5 Streaming Shows (And A Movie) To Catch Up On In January
With the holidays over, we’re officially in January doldrums. Both culturally and on a general vibes level, January just feels like a fake month. While this January is unusual in the sense that two popular, critically acclaimed shows are returning in Bridgerton and The Pitt, the historical lack of January bangers has long made it the month I try to catch up on shows and movies in my backlog. So below you’ll find the shows and movies worth catching up on this month.
The Vince Staples Show (Netflix)
I’ve long been a fan of rapper, writer, and actor Vince Staples. “Norf Norf” was the anthem to many nights spent in downtown Phoenix in 2015, and his FM album stayed in my rotation through all of 2019. Despite being a huge fan of his music, I didn’t even realize Vince Staples had a show until I kept seeing clips of it posted on TikTok and Instagram throughout last year.
The Vince Staples Show very much feels like the West Coast cousin to Donald Glover’s Atlanta. Similar to Atlanta, The Vince Staples Show follows a rapper (Vince Staples) as he tries to navigate the perils of being Black and kinda famous in a surreal version of Long Beach. The Vince Staples Show is very much a dark, dark comedy, so don’t expect to leave this show feeling good. Behind the jokes are astute observations about family, money, and how it’s not a family reunion until someone gets to squabbling.
The Season 1 finale is funny until it’s tragic, and left me on the couch going “Damn. Damn.” Season 2 premiered last November, and with both seasons containing only five and six episodes, respectively, The Vince Staples Show is a quick, funny, and occasionally thought-provoking binge watch.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (Netflix)
If you’re an anime fan or a sci-fi fan, and you haven’t watched Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, I can’t even shade you because I just got around to it myself. The show came out in 2022 during a hectic time in my life, and became one of those shows that I kept saying, “I’ll eventually get around to it.” After three years, I finally did get around to it, and I’m so glad I did, as this is one of the most visually exciting yet heartbreaking anime I’ve watched in some time.
Set a year before the events of Cyberpunk 2077, the series follows teenager David Martinez, a street kid enrolled at the prestigious Arasaka Academy who is subjected to relentless bullying due to being significantly poorer than his peers. After losing everything in a tragic accident and meeting Lucy, a streetkid turned hacker, David abandons the Academy for a life of crime.
If you were ever curious about what Romeo and Juliet would look like in a dystopian, cyberpunk future, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners answers that question. If you enjoyed the game Cyberpunk 2077, the series really adds more depth to the world of Night City and doesn’t shy away from the brutality and desperation of the late-capitalist hellscape. Thrilling, action-packed, and ultimately heartbreaking at its close, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners packs a hell of a punch across its 10 episodes.
Fallout (Prime Video)
When Fallout dropped in 2024, I dug the first few episodes I watched. The problem is they dropped the entire season all at once, and I am famously terrible at binge-watching anything that isn’t an anime or half-hour sitcom. With Season 2 premiering last December and adapting Fallout: New Vegas, my favorite game in the series, I decided to spend the Christmas holiday getting through the show.
Shoutout to me for that decision, because this is probably the greatest video game adaptation of all time.
Fallout succeeds where video game adaptations like the Resident Evil movies failed. While it doesn’t directly adapt any particular game in the series, it perfectly encapsulates the series’ feeling. Anyone who has played a Fallout game knows that while you’re given a main mission at the start, you’re probably going to spend the majority of your time being sidetracked by nonsense.
The show’s structure has an innate understanding of that. Vault dweller Lucy (a fantastic Ella Purnell) sets out on a journey to find her kidnapped father in the nuclear wasteland of California circa 2277. She’s immediately sidetracked by the Ghoul (the also fantastic Walton Goggins) and Brotherhood of Steel acolyte Maximus (again, a fantastic Aaron Moten).
If you’ve never played Fallout, the show does an excellent job of establishing the tone and presenting a story that’s welcoming for newcomers. If you have played the games, the show is filled with so many delightful Easter eggs that you can’t help but love it. With new episodes of season two dropping every week, now is the perfect time to take a trip to the nuclear wasteland.
Rebel Ridge (Netflix)
Y’all, if you haven’t watched Rebel Ridge right now, what are you doing? Released in 2024, this movie was my introduction to Aaron Pierre, and it immediately made me want to see him become our next great action star. Pierre plays Terry Richmond, a former Marine who’s on his way to post bail for his cousin in a small Louisiana town when he’s stopped by some cops and has his money taken due to civil forfeiture. This incident sets off a chain of events that pits Richmond against the town’s corrupt police force, led by a delightfully slimy Don Johnson.
This is the kind of movie that would’ve been a movie marathon staple back in the days when cable was worth a damn. It’s thrilling, frustrating, darkly comic, and has a surprising amount on its mind regarding civil forfeiture laws. It’s kind of like the perfect action movie, and it’s one I wish I could’ve watched in a packed theater.
If you’re not in the mood to pick up a show and just want to watch a two-hour banger, Rebel Ridge is the move.
ER (HBO Max)
With The Pitt returning this month, there’s no better time to give its spiritual successor, ER, a rewatch. I’m in a weekly movie club with my cousin and some friends, and last year I chose the ER pilot as one of my picks. What I thought would be a one-off watch has turned into me consistently returning to Cook County General Hospital.
No show has made me feel more like an unc than ER, because y’all, they really don’t make ‘em like this anymore!
It’s tightly written, the ensemble cast is killer, and it has a surprising amount of visual flair for a medical drama. At least once per episode, I find myself going, “It’s crazy they cranked out 22 episodes at this quality for 15 years in a row.” Especially considering most of the big streaming shows these days have us waiting two to three years between seasons. Unless you’re like, 19 years old, there’s a strong chance you already know what ER is and either watched it back in the day or caught reruns back when TNT knew drama. The show still holds up, and if it’s been a minute since you last watched it, I highly recommend giving it a rewatch.
From old favorites to modern classics, there’s plenty of bangers to check out on streaming this January.
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5 Streaming Shows (And A Movie) To Catch Up On In January was originally published on newsone.com
