From Phoebe Tonkin’s return to the screen in 'Boy Swallows Universe' to Nicole Kidman’s Hong Kong excursion in 'Expats'.
8 Must-Watch TV Shows to Entertain You in January
From Phoebe Tonkin’s return to the screen in 'Boy Swallows Universe' to Nicole Kidman’s Hong Kong excursion in 'Expats'.
They say that what happens in the first month of a new year is a good indicator of how the rest will play out. If these eight new shows are anything to go by, 2024 looks set to be the most entertaining year yet! We just hope your New Year’s Resolution wasn’t less screen time, or you might be breaking that promise before your pinky even has a chance to straighten back out.
From Phoebe Tonkin’s return to the screen in Boy Swallows Universe to Nicole Kidman’s Hong Kong excursion in Expats, these are the best series to binge in January.
1. Expats
Where can I watch it? Amazon Prime Video
The buzz around this series has only intensified since Nicole Kidman caused a stir in Hong Kong for skipping mandatory quarantine to begin filming back in 2021. An adaptation of Janice YK Lee’s 2016 novel, The Expatriates, this six-episode series follows an affluent expat community lead by Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo, and Sarayu Blue. When tragedy strikes, these women find themselves bound together forever by fate. Directed by Lulu Lang (The Farewell), the show masterfully interrogates American privilege and class issues while also exploring the human experience of grief.
2. Death and Other Details
Where can I watch it? Disney +
Only Murders in the Building fans, assemble! Dust off your detective caps, because a new murder mystery series is here – this time set on a luxe ocean liner in the middle of the Med.
Lead by Mandy Patinkin, who plays Rufus Cotesworth AKA “the world’s greatest detective”, the series follows Imogene Scott (Violett Beane) who unexpectedly becomes a murder suspect and teams up with Rufus to uncover the truth.
3. Boy Swallows Universe
Where can I watch it? Netflix
An all-star Australian cast brings Trent Dalton's classic novel to life on screen in Boy Swallows Universe, starring Phoebe Tonkin, Simon Baker, Travis Fimmel, and Anthony LaPaglia. In a crime-meets-coming-of-age-story set in 1980s Brisbane, this seven-episode series follows 12-year-old Eli Bell as he grows up in an unstable household surrounded by drugs, crime, and tough love. A classic Australian book that looks set to become a classic series.
4. Queer Eye, Season 8
Where can I watch it? Netflix
Our favourite fivesome is back – but sadly, for the last time. Leaving the pack after this season is interior design expert Bobby Berk, who has been putting his heart into people’s homes since the first season aired at the beginning of 2018. Set in New Orleans, Season 8 promises to deliver enough makeover magic to get you through the year, with wholesome help from our forever fam Jonathan, Bobby, Karamo, Antoni, and Tan. Best viewed with tissues in one hand and a martini in the other.
5. The Brothers Son
Where can I watch it? Netflix
Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) was made for the role of Eileen, the matriarch and Boss B of a crime family mid-crisis. An eight-episode black comedy, The Brothers Son promises “Gangsters, martial arts, and at least one fight scene featuring a person dressed in an inflatable dinosaur costume”, and honestly, what more could you want in a series?
6. Daughters of the Cult
Where can I watch it? Disney+
Since Wild Wild Country catapulted cult documentaries into the streaming stratosphere in 2018, we’ve been spoiled for choice. While it might seem that no cult has gone uncovered, Daughters of the Cult reminds us there are still plenty of sinister stories to be told. Over five episodes, the story of a splinter group of Mormon fundamentalist cult members led by Ervil LeBaron is told, one deadly deed at a time.
7. The Tourist, Season 2
Where can I watch it? Stan
This BBC series was an unexpected hit back in 2022, leaving us thoroughly entertained, engaged, and crushing on Jamie Dornan in the Australian outback. Two years later, we’re being blessed with another season, though this time set in Dornan’s home country of Ireland and still with co-star Danielle Macdonald in tow. A search for true identity that delivers plenty of twists and turns, season 2 of The Tourist promises to thrill just as much as its debut.
8. Prosper
Where can I watch it? Stan
An Australian drama inspired by the controversy cloaked Hillsong, Prosper tells the tale of a fictional megachurch called U Star. Run by the affluent and influential Quinn family (basically The Roys of religion), the church announces an expansion into the US, with greed and ego filling the pews. Starring Richard Roxburgh, Rebecca Gibney, Ewen Leslie and Ming-Zhu Hii, Prosper offers an entertaining examination of evangelicalism and the sins it commits for money and status.
