewart explained how he “didn’t want to do the same” with the show’s follow-up, suggesting that Vikings: Valhalla will retain their spot on our list. The best Netflix shows.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Hunters Season 2 (Prime Video)
Starring Prime Video’s Al Pacino, Hunters returns for its second (and final) season this weekend.
This eight-episode follow-up, set two years after a failed mission that scattered the titular Nazi hunters around the world, finds Jonah (Logan Lermann) calculating the possibility that Adolf Hitler himself might still be alive.
The Hunters season 1 received a lukewarm reception from critics, but the second “crazy” and “ridiculous” outing could make its way onto our list. The best Prime Video deals.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Traitors (Peacock, BBC iPlayer)
The Traitors reality series was an unexpected hit in the UK when it premiered in November 2022, and now an American version of the show is available in its entirety on Peacock and BBC iPlayer.
Hosted by Alan Cumming (instead of Claudia Winkleman) but filmed in the same location as its UK counterpart, The Traitors brings 20 popular contestants together to complete a series of challenges with the goal of earning a cash prize. catch? Three of the contestants – dubbed “Traitors” – will devise a plan to steal the prize from the rest.
Adapted from the Dutch TV series De Verraders, this Among Us-style game show will apparently be occupying your Twitter feed for the foreseeable future – so get watching ASAP.
Now available to stream on Peacock in the US and BBC iPlayer in the UK.
Film (HBO Max)
Well, who saw this coming? HBO Max’s latest animated comedy series for adults from Charlie Grundy (The Mindy Project, The Office), telling the high school origin story of beloved Scooby-Doo character Velma Dinkley, “the nameless and undeserving brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang .”
Mindy Kaling, Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, Wanda Sykes, and more lend their voices to one of HBO Max’s best shows, which has been described as a “gritty re-imagining” of the Scooby-Doo universe. The first two episodes of Filma are available to stream now, with the remaining eight episodes arriving in pairs every Thursday through February 9.
Available now to stream on HBO Max.
The Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 (Paramount Plus)
Paramount PlusThe Kingstown sheriff-led Jeremy Renner-led drama (not to be confused with HBO’s Mare of Easttown) returns for its second season this Sunday.
Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan’s show follows the McCloskeys as they navigate the ins and outs of America’s criminal justice system, and season two’s Kingstown mayor finds Mike dealing with the aftermath of a disastrous prison riot.
Kingstown Mayor already ranks among The best Paramount Plus deals, so we hope that he will continue to follow him in the good form that he set in his debut season. New episodes will become available to stream every Friday.
Available to stream on Paramount Plus from Sunday.
Breakpoint (Netflix)
The massive sports docuseries F1: Drive to Survive will return to Netflix next month, but the first half of the new tennis-focused production, Break Point, is coming to streaming this weekend.
From the same producers as Drive to Survive, this fly-on-the-wall series gives viewers a rare insight into the highs and lows of the world of tennis, featuring commentary from players including Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz and Ons Jabeur.
Critics have hailed Break Point as “grabbing almost from the very first point,” so Netflix is hoping its latest court drama can reinvigorate a sport whose big stars come out. Expect this movie to appear on the list of the best documentaries on Netflix soon.
Now available to stream on Netflix.