January may have a reputation as a “download month” for new releases, but the world’s best streaming services aren’t moving forward with some highly anticipated new movies and shows premiering in time for this weekend.
In fact, with a new game of Thrones spin-off, the return of the fan-favorite series, the arrival of one of the biggest box office failures of last year, and A spicy behind-the-scenes documentary that’s turning fans upside down and inside out, who said the start of the year will be quiet? So, read on to learn more about this week’s biggest deals: Amelia Schwanke, Senior Entertainment Editor
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO Max)
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HBO’s expansion game of Thrones The universe continues at a good pace A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ arrival. An almost perfect adaptation of The errant knightthe first entry in the ‘Dunk and Egg’ trilogy of novels, is set about 100 years earlier. 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 story 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 and then check out my episode 1 guide for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to know where you can see 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. It’s one of the biggest advantages of owning a DVD or Blu-ray, as all that extra material allows you to immerse yourself in the world of something you’ve just watched and really savor the experience.
So, one would think that a two-hour documentary about the making of stranger things Season 5 would be a dream come true for fans who aren’t ready to let it go yet, right? Instead, One last adventure: the making of Stranger Things season 5 It has only fueled more frustration. Fans have taken issue with several creative decisions, including some who believe ChatGPT helped write their scripts.
Adding to the furor was the belief that a secret extra stranger things The episode will still appear, but this documentary fully demonstrates that that will not be the case. – AS
The RIP (Netflix)
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There’s nothing better than a movie starring actors and lifelong friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. the arrival of The RIPa new action-crime thriller that the duo is spearheading and executive producing for Netflix, then it should be worth celebrating. And yet, as I describe in my review of The RIPis just another of the streamer’s original films that is simply tailor-made for the short attention span of the Netflix generation.
Inspired by real events, The RIP It follows a group of police officers who discover a hidden stash worth millions of dollars during a day-to-day investigation. However, loyalties are tested as they debate what to do with the life-changing monetary loot. – T.P.
Kidnapping season 2 (Apple TV)
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For the love of God, someone tell Idris Elba to stop using public transportation. As if Sam Nelson (Elba) having to safely control a hijacked plane in the first season of Apple TV Original wasn’t bad enough, he now has to deal with a commandeered subway train in Kidnap season 2, which just premiered on – surprise surprise – Apple TV.
If you ask me, this season will be one of growth, and little by little the world will make its way towards inevitable disaster. I’m also really enjoying the change of location, with season 2 set in a picturesque, snowy Berlin. But it’s bad news for residents, who probably won’t want to get on the U-Bahn again after this. Still, Elba is truly the everyday superhero we need in difficult times. – Jasmine Valentine, entertainment reporter
Tell Me Lies season 3 (Hulu/Disney+)
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If you didn’t hate Stephen before, wait until you sit down and watch. tell me lies season 3. Hulu and Disney+ released three episodes as part of this season’s premiere as a bit of a surprise, but if I’m honest, the weekly respites serve as a much-needed cooling-off period.
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 2015 wedding seemed to be hitting a rough patch.
However, we’re not done reliving the horrors of 2009 yet, and Stephen is upping the cruel factor when it comes to his treatment of Lucy. She can’t get over the fact that she was briefly with Evan after he dumped her. So obviously you have resorted to insensitive mind games. Someone punch him before season 3 ends, please. – joint venture
Ponies (peacock)
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ponies has debuted with a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, so I have high hopes that this will be the last great thriller to debut on Peacock.
Set in 1977 Moscow, we follow two “people of no interest” (or PONIES) who work anonymously as secretaries at the American embassy. However, when their husbands die under mysterious circumstances in the Soviet Union, they are thrust into the CIA.
Emilia Clarke plays the cunning and overeducated Bea, while Haley Lu Richardson is the abrasive, bold and fearless Twila, who team up to investigate why their husbands were killed. The setup here is fantastic, so I’m praying it holds up well. The eight episodes of ponies They are now available, FYI. – Lucy Buglass, Senior Entertainment Writer
The Running Man (Paramount+)
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Edgar Wright’s version of Stephen King’s novel The running man received mixed reviews. With a score of 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, it certainly left critics on the fence. Still, Wright’s adaptation is better than the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring version, and of the two, I’d say the 2025 version, now available on Paramount+, is better in every way.
Chad powers Star Glenn Powell leads the cast here, playing a blacklisted worker who fits into the title. Running Man Reality TV show. What is the game show of the same name about? Well, it is a very popular series broadcast by an authoritarian media network, where the “runners” who sign up can win a billion dollars by surviving 30 days. But of course, that’s much easier said than done. – pound
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