From the ‘Mean Girls’ Musical to ‘True Detective: Night Country,’ Here’s Everything We’re Watching This Month

Keith Phipps
·5 min read
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January is a famously weak month for movies but it’s still often a lively one, as the film that kicks off the 2024 movie year suggests. (Last year began with M3GAN, which was pretty fun, so perhaps this one will be too.) But TV seems to be picking up the slack this January. There’s everything from animation to new seasons of anthology shows, the return of True Detective starring Jodie Foster to Prime Video’s Expats with Nicole Kidman. But first: We’ll start at the movie theater.

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Night Swim (Theaters, January 5)

You might ask yourself, “Why make a movie about a haunted swimming pool?” But the better question might be, “Why not?” Pools can be scary places and, apart from one memorable scene in Poltergeist, their ghostly potential has largely gone untaped. Expanding on a viral short of the same name, Bryce McGuire makes his feature debut via the story of a family (whose members include Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon) discover that their new backyard has some features not mentioned in the listing. Get Tickets on Fandango

Grimsburg (FOX, January 7)

When it comes to new series, FOX has been putting most of its muscle behind animation, a trend that continues with this new series starring the voice of Jon Hamm as a hard boiled cop. Erinn Hayes and Rachel Dratch co-star as members of his estranged family. Watch FOX with a DirecTV Stream Free Trial

Echo (Disney+/Hulu, January 9)

A spinoff of Hawkeye, the latest MCU series follows Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), the deaf superheroine named Echo, as she reconnects with her Native American roots while also attempting to foil a criminal scheme. (We’re making an assumption on that last point, but Vincent D’Onofrio is on board as Kingpin so it’s a pretty safe one.) Watch with a Hulu + Live TV Bundle

Criminal Record (Apple TV+, January 10)

A veteran of British dramas and mystery series, Paul Rutman serves as creator of this promising-sounding new crime show with an intriguing cast. Peter Capaldi and The Good Fight’s Cush Jumbo co-star as detectives who find themselves pitted against each other while both try to solve a cold case murder. Watch it on Apple TV+

Ted (Peacock, January 11)

Seth MacFarlane returns to the sentient stuffed bear featured in two feature films via this prequel series. MacFarlane again voices Ted, who here gets into misadventure alongside his young friend (owner? brother?) John (Max Burkholder, taking over the role from Mark Wahlberg). Watch it on Peacock

The Beekeeper (Theaters, January 12)

A bunch of scammers (whose ranks include a mastermind played by Jeremy Irons) trick a nice older woman (Phylicia Rashad) out of her money. But they don’t reckon on having to deal with her friend Mr. Clay (Jason Statham). Beyond his name, his past has left him specially trained to take them down, and not politely. Get Tickets on Fandango

The Book of Clarence (Theaters, January 12)

After taking on the western with The Harder They Fall, Jeymes Samuel turns to the Biblical epic. LaKeith Stanfield stars as Clarence, who senses opportunity for himself after watching the ascent of Jesus. Omar Sy, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, and Teyana Taylor co-star. Get Tickets on Fandango

Mean Girls (Theaters, January 12)

The title is the same as the hit 2004 film, but don’t call this a remake. This Mean Girls adapts the Broadway musical adapted from the film. Tina Fey returns as screenwriter and in a small role (alongside fellow original cast member Tim Meadows) in a new take filled with songs by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin. Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys) takes over the role originated by Lindsay Lohan. Get Tickets on Fandango

Monsieur Spade (AMC, January 14)

Co-created by Scott Frank (The Queen’s Gambit) and Tom Fontana (Oz) this miniseries imagines what might happen if Dashiell Hammett’s gumshoe hero Sam Spade (Clive Owen) retired and tried to live a quiet life in the South of France. But don’t worry: He fails at this and has to solve a mystery involving murdered nuns. Watch AMC with a DirecTV Stream Free Trial

True Detective: Night Country (Max, January 14)

After a break of several years, one of HBO’s signature series returns with a new season starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis. It’s the first not to be overseen by creator Nic Pizzolatto, with Issa López (Tigers Are Not Afraid) serving as showrunner instead. Set in Alaska (but shot in Iceland), this season concerns the disappearance of a research station’s entire staff. (Is this a stealth spinoff of The Thing? Probably not.) Get Max with Prime Video

In the Know (Peacock, January 25)

Co-created by Mike Judge and Silicon Valley’s Zach Woods, Peacock’s first adult animated series is set behind the scenes and on the air of NPR’s third-most popular show. Each episode follows the making of an episode of the show, with Woods and Judge also providing voices alongside J. Smith-Cameron and others. Watch it on Peacock

Expats (Prime Video, January 26)

Lulu Wang (The Farewell) serves as showrunner for this adaptation of Janice Y.K. Lee’s much-loved satirical novel The Expatriates, a story of Americans abroad in 2014 Hong Kong. Said Americans include characters played by Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo, Jack Huston, and Sarayu Blue. Watch on Prime Video

Masters of the Air (Apple TV+, January 26)

Produced by Steven Spielberg, Gary Goetzman, and Tom Hanks, this companion piece to Band of Brothers and The Pacific looks up in the sky for a miniseries inspired by Donald L. Miller’s book Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. Austin Butler plays one of those bomber boys, leading a cast that includes Barry Keoghan, new Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, and Callum Turner. Watch on Apple TV+

Feud: Capote vs. the Swans (FX, January 31)

In 1975, Truman Capote published a chapter of his never-to-be-finished novel Answered Prayers called “La Côte Basque 1965” that featured thinly veiled (and sometimes unveiled) depictions of the New York elite women with whom he surrounded himself. This did not go well, as the fact that it serves as the subject of the second season of this Ryan Murphy series suggests. Tom Hollander plays Capote with Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore, and Molly Ringwald as various Swans. Watch with Hulu Free Trial

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