This January, AMC Networks will feature the highly anticipated new series “Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches“ across all live of its linear networks with BBC AMERICA, IFC, SundanceTV, and WEtv joining AMC and AMC+ for a world premiere event on Sunday, January 8 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Also next month, the long-awaited debut of BBC America’s Frozen Planet II, the long-awaited follow-up to the landmark series, debuts on Saturday, January 28. These series premieres join an extensive catalog of compelling dramas, beloved franchises, highly anticipated films, and timely collections on AMC+, Acorn TV, ALLBLK, IFC Films Unlimited, Shudder and Sundance Now, and anime-focused HIDIVE, all month long.
On ACORN TV:
- Under the Vines
Season 2 Premieres Monday, January 23 (Episodes 1-2); Two Episodes Premiere Every Monday Through February 6
This charming romantic comedy-drama returns with Sydney socialite Daisy Monroe (Rebecca Gibney, Wanted) and ex-London lawyer Louis Oakley (Charles Edwards, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) trying to run a struggling vineyard in southern New Zealand. As Daisy comes to terms with her new life, Louis tries to repair his old one before returning to England. But ultimately, his marriage fails, and he stays on to help Daisy run Oakley Wines. The two unlikely partners in wine continue to navigate life in Peak View and its population of quirky locals and Machiavellian rivals. But any chance of romance between the two is muddied when Daisy meets David (Kirk Torrance), the handsome local doctor. Meanwhile, Oakley’s young vintner Tippy has her world shaken by the arrival of famous French vintner Philippe Bidois – and he’s her cousin.
New Special Premieres Monday, January 9
A BAFTA-winning comedy about two friends, Andy (Mackenzie Crook, Pirates of the Caribbean) and Lance (Toby Jones, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), who go searching for their heart’s desire with a couple of metal detectors. In this 75-minute special, Lance and Andy have secured new permission to produce some exciting finds. They are on the verge of their greatest-ever discovery, but will this ultimately push their friendship to breaking point?
On ALLBLK:
- A House Divided (ALLBLK Original Series)
Season 5 Premieres Thursday, January 12
All bets are off as Cameron Sanders Sr. relentlessly exacts his revenge on all who plotted against him. Brother James becomes increasingly uneasy about his role in the Sanders family crimes and begins to cover his tracks violently. Stephanie and Auntie Mae lock in a dangerous power struggle to continue to take control of the Sanders family’s financial empire. All this and more as the ruthless drama continues on A House Divided Season 5.
Cast: LisaRaye McCoy, Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, Paula Jai Parker, Demetria McKinney
- Hush (ALLBLK Original Series)
New Episodes Premiere Every Thursday; Season Finale is on January 19
After she visits Dr. Serena, Draya is ready to end the penthouse project, but not before more drama ensues.
Cast: Joyful Drake (P-Valley, The Quad), Erica Mena (Love & Hip Hop, Scared Famous), Candiace Dillard-Bassett (The Real Housewives of Potomac, The Christmas Lottery), TS Madison (Zola, The TS Madison Experience), Rob Gordon (The Christmas Lottery, Holiday Heartbreak), Caryn Ward Ross (Monogamy, Jane the Virgin), Kevin Savage (Insecure, P-Valley), Javier Villamil (Jumanji: Next Level) and Lanre Idowu (Sherman’s Showcase).
- Snap (ALLBLK Original Series)
New Episodes Premiere Every Thursday; Season Finale is on January 26
Tackling deep-seated societal issues like systemic racism, generational oppression, climate change, gender identity, and abortion, the show sheds light on broken systems, antiquated beliefs, and harmful misconceptions standing in the way of forward motion. In thought-provoking and sometimes fantastical ways, the series serves to shake the collective conscience into acknowledging uncomfortable truths and recognizing we can no longer afford to stand idly by while agents of destruction, be they government forces, the media, or our very own selves, risk driving society at large aground. The show reminds us the stakes are too high and the ramifications too ominous not to stand up and make noise.
Cast: Eric Benet, Frank Oakley III, Shiquita James, Cherrie McRae, and Emily Hall
On AMC+:
- Vesper (AMC+ Exclusive Film)
New Film Premieres Friday, January 6
Set after the collapse of the Earth’s ecosystem, the sci-fi thriller follows Vesper (Raffiella Chapman, The Theory of Everything), a headstrong 13-year-old girl who uses her survival skills to subsist in the remnants of a strange and dangerous world with her ailing father, Darius (Richard Brake, Game of Thrones). When Vesper finds a mysterious woman, Camellia (Rosy McEwen, The Alienist), alone and disoriented after an aerial crash, she agrees to help find her missing companion in exchange for safe passage to the Citadel. In this dark central hub, oligarchs live in comfort thanks to state-of-the-art biotechnology. Vesper soon discovers that her brutal neighbor, Jonas (Eddie Marsan, Sherlock Holmes), is searching for Camellia, who is harboring a secret that could forever change their lives. Forced into a dangerous adventure, Vesper must rely on her wits and bio-hacking abilities to unlock the key to an alternate future. The film premised in the Crystal Globe Competition at the 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
New Series Premieres Sunday, January 8, on AMC+ and AMC
Based on Anne Rice’s best-selling trilogy, Lives of the Mayfair Witches, the 8-episode series focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon, Rowan (Alexandra Daddario), who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations. Mark Johnson (Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Halt and Catch Fire, Rectify), who is overseeing the Anne Rice Immortal Universe, is executive producing, along with Esta Spalding (Masters of Sex, On Becoming a God in Central Florida) and Michelle Ashford (Masters of Sex, The Pacific, John Adams) who are both executive producers and writers of the series. Spalding serves as the showrunner. This second series in an expanding Anne Rice Universe follows the breakout hit series this fall, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. Series stars also include Jack Huston (Fargo, Manhunt), Tongayi Chirisa (Another Life, The Jim Gaffigan Show), and Harry Hamlin (Mad Men, L.A. Law).
- Frozen Planet II
New Landmark Natural History Series Premieres Saturday, January 28
Over a decade ago, the four-time Emmy®-winning series Frozen Planet gave viewers unprecedented insight into life in the Poles. The highly-anticipated sequel, Frozen Planet II, returns to the Arctic and Antarctic to observe the fantastic species that thrive there. But, going further than the first season, it also explores life beyond the Poles – witnessing the wildlife dramas that play out in all the world’s coldest regions: our high mountains, frozen deserts, snowbound forests, and ice-cold oceans. These are the last true wildernesses on Earth, places so challenging for survival that only a heroic cast of animals can live here. From polar bears to penguins, Siberian tigers to snow monkeys, each species must overcome unique challenges to survive in their extreme environments. It is narrated by Emmy®-winning famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough (Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II).
*Full AMC+ programming schedule for the month available HERE
On HIDIVE:
- Dororo (HIDIVE Exclusive)
English Sub & Dub Premiere in January
Coming this January, the award-winning 2019 supernatural action series Dororo arrives on HIDIVE. Previously streaming elsewhere in subtitles only, this critically praised anime from Tezuka Productions and MAPPA will now be available to stream in both English sub and dub for the first time and only on HIDIVE! Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi and written by Yasuko Kobayashi, Dororo is based on the manga series by legendary mangaka Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy) and features the English dub produced initially by Sentai for the home video release.
- Akiba Maid War (HIDIVE Exclusive)
English Dub Premiere in January
Named “Funniest Anime of 2022” (Kotaku) and “Fall 2022 Season’s Breakout Hit” (CBR.com), the comedy-action series Akiba Maid War will now be available in English dub as well starting this January! Life at a maid café isn’t as easy as serving tea. Newcomer Nagomi must do her best to elevate the Pig Hut above the other maid cafés vying for top ranking. Still, she soon discovers not everything is as it seems amid the maid cafés of Akihabara… The English dub production of Akiba Maid War features ADR director Joey Goubeaud and a voice cast starring Cat Thomas, Alyssa Marek, and Jack Stansbury.
- Spy Classroom (HIDIVE Exclusive)
Series Premiere in January
From the critically praised spy thriller, light novels by Takemachi comes the new action series Spy Classroom. Spy-in-training Lily has joined the mysterious “Tomoshibi” team. Together, this team of hopeless spies must conquer the Impassible Mission and best their genius instructor, but the true purpose behind their classroom is more harrowing than they can imagine… Directed by Keiichiro Kawaguchi with animation by studio feel, Spy Classroom premieres this January as part of HIDIVE’s Winter 2023 simulcast season.
- Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible (HIDIVE Exclusive)
Series Premiere in January
From the Next Manga Awards nominated series by Nene Yukimori comes the new romantic comedy Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible. Junta Shiraishi wants to experience youth to the fullest. The problem is he’s socially invisible—everything changes when Junta meets Nagisa Kubo, the only person who pays him any attention. Junta’s quiet life soon turns upside down because Kubo won’t let him be invisible! Directed by Kazuomi Koga with animation by Pine Jam, Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible premieres in January during HIDIVE’s Winter 2023 simulcast season.
*Full HIDIVE programming schedule for the month available HERE
On IFC FILMS UNLIMITED:
- Barbarians
Film Premieres Tuesday, January 4
Four friends come together for a celebratory dinner party at a country house. But as the night progresses, dark secrets emerge, and unsettling events unfold around them. Starring Iwan Rheon, Tom Cullen, Will Kemp, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Inés Spiridonov, Connor Swindells, Tommy McDonnell, Kevin Ryan
- Blithe Spirit
Film Premieres Tuesday, January 11
A spiritualist medium (Judi Dench, Belfast) accidentally summons the spirit of a blocked writer’s (Dan Stevens, The Guest, Downton Abbey) first wife in this fresh and witty adaptation of Noël Coward’s classic comedy. She is also starring Leslie Mann (Knocked Up) and Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers).
- The Journey
Film Premieres Tuesday, January 11
The gripping true story of how two political rivals came together to bring peace to Northern Ireland. Starring John Hurt (Midnight Express, The Elephant Man), Colm Meaney (The Snapper, Hell on Wheels), and Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner, Shooting the Past).
- Happening
Film Premieres Tuesday, January 25
Anne is a bright young student with a promising future ahead of her. When she falls pregnant in 1960s France, where abortion is illegal, she resolves to act, no matter the risk. From BAFTA-nominated director Audrey Diwan, the film was a Gotham Award winner for Best International Feature.
On SHUDDER:
- Chucky
Season 1 Binge Premieres Thursday, January 12
The notorious Chucky slashes his way to television in a killer new series written and executive produced by creator Don Mancini, who penned the iconic film franchise.
- Possession (1981)
Film Premieres, Monday, January 5
Banned upon its original release in 1981, Andrzej Żuławski’s stunning nightmare of a marriage unraveling is an experience unlike any other. Professional spy Mark returns to his West Berlin home to find his wife Anna insistent on a divorce. As Anna’s frenzied behavior becomes ever more alarming, Mark discovers a truth far more sinister than his wildest suspicions. With its pulsating score, visceral imagery, and some of the most haunting performances ever captured on screen, Possession is cinematic delirium at its most intoxicating. Directed by Andrzej Żuławski.
- The Lair (Shudder Exclusive)
New Film Premieres Thursday, January 26
Royal Air Force pilot Lt. Kate Sinclair (Charlotte Kirk) is shot down over Afghanistan and finds refuge in an abandoned underground bunker where deadly artificial biological weapons—half human, half alien—are awakened. Directed by Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones, The Descent) and written by Marshall and Kirk (The Reckoning).
On SUNDANCE NOW:
- One Lane Bridge
Season 3 Binge Premieres Thursday, January 12
It’s been a bumpy two months since Detective Sergeant Ariki Davis (Dominic Ona-Ariki, The Common) used police work and his second sight to uncover who killed his best friend, Joe Turner, on One Lane Bridge. Now it’s all changed at Queenstown CIB as a big gun has been sent in to clean up the mess Stephen Tremaine (Joel Tobeck, 30 Days of Night) left behind. *Sundance Now Exclusive
- Clean Sweep (Sundance Now Original)
Two-Episode Premiere on January 26
Created by Gary Tieche (Preacher) and inspired by actual events, this Irish thriller follows Shelly Mohan (Charlene McKenna, Bloodlands, Peaky Blinders), a housewife, mother of three, married to a Garda detective, who kills her former partner in crime when he threatens to expose her dark past. With her unsuspecting husband hunting for the killer, Shelly must cope with the pressures of the tightening noose and continue caring for an ailing son, her unfaithful husband, and all the usual burdens of motherhood.
