WHAT WE CAN’T WAIT TO WATCH
New Eden
Beamed in from some cable channel in 1992, this true-crime mockumentary series from writer/stars Kayla Lorette and Evany Rosen investigates the “large-scale feminist utopia” of New Eden, a women-only retreat in rural BC established by two friends who had no idea what they were doing, and just kept digging a deeper hole for their poorly researched, alien-goddess-worshipping cult. Given that Lorette and Rosen have been part of some very weird, very funny things over the last few years – among them the web series Space Riders and the comedy troupe Picnicface, respectively – New Eden looks ready to build a cult of its own once it drops. January 1
Avenue 5
The new HBO series from Armando Iannucci (The Thick Of It, Veep, The Death Of Stalin) takes its name from its setting: a luxury space liner taking 5,000 people on a grand tour of the solar system, led by a dashing, confident captain (Hugh Laurie). So of course things go wrong almost immediately, sending the large cast – which includes Frozen’s Josh Gad as an entitled mogul, Dr. Ken’s Suzy Nakamura as his exhausted assistant, Being Human’s Leonora Crichlow as a beleaguered engineer, Silicon Valley’s Zach Woods as an overwhelmed cruise director, Ethan Phillips as an ex-astronaut and Rebecca Front, Andy Buckley, Jessica St. Clair and Kyle Bornheimer as front-facing passengers on the voyage of a lifetime. Like all of Iannucci’s projects, it’s a comedy about cranky, overmatched people trying to function within a badly broken system it’s just that this particular system is a long, long way from home. January 19
Curb Your Enthusiasm (season 10)
It’s been just over two years since we had new episodes of Larry David’s long-running improvised comedy series. The last time around, Larry wound up producing Fatwa: The Musical with Lin-Manuel Miranda – though, as per usual, that loose narrative thread frequently took a backseat as trivial digressions snowballed into screwball scenarios. We don’t know much about season 10 except that Laverne Cox, Jane Krakowski, Isla Fisher and Fred Armisen are among the guest stars, as is Jon Hamm, who plays himself. January 19
The Outsider
Stephen King takes a stab at a True Detective-style procedural in The Outsider, his recent novel turned HBO series. Jason Bateman plays a teacher arrested for raping and murdering a young boy. Ben Mendelsohn and Cynthia Erivo play the investigators sifting through evidence and alibis and confronting monsters – the kind you would expect from the guy who wrote It. The Outsider is premiering on Crave alongside original series Cravings: The Aftershow, which brings you post-episode recaps and discussions hosted by eTalk and The Social’s Lainey Lui. January 12
Star Trek: Picard
It’s a fascinating thought experiment: can any television series that brings back Patrick Stewart’s beloved captain possibly satisfy the fan base that’s been clamoring for more Next Generation action since that the crew of the Enterprise-E signed off in the profoundly disappointing Nemesis 18 years ago? Well, after a year of rumours and teases, we’re about to find out, as events conspire to bring good ol’ Jean-Luc out of a comfortable retirement and into the final frontier, accompanied (apparently) by a number of his old pals. Whatever this adventure holds, it won’t be his last: CBS All Access has already ordered a second season. January 24
Shrill
Inspired by Lindy West’s memoir and starring SNL’s Aidy Bryant as a plucky aspiring reporter dealing with fatphobia and flaky dates, Shrill’s winning first season made an early impact on last year’s TV landscape. (That transcendent pool party episode! The scene where she tears her worst online troll a new one!) This season sees Bryant’s Annie dealing with the repercussions of last season’s decisions, including storming out of her job at an indie magazine, finally getting serious with crusty stoner fuckboy Ryan and throwing a cement planter through a dude’s window. We’re ready to devour it like so much post-sex leftover spaghetti. January 24
Shane Mahood/Mongrel Media
Miranda de Pencier’s underdog sports movie The Grizzlies is full of thoughtfully fleshed-out characters.
SOLID BETS
The Grizzlies
Marketed as an underdog sports movie about a high-school teacher (Ben Schnetzer) who inspires his Indigenous students to form a lacrosse team, Miranda de Pencier’s first feature is considerably more complex than that, thanks to a carefully established sense of place (Kugluktuk, Nunavut, circa 2004), thoughtfully fleshed-out characters and a refusal to shy away from the darkness that lurks at the edges of the story. The Grizzlies is a movie about suicide prevention as much as it is about sports, and about generations of trauma reverberating through a community that’s long since stopped expecting anything to change. Screenwriters Moira Walley-Beckett (Anne With An E) and Graham Yost (Speed) tell their story with authenticity and heart, and that makes all the difference. Read our review here. January 10
Three Identical Strangers
Tim Wardle’s hit documentary about American triplets separated at birth told a sensational and disturbing story while thoughtfully exploring the way young boys have historically been raised. The movie recounts the incredible story of Robert Shafran, Eddy Galland and David Kellman, three brothers who reunited in the 80s by chance and became media sensations. Things take a darker turn as it becomes clear that the separation was intentional. Read our review here. January 17
For Nonna Anna
A year after screening at Sundance, Toronto writer/director Luis De Filippis’s assured debut about a young trans woman (Maya Henry) who is left home alone to care for her ailing Italian grandmother (Jacqueline Tarne) is hitting streaming. The intimate short film explores generation gaps and the way grandparents can sometimes defy presumed biases to surprise their grandkids. Read more here. January 31
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Avengers: Endgame got Iron Man out the way, giving Tom Holland the room to stretch his legs and grow into his own as Spider-Man. Robert Downey Jr’s iconic character is a structuring absence in Spidey’s European vacation, a light-hearted, fun and moving adventure that sees Holland’s Parker step up to be a new figurehead among the Avengers. This sequel has the right balance of teenage drama and world-saving shenanigans. And in Spidey’s battle against a villain who conjures over-the-top CGI monsters, Far From Home parodies so many superhero movies before it. Read our review here. January 17
Bad Boys
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are returning to the roles that made them movie stars in January’s Bad Boys For Life. In anticipation for that reunion, the first two Michael Bay movies are hitting Starz. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the original remains a groundbreaking guilty pleasure: its the first mainstream action movie to pair and lean into two Black leads (as opposed to having Eddie Murphy tempered with white people). Meanwhile, Michael Bay practiced his slow-mo swooping aesthetic, packing in the money shots and turning his movies into feature length trailers for themselves. January 17 (with the Starz add-on)
28 Days Later
A man (Cillian Murphy) wakes up in a hospital, drags himself from its corridors and steps out into a London that has been left ragged and deserted. That eerie cold open is brilliantly slow and patient, contrasting the zombies who come sprinting Olympic-level fast when they finally show up. Danny Boyle’s bloody adrenaline hit opened alongside the first Resident Evil, reviving the zombie movie and whetting appetites for Shaun Of The Dead, Walking Dead and even Romero’s late-career return to the genre he made iconic. January 24 (with the Starz add-on)
Full list of new titles available in January, by date. The + symbol indicates a TV show or movie that is only available on Crave+ . The * symbol indicates a TV show or movie that is only available with the Starz add-on.
TV SHOWS
January 1
New Eden (season 1)
January 3
Howie Mandel’s 5th Annual All-Star Comedy Gala
Gold Digger (season 1)
January 5
The L Word: Generation Q (season 1, episode 5)
Power (season 6, episode 11)*
Power Confidential (season 6, episode 12)*
Ray Donovan (season 7, episode 8)
Shameless (Season 10, episode 9)
Work In Progress (season 1, episode 5)
January 9
Star Trek: Short Treks (season 2, episode 6)
January 10
Daniel’s Tiger’s Neighbourhood (season 3)
Healthy Is Hot (season 1, episode 1)
January 12
Cravings (season 1, episode 1)
The L Word: Generation Q (season 1, episode 6)
The Outsider (season 1, episodes 1-2)+
Power (season 6, episode 12)*
Power Confidential (season 6, episode 13)*
Ray Donovan (season 7, episode 9)
Shameless (Season 10, episode 10)
Work In Progress (season 1, episode 6)
January 13
The New Pope (season 1, episode 1)+
January 17
Almost Naked Animals (season 3)
Om Nom (season 3)
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 18, episode 1)+
January 19
Avenue 5 (season 1, episode 1)+
Cravings (season 1, episode 2)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (season 10, episode 1)+
The L Word: Generation Q (season 1, episode 7)
The Outsider (season 1, episode 3)+
Power (season 6, episode 13)*
Power Confidential (season 6, episode 14)*
Ray Donovan (season 7, episode 10)
Shameless (Season 10, episode 11)
Work In Progress (season 1, episode 7)
January 20
The New Pope (season 1, episode 2)+
January 24
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 18, episode 2)+
Shrill (season 2)
Star Trek: Picard (season 1, episode 1)
Whisky Cavalier (season 1)
Wolfoo & Friends
January 26
Avenue 5 (season 1, episode 2)+
The Circus (season 5, episode 1)
Cravings (season 1, episode 3)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (season 10, episode 2)+
The L Word: Generation Q (season 1, episode 8)
Our Cartoon President (season 3, episode 1)
The Outsider (season 1, episode 4)+
Power (season 6, episode 14)*
Power Confidential (season 6, episode 15)*
Shameless (season 10, episode 12)
Work In Progress (season 1, episode 8)
January 27
The New Pope (season 1, episode 3)+
January 30
Star Trek: Picard (season 1, episode 2)
January 31
Enchantimals
Real Time With Bill Maher (season 18, episode 3)+
Wow’s Cartoon Hangover Shorts
MOVIES
January 1
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu+
January 2
Astronaut+
The Best Man Holiday*
Hedgehogs*
January 3
The Best Man*
Breakthrough+
The Green Mile*
Homekilling Queen
I Am Bolt*
Oliver!*
Open Season*
The Professional*
Troy*
Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero+
January 6
Hyena Road*
January 7
Brace For Impact*
January 8
Head In The Clouds*
January 9
January 10
The Assassination Of Jesse James*
The Cell*
The Last Waltz*
Like. Share. Follow+
My Life As A Zucchini*
The Pretty One*
Tolkien+
You Don’t Know Jack+
January 13
Cold Case Hammarskjold
January 14
Disco
Jallikattu
Lina From Lima
Mean Dreams*
Our Lady Of The Nile
Sole
Stories From The Chestnut Woods
January 16
The Friend She Met Online
Sorry For Your Loss
January 17
All Is True+
Bad Boys*
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee+
A Family Divided+
The Stanford Prison Experiment*
A Thousand Times Good Night*
Touched With Fire*
January 20
January 23
The Fall Of The American Empire+
Riot Girls
January 24
28 Days Later*
Bad Boys II*
Godzilla: King of Monsters+
Little Fish*
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote+
Night Moves*
This Means War*
January 27
Unbanned
January 30
Bolden+
January 31
The Drop-In+
Fauve+
Mahalia Melts In The Rain+
Paseo+
Please Speak Continuously And Describe Your Experiences As They Come To You+
Tipped+
Weekend At Bernie’s*
LAST CHANCE
Movies and TV shows leaving Crave this month.
January 3
Game Night
Welcome The Stranger
January 4
60 Minutes Sports (season 4, episode 1)
January 8
Sports On Fire
January 10
A Swan Princess: A Royal Myztery
January 12
Marshall
Professor Marston & The Wonder Women
January 14
Howie Mandel All-Star Comedy Gala
22 Chaser
January 15
Peter Rabbit
January 16
Deep Blue Sea 2
January 17
Pacific Rim Uprising
January 19
SMILF (season 2)
January 23
Outsiders (seasons 1-2)
January 27
Collision Course (season 1)
January 28
Breach
Frank & Lola
In A Valley Of Violence
Jarhead
Primary Colours
January 29
In Their Own Words: A Bell Let’s Talk Day Special
January 30
Early Man
January 31
27 Dresses
Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
Animal Mechanicals 2
The Animal Project
Arthur
The Ballad of Jack And Rose
The Big Year
Bonnie And Clyde
Boogie Nights
Breakfast With Scot
Burn After Reading
Chasing Madoff
Child 44
Clang Invasion (season 1)
Cold Water Cowboys (season 2)
Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind
Dakota
Darkest Hour
Doodlebops Rockin Road Show
Duma
The End Of Silence
The Fast And The Furious
Faster
Fifty Shades Freed
Fireman Sam (seasons 1-2, 6-7)
Foreverland
Gotta Catch Santa Claus
Heartbeat
Horrible Bosses
How She Move
I Love You, Beth Cooper
In Bruges
In The Night Garden (season 3)
Insidious: The Last Key
Kid Vs. Kat (season 2)
The Killing Fields
Love & Savagery
Love Simon
Mary Goes Round
The Master
The Mighty Jungle (season 2)
Mine
My Cousin Vinny
Nine
Paddington’s Birthday Bonanza
Paradise Now
The Perfect Soulmate
Rainbow Magic
Red Sparrow
Saint Ralph
The Samaritan
A Single Shot
Storm Hawks (seasons 1-2)
Sucker Punch
The Take
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Transformers
Tropic Thunder
Twisted
Waiting To Exhale
World Of Quest (season 1)
Still looking for something to stream? Check out our guide to the 25 most binge-worthy shows of 2019.
@nowtoronto
