The Best Things Coming to Hulu in January

See Bruce Springsteen in an intimate solo concert, buckle up for new seasons of ‘A Thousand Blows’ and ‘Tell Me Lies,’ and get ready for the latest scare-fest from the man behind ‘American Horror Story’

Tracey Minkin,

Updated January 05, 2026

AARP

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Published February 02, 2024

/ Updated January 05, 2026

Malachi Kirby stars in Season 2 of "A Thousand Blows," which premieres on Hulu on Jan. 9.

Robert Viglasky/Disney+

With a deep bench of terrific movies dropping every month and fresh original shows returning for new seasons, Hulu is prime streaming territory for cozy winter nights. Here are the 10 best things to put on your January watchlist.

Coming Jan. 1

28 Weeks Later (2007, R)

Need to, ahem, bone up on this acclaimed sci-fi-horror franchise before 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple arrives in theaters later this month? Check out this sequel to the original 28 Days Later, wherein a “rage virus” turns people into zombie-like creatures … who move fast. It’s a terrifying idea, and 28 Weeks Later stirs the scary conceit into a political tale of isolation and brute national force. The strong cast includes Robert Carlyle, 64, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, 64, and newly knighted Sir Idris Elba, 53.

The Illusionist (2010, PG)

Teach the grandkids (and remind yourself) that not all animated movies come with a Disney label. This beautiful film, directed by Sylvain Chomet, 62 (The Triplets of Belleville), from a script by France’s late comic genius, Jacques Tati, tells the tale of an aging magician in the late 1950s with outdated tricks who is facing looming irrelevance. A trip to Scotland where he meets a fellow lonely soul named Alice reveals the true magic in the world: that of human connection.

Infinitely Polar Bear (2014, R)

No, this is not another animated movie for January nights on the sofa. Infinitely Polar Bear is a reference to how bipolar disorder is misnamed, sweetly, by two little girls in a 1970s family where their dad (Mark Ruffalo, 58) has the condition and has to take over running the household while their mom (Zoe Saldaña) pursues a career-boosting graduate degree away from home. Writer-director Maya Forbes, 57, based the story, which frames themes of mental illness, poverty and family with a fresh empathy, on her own childhood.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016, R)

Based on the remarkable story of conscientious objector Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), who served as a medic — without a gun by choice — in World War II’s bloody battle of Okinawa and saved 75 men (he was the only American soldier in the entire war to serve on the front lines without a weapon). The stirring treatment of a tale of principle was nominated for Oscars in the best picture, actor and director categories, and received honors for best editing and sound mixing.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000, PG-13)

Fans of filmmaker-brothers Joel and Ethan Coen love to argue about which of their films is the most brilliant; this loose-limbed, delightful resetting of Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, in sepia-toned 1930s Mississippi is a prime contender. Use it to brush up on your Homeric plotlines (not to mention traditional folk, jazz and blues wrangled by T Bone Burnett, 77), but revel in the outsize performances of George Clooney, 64, John Turturro, 68, Tim Blake Nelson, 61, John Goodman, 73, Holly Hunter, 67, Charles Durning and Stephen Root, 74. Look out for those sirens!

Coming Jan. 7

Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska Live

Pull up a front-row sofa seat for an intimate solo performance by the Boss, 76, of his 1982 album, Nebraska, from the first track to the final one. Filmed in Springsteen-appropriate gritty black and white by his longtime film and video collaborator, Thom Zimny, this is a gem for all lovers of rock and roll and the American songbook.

Coming Jan. 9

A Thousand Blows, Season 2

The gritty crime drama from the creators of Peaky Blinders returns to the mean cobblestones of 1880s East London, where Jamaican immigrant Hezekiah Moscow (BAFTA award winner Malachi Kirby) makes his way through the illegal world of bare-knuckled boxing headed by Henry “Sugar” Goodson (Adolescence’s Stephen Graham, 52). Season 2 picks up one year after the events of the first season with rising gang tensions and darker implications.

Coming Jan. 13

Tell Me Lies, Season 3

Are you already hooked on Hulu’s juicy series about a pair of toxic college lovers who can’t stay away from each other? If not, catch up before the third season arrives to pin you to the couch with a big bowl of popcorn. At the end of last season, Lucy and Stephen (Grace Van Patten and Jackson White) promised themselves they’d move on, yet somehow, they keep circling each other like a bad habit that won’t quit. Bouncing between events in their freshman year in 2007 and eight years later, this is all drama all the time. Binge the two-episode premiere then settle into weekly episodes through the finale on Feb. 24.

Coming Jan. 19

Hoops, Hopes & Dreams (2025, PG)

Don’t miss this powerful 20-minute documentary from artist and filmmaker Glenn Kaino about how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a team of civil rights activists took to basketball courts to connect with young voters, and how their strategy echoed in politics through the historic presidential campaign of Barack Obama. A blend of interviews with figures, including politician and activist Andrew Young, 93, and sportswriter Jemele Hill, mixed with archival footage and animation, this is a great way to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Coming Jan. 21

FX’s The Beauty

TV’s creep-meister Ryan Murphy is at it again. The American Horror Story auteur now turns to the themes of infection and perpetual beauty in ways that echo Demi Moore’s terrifying deal with the anti-aging devil in 2024’s The Substance. In The Beauty, a mysterious STD makes people incredibly beautiful, but it’s also incredibly dangerous. Here’s an epidemic that everyone seems to want … or do they? Emmy-winner Evan Peters (Mare of Easttown) and BAFTA winner Rebecca Hall, who also directed the film, Passing, lead the cast, but the most fun for grownups will be spotting big names in guest-starring roles, including Isabella Rossellini, 73, Peter Gallagher, 70, and Vincent D’Onofrio, 66.