There’s a lot to be excited about where HBO Max’s January lineup of new content is concerned. For starters, the streamer is kicking off the New Year with the major anniversary celebration that is the release of The Pitt, season two, exactly one year to the day after season one premiered. Also, the new Game of Thrones prequel is in store for us, as are two new HBO Original documentaries, season 4 of Industry, and season 24 of Real Time with Bill Maher. We’ll also see the debut of two big A24 films.
Come with me as we explore the seven new shows and movies to watch on HBO Max in January.
7
The Pitt, Season Two
After an intense wait, The Pitt—one of television’s most bingeworthy medical shows—returns for another adrenaline-fueled shift, and you can expect to see most of your favorite characters back in play.
Season 2 picks up 10 months after the events of season 1 and plays out over 4th of July weekend as it tackles recent changes to the American healthcare system. Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) is getting ready to take a three-month sabbatical, but not before butting heads with his new replacement. Then, when the schedule gets messed up, he’s forced to be around for Dr. Langdon’s (Patrick Ball) first day back at work after a stint in rehab. As Langdon catches up on all the changes that have occurred since last season, so do we.
The Pitt, season 2, premieres January 8.
6
Industry, Season Four
Soapy finance drama Industry returns for yet another season to follow our drug- and sex-fueled financiers as they navigate their pressure cooker of a world, and lots of drama and cast changes are in store.
Harper (Myha’la) and Yasmin (Marisa Abela) are at the top of their game, but when a glitzy fintech darling bursts onto the scene, they’re drawn into a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse that sees them trotting the globe. As Yasmin navigates her relationship with Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harrington), Harper is pulled into the orbit of an enigmatic executive, played by The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Max Minghella. Will their friendship survive under the pressure of money, power, and the desire for control?
Industry, season 4, premieres January 11.
5
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
George R.R. Martin’s third installment in the land of fire and ice, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms serves as a prequel to the epic fantasy series Game of Thrones. While we will see some Baratheons, Targaryens, and highborns scattered throughout, our focus here is on the lowborns—specifically, an unlikely duo of commoners traversing the Seven Kingdoms.
Based on the author’s Tales of Dunk and Egg series of novellas, the prequel is set a century prior to GoT events but well after House of the Dragon, and just over 50 years after the death of the last dragon; so, the Targaryens still sit on the Iron Throne. Through a lighter, more comedic tone, we’ll follow Dunk (Peter Claffey, of Small Things Like These) as he meets Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell, of House of the Dragon), then as the two experience trials and tribulations, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits together. Someone’s harboring a big secret, though.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premieres January 18.
4
Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!
HBO documentaries never disappoint, and their latest two-part original focuses on one of Hollywood’s most memorable directors and daring satirists, Mel Brooks.
Directed by Judd Apatow with Michael Bonfiglio, The 99-Year-Old Man! explores the life, career, friendships, and loves of the legendary writer, director, producer, and performer from his early years of television sketch comedy through his film and stage hits. You’ll have a blast experiencing the human condition of the icon who held a funhouse mirror up to it for the sole purpose of using laughter as the impetus of healing, resilience, connection, and joy.
Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man! debuts parts 1 and 2 on January 22.
3
33 Photos From the Ghetto
33 Photos From the Ghetto is a new original documentary taking us back to one of World War II’s darkest moments—Warsaw. This is the story of the only known photographs from inside the Warsaw Ghetto in April 1943 that were not taken by German forces.
During the uprising and brutal repression, a 23-year-old Polish firefighter and member of the Warsaw Fire Service, Zbigniew Leszek Grzywaczewski, witnessed and documented everything with his camera, presenting a rare civilian account of the crippling response. Grzywaczewski reportedly risked his life to snap the images, which remained undeveloped until his son uncovered the reel of film in a box of his father’s possessions in 2022.
33 Photos From the Ghetto debuts January 27.
2
The Smashing Machine
Sports biopic, MMA, and UFC fans, mark your calendars. Dwayne Johnson stars as legendary MMA fighter Mark Kerr inThe Smashing Machine, which makes its streaming debut on HBO Max this month.
The film chronicles the life and struggles of the former amateur wrestler as he strives to become the world’s greatest fighter. What most didn’t know was that, at the time Kerr was climbing the ladder in the late 90s, he was also battling intense pain, an opioid addiction, and a tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend, played in the movie by Emily Blunt. Everything is based on Kerr’s real life, as well as the 2002 acclaimed documentary of the same name.
The Smashing Machine debuts January 23.
1
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
If you haven’t seen If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, make sure to stop and watch when it drops. The Rose Byrne-led film boasts a solid 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, sleeper Oscar buzz, and a monumental performance from the actress in a tale about an exhausted wife, mother, and working woman on the edge.
Linda’s (Byrne) life is crashing down around her, and no one seems to care, much less notice. In addition to navigating her daughter’s mysterious illness and her distant relationship with her absent husband (Christian Slater), she’s also dealing with the effects of a missing person and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist (Conan O’Brien). This is one meditation on mental illness whose title appropriately captures the intense feelings of frustration and being trapped in life.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You debuts January 30.
With so much great new content streaming this month, it’s easy to stay focused on that and forget that there’s much more in store. Be sure to check out HBO Max’s complete January lineup and build up that watchlist.
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