clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Every movie and show coming to Netflix in January

Ring in the new year with Sabrina, Frodo, and Ferris Bueller

sabrina displaying her otherworldly powers Image: Diyah Pera/Netflix

Even with Netflix’s recommendation algorithm steadily serving you new movies, new TV shows and original programming tailored to your binging habits, the streaming service’s firehose of content makes what’s coming and going difficult to parse.

That’s why we break down each month’s additions with a spotlight on what to keep on your radar. Netflix’s own “new releases” category is an info dump. Consider us a picture-in-picture talking head, screaming recommendations at the screen.

Favorite Netflix Originals Sex Education and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina return with new seasons. Meanwhile, Anne With an E gets one last season before its untimely cancellation (fans are still clamoring to save the series). The second part of the Bojack Horseman finale also premieres at the end of the month.

On the franchise end, two out of three Lord of the Rings movies and both Charlie and the Chocolate Factory films come to the platform, along with the most unhinged of Shrek films and the Cinderella story that started it all.


Coming Soon

Dracula (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: From the makers of Sherlock, Claes Bang stars as Dracula in this series inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic novel.

What the Love! with Karan Johar (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Multihyphenate celebrity Karan Johar guides perennially lonely singletons through physical and emotional makeovers to set them up for dating success.

Available Jan. 1

Ghost Stories (Netflix Film)

From Netflix: From the directors of Bombay Talkies and Lust Stories come four new short films taking a twisted turn into the spine-chilling realm of horror.

Good Girls: Season 2

Messiah (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: When CIA officer Eva Geller (Michelle Monaghan) uncovers information about a man (Mehdi Dehbi) gaining international attention through acts of public disruption, she begins an investigation into his origins. As he continues to cultivate followers who allege he’s performing miracles, the global media become increasingly beguiled by this charismatic figure. Geller must race to unravel the mystery of whether he really is a divine entity or a deceptive con artist capable of dismantling the world’s geopolitical order. As the story unfolds, multiple perspectives are interwoven including that of an Israeli intelligence officer (Tomer Sisley), a Texas preacher (John Ortiz) and his daughter (Stefania LaVie Owen), a Palestinian refugee (Sayyid El Alami) and the journalist (Jane Adams) who covers the story. The series also stars Melinda Page Hamilton, Wil Traval, Fares Landoulsi, Dermot Mulroney and Beau Bridges.

Created by Michael Petroni (The Book Thief), directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) and Kate Woods (Rectify), and executive produced by Petroni, McTeigue, Andrew Deane (The Double), Mark Burnett and Roma Downey (The Bible Series, Ben Hur), the Netflix original series Messiah is a provocative and suspenseful thriller that explores the power of influence and belief in the social media age.

Nisman: Death of a Prosecutor (Netflix Documentary)

From Netflix: This series follows a prosecutor who investigated the biggest attack against a Jewish community outside Israel since World War II — and met a violent and mysterious death.

Spinning Out (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: After choking during an important performance, a competitive skater dealing with family issues and her own inner demons struggles to revive her career.

The Circle (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Welcome to the ultimate popularity contest. To win the cash prize, would you be yourself, a better version of yourself — or someone else altogether?

21

hilary duff and chad michael murray dance Image: Warner Bros./Getty Images

A Cinderella Story

Does any movie encapsulate 2004 girlhood more than A Cinderella Story? Before the Cinderella Story movies became a franchise — starring other tween idols and heartthrobs like Selena Gomez/Drew Seeley, Lucy Hale/Freddie Stroma, Sofia Carson/Thomas Law, and most recently Laura Marano/Gregg Sulkin) — it all began with OGs: Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray.

American Beauty
Catch Me If You Can
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Chasing Amy
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chloe
City of God
Dinner for Schmucks
Dragonheart
Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer
Dragonheart: A New Beginning
Drugs, Inc.: Season 6

ferris, sloane, and cameron at the chicago art institute Image: Paramount Pictures/The Kobal Collection

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Play hooky and revisit the John Hughes classic.

Free Willy
Ghost Rider
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Hitch
Inception
Instructions Not Included
Julie & Julia
Kate & Leopold
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Kingpin
Kiss the Girls
Monster-in-Law
New York Minute
Pan’s Labyrinth
Patriot Games
Saint Seiya: Season 4-5
Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden

Shrek Forever After

Rewatch the moment the Shrek franchise truly lost it.

Strictly Ballroom
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

If you’ve ever thought to yourself “Hmm, I’d like to have a Lord of the Rings marathon, but without the first movie,” you’re in luck this month.

The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
The Original Kings of Comedy
The Ring
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Tremors
True Grit
Up in the Air
What Lies Beneath
Wild Wild West
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Wyatt Earp
Yes Man

Available Jan. 2

Sex, Explained: Limited Series (Netflix Documentary)

From Netflix: Attraction. Fantasies. Fertility. Discover the ins and outs of sex in this fun and informative series, narrated by singer-actress Janelle Monáe.

Thieves of the Wood (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: In this historical drama series, infamous Flemish highwayman Jan de Lichte becomes a local hero during the Austrian occupation of 18th-century Belgium.

Available Jan. 3

anne shirley smiling Image: Netflix

Anne with an E: The Final Season (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: A milestone birthday sparks a search for Anne’s origin story as she sorts out matters of the heart and starts setting a course for her future.

All the Freckles in the World (Netflix Film)

From Netflix: In Mexico City, a 13-year-old falls for the most beautiful girl in school. With some help from his friends, he will try everything in order to win her heart.

Available Jan. 4

Go! Go! Cory Carson (Netflix Family)

From Netflix: Join kid car Cory Carson on his adventures around the winding roads of childhood in Bumperton Hills! Based on the hit toy line Go! Go! Smart Wheels.

Available Jan. 8

Cheer (Netflix Documentary)

From Netflix: From the team behind Last Chance U, Netflix’s documentary series Cheer follows the competitive cheerleaders of Navarro College in Corsicana, TX. Led by Monica Aldama, the small junior college has won 14 National Championships since 2000. The stakes on the mat are high, but for these athletes, the only thing more brutal than their workouts and more exceptional than their performances are the stories of adversity and triumph behind the team members themselves. Over the course of six episodes, viewers will join the Navarro College cheerleaders as they face injuries, sacrifice, personal setbacks and triumphs, all leading up to one nail-biting and adrenaline pumping final competition at the National Championship.

Available Jan. 10

AJ and the Queen (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: RuPaul stars in this outrageous series as a down-on-her-luck drag queen traveling across America in a van with a tough-talking 10-year-old stowaway.

The Evil Dead

Giri / Haji (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Family duty sends a lawman to London to look for his mob-assassin brother as a yakuza war threatens to engulf Tokyo. Trust is even tougher to find.

Harvey Girls Forever!: Season 4 (Netflix Family)

From Netflix: A robot band, a pirate adventure ... and a run-in with a friendly ghost? Just another season on Harvey Street, where every day’s out of the ordinary.

The Inbestigators: Season 2 (Netflix Family)

From Netflix: Who? When? Where? These school-age sleuths ask smart questions -- and they always solve the case! When crime strikes, call the Inbestigators.

Medical Police (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Two American doctors who discover a deadly virus in Brazil are recruited as government agents in a race to find a cure and uncover a dark conspiracy.

Scissor Seven (Netflix Anime)

From Netflix: With a trusted pair of hairdressing scissors and the ability to disguise himself, Seven offers contract killing on the cheap. The only problem? He often has trouble completing assignments.

Until Dawn (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: France’s funniest comics carry out ghastly tasks as they try to outlast — and outwit — one another while overnighting in famously haunted locations.

Zumbo’s Just Desserts: Season 2 (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Cohosts Adriano Zumbo and Rachel Khoo return to the Dessert Factory to judge impossible cakes, amazing confections and other fantastic sweets.

Available Jan. 12

Betty White: First Lady of Television

Available Jan. 13

The Healing Powers of Dude (Netflix Family)

From Netflix: When an 11-year-old boy with social anxiety disorder has to start middle school, he finds strength in a lovable comfort mutt named Dude.

Available Jan. 14

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Netflix Family)

From Netflix: “Burrow girl” Kipo’s life turns upside down when she surfaces in a wild world of mutant creatures. She’ll need all the help she can get to go home.

The Master

Available Jan. 15

Big Fat Liar

Quien a hierro mata (Netflix Film)

From Netflix: A cartel boss is released from prison and put in the care of nurse Mario (Luis Tosar), who questions his duty and reconnects with his traumatic past.

Available Jan. 16

NiNoKuni (Netflix Anime)

From Netflix: High school colleagues Yuu and Haru travel between the real world and a parallel fantasy universe to help their friend Kotona, whose life is in danger.

Steve Jobs

Available Jan. 17

Ares (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: When her friend suffers a bizarre accident, Rosa realizes the secret student society they’ve just joined is built on demonic secrets from Dutch history.

Grace and Frankie: Season 6 (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are two women reinventing their lives in this funny and honest series, now returning for Season 6.

Hip-Hop Evolution: Season 4 (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Season 4 of the music series follows hip-hop in the U.S., showcasing the stories and sounds that shaped its history and culture.

gillian anderson in sex education, she wears an orange dress and holds a wineglass Image: Sam Taylor/Netflix

Sex Education: Season 2 (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Sex Education is about Otis Milburn, a socially awkward high school student who lives with his sex therapist mother, Jean. In season 1 Otis and his friend Maeve Wiley set-up a sex clinic at school to capitalise on his intuitive talent for sex advice. In season 2, as a late bloomer Otis must master his newly discovered sexual urges in order to progress with his girlfriend Ola whilst also dealing with his now strained relationship with Maeve. Meanwhile, Moordale Secondary is in the throes of a Chlamydia outbreak, highlighting the need for better sex education at the school and new kids come to town who will challenge the status quo.

Tiny House Nation: Volume 2

Tyler Perry’s A Fall from Grace (Netflix Film)

From Netflix: Grace Waters (Crystal Fox), a longtime pillar of her Virginia community, stays composed when her ex weds his mistress and her son moves away. With convincing from her best friend Sarah (Phylicia Rashad), she tries putting herself first, and a handsome stranger (Mehcad Brooks) becomes her surprise second love. Yet any woman can snap, and Grace’s new husband soon ravages her life, her work and — many say — her sanity. Shuttered in a cell awaiting trial for his murder, Grace’s only hope for vindication lies with Jasmine Bryant (Bresha Webb), a public defender who has never tried a case. Co-starring Oscar nominee Cicely Tyson and writer/director Tyler Perry, A Fall From Grace is a mesmerizing thriller built from unthinkable secrets.

Vivir dos veces (Netflix Film)

From Netflix: Emilio searches for the great love of his youth, with the help of his daughter and granddaughter. Will he be able to reconnect with this lost love before his memory fails?

Wer kann, der kann! (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Nailed It! takes its cakes to Germany, where amateurs try to re-create fantastic sweets. Model Angelina Kirsch hosts alongside chef Bernd Siefert.

Available Jan. 18

The Bling Ring

Available Jan. 20

Family Reunion: Part 2 (Netflix Family)

From Netflix: This sitcom about a Seattle family who must readjust to simple living in Georgia returns for its second season.

Available Jan. 21

Fortune Feimster: Sweet & Salty (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Southern-born comedian, writer and actress Fortune Feimster is back with her first hour-long Netflix original comedy special, Fortune Feimster: Sweet & Salty. The comedian recalls her childhood misadventures as a former Girl Scout, debutante and (disqualified) swim meet champion; her family’s complicated relationship with Hooters; and how a movie helped her realize she was a lesbian.

Word Party: Season 4 (Netflix Family)

From Netflix: Cue the music: It’s time for a party! Join animal babies Franny, Bailey, Kip, Lulu and their new friend, Tilly, for more learning and language fun.

Available Jan. 22

Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak (Netflix Documentary)

From Netflix: The six episode docuseries explores the ways influenza evolves and how prepared humans are — or aren’t — for the next devastating global outbreak.

Playing with Fire: Season 1

Available Jan. 23

The Ghost Bride (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: In 1890s Malacca, a young woman finds herself in the afterlife and becomes mired in a murder mystery connected to the deceased son of a wealthy family.

October Faction (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Monster hunters Fred (J.C. Mackenzie) and Deloris Allen (Tamara Taylor) hide their identities as members of a covert syndicate while their teenage kids, Geoff (Gabriel Darku) and Viv (Aurora Burghart), are forced to live in a town trapped in the past. From the comics by Steve Niles and Damien Worm.

The Queen

SAINT SEIYA: Knights of the Zodiac: Season 1 / Part 2 (Netflix Anime)

From Netflix: Hard work and training have paid off for Seiya, who is now one of Athena’s Saints. But it doesn’t end here. What new adventures await the heroes of this epic saga in Part II?

Available Jan. 24

A Sun (Netflix Film)

From Netflix: A family reckons with the aftermath of their younger son’s incarceration and a greater misfortune that follows.

sabrina getting cozy on nick’s lap Image: Diyah Pera/Netflix

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 3 (Netflix Original)

The last time we saw Sabrina, her hot boyfriend Nick Scratch had offered up his body to house Satan. Part 3 sees Sabrina making it her mission to save him, dragging her totally mortal friends into it with her. But with Satan gone, the Underworld is in political upheaval and now there’s another hunk on the rise: Caliban, Prince of Hell. Sounds devilish.

The Ranch: The Final Season (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: This comedy series set on a ranch and starring Ashton Kutcher and Sam Elliott returns for its final season.

Rise of Empires: Ottoman (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: With a mix of scripted and documentary elements, this series examines the history of the Ottoman Empire.

Available Jan. 26

Vir Das: For India (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Vir Das takes his audience on a celebratory journey through the history of India, from its people and traditions to modern culture and famous films.

Available Jan. 27

Country Strong
We Are Your Friends

Available Jan. 28

Alex Fernández: El mejor comediante del mundo (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: A new stand-up special from Mexican comedian Alex Fernández.

Available Jan. 29

Frères Ennemis (Netflix Film)

From Netflix: A cop and a drug dealer who grew up in the same neighborhood reluctantly join forces to solve a murder. Matthias Schoenaerts and Reda Kateb star.

Next In Fashion (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Next In Fashion is a high-stakes competition series featuring some of the world’s best and quietly innovative designers who compete for a chance to become the next big name in fashion. The series is hosted by fashion designer and TV personality Tan France (Queer Eye) and designer, model and global style icon Alexa Chung.

Night on Earth (Netflix Documentary)

From Netflix: From the award-winning producers of Planet Earth II, Life, and Blue Planet, this stunning natural history series reveals the wonders of the nocturnal world.

Omniscient (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: In a future where each citizen is monitored 24/7 by a drone, a woman discovers a murder unaccounted by this surveillance system, and investigates why.

Available Jan. 30

Ainori Love Wagon: African Journey (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: To find love, seven strangers leave Japan and embark on a journey through the continent of Africa together. Challenges, adventure and romance await!

Nighthawks
Raising Cain

The Stranger (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Secrets, violence and a conspiracy send family man Adam Price on a desperate quest to uncover the truth about the people closest to him.

Available Jan. 31

37 Seconds (Netflix Film)

From Netflix: A young woman with cerebral palsy is torn between family obligations and her dream to become a successful manga artist.

American Assassin

sad bojack Image: Netflix

Bojack Horseman: Season 6 (Part B) (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: BoJack inches his way toward redemption as a stint in rehab forces him to confront his mistakes and start making amends.

Diablero: Season 2 (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Demons walk among everyday citizens, and the angels took off long ago. Who’s left to save humanity? Diablero returns for Season 2.

I AM A KILLER: Season 2 (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: Season 2 of the documentary series features death row inmates convicted of capital murder giving a firsthand account of their crimes.

Luna Nera (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: In 17th-century Italy, a teenage midwife accused of witchcraft must choose between a star-crossed love and fulfilling her powerful destiny.

Ragnarok (Netflix Original)

From Netflix: A small Norwegian town experiencing warm winters and violent downpours seems to be headed for another Ragnarok — unless someone intervenes in time.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for Patch Notes

A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon