We take a look at what the big platforms are pushing this year – with Hollywood’s A-listers joining Conor McGregor on screen
Things really come to a head, however, when she clocks a shadowy man via her nanny-cam. And he’s the bulb off her husband… Given this eight-part adaptation of Harlan Coben’s bestselling 2016 book is produced by Happy Valley’s Jessica Taylor, expect a side of grit alongside lashings of lippy.
Foe Prime Video, January 5 Meet Hen (Saoirse Ronan) and Junior (Paul Mescal). They’re just getting on with things, farming their little patch of plain with their American accents – until an uninvited randomer (Aaron Pierre) rocks up to their door with a wild proposal. It’s not quite “indecent” but it’s up there. Just add space travel, cloning, and the implosion of norms and you’re halfway there.
Echo Disney+, January 10 As comic book violence goes, this is at 11. For context, this is the first R-rated MCU TV series, so buckle up for a bone-crushing, knuckle-splitting, and gun-popping five-episode “streaming event” (which is Disney+ speak for dropping all five at the same time on launch day – like Netflix usually does).
It shines a spotlight on Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she’s relentlessly shadowed by Wilson Fisk/Kingpin’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) criminal empire. On the upside, it results in Maya eventually finding her home, where she must confront her questionable legacy. Like many offerings on this list, Echo was due for release in November 2023 but was pushed back due to the writer’s strike.
Criminal Record AppleTV+, January 10 Peter ‘Malcolm Tucker’ Capaldi has evidently been a busy lad (he also returns for Season 2 of Prime Video’s The Devil’s Hour this year). Here, he plays one half of a detective duo who aren’t exactly partners.
Thrust into a cold murder case after an anonymous tip-off, he and his cohort (Cush Jumbo) start butting heads over the course of the case. Cutting close to the bone, this crime thriller promises to highlight racial divides, gender inequality, and glaring institutional failures in this fictionalised depiction of Britain. Given it’s from producer Paul Rutman (Vera), you could be forgiven for thinking it might be a bit twee, but it’s something of a departure given it’s set in contemporary London.
Kevin Hart in ‘Lift’. Photo: Netflix
Lift Netflix, January 12 Kevin Hart continues to shimmy himself away from his usual “comedic sidekick” roles and is revelling in his leading man status. In this little number (rated PG13, in case you wanted to treat the youngling in your life to a cinematic experience).
Hart plays Cyrus Whitaker, the leader of an international heist crew. Pilfering loads of money is easy fodder for them, but this time they’ve been enlisted for a special op. It involves racing against time to lift $500m in gold from a passenger plane – while it’s flying at 40,000 feet. Breakneck camera pans ensue.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster in ‘The Artful Dodger’
The Artful Dodger Disney+, January 17 You’d be forgiven for thinking this had already been released a million times. Also originally due for release last November, this grisly incarnation of Charles Dickens’s infamous Prince of Thieves stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster (he looks like Harry Styles, but he’s not Harry Styles), David Thewlis (as Fagin), Tim Minchin, and more.
Sofía Vergara produces and stars in ‘Griselda’. Photo: Netflix
Griselda Netflix, January 25 In terms of famous Colombians, Sofía Vergara is right up there with Shakira and Pablo Escobar. Here, she melds both of the aforementioned together with a smattering of her trademark “Gloria Pritchett” charm.
From the makers of Narcos, and inspired by the life of the savvy Griselda Blanco, Vergara produces and stars in this eight-part ode to one of the most profitable cartels in history. Set in 1970s-1980s Miami, Blanco’s lethal bouts of impromptu savagery alongside beguiling allure helped her navigate business and family, leading to her “Godmother” moniker.
Expats Prime Video, January 26 Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo, and Jack Huston are among those playing a convoluted tapestry of Hong Kongians. Adapted from Janice YK Lee’s best-selling novel The Expatriates, it centres on a Sliding Doors moment – one single encounter that sets off a chain of life-altering scenarios for a group of women left juggling blame and accountability.
‘Masters of the Air’ follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group. Photo: Robert Viglasky
Masters of the Air AppleTV+, January 26 From the producers of such war-themed masterpieces as The Pacific and Band of Brothers, this salute to Donald L Miller’s book follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group.
It sees them undertaking raids over Nazi Germany, while battling subzero conditions and the paralysing fear that comes with engaging in combat at 25,000 feet. Either shot down, captured, or killed, and with a fraction returning home, it’s the story of the psychological toll imposed on each of them.
Eric Netflix, January TBA Set in 1980s New York, Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Vincent, one of the city’s leading puppeteers. When his nine-year-old son disappears one morning on the way to school, he becomes both fuelled and hindered by self-loathing and guilt.
Clinging to his son’s drawings of a blue puppet called Eric, Vincent becomes obsessively convinced that getting the monster on TV will ensure his son’s return home. In the process, he alienates everyone around him with this delusion he deems necessary. In short, it’s expected to be a complicated yet rewarding watch.
The Kitchen Netflix, TBA If you prefer your not-too-distant dystopian future marginally closer to home, this movie – produced and co-directed by Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) – is set in 2044 London. The gap between rich and poor has gaped further, with all forms of social housing disbanded.
The working class now exists in temporary homes on the city outskirts, with the city itself reserved as a billionaire’s playground. There’s only one solution to the problem when your kids need help and that’s (yes, you guessed it) a life-changing heist. Starring Kano, and featuring Ian Wright (Wright, Wright).
The Gentlemen Netflix, TBA Guy Ritchie has his mitts all over this eight-parter, serving as executive producer, creator, co-writer, and director (of the first two episodes). He’s even got Vinnie Jones in it. As for the premise?
Theo James (The White Lotus 2) stars as Eddie Horniman (yes, Horniman) who inherits an empire from his estranged father – only to discover he’s now sitting on a wildly illegal cannabis farm. Inspired by the original Miramax film with the same name, it also stars Kaya Scodelario (Crawl) Daniel Ings (I Hate Suzie), and Joely Richardson (no intro necessary).
Jake Gylenhaal in ‘Road House’
Road House Prime Video, TBA Did you ever think you’d see Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor in a film together? For context, I should mention that the movie is UFC-centric. For those of you who haven’t skipped to the next offering; this is being touted as an adrenaline-fuelled reimagining of the 1980s cult classic of the same name, starring Patrick Swayze.
It sees ex-UFC fighter Dalton (Gyllenhaal) take a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that paradise has quite a grimy underbelly. Directed by Doug Liman, it boasts McGregor in his film debut, in a co-starring role.
Ricky Stanicky Prime Video, TBA At this point, you might be hankering for a bit of cinematic nonsense; behold the japes of three friends (Zac Efron, Jermaine Fowler, Andrew Santino). They invent a character named “Ricky Stanicky” to get out of tricky predicaments, but then they decide to hire an actor (John Cena) to portray their fictional friend when their significant others become suspicious. Co-starring William H Macy, it’s directed by (who else but) Peter Farrelly.
Scoop Netflix, TBA Proving to be agents’ go-to actor when casting notable British females, Gillian Anderson takes on the role of real-life BBC correspondent Emily Maitlis. Directed by The Crown’s Philip Martin, this film is set to provide the inside track on the women who broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the century.
The result? Curious revelations about one’s ability to sweat, a surge in interest in the Woking branch of Pizza Express, and arguably the catastrophic fall from grace of the Queen’s ‘favourite son’.
LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland Prime Video, TBA Let’s be honest; RTÉ (with notable exceptions) is usually where Irish comedy goes to die. So just imagine how ebullient this offering fronted by Graham Norton will be.
He’ll oversee several Irish funny people – like Aisling Bea, Amy Huberman, Jason Byrne, Deirdre O’Kane, Emma Doran, Martin Angolo and more – as they attempt not to crack a smile among them. Whoever can outlast their competitors will be crowned the first winner of Last One Laughing Ireland, winning €50k for their charity of choice.
Bodkin Netflix, TBA Brace yourselves, Cork, for a boost in tourism. Produced by the Obamas and filmed in Ireland, this black comedy thriller follows podcasters investigating the disappearance of three strangers in an idyllic, coastal town. As expected, once they start pulling at threads, they discover a story much bigger and weirder than they could have ever imagined.
Daniel Levy in ‘Good Grief’. Photo: Netflix
Good Grief Netflix, TBA
Daniel “Schitt’s Creek” Levy doesn’t do things by halves. He writes, directs, produces, and stars as Marc in this bittersweet homage to the grieving process. After losing his husband, he and his mates Sophie (the lovely Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel) go on a soul-searching trip to Paris that reveals some hard truths along the way.