Click to Skip Ad
Closing in...

10 new movies and shows on Netflix you should watch in January

Updated Feb 8th, 2021 4:07PM EST
Netflix: Best new movies
Image: Netflix

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

  • Netflix is adding a ton of content to its streaming service in January, but these are the best new movies and shows we think you should add to your queue this month.
  • Two popular originals are returning in January: Cobra Kai and Disenchantment.
  • One of the most intriguing releases of January 2021 is The History of Swear Words, which explores the origins of popular curse words and is hosted by Nicolas Cage.

2020 is finally behind us, and while we have no idea what 2021 has in store, we do know that some great shows and movies are coming to Netflix in January. One of the highlights of the month is season 3 of Cobra Kai, which started on YouTube Red, but was acquired by Netflix in 2020. We’re also getting the first 10 episodes of Disenchantment season 2, which started strong, but tailed off in the back half of its first season.

In chronological order, here are the top ten movies and shows coming to Netflix in the month of January:

  1. Cobra Kai: Season 3 | January 1st
    • COBRA KAI takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Season Three finds everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which has left Miguel in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. The soul of the Valley is at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hangs in the balance.
  2. The Departed | January 1st
  3. Into the Wild | January 1st
  4. Superbad | January 1st
  5. History of Swear Words | January 5th
    • An education in expletives: the history lesson you didn’t know you needed. History of Swear Words, hosted by Nicolas Cage, is a loud and proudly profane series that explores the origins, pop culture-usage, science and cultural impact of curse words. Through interviews with experts in etymology, pop culture, historians and entertainers, the six-episode series dives into the origins of “F**k”, “Sh*t”, “B*tch”, “D**k”, “Pu**y”, and “Damn”.
  6. Pieces of a Woman | January 7th
    • A heartbreaking home birth leaves a woman grappling with the profound emotional fallout, isolated from her partner and family by a chasm of grief.
  7. Lupin | January 8th
    • Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.
  8. Disenchantment: Part 3 | January 15th
    • Bean must step up her princess game amid royal plots, deepening mysteries, King Zøg’s increasing instability and concerns about who will rule Dreamland.
  9. The Magicians: Season 5 | January 15th
  10. The Dig | January 29th
    • When a wealthy widow hires an amateur archeologist to excavate burial mounds on her estate, they uncover history-changing treasure.

Now that you’ve seen the best, be sure to take a look at the rest — here’s the full list of everything being added to Netflix’s catalog this month, as well as everything that the service will be removing.

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.