New on Netflix UK in January 2023: best TV series & film releases to watch, from Kaleidoscope to That 90s Show

It can be difficult to make sense of what’s coming to Netflix, so we’ve organised the streaming service’s January releases into a list of dramas, comedies, documentaries, films, and international series.

Here’s your guide to everything that’s new on Netflix UK this January, with a few highlighted top picks to help you decide what to watch.

Drama

Kaleidoscope | Sunday 1 January

Giancarlo Esposito stars in an all-new anthology series following a crew of masterful thieves and their attempt to crack a seemingly unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. The series can, in theory, be watched in any order.

Ginny & Georgia S2 | Thursday 5 January

How do you live with the knowledge that your mother is a murderer? That’s what Ginny is going to have to figure out. Burdened with the new understanding that Kenny - her step-dad - didn’t die of natural causes, now Ginny must deal with the fact that Georgia not only killed, but killed to protect her.

Copenhagen Cowboy | Thursday 5 January

A thrill-inducing, neon-drenched noir series from Nicholas Winding Refn. After a lifetime of servitude and on the verge of a new beginning, Miu traverses the ominous landscape of Copenhagen’s criminal netherworld. Searching for justice and enacting vengeance, she encounters her nemesis, Rakel, as they embark on an odyssey through the natural and the supernatural.

Vikings: Valhalla Season 2 | Thursday 12 January

Shortly after the tragic fall of Kattegat, our heroes’ dreams are shattered and their destines altered. Finding themselves suddenly fugitives in Scandinavia, they are forced to test their ambitions and courage in worlds beyond the fjords of Kattegat.

Comedy

That 90s Show | Thursday 19 January

It’s 1995 and Leia Forman, daughter of Eric and Donna, is visiting her grandparents for the summer, where she bonds with a new generation of Point Place kids under the watchful eye of Kitty and the stern glare of Red. Sex, drugs, and rock ’n roll never dies: it just changes clothes.

Documentary

MADOFF: The Monster of Wall Street | Wednesday 4 January

Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street reveals the truth behind Bernie Madoff’s infamous $64 billion-dollar global Ponzi scheme, the largest in history, that shattered the lives of countless individual investors who had placed their trust in the revered Wall Street statesman. 4-part docuseries from the director of Conversations with a Killer.

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker| Tuesday 10 January

The true story of Caleb "Kai" McGillvary, an unhoused nomad who, after saving a woman from a violent attack, became an overnight celebrity sought after by reality TV producers and adoring fans alike — until murder turned his fame into notoriety.

Break Point | Friday 13 January

This ten-part series from the team behind F1: Drive to Survive follows a select group of top tennis players on and off the court as they compete in gruelling Grand Slams and tournaments all over the world. Their dream: lifting a trophy and becoming number one. As some of tennis’ legends reach the twilight of their careers, this is the chance for a new generation to claim the spotlight.

Pamela, a love story | Tuesday 31 January

An intimate and humanizing portrait of one of the world’s most famous blonde bombshells, Pamela, a love story follows the trajectory of Pamela Anderson’s life and career from small town girl to international sex symbol, actress, activist and doting mother.

Family

Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight S2 | Thursday 12 January

Legendary warrior Po teams up with an elite knight on a quest to rescue magical weapons, restore his reputation and save the world.

Lockwood & Co | Friday 27 January

In a world plagued by ghosts, where giant corporations employ psychic teens to battle the supernatural, only one company operates without adult supervision, and its name is Lockwood & Co. Run by Anthony Lockwood, a rebellious young entrepreneur haunted by his mysterious past, his brilliant but eccentric sidekick George and a newly arrived, supremely gifted girl called Lucy, this renegade trio are about to unravel a terrifying mystery that will change the course of history. From Joe Cornish (Attack the Block, The Kid Who Would Be King).

Reality & Light Entertainment

Physical: 100 | Tuesday 24 January

In order to find the best body with the most powerful physique, a hundred people enter an extreme survival game entertainment to try and prove their strength.

Internationals

The Lying Life of Adults | Wednesday 4 January

A powerful and singular portrait of Giovanna’s transition from childhood to adolescence in the 1990s. Giovanna oscillates between high Naples and low Naples: tumbling, climbing, bewildered by the fact that, up or down, the city seems without answer and without escape. Based on an Elena Ferrante novel.

Woman of the Dead | Thursday 5 January

Six-part mystery thriller about the lengths a passionate woman will go to for vengeance after her husband’s death and the tug-of-war between good and evil that exists in all of us.

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House | Thursday 12 January

After graduating from junior high school, 16-year-old Kiyo leaves her home of Aomori and heads to Kyoto with her friend Sumire with dreams of becoming a beautiful maiko (apprentice geisha). However, she is told she is not suited to being one. As a tearful Kiyo is about to return to Aomori, her skill for cooking is discovered and she is hired as a makanai, a cook for a house where maiko live together. During this time, Sumire rapidly grows into a beautiful maiko and becomes famous along the streets of the traditional Gion town. The beautiful, fun, and delicious days of a makanai and a maiko start here.

Sky Rojo | Friday 13 January

Coral, Wendy, and Gina discover that peace is nothing more than that deceptive feeling between periods of terror. When their new life is blown to pieces, the girls understand that the past always returns and that if they ever really want to be free, they’ll have to bury it. Or bury Romeo – same difference.

Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre | Thursday 19 January

Horror manga masterpieces penned by king of the genre Junji Ito are being animated, with stories like Hanging Blimp, Intruder, and others sharing a theme of madness forming the basis for this new anime.

Represent | Friday 20 January

An idealistic educator is inadvertently thrust into the French presidential race – think of the Zelensky series Servant of the People. Jean-Pascal Zadi created and stars.

Netflix Original Films

The Pale Blue Eye | Friday 6 January

West Point, 1830. A world-weary detective is hired to discreetly investigate the gruesome murder of a cadet. Stymied by the cadets’ code of silence, he enlists one of their own to help unravel the case — a young man the world would come to know as Edgar Allan Poe. Harry Melling, Christian Bale, and Gillian Anderson star.

Noise | Wednesday 11 January

Julia is a mother– or rather, one of many mothers, sisters, daughters, colleagues, who have had their lives torn by the widespread violence in a country gaging a war against its women. Julia is searching for Ger, her daughter. And in her search, she will weave through the stories and struggles of the different women she will meet.

Dog Gone | Friday 13 January

When his beloved dog goes missing, a young man embarks on an incredible search with his parents to find him and give him life-saving medication. Rob Lowe stars.

JUNG_E | Friday 20 January

In this gripping sci-fi thriller, humans have escaped Earth, which has been devastated by drastic climate change. And to end the war taking place at the shelters, the brain of the legendary mercenary Yun Jung-yi is cloned by those trying to develop the ultimate A.I. combat warrior.

Old Favourites

Crank | Sunday 1 January

Chev, an assassin-for-hire, is injected with a serum that requires him to always keep his adrenaline levels high in order to survive.

The Age of Innocence (1993) | Sunday 1 January

Newland Archer is a lawyer who is happily engaged to May. However, his life turns upside down when he meets and falls in love with May’s scandalous cousin, Ellen. Directed by Martin Scorsese.

JFK | Sunday 15 January

When attorney Jim Garrison sets out to uncover the mystery behind the assassination of former US President John Kennedy, he faces strong opposition from the government. Kevin Costner stars in the Oliver Stone classic.