What’s New to Stream on Netflix for January 2022

A dark new series with episodes directed by Benson & Moorhead? Yes please.
Netflix January

Crossing the Streams is a series of columns spotlighting all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month. This time we’re checking out the new Netflix arrivals for January 2022. They include new work from Ricky Gervais, Alyssa Milano, Benson & Moorhead, and more!


Netflix Pick of the Month for January 2022

Say what you will about Ricky Gervais’ confrontational personality on social media, but the guy delivers a seriously fantastic show with After Life (season three premieres January 14th). Gervais plays Tony, a nice enough guy whose world is thrown into disorder when his wife dies — sounds like a downer, I know, and it absolutely is at times, but the joy of the show comes in its honesty, heart, and surprisingly big laughs. It’s a very funny show, and those humorous beats pair beautifully with the more somber, thought-provoking moments and exchanges, of which there are many. The first two seasons show Tony dealing with his loss through anger, depression, and cruel swipes at others, but there’s a steady growth throughout that sees him find his way out of the darkness through a combination of time and good people. Give this one a chance, and I doubt you’ll regret the time spent.


New Netflix Movies!

Italy delivers a romantic comedy in the form of Four to Dinner (premieres January 5th), and it comes with an intriguing premise. Four single friends see their romantic pairings unfold across parallel storylines showing them involved with different people. The idea is meant to challenge “the concept of soulmates,” but I wonder if it will lessen the “romantic” side of the rom-com. The genre’s entire premise is built on two people finding each other, so what happens if the film is content showing them get on with numerous others and without that true love angle? Should be interesting.

Period horror — terror flicks set in centuries past — aren’t nearly as common as you might think, but a new one is dropping this month from Spain called The Wasteland (premieres January 6th). The film is about a family living quietly in a desolate and isolated landscape who are terrorized by a beast of some sort roaming the world beyond their homestead. My gut says it’s going to end like The Village despite having no evidence to support that beyond the premise, but it’s one to look out for regardless of whether that prediction ends up holding true.

Alyssa Milano takes a lead role in Brazen (premieres January 13th), a new mystery/thriller about a writer investigating her sister’s murder. The film is based on the second book in Nora Roberts’ DC Detectives series called Brazen Virtue, and it follows a seedy trail of lust, deceit, and murder as the writer digs into a phone sex organization and all the secrets its clients hold. Roberts has published over two hundred novels (!), and while she’s a staple among Lifetime Channel adaptations this is her first foray into the world of Netflix.


New Netflix Series!

It’s a stone-cold truth that when you see the names Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead attached to a project it immediately becomes a must-see. That’s the case for Archive 81 (premieres January 14th), a new mystery/horror series with episodes directed by the duo. The premise sees an archivist tasked with restoring a collection of VHS tapes from the 90s that belonged to a documentary filmmaker. Her demise came at the hands of a strange cult, and as he explores the tapes and what they reveal he begins to suspect her story might not be over. Old VHS tapes? Crazy cults? A mystery traversing time? Yeah, we’re excited all to hell about this one.

When you first see the title The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window (premieres January 28th) your mind might immediately go to the spoof boom of the 90s. You’re probably not that far off, but if the first few episodes are any indication, the talents behind this new mystery/comedy series are actually playing things fairly straight while still poking fun at the relatively recent trend of movies titled The Girl… about young women winding up in dark mysteries. Kristen Bell stars, and while we do get a couple of funny gags involving wine and such, her Rear Window-ish concern about a possible crime across the street still delivers something of a mystery.

One of the joys of an international streamer the size of Netflix is that they’re able to bring non-English television series to our shores for easy access. South Korea has proven to be a strong source of quality fare, especially when it comes to genre titles, and that looks to continue this month with the arrival of All of Us Are Dead. The new series follows a zombie outbreak at a high school, so expect mean girls to eat and be eaten with abandon. It doesn’t appear to follow traditional zombie cinema norms, at least according to the trailer, but a shakeup is never a bad thing when it comes to the undead as they otherwise grow stinky and stale. Netflix hasn’t set an actual premiere date yet, but All of Us Are Dead will be dropping sometime this month.


The Oldest New Arrival to Netflix

Paramount Pictures

One of the ongoing criticisms of Netflix is that its offerings skew recent rather than delivering a rich library of older films. That continues into the new year, so we’re continuing to highlight the oldest new arrival to the streamer. For January 2022, that honor belongs to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)! Tim Burton’s abysmal remake is also new this month, but real ones know this original adaptation remains an all-timer. Gene Wilder headlines as a candy master running a sugary sweatshop, and as children fall prey to his factory’s contraptions he only laughs and laughs. It’s an amazing movie and a highly entertaining morality tale. For reference, the next oldest new arrival, and the only other film from the 70s to hit Netflix this month, is Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976). So maybe a double feature?


The Complete Netflix List for January 2022

Release DateTitleNote
1/11BR (2019)
300 (2006)
Annie (1982)
Big Fish (2003)
Braveheart (1995)
Cadillac Records (2008)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Chief Daddy 2 - Going for BrokeNetflix Film
Doing Hard Time (2004)
Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother's Fight To Save Her Daughter (2019)
First Sunday (2008)
Free Willy (1993)
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Godzilla (1998)
Gremlins (1984)
Happy Feet (2006)
Hell or High Water (2016)
Hook (1991)
The Hook Up Plan: Season 3Netflix Series
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
I Love You, Man (2009)
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Just Go With It (2011)
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Linewatch (2008)
The Longest Yard (2005)
The Lost Boys (1987)
Midnight in Paris (2011)
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Nacho Libre (2006)
The Neverending Story (1984)
Paranormal Activity (2007)
The Patriot (2000)
Road Trip (2000)
Runaway Bride (1999)
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
Stand by Me (1986)
Superman Returns (2006)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2007)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
Terminator Salvation (2009)
The Town (2010)
Troy (2004)
True Grit (2010)
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Wild Wild West (1999)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Woo (1998)
1/4Action PackNetflix Family
1/5Four to DinnerNetflix Film
RebeldeNetflix Series
1/6The Club: Part 2Netflix Series
The WastelandNetflix Film
1/7Hype HouseNetflix Series
Johnny Test: Season 2Netflix Family
1/10Undercover: Season 3Netflix Series
1/11Dear MotherNetflix Film
1/12How I Fell in Love with a GangsterNetflix Film
1/13BrazenNetflix Film
ChosenNetflix Series
The JournalistNetflix Series
PhotocopierNetflix Film
1/14After Life: Season 3Netflix Series
Archive 81Netflix Series
Blippi Adventures
Blippi's School Supply Scavenger Hunt
The HouseNetflix Series
Riverdance: The Animated AdventureNetflix Family
This Is Not a ComedyNetflix Film
1/16Phantom Thread (2017)
1/17After We Fell (2021)
1/18Mighty Express: Train TroubleNetflix Family
1/19El marginal: Season 4Netflix Series
Heavenly Bites: MexicoNetflix Documentary
Juanpis González - The SeriesNetflix Series
The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate ConmanNetflix Documentary
Too Hot to Handle: Season 3Netflix Series
1/20Midnight Asia: Eat · Dance · DreamNetflix Documentary
The Royal TreatmentNetflix Film
1/21Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman (2021)
Munich - The Edge of WarNetflix Film
My Father's ViolinNetflix Film
Ozark: Season 4 Part 1Netflix Series
Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series: Part 2Netflix Family
Summer HeatNetflix Series
That Girl Lay Lay (2021)
1/24Three Songs for BenazirNetflix Documentary
1/25Ada Twist, Scientist: Season 2Netflix Family
Neymar: The Perfect ChaosNetflix Documentary
1/27Framed! A Sicilian Murder MysteryNetflix Series
1/28Angry Birds: Summer MadnessNetflix Family
Feria: The Darkest LightNetflix Series
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van NessNetflix Series
Home TeamNetflix Film
In From the ColdNetflix Series
The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the WindowNetflix Series

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Rob Hunter: Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he's so damn young. He's our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists 'Broadcast News' as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.