Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing festive season, even if you weren’t celebrating and/or observing a religious holiday, such as Christmas.
The holidays are in the rear view mirror now but, thankfully, you can deal with the fact that you’re back in work by watching one of the following new movies and TV shows on the world’s best streaming services. There’s plenty to enjoy, including the long-awaited return of British animated icons in Wallace and Gromit, as well as the first awards ceremony of 2025. So, read on to learn more! – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)
20 years on from their last big adventure (yes, Curse of the Were-Rabbit came out in 2005!), Wallace and Gromit are back on our screens in their latest claymation caper Vengeance Most Fowl. This time, the mild-mannered inventor and his favorite pooch are forced to contend with the return of iconic villain Feathers McGraw, who uses Wallace’s latest creation – a robotic garden gnome called Norbot – to try and steal the infamous Blue Diamond once more.
Vengeance Most Fowl makes its international debut on Netflix today (January 3), but it aired on BBC One in the UK on Christmas Day, so I’ve already seen it and can vouch for how utterly brilliant it is. It’s laugh out loud funny, wonderfully animated as usual, and doesn’t outstay its welcome with its perfectly paced 80-minute runtime. One best enjoyed with a side of Wensleydale and some crackers, and one to add to our best Netflix movies list in due course. – TP
The Rig season 2 (Prime Video)
Supernatural thriller The Rig became a global hit after its January 2023 debut. Now, the Prime Video drama is back for a second season as it continues the story of the Kinloch Bravo crew, who were due to return to the mainland when a mysterious fog descends and supernatural forces take hold.
In The Rig season 2, the survivors (now on a new high-tech rig deep in the Arctic Circle) take on a dangerous mission that sends them across the perilous frozen sea and towards dark threats hidden below it. While The Rig may not be one of the best Prime Video shows, it tackles important themes about the future of the planet and has lots of gripping action. Also, it stars Martin Compston, who is brilliant in Line of Duty, so that’s one reason why I’ll be tuning into this Amazon TV Original. – Grace Morris, entertainment writer
The Front Room (Max)
With Robert Egger’s highly-anticipated Nosferatu remake in theaters, you may be itching for more horrors to sink your teeth into. If that’s the case, there’s a new A24 movie streaming on Max in The Front Room this weekend that just so happens to be a directorial debut from Robert’s twin brothers Max and Sam.
Unlike this month’s other Max horror releases, it takes a more psychological thriller tone with its plot centered around a pregnant woman (Brandy Norwood) dealing with an in-law from hell (Kathryn Hunter). Reviews were decidedly mixed upon its theatrical release, so I don’t expect it to join our best Max movies list, but many agree that Hunter is a standout and considering the trailer terrified TechRadar’s macabre expert Lucy Buglass with its creepy mom-in-law vibes, I’d say you’ve been warned. – Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor
Missing You (Netflix)
Having binged Netflix’s other Harlan Coben TV adaptations, I was excited to learn that the streaming titan would be turning two more Coben novels into series and now his next mystery hit has finally arrived in the form of Missing You. It follows detective Kat Donovan (Rosalind Eleazar), whose life is turned upside down when she finds her estranged fiancé Josh (Ashley Walters) on a dating app after he vanished 11 years ago. This unexpected reappearance leads Kat to reopen the unsolved mystery surrounding her father’s murder, and see if there’s a connection between her fiancé’s disappearance and her father’s death.
During my interview with Missing You’s creator Victoria Asare-Archer, she told me it’s the most emotional Harlan Coben adaptation yet, but we can also expect the signature twists and turns of a Coben series that we all love the most. Coben’s mystery-thriller novels have been the keystone for a number of the best Netflix shows, so we’ll have to wait and see if Missing You also makes it onto the list. – GW
Lockerbie (Peacock/Sky)
A new limited five-episode series based on the real-life bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie is now available on Peacock in the US, and Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.
Lockerbie: A Search for Truth tells the story of one of the world’s worst terrorist attacks through the perspective of a grieving father Dr Jim Swire (Colin Firth) and mother Jane (Catherine McCormack) as they and their family mount a three-decade long campaign for truth and justice. Part political thriller, part grieving drama, this is a heart-breaking story filled with tragedy and tension. – AS
The Fall Guy (Prime Video)
Having missed it in theaters last May, The Fall Guy is one of three new Prime Video movies I’m excited to watch in January 2025. Inspired by the 1980s TV series of the same name, it tells the story of stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), who accidentally becomes embroiled in a dangerous criminal conspiracy after the actor he performs stunts for is kidnapped.
While I unfortunately didn’t get to experience this crazy popcorn action movie on the big screen, I’m sure The Fall Guy is still going to be a fun watch and perfect for some at-home weekend entertainment. It’s already one of the best Prime Video movies based on its Rotten Tomatoes score, so I can’t wait to tuck in to some silly comedy capers. – GW
The Golden Globes 2025 (Paramount Plus)
We’re less than a week into 2025, but the first glitzy awards ceremony of the year is already here. That’s right, the 2025 Golden Globes are upon us – and you can catch all of the action as it happens live on CBS (US) and Paramount Plus (internationally).
If you missed them before the festive season got underway, you can read up on all of the nominees in our 2025 Golden Globe nominations guide (or relive the announcements via the near-30-minute video above). I’m already doing my best to watch as many of the nominated films and TV shows before the event takes place on January 5, so join me in frantically streaming as many as possible before the big day arrives! – TP
For more streaming coverage, read our guides on the best Disney Plus movies, best Max shows, best Apple TV Plus shows, and best Hulu movies.
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tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power)
