Ah, 2021. The first month of the new year features the US premieres of 22 new series, seasons, specials, and films from the UK, Canada, and Ireland.
For updates about shows from the UK, Canada, and Ireland added to US linear TV and streaming channels throughout the month, see the British TV Viewing Guide.
Programs and dates are subject to change without prior notice.
Videos below may contain content that is not suitable for everyone.
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NATIONAL PREMIERES
Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks (UK)
In this New Year’s Day special, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham are on Earth while the Doctor remains held in an alien prison. Without her, the trio face one of their biggest challenges after they discover a plan that involves a Dalek. John Barrowman MBE reprises his role as Captain Jack Harkness, alongside Chris Noth (Sex and the City), who returns as Jack Robertson. And Dame Harriet Walter (Killing Eve) and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (The Trial of Christine Keeler) make their Doctor Who debuts. Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks premieres in the US on Friday, January 1, at 8 PM ET, on BBC America.
Mrs. Brown’s Boys: Mammy’s Memories (UK)
In this hilarious comedy’s annual New Year’s Day special, the new year starts badly when Winnie’s place is burgled and her mother’s wedding ring is missing. Meanwhile, Cathy is worried about her upcoming birthday. Mrs. Brown’s Boys: Mammy’s Memories premieres in the US on Friday, January 1, exclusively on BritBox.
Elizabeth Is Missing (UK)
Adapted from Emma Healy’s international best-selling novel of the same name, this mystery movie stars two-time Academy Award® winner Glenda Jackson (A Touch of Class) as Maud, a woman trying to solve two mysteries as she declines deeper into dementia. One is the recent disappearance of her only friend, Elizabeth; the other is from 1949, when Maud’s older sister, Sukey (Sophie Rundle, The Nest), failed to come home one night. Elizabeth Is Missing premieres in the US on Sunday, January 3, at 9 PM ET, on PBS. It will also be available for streaming on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.
The Watch (UK-US)
Inspired by characters in Sir Terry Pratchett’s iconic “Discworld” novels, this fantasy series follows the City Watch, an unlikely group of misfits who come together and find the guts to save the world. The trolls, werewolves, wizards, and other improbable heroes go up against an evil plot to resurrect a great dragon, which would lead to the end of life as they know it. With Richard Dormer (Cobra) and Lara Rossi (Flesh and Blood) in the ensemble cast, The Watch premieres in the US on Sunday, January 3, at 8 PM ET, on BBC America.
Gordon Ramsay’s American Road Trip (UK)
In this reality series, celebrity chefs, restaurateurs, cookbook authors, and TV presenters Gordon Ramsay and Gino D’Acampo and their mate, maître d’hôtel, author, and fellow presenter Fred Sirieix, eat, drink, and test their manliness in Mexico, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Texas. Gordon Ramsay’s American Road Trip premieres in the US on Tuesday, January 5, at 8 PM ET, on Fox.
Nurses (Canada)
A quick reminder that this new medical series, which premiered in the US in December 2020, moves into its regular Tuesday time slot at 10 PM ET starting January 5 on NBC.
Traces: Season 1 (UK/Scotland)
Set in and around Dundee, this mystery-crime thriller follows lab assistant Emma Hedges (Molly Windsor, Cheat), who takes an online forensic science course for her job, only to find that the case study has a link to her past. With help from her new bosses, Professors Sarah Gordon (Laura Fraser, The Loch) and Kathy Torrence (Jennifer Spence, Travelers), and DI Neil McKinven (Michael Nardone, The Night Manager), Emma sets out to discover the truth about her mother’s unsolved murder. Costarring Martin Compston (Line of Duty), Traces: Season 1 premieres in North America with its first episode (of six) on Tuesday, January 5, exclusively on BritBox. New episodes debut weekly.
Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons: Season 5 (UK)
In the latest season of this documentary series, Raphael Rowe, a broadcast journalist who had spent years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, goes behind bars in the Philippines, Greenland, and South Africa to show viewers what life in prison is like for inmates as well as guards. Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons: Season 5, a Netflix Original series, premieres globally on Friday, January 8, exclusively on Netflix.
A Discovery of Witches: Season 2 (UK)
Based on Deborah Harkness‘s best-selling “All Souls” novels, the new season of this fantasy series sees Matthew (Matthew Goode, Downton Abbey) and Diana (Teresa Palmer, Hacksaw Ridge) hiding in time in Elizabethan London, where they must find a powerful witch teacher to help Diana control her magic and search for the elusive Book of Life. As their romance faces new threats, Diana’s unleashed magic takes a dark turn while Matthew struggles to re-inhabit the dangerous life he led over 400 years ago. A Discovery of Witches: Season 2 , a Sundance Now/Shudder Original series, premieres in the US with its first episode (of eight) on Saturday, January 9, on Sundance Now and Shudder. New episodes debut weekly.
All Creatures Great and Small (UK)
Based on James Herriot‘s autobiographical books, this dramedy follows Scotsman James Herriot (newcomer Nicholas Ralph), whose dream of becoming a veterinarian comes true when he lands a job in 1937 at Skeldale House in the Yorkshire Dales. Here he lives and works alongside his erratic boss Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West, Mr Selfridge), Siegfried’s wayward brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse, The Durrells in Corfu), and shrewd housekeeper Mrs. Hall (Anna Madekey, Deadwater Fell), and soon falls for farmer’s daughter Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton, Hollyoaks). Featuring Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones), All Creatures Great and Small premieres in the US on Sunday, January 10, at 9 PM ET, on PBS. It will also be available for streaming on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.
Countryfile (UK)
Filled with spectacular settings and stories celebrating the beauty, diversity and heritage of the countryside, this factual series connects viewers with the beauty and the reality of rural life. The program reveals the people and places that make the countryside so precious, with sweeping drone photography revealing the gorgeous landscape, and specialist cameras capturing wildlife and rural life in macro detail. Countryfile premieres in North America on Sunday, January 10, exclusively on BritBox. (Video is a series extra)
Finding Joy: Series 2 (Ireland)
Created, written by, and starring Amy Huberman (Striking Out), the six-episode new season of this comedy finds single, 30-something Joy Morris reborn as an online entrepreneur, launching her own video channel to establish her brand of finding happiness and fulfillment in everyday life, aided by Stan (Paul Reid, Rebellion) on camera and Emer (Ruth Kearney, Sanditon) on everything else. Finding Joy: Series 2, an Acorn TV Original series, premieres in the US in its entirety on Monday, January 11, exclusively on Acorn TV.
Trickster (Canada)
Based on the best-selling novel Son of a Trickster, Book 1 in Eden Robinson’s “The Trickster Trilogy,” this supernatural drama series stars Joel Oulette (Parallel Minds) as Jared, an Indigenous teen struggling to keep his dysfunctional family above water. But when he starts seeing strange things — talking ravens, doppelgängers, skin monsters — his already chaotic life is turned upside down. Trickster premieres in the US on Tuesday, January 12, at 9 PM ET, on The CW.
Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie (UK)
This hour-long documentary explores what made the world’s most successful crime writer tick. Family members and scholars explain how Agatha Christie used her experiences to weave together formidable plots, and how despite being known as the queen of “cozy” crime, her mind was, in the words of screenwriter Sarah Phelps, “incredibly dark.” Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie premieres in the US on Sunday, January 17, at 10 PM ET, on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS Video app.
Miss Scarlet and the Duke (US-Ireland)
Set in 1850s London, this crime drama stars Kate Phillips (Peaky Blinders) as Miss Eliza Scarlet, a fearless, independent woman who opts out of finding a husband for her survival after her father’s death, and chooses instead to run his detective agency. Since the Victorian world of crime-solving is dominated by men, she partners up with Detective Inspector William Wellington of Scotland Yard (Stuart Martin, Jamestown), aka the Duke. Miss Scarlet and the Duke premieres in the US on Sunday, January 17, at 8 PM ET, on PBS. It will also be available for streaming on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.
The Bay: Season 2 (UK)
Opening a year after the events in Season 1, Season 2 of this crime drama sees DC Lisa Armstrong (Morven Christie, Grantchester) asked to assist in a shocking murder case. As the team tracks down leads, they find that the more evidence they uncover, the more questions they have. And Lisa, struggling to do her job, is shocked by the arrival of someone from her past who has returned with an agenda. The Bay: Season 2, a BritBox Original series, premieres in North America with its first episode (of six) on Wednesday, January 20, exclusively on BritBox. New episodes debut weekly.
C.B. Strike: Lethal White (UK)
Based on the novel Lethal White, the fourth title in the best-selling “Cormoran Strike” series by Robert Galbraith (pen name of J. K. Rowling), this detective drama limited series finds a government minister hiring private eyes Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke, Mank) and Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger, The Capture) to find out who is blackmailing him, and a man telling Strike about a murder he witnessed as a young boy. C.B. Strike: Lethal White premieres in the US on Wednesday, January 20, exclusively on HBO Max.
Fate: The Winx Saga (UK-Italy)
Based on the animated Nickelodeon series Winx Club, this live-action YA supernatural drama follows the coming-of-age journey of five fairies attending Alfea, a boarding school in the Otherworld where they must learn to master their magical powers while navigating love, rivalries, and the monsters that threaten their existence. Fate: The Winx Saga, a Netflix Original series, premieres globally on Friday, January 22, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
The Sister (UK)
Adapted from series creator and writer Neil Cross’s (Luther) acclaimed novel Burial, this thriller is about an ordinary man, played by Russell Tovey (Flesh and Blood), trying to keep a dark piece of his past well hidden, lest everything he has built for himself and his family be destroyed. For further details, read this article. The Sister premieres in the US on Friday, January 22, exclusively on Hulu.
Agatha Christie’s England (UK)
This hour-long documentary explores how the settings of Christie’s murder mystery stories and novels were drawn from real places. They include Beacon Cove, Ealing, her hometown of Torquay, and Ugbrook House, where she met first husband Archie, amongst other places. Agatha Christie’s England premieres in the US on Sunday, January 24, at 10 PM ET, on PBS, PBS.org, and the PBS Video app.
The Dig (UK)
Based on John Preston’s novel of the same name, itself based on true events, this 1939-set historical drama revolves around a wealthy widow (Carey Mulligan, An Education) and the amateur archaeologist (Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient) she hires to excavate the burial mounds on her estate. When they make an historic discovery, the echoes of Britain’s past resonate in the face of its uncertain future as World War II looms. The Dig, a Netflix Film, premieres globally on Friday, January 29, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.) (Also, it is slated to be shown in select theaters on January 15.)
The Long Song (UK-US)
Adapted from Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel of the same name and set during the final days of slavery in 19th century Jamaica, this drama follows July (Tamara Lawrance, Small Axe), a strong-willed young slave on a sugar plantation owned by her odious mistress, Caroline Mortimer (Hayley Atwell, Howards End). When charming Robert Goodwin (Jack Lowden, The Tunnel) arrives to become the new overseer, both July and Caroline are intrigued by his seemingly revolutionary determination to improve the plantation for the slaves and the mistress alike. The Long Song premieres in the US on Sunday, January 31, at 10 PM ET, on PBS. It will also be available for streaming on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.
LOCAL/REGIONAL PREMIERES
Select public TV stations and regional networks will begin airing the following programs on or after January 1. Check you local listings or contact the station that serves your area for air dates and times. To request a show, contact your public TV station or American Public Television.
Escape to the Chateau: Seasons 6 & 7 (UK)
In the most recent seasons of this popular documentary series, the Strawbridges still have much refurb work to do at Chateau-de-la-Motte Husson. While Angel looks to the outbuildings and Dick turns his attention to their website, there are many grand parties and events on the horizon. Escape to the Chateau: Seasons 6 & 7 are confirmed for airing on Georgia Public Broadcasting, Idaho Public Television, Iowa PBS, KCPT, KCTS, KQEH, KTCA, KWSU, Maryland Public Television, PBS Wisconsin, WDSE, WGBH, WLRN, WNED, WNPT, WOSU, WPSU, and WPTD. (Video is a preview of S1-3)
Escape to the Chateau DIY: Season 1, Part 1 (UK)
This Escape To The Chateau spin-off series follows the stories of various British families that are renovating châteaux in France or looking at ones to purchase. It is narrated by Dick Strawbridge, who along with his wife Angel Adoree, provides help and advice. Escape to the Chateau DIY: Season 1, Part 1 is confirmed for airing on Georgia Public Broadcasting, Idaho Public Television, KTCA, KWSU, PBS Wisconsin, WGBH, WPTD, and WXXI.
NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS BEING ADDED TO LINEAR TV
The Fall: Season 3 (UK/NI)
Following the shocking Season 2 cliffhanger, the final season of this crime thriller sees Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan, New Worlds) lying wounded in the hospital and DSI Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson, The Crown) determined to make him pay for his crimes. The Fall: Season 3 begins airing Saturday, January 2, at 7 PM ET, on Ovation, as part of the network’s Mystery Alley lineup.
NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS BEING ADDED TO STREAMING SERVICES
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Acorn TV and its digital channels, including Acorn TV on Amazon.
19-2: Series 1-4 (Canada)
This character-driven cop drama revolves around the lives of two incompatible partners in the Montreal Police Department: Officers Nick Barron (Adrian Holmes, Arrow) and Ben Chartier (Jared Keeso, Letterkenny), whose different temperaments and life experiences initially cause mistrust and antagonism, which over time give way to mutual respect and true partnership. 19-2: Series 1-4 begins streaming Friday, January 1.
The Bone Detectives (UK)
In this documentary series, presenter Tori Herridge, mortuary technician Carla Valentine, and archaeologist Raksha Dave attempt to piece together the lives behind bones that have been uncovered by archaeologists — from what happened to the people, to how they came to be where they were found. The Bone Detectives begins streaming Monday, January 4.
The Crimson Petal and the White (UK)
Adapted from Michel Faber’s novel of the same name, this period drama stars Romola Garai (The Hour) as Sugar, a young, quick-witted prostitute who attempts to leave her life behind and move up in society by becoming involved with William Rackham (Chris O’Dowd, State of the Union), the married heir to a perfume empire. But the pair soon find themselves caught up in events beyond their control. The Crimson Petal and the White begins streaming Monday, January 4.
Wartime Farm + Wartime Farm Christmas (UK)
From the producers of Edwardian Farm, Victorian Farm, and Victorian Pharmacy comes this documentary series, which follows historians Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn, and Ruth Goodman as they take on running a farm for a full calendar year, using only tools and materials from the WWII era. In the holiday special, Ruth and Peter return to Manor Farm in Hampshire to recreate the conditions of Christmas 1944. Wartime Farm + Wartime Farm Christmas begin streaming Monday, January 11.
Danger UXB (UK)
Titled after the shorthand term for “danger–unexploded bomb,” this gripping 13-part series is about the men who served as part of a bomb disposal military unit during WWII. Each episode follows the Company, showing the pressures, problems, and horrors of the officers’ difficult and dangerous job, as well as how the stresses and strains of their job affect their relationships. Starring Anthony Andrews (Brideshead Revisited), Danger UXB begins streaming Monday, January 18.
The Wipers Times (UK)
Based on the true story of a satirical newspaper published on the front lines of WWI, this BAFTA-nominated drama revels in the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity. Starring Ben Chaplin (Press), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Britannia), Michael Palin (Monty Python), and Steve Oram (Code 404), The Wipers Times begins streaming Monday, January 18.
The Flame Trees of Thika (UK)
Based on Elspeth Huxley‘s beloved memoir, this BAFTA-nominated drama stars Hayley Mills (Wild at Heart), David Robb (Downton Abbey), and Holly Aird (Waking the Dead) as a British family who relocate to British East Africa (now Kenya) to set up a coffee plantation, and endure trials and tribulations as they face everything from deadly animals to tensions with other colonists. The Flame Trees of Thika begins streaming Monday, January 25.
The Secret History of the British Garden (UK)
In this docu-series, world-famous gardener and horticultural expert Monty Don explores the fascinating secrets behind four of Britain’s most important gardens — unearthing plans, diaries, letters, and paintings to reveal how these treasured and iconic spaces have evolved over the past 400 years. The Secret History of the British Garden begins streaming Monday, January 25.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on BritBox and its digital channels, including BritBox on Amazon.
Benidorm: Seasons 6-10 (UK)
The final five seasons of this hit comedy sees more hilarious drama amongst the holiday-makers and staff at the tacky Solana Resort in Benidorm, Spain — from Mick (Steve Pemberton, Inside No. 9) being mistakenly arrested for drugs, to barman Mateo (Jake Canuso, Scarborough) revealing that his mother-in-law is threatening to kill him. Benidorm: Seasons 6-10 begins streaming Friday, January 8.
Unforgiven (UK)
Set in Yorkshire, this gritty and gripping thriller stars Suranne Jones (Scott & Bailey) as Ruth, who is released from prison after serving 15 years for murdering two policemen as a teenager. In trying to rebuild all that she has lost, she finds it increasingly difficult to maintain a job, friendships, and a relationship as details of her past begin to emerge. Unforgiven begins streaming Friday, January 15.
Red Dwarf: Seasons 1-8 (Remastered) (UK)
The first eight seasons of this Emmy® Award-winning, global cult phenomenon comedy series have been remastered, and you can stream them starting Tuesday, January 26.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on HBO Max.
C.B. Strike: Season 1 (UK)
The three multi-part stories that comprise HBO’s first season of this private investigator drama are The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm, and Career of Evil — each based on a novel in the “Cormoran Strike” series by Robert Galbraith (as is the fourth story, Lethal White — see above). C.B. Strike: Season 1 begins streaming Wednesday, January 20.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Netflix.
Last Tango in Halifax: Season 4 (UK)
The final season of this popular drama sees Alan (Derek Jacobi, Vicious) and Celia (Anne Reid, Sanditon) clashing over politics, his new job, and a wild local lad after seven years of marriage. Meanwhile, Caroline (Sarah Lancashire, The Accident) gets emotionally embroiled at work, Gillian (Nicola Walker, Unforgotten) has problems at the farm, John (Tony Gardner, Innocent) is back on the scene, and Alan’s brother, Ted (Timothy West, Gentleman Jack), visits from New Zealand. Last Tango in Halifax: Season 4 begins streaming Tuesday, January 12.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.
As Time Goes By: Reunion Specials (UK)
In the reunion specials of the long-running, fan-favorite series As Time Goes By, Jean (Dame Judi Dench, Philomena) reveals to husband Lionel (the late Geoffrey Palmer, Butterflies) her wish for grandchildren. With daughter Judith (Moira Brooker, Doctors) and her hubby Alistair (Philip Bretherton, Strike Back) having problems, Jean’s wish fulfillment doesn’t look too promising with them, so it could come down to her other daughter, Sandy (Jenny Funnell, The Royal), and her hubs Harry (Daniel Ryan, Home Fires), who have returned from Canada. As Time Goes By: Reunion Specials begin streaming Tuesday, January 26.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Prime Video.
Beecham House: Season 1 (UK)
Set on the cusp of the 19th century in Dehli, India, this period drama follows the twists and turns in the fortunes and the complex relationships of the residents of the eponymous mansion, including John Beecham (Tom Bateman, Vanity Fair), a former soldier who bought the mansion to begin a new life with his family. Beecham House begins streaming as a no-additional-charge title for Amazon Prime members on Prime Video from Friday, January 1, through the end of the month.
Grantchester: Season 5 (UK)
The fifth season of this popular mystery series opens in 1957 and finds Will (Tom Brittney, The Five) preaching to a packed church while Geordie (Robson Green, Wire in the Blood) (just about) accepts Cathy’s (Kacey Ainsworth, EastEnders) commitment to her job. Mrs. C. (Tessa Peake-Jones, Unforgotten) happily juggles her roles as the vicarage housekeeper and a well-to-do married woman, and Leonard (Al Weaver, Press) manages to carve out some happiness with Daniel (Oliver Dimsdale, Mr. Selfridge). Yet darkness still lurks in their little corner of Cambridgeshire. Grantchester: Season 5 begins streaming as a Prime Video title on Tuesday, January 19.
Flack: Season 1 (UK)
Oscar® winner Anna Paquin (The Piano) stars in this dramedy series as Robyn, an American crisis PR strategist living in London. Robyn is an expert in her work and equally effective in self-sabotaging her personal life. Costarring Sophie Okonedo (Undercover) and Marc Warren (Van der Valk), Flack: Season 1 begins streaming as a Prime Video title on Friday, January 22, in advance of Amazon’s US premiere of Season 2.
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Did you miss any of the new shows from previous days, weeks, or months? Check out the British TV Viewing Guide and Archives to find out.
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For details about the January premieres of shows from Australia and New Zealand, visit The Down Under TV Place. For those about the debuts of original-language, English-subtitled programs from Europe, visit The Euro TV Place.
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