A new year starts for HBO Max with some rough waters on the horizon, as corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery is up for sale. Until that happens, though, the streamer intends to continue earning your subscription with high-quality content. January has the return of fan-favorite shows, hit A24 movies, documentaries, and more. Here are our choices for the best new movies and shows arriving on the streaming service in January 2026.
The Pitt: Season 2 Premiere (Jan. 8)
One of the best TV surprises of 2025 came from The Pitt, which took the crusty medical drama genre and infused it with new life thanks to exceptional writing and brilliant casting. Spanning a single 15-hour shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s emergency room, the show weaves together multiple storylines with ease. The weekly episode drops made it appointment streaming, and we’d expect the second season to build on its success.
Primal: Season 3 (Jan. 12)
Our favorite works of art are the ones that let us into a creator’s inner world, and Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated caveman masterpiece Primal is a great example. Since its premiere in 2019, the show has delivered high-octane action as protagonists Spear (a young Neanderthal) and Fang (a Tyrannosaurus rex; don’t worry about it, it’s not historically accurate) traverse a dangerous world together.
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Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
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Cast: Aaron LaPlante, Laetitia Eido, Joel Valentine
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Genre: Animation
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Rating: TV-MA
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IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
The Smashing Machine (Jan. 23)
If you said 10 years ago that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would be making a bid for an Oscar nomination, you’d get laughed out of the building. But Benny Safdie’s biopic of troubled MMA fighter Mark Kerr was built from the ground up to let the former wrestling Rock flex his acting muscles, and he did a solid job with a complex figure. While it’s not a masterpiece, there’s a lot to love about The Smashing Machine, so catch it if you missed it in theaters.
Everything Coming to HBO Max in January 2026
January 1
A Most Violent Year
All This and Heaven Too
Almost Christmas
April in Paris
Baby Face
Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World
Blazing Saddles
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Catwoman (2004)
Constantine
Deception (1946)
Desire Me
Double Wedding
Ex Machina
Faithless
Fargo (1996)
Fifth Avenue Girl
Frankenstein (1970)
Getaway
Glass
Going the Distance
Goodbye, My Fancy
Green Lantern: Beware My Power
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
Green Lantern: First Flight
Green Mansions
HGTV Dream Home 2026
High Anxiety
History of the World: Part 1
Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard
It All Came True
It’s Love I’m After
John Wick
John Wick: Chapter 2
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
June Bride
Legend of the Guardians The Owls of Ga’hoole
Lili
Love Crazy
Lullaby of Broadway
Margaret
Margaret: Extended Version
Mike Wallace is Here
Mogambo
Moonlight
My Favorite Wife
My Reputation
Neptune’s Daughter
Nine Lives
Panama Hattie
Possessed (1931)
Presenting Lily Mars
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins
Reunion in France
Rocket Science
Royal Wedding
Sadie McKee
Spaceballs
Task Force
Taxi Driver
Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans
The Americanization of Emily
The Bride Came C.O.D.
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father
The Curse of Frankenstein
The Desert Song
The Enchanted Cottage
The Hitman’s Bodyguard
The Last Time I Saw Paris
The Narrow Margin
The Red Badge of Courage
The Student Prince
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 1)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 2)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Working Man
This Modern Age
To Please a Lady
Today We Live
Twilight
Vivacious Lady
While We’re Young
Wife vs. Secretary
Wild Boys of the Road
World Without End
Zabriskie Point
January 2
House Hunters – Volume 10, Season 249
Lakefront Bargain Hunt Renovation – Seasons 4-5
The Cult of the Real Housewife – Season 1
January 5
Home Town – Season 10
Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check
January 6
Baking Championship: Next Gen – Season 1
Haunted Hospitals – Season 4
The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story
January 7
1000-lb Sisters – Season 8
“Justice Defenders: Change Inside Prison” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper
Moonshiners – Season 15
Nevada Wild – Season 1
Wildcard Kitchen – Season 3
January 8
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Expedition X – Season 11
My Strange Addiction – Season 7
Neighborhood Watch – Season 1
The Pitt – Season 2 Premiere
Real PD: Kansas City: Death Before Dishonor
Ugliest House in America – Season 7
January 9
House Hunters International – Volume 9, Season 206
January 11
Industry – Season 4 Premiere
Love & Marriage: Huntsville – Season 10
Maxxed Out – Season 1
Totally Spies – Season 7B
Unexplained: Caught on Camera – Season 4
January 12
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal – Season 3
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January 13
People Magazine Investigates – Season 9
Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings – Season 6
Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings: The Great Eight – Season 2
The Curious Case of… – Season 2
January 14
Evil Lives Here – Season 19
Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger
Suddenly Amish – Season 1
January 15
Hot Rod Garage – Season 12
January 16
House Hunters – Volume 11, Season 250
Recommended by Our Editors
January 18
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – Season 1 Premiere
A Knight in the Making – Season 1 Premiere
January 20
Street Outlaws: Locals Only – Season 2
January 22
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
January 23
My Haunted Hometown – Season 1
Real Time with Bill Maher – Season 24
The Smashing Machine
January 25
Have I Got News for You – Season 4
January 27
33 Photos from the Ghetto
January 29
Beat Bobby Flay – Season 40
January 30
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
About Our Expert
K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
Experience
K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, was released in 2017.
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