January may have a reputation as a “dump month” for new releases, but the world’s best streaming services aren’t slowing down with highly anticipated new movies and shows debuting in time for this weekend.
Indeed, with a brand new Game of Thrones the spin-off, the return of fan favorite series, the arrival of one of the biggest successful flops of last year, And a spicy behind-the-scenes documentary that shocks fans, who said the start of the year was quiet? So keep reading to learn more about this week’s biggest deals: Amelia Schwanke, Entertainment Editor
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO Max)
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The expansion of HBO Game of Thrones the universe continues at a steady pace A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ arrival. An almost perfect adaptation of The hedge knightthe first installment of the “Dunk and Egg” trilogy, takes place approximately 100 years before Thronesand will introduce one of the franchise’s most beloved couples – Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall and “Egg” – to a wider audience.
I don’t want to spoil anything else about this new HBO Max show, but you can read my review of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to see why it’s the triumphant underdog tale that HBO’s Thrones-Verse needs right now. Once you’re done, find out everything you need to know about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms then check out my episode 1 guide for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to find out where you can watch it. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things season 5 (Netflix)
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I love a good behind-the-scenes feature. This is one of the greatest benefits of owning a DVD or Blu-ray, because all that extra hardware allows you to linger in the world of something you just watched and truly savor the experience.
So one might think that a two-hour documentary on the making of Stranger Things Season 5 would be a dream come true for fans who aren’t quite ready to let go, right? Instead, One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things season 5 only fueled more frustration. Fans have taken issue with several creative decisions, some of which believe ChatGPT helped write his scripts.
Added to the fury was the conviction that a secret supplement Stranger Things the episode will still be abandoned, but this documentary fully proves that that won’t be the case. – AS
The RIP (Netflix)
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There’s nothing better than a movie starring longtime friends and actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The arrival of The R.I.P.a new action crime thriller that the duo is showcasing and executive producing for Netflix, should therefore be worth celebrating. And yet, as I point out in my review of The R.I.P.it’s just another one of the streamer’s original films that’s simply tailor-made for the fleeting attention span of the Netflix generation.
Inspired by real events, The R.I.P. follows a group of police officers who discover a hidden stash worth millions of dollars during a daily investigation. However, their loyalties are tested as they debate what to do with this life-changing sum of money. – TP
Hijack Season 2 (Apple TV)
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For the love of God, someone told Idris Elba to stop taking public transportation. As if Sam Nelson (Elba) having to safely control a hijacked plane in the first season of the Apple TV Original wasn’t painful enough, he now has to deal with a commandeered subway train in Divert season 2, which has just been broadcast – surprise surprise – on Apple TV.
If you ask me, this season is going to be a time of growth, slowly building the world towards inevitable disaster. I also really appreciate the change of location, with season 2 taking place in a picturesque, snowy Berlin. Bad news for locals, who will probably never want to take the U-Bahn again after this. Yet Elba truly is the everyday superhero we need in tough times. – Jasmine Valentine, entertainment journalist
Tell Me Lies season 3 (Hulu/Disney+)
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If you didn’t hate Stephen before, wait until you sit down to watch Tell me lies season 3. Hulu and Disney+ released three episodes as part of this season’s premiere as a little surprise but, if I’m honest, the weekly breaks work as a period of reflection that I sorely need.
After last season’s explosive finale revealed that Stephen sent Bree a recording of Evan admitting to cheating on Bree with Lucy while they were in college, Bree and Evan’s eventual marriage in 2015 appeared to be hitting a rocky patch.
However, we’re not done reliving the horrors of 2009 yet, and Stephen is upping the cruelty factor when it comes to his treatment of Lucy. He can’t get over the fact that she was briefly with Evan after he dumped her. So, obviously, he resorted to crazy mind games. Someone punch him before season 3 ends, please. – Joint venture
Ponies (Peacock)
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Ponies debuted with a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score, so I have high hopes that this will be the last big thriller to debut on Peacock.
Set in Moscow in 1977, we follow two “uninteresting people” (or PONIES) who work anonymously as secretaries at the American embassy. However, when their husbands die in mysterious circumstances in the Soviet Union, they are integrated into the CIA.
Emilia Clarke plays the sharp and overeducated Bea, while Haley Lu Richardson plays the abrasive, bold and fearless Twila, who find themselves teaming up to investigate why their husbands were killed. The setup here is fantastic, so I’m praying it sticks the landing. The eight episodes of Ponies are out now, for your information. – Lucy Buglas, senior entertainment editor
The Running Man (Paramount+)
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Edgar Wright’s take on Stephen King’s novel The running man received mixed reviews. With a 62% Rotten Tomatoes score, it certainly left critics sitting on the fence. Still, Wright’s adaptation is better than the 1987 version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and of the two, I’d say the 2025 iteration, which is now available on Paramount+, is better in every area.
Powers of Chad star Glenn Powell leads the cast here, playing a blacklisted worker who signs up for the title Running Man reality TV program. What is the eponymous game show about, you might ask? Well, it’s a very popular series broadcast by an authoritarian media network, where “runners” who sign up can win $1 billion by surviving 30 days. But that is of course much easier said than done. – kg
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