A ‘brilliant’ Netflix period drama and 7 TV shows returning this January

If December is the most wonderful time of the year, then January is the worst.

You’re probably trying to save money, it gets dark at two in the afternoon, and for some reason, we’ve all decided to stop having fun in an attempt to prove to our paltry social media followings that we can resist the urge to eat chocolate, neck pints and smoke 20 a day.

It all sounds a bit depressing, doesn’t it?

Well, allow us to turn that frown upside down because while it might be more miserable than a gloomy goth listening to his least favourite Morrissey album outside, you’ve probably got something in your house that can banish those post-festive blues.

What is this miraculous device you ask? Why, it’s television, of course! And TV is so much more than just a thing to point your couch at – it’s a portal to a miraculous world of entertainment.

Of course, the question is, ‘What’s on?’ Well, I’m glad you asked, hypothetical reader, because January’s jam-packed with TV treats, including some old favourites.

So cancel that tedious appointment with the PT and settle down on the couch to watch some of the best TV shows returning this January.

The Night Manager Season 2

After ten long, long, long years, Tom Hiddleston finally returns as hotelier turned spy, Jonathan Pine, in The Night Manager season 2.

The new series picks up years after Pine brought dashing arms dealer Dickie Roper to justice, with the former night manager running an intelligence unit in London under the name Alex Goodwin.

However, when Pine discovers a clue that a new arms dealer has moved to fill the power vacuum left following Roper’s arrest, he must once again go undercover in the hopes of ending this nightmare once and for all.

Described by Metro’s own Sabrina Barr as slick, suave, and gripping, The Night Manager season 2 is supposedly delivers everything you could want from a spy thriller.

The Night Manager season 2 began on January 1. It airs on BBC One at 9 pm on Sundays and streams on BBC iPlayer.

The Traitors Season 4

After mucking around with celebs late last year, Claudia Winkelman is back in her castle for another explosive game of The Traitors.

This year, 22 strangers are competing to win a prize pot of up to £120,000 by hunting down three Traitors in the group who are murdering their fellow contestants in the hopes of taking the prize for themselves.

However, the 2026 version has a unique twist. While previous series have made the Traitors all-powerful, this time, things are different.

For the first time ever, the murderous squad of three has a boss – the so-called Secret Traitor – a player unknown to anyone who decides who the Traitors must kill.

So far, it’s been one of the most explosive series yet, and with plenty of episodes to go, we’re expecting more twists and turns as the show goes on.

The Traitors season 4 began on January 1. It airs at 8 pm every Wednesday through Friday on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.

A Thousand Blows Season 2

Did you hear a bell ringing? You must have because A Thousand Blows is about to go for a second round.

Created by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight, this hit show is based on the true story of the Forty Elephants, an all-female crime syndicate and their involvement in the illegal bare-knuckle boxing in 1880s London.

Not much is known about the second season at this time, but it is expected to pick up one year after the first, with Mary Carr and a world-weary Hezekiah attempting to reclaim control of the Forty Elephants after they fled London at the end of the first series.

‘I can’t give a lot away, but it’s more of the same, expect the unexpected, but the stakes are higher,” Knight revealed during a fan Q&A about the second series.

‘But we do have the second series in the can, and we all want to keep this story going, and I think we will and just take it towards the 21st century.’

A Thousand Blows season 2 will be available to stream on Disney Plus from January 9.

Industry Season 4

After season 3’s dramatic end and Pierpoint’s collapse, Industry season 4 will follow our antiheroes Harper Stern and Yasmin Kara-Hanani as they attempt to make their mark on the London financial scene.

However, under even more intense pressure, the pair’s already fraught friendship begins to unravel as they battle each other to become top dog.

Described by Variety as a ‘wildly ambitious reinvention’, the latest season has received glowing reviews from critics, including The Guardian’s Hannah J Davies.

In her five-star review, she described the show as ‘truly top-tier television’, adding that  it’s ‘destined for end-of-year lists, a serious feat when we’re barely a week into January.’

Industry season 4 will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from January 12.

Hijack Season 2

After saving some unlucky passengers from a hijacked plane in season one, Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) has probably earned some time off.

Sadly, his trip to Berlin is interrupted when he finds himself embroiled in a crisis on the Metro (not us) – that’s right, this time we’re hijacking a train!

This isn’t like an old band playing the hits, though. According to show co-creator Jim Field Smith, the second builds on what the first delivered and lets Elba find new dimensions to Sam.

‘I knew it had to be connected to season 1, it couldn’t be that season 1 had happened, and all of those events had happened, and then here we are with another bad day,’ he told  The Radio Times.

‘We wanted to see how far we could push [Sam]. What would push Sam to the extreme? Because that’s what we’re kind of exploring – how far would you go? How far would anybody go?’

Highjack season 2 will be available to stream on Apple TV Plus from January 14.

Call the Midwife Season 15

Despite rumours of a cancellation last year, Call the Midwife is set to return for its 15th season in January.

The new series will move the action and midwives to the 1970s and will supposedly be darker and less cosy than previous instalments of the hit show.

‘I think the whole of the series is no longer cosy, because one’s feeling in many ways, not unlike we are today, with the changes that are happening,’Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, told The Mirror.

‘One looks towards a future that hopefully will be better, but it feels a little dangerous.’

Call the Midwife will air on BBC One at 8 pm on Sundays from January 11 and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Shrinking Season 3

Shrinking also returns for a third season this January.

The popular Apple TV Plus show stars Jason Segel as Jimmy Laird, a therapist in desperate need of a therapist, and Harrison Ford as Dr Paul Rhoades, a curmudgeon with a secret soft side.

While exact plot details haven’t been revealed, co-creator Bill Lawrence has said the theme of the third season is ‘moving on’.

We also know that Jeff Daniels will play Jimmy’s father, while legendary actor Michael J. Fox is set to appear in an unknown role, although it’s expected he’ll have a connection with Paul, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, an illness that Fox has lived with for more than thirty years now.

Shrinking season 3 will be available to stream on Apple TV Plus from January 28.

Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1

As we didn’t put Stranger Things on the list (that finale was a movie, not a TV episode), we think it’s only fair to end on a Netflix show.

But which show to choose? Well, one of the streaming service’s all-time greats returns this January, Bridgerton.

That’s right, part one of Bridgerton season 4 debuts January 29 and will tell the story of the forgotten member of the Bridgerton clan, poor old Benedict, as he looks for love.

Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 will be available to stream on Netflix from January 29.

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