A new year means new TV shows are on the horizon for Netflix. Several Netflix shows will debut in January, including The Brothers Sun, a dark comedy about a Taiwanese family’s criminal past starring Michelle Yeoh; Break Point season 2, a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of professional tennis players; and Griselda, a crime drama about drug lord Griselda Blanco starring Sofía Vergara.
These shows will likely become some of the most popular shows on Netflix. Besides the high-profile releases, there are several underrated shows on Netflix to watch in January. Our selections include a comedy about friends suffering from midlife crises, a hilarious Irish sitcom, and a brilliant satire of true crime.
Friends From College (2017-2019)
Friends From College takes the coming-of-age formula and applies it to a group of friends from Harvard entering their 40s. The group includes Ethan Turner (Keegan-Michael Key), a writer and Lisa’s husband; Lisa Turner (Cobie Smulders), a lawyer and Ethan’s wife; and Sam Delmonico (Annie Parisse), an interior designer who has been having an affair with Ethan for two decades.
The rest of the group includes Nick Ames (Nat Faxon), a trust fund baby who won’t let the party end; Max Adler (Fred Savage), Ethan’s literary agent; and Marianne (Jae Suh Park), a hippie and struggling actress. While staring down life’s next chapter, the college friends tackle new romances, old feelings, and complex relationships. Is it time for everybody to move on?
Watch Friends From College on Netflix.
Derry Girls (2018-2022)
Travel back to the 1990s and relive the end of the Troubles through the eyes of a group of Irish teenagers in Lisa McGee’s comedy, Derry Girls. The series follows 16-year-old Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) and her group of friends – Orla (Louisa Harland), Clare (Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan), Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), and James (Dylan Llewellyn) – as they navigate teenage life at an all-girls Catholic secondary school Derry.
The series intertwines fictional storylines involving the girls’ lives with factual events from the Northern Ireland conflict. Thanks to terrific writing from McGee and fantastic performances from the ensemble, Derry Girls is a funny sitcom that is both a coming-of-age story and an authentic reflection of the political troubles of the time.
Watch Derry Girls on Netflix.
American Vandal (2017-2018)
Who would’ve thought solving crimes involving phallic images and public defecation would be one of the best satires of true crime documentaries? American Vandal brilliantly spoofed true crime while presenting an engrossing mystery with subtle humor and thought-provoking commentary about today’s entertainment. Created by Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda, American Vandal follows Peter Maldonado (Tyler Alvarez), an inquisitive sophomore who investigates crimes committed at the high school level with the help of his best friend Sam Ecklund (Griffin Gluck).
At the center of season 1 is Dylan Maxwell (Jimmy Tatro), a high school senior accused of drawing penises on 27 faculty cars. Season 2’s investigation revolves around “The Turd Burglar,” a mysterious figure who spiked the lemonade at St. Bernardine’s cafeteria with laxatives.
Watch American Vandal on Netflix.
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