January is a notoriously slow time for new movie releases, a break after the crushing release of awards contenders in November and December, while the ballots are tallied and statuettes are prepared to be handed out. Omicron is not helping the situation either, as new releases are scattering from the calendar to dates later in the year. The good thing is that there’s a plethora of fresh new TV debuting on streaming platforms, so curl up on the couch with a series or two, there’s plenty of watching to do.
Some beloved series are back with highly anticipated new seasons, including Season 2 of “The Righteous Gemstones” on HBO Max, the riotous comedy set in the world of high-stakes televangelism. Created by and starring the impish comedic actor Danny McBride, the series co-stars Adam Devine, John Goodman, Edi Patterson and Walton Goggins. The genre-defying hipster mystery series “Search Party” is also back with its fifth and final season, wrapping up the twisted tale of Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat), who went looking for a missing acquaintance, and ended up losing herself in the process. The series is an absurdist and incisive comedic cultural commentary.
Now available on Netflix, the gritty cheerleading docuseries “Cheer” is back for Season 2, and the cheerleaders at Navarro College in Texas are dealing with more than just the brutal, bone-crunching practices for the championships in Daytona Beach. They’re also contending with the newfound fame and attention that came with the debut of Season 1 in early 2020, as well as the legal issues facing breakout star Jerry Harris. The series remains as dramatic and searing as ever.
Exciting new series that debuted in the past week include the half-hour dramedy “Somebody Somewhere” on HBO Max, starring New York City cabaret star Bridget Everett in a lightly autobiographical show that imagines what might have happened if she never left Kansas.
