Can you believe we’re almost entering a new year? That means goodbye to 2024 and hello to 2025! After a nice holiday break and a much-needed recharge, you might be looking to check out an exciting show to unwind from the tough days at work and new challenges. We have you covered.
There are lots of great TV shows coming out to kick off the new year, but we have pinpointed five great TV shows you need to watch in January. One is new, but the others are actually new seasons of popular shows that are finally returning to delight and entertain.
Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new shows to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, the best shows on Max, and the best shows on Disney+.
High Potential season 1B (January 7)
If you have joined many others who have fallen in love with High Potential, an exciting and funny police procedural, you’ll be pleased to know that the series is returning this month with the second half of its inaugural season. Based on the French and Belgian series HPI, High Potential stars Kaitlin Olson as Morgan, a single mother working as a night cleaner in a police station to make ends meet. But when the major crimes head discovers that Morgan has a genius level IQ and an incredible knack for seeing situations like no one else, she hires her to work as a consultant.
Olson and Daniel Sunjata, who plays Karadec, the detective who is reluctantly tasked with working with Morgan, have fabulous chemistry. She has her own unique, unofficial style while his by-the-book, uptight mentality means he’s constantly irritated by her methods. The storylines are like any other you’d see on a cookie-cutter procedural. But even if the angle has been played out over and over, the character of Morgan is delightful and relatable as someone thrust into a world she knows nothing about. High Potential tackles how someone like Morgan might be extremely talented and observant, but also finds it challenging to process situations in the same way police officers do.
Stream High Potential on Hulu.
Will Trent season 3 (January 7)
Yes, it’s another police procedural with a fascinating character who has a special gift. The title character in Will Trent, played by Ramón Rodriguez, is a special agent whose incredible observational skills mean he can look at a crime scene and almost instinctively piece together what happened. Almost every time, he’s right, which makes him a tremendous asset. But Trent also has quirks and deals with personal challenges, including trauma from his difficult childhood as an orphan who moved from one abusive foster home to another and setbacks due to his dyslexia.
There’s something especially endearing about Trent, however, along with his relationships with everyone from on-again, off-again girlfriend detective Angela Polaski (Erika Christensen) to his mentor and mother figure, deputy director Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn). Of course, there’s also his adorable chihuahua, Betty, whom he adores more than any human who crosses his path. Every episode of Will Trent deals with an intriguing new case, often involving dangerous situations and unbelievable actions. But there’s also an overarching story as Trent searches for the identity of his birth mother and father and tries to find a path to personal happiness. Will Trent will suck you in with its entertaining story.
Stream Will Trent on Hulu.
The Pitt (January 9)
Medical dramas are a dime a dozen, but The Pitt has an unusual premise that could excite fans of the subgenre and make it stand out among the pack. Employing the 24 method, The Pitt covers one hour of time in each episode and focuses on a full 15-hour emergency room shift in a fictional Pittsburgh trauma hospital in its first season.
This likely means the show isn’t as intense as other series that go through numerous ups and downs and storylines in a single one-hour episode. It will probably be a slower burn. but also more realistic in its representation of what it’s really like to work in a trauma hospital. With that said, medical emergencies are always frantic and emotionally draining, and while the show may have moments of calm, there’s bound to be a climactic event or two every hour.
Medical drama veteran Noah Wyle, who starred as John Carter in ER, will head up the series alongside Tracy Ifeachor (The Originals) and Fiona Dourif (Chucky). It’s an interesting premise that could work or fall flat. But The Pitt will pique curiosity to see how well this format works when it doesn’t involve a skilled agent fighting bad guys.
Stream The Pitt on Max.
Severance season 2 (January 17)
Fans have been on the edges of their seats waiting for the second season of Severance, especially after that explosive season one finale and frustrating cliffhanger moment. The sci-fi psychological thriller, one of the best shows on Apple TV+ and arguably one of the best of this decade, centers around Mark Scout (Adam Scott). Mark decides to undergo a procedure that severs his brain such that when he’s at work, he’s the “innie” version of himself and doesn’t know anything about his personal life, while his “outie” persona knows nothing of his home life.
He chose to do so to focus on work without being tormented by the grief of the loss of his wife, though this grief returns as soon as he leaves the building. When a purported former co-worker approaches Mark in the real world to warn him about sinister things going on at the biotechnology company Lumon Industries where he works (and that conducted the procedure), both Mark’s “innie” and “outie” begin to question things.
Severance is mind-bending, mysterious, thought-provoking, and beautifully presented. The cast is top-notch, and also includes John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette, Britt Lower, and Zach Cherry. The show raises questions about grief, trauma, and free will, and serves as an allegory for how desperately society needs to find a proper work-life balance.
Stream Severance on Apple TV+.
The Night Agent, season 2 (January 23)
A surprise hit for Netflix in 2023, The Night Agent broke records and swiftly catapulted up the most-viewed series of all time list, where it still currently sits in the seventh spot. It has been an almost two-year wait for the second season that continues the journey of FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso). In season 1, he works overnight shifts in a dark basement office of the White House, where he flips through paperwork while waiting for a single phone to ring. It never does.
That all changes one night. After the phone rings, Peter is thrust into a dangerous situation involving secret undercover agents, political corruption, and government conspiracies. Every episode offers nail-biting tension with twists and turns throughout that will keep you guessing and unable to turn it off.
The Night Agent is admittedly corny, sometimes predictable, and completely outlandish. But it draws you in with escapist delight. Season 2 continues the story as Peter tackles a new position in a new setting with several new cast members joining the mix, including Jennifer Morrison, Stephen Moyer, and Brittany Snow.
Stream The Night Agent on Netflix.
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