Showmax ended 2022 strong with its streaming offerings including Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon in its S1 entirety, and second seasons for acclaimed black-comedy drama The White Lotus and real-life LGBT period tale Gentleman Jack. January is keeping the momentum going with some great series (including a surprise exclusive much like last year’s Halo!), movies, documentaries and kids’ entertainment.
Below you’ll find our top picks for the month. Alternatively, here’s everything you can watch on Showmax this January, which includes the return of Gossip Girl, Billions and The Cleaning Lady, along with films like coming of age standout Licorice Pizza and animated The Addams Family 2.
Series
Video game adaptations are the new comic to screen translations, and you don’t get much bigger or more highly anticipated than The Last of Us, a post apocalyptic tale based on the PlayStation and Naughty Dog hit. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey lead the cast in this survival thriller where, 20 years after the collapse of civilisation, cynical and emotionally walled-off Joel must smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of an oppressive quarantine zone as she holds the key to defeating a world-ending fungal infection. From the Emmy award-winning creator of Chernobyl and the creator of the game.
Watch The Last of Us via weekly episodes from 16 January.
You want some leading lady star power? Then check out The First Lady, a ten-episode anthology series that portrays the life and family events of three First Ladies of the United States during three different political eras (between 1933 and 2017). The First Ladies in question? Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama. These influential wives of American presidents are played by Gillian Anderson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Viola Davis respectively. All episodes are directed by award-winning Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier.
Binge from 23 January 2023.
Politics and political figures take centre stage again in This England, which shifts its focus to the other side of the Atlantic. The 2022 British docudrama miniseries stars an unrecognisable Kenneth Branagh as former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and dives into Johnson’s tumultuous first months at 10 Downing Street, as he grapples with Covid-19, Brexit, and a controversial personal and political life. This England is reportedly hard to watch at times, as it doesn’t shy away from showing the heartbreaking situation of hospital workers and patients during the pandemic.
Catch the six-episode series from 16 January 2023.
Films
The perfect crowd-pleasing blockbuster doesn’t ex… Well, actually it does in the form of Top Gun: Maverick, loved by critics and audiences alike. Thirty six years after the original Top Gun, Tom Cruise is back as rebellious but brilliant aviator Pete “Maverick” Mitchell to train a detachment of Top Gun graduates for an ultra-high-risk mission. Among them is Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late friend Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, forcing Maverick to face the ghosts of his past. Also with Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell and Val Kilmer.
Watch Top Gun: Maverick from 23 January.
Biographical crime drama House of Gucci is inspired by the shocking true story of the family empire behind the iconic Italian fashion house. Directed by Ridley Scott, House of Gucci follows Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), an outsider from humble beginnings, who marries into the Gucci family, only for her unbridled ambition to trigger a spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge, and, ultimately, murder. The rest of the cast includes Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons and Salma Hayek.
Watch House of Gucci from 5 January.
It’s not new at all but lesser known indie effort Kindred has our attention. The 2020 mystery horror film, out of the UK, adopts a naturalistic approach to chills, swapping out cheap jump scares and shocks for an unnerving and ever-growing sense of dread. The film’s premise: Plagued by mysterious hallucinations, a pregnant woman suspects that the family of her deceased boyfriend has intentions for her unborn child. Starring Tamara Lawrence and Fiona Shaw.
Watch Kindred from 26 January.