The Best Movies, TV, Books and Music for January

“The Afterparty” aims to be the next “Only Murders in the Building”

January 3, 2022 5:38 am
Ben Schwartz and Sam Richardson in “The Afterparty,” premiering January 28, 2022 on Apple TV+.
Ben Schwartz and Sam Richardson in “The Afterparty,” premiering January 28, 2022 on Apple TV+.
Apple

Welcome to Culture Hound, InsideHook’s deep dive into the month’s most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise. 

WATCH: Munich — The Edge of War

Jeremy Irons plays English Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in this WWII spy thriller, which takes place at the 1938 Munich Conference. (Jan. 21, Netflix; currently in theaters)

More new films coming to the small screen and big: The Tragedy of Macbeth (Jan. 14, Apple TV+); Scream (Jan. 14, theaters); Home Team (Jan. 28, Netflix); Morbius (Jan. 28, theaters)

WELCOME BACK: Ozark

The popular crime drama — featuring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney — returns for a final season, though it’s split into two halves of seven episodes each. (Jan. 21, Netflix)

Returning TV series and specials: Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer (Jan. 6, Fox); Search Party (Jan. 7, HBO Max); After Life (Jan. 14, Netflix); Real Time With Bill Maher (Jan. 21, HBO); Servant (Jan. 21, Apple TV+), Snowpiercer (Jan. 24, TNT); Resident Alien (Jan. 26, Syfy); Grammy Awards (Jan. 31, CBS)

DISCOVER: The Afterparty

A murder-mystery set after a high school reunion, this comedy takes place in one night but is told from eight different perspectives. Featuring Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao, Ben Schwartz, Ike Barinholtz, Ilana Glazer and Dave Franco. (Jan. 28, Apple TV+)

More new series: Women of the Movement (Jan. 6, ABC); Pivoting (Jan. 9, Fox); Peacemaker (Jan. 13, HBO Max); Wolf Like Me (Jan. 13, Peacock); Archive 81 (Jan. 14, Netflix); Somebody Somewhere (Jan. 16, HBO Max); How I Met Your Father (Jan. 18, Hulu); As We See It (Jan. 21, Prime Video); The Gilded Age (Jan. 24, HBO); Monarch (Jan. 30, Fox)

STUDY: We Need to Talk About Cosby

W. Kamau Bell weighs the influence of Bill Cosby versus his actions, which (as shown above) goes beyond the numerous allegations that the comedian is a sexual predator. Basically, if you still hold some goodwill toward “America’s Dad,” this four-part docuseries will change your mind. (Jan. 30, Showtime)

Wild Things: Siegfried and Roy
Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy
Apple

STREAM: Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy

An original podcast series by Apple TV+ (which is confusing, admittedly — just look for it on Apple Podcasts) is an eight-part look into the two famous and enigmatic magicians, as overseen by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Leckart.

Anthem book cover by Noah Hawley
“Anthem” by Noah Hawley
Amazon

READ: Anthem

Not the Ayn Rand book, but a new novel by Noah Hawley (Fargo) that’s both a story about an unusual rescue mission but also a larger commentary on American society. Early reviews have compared the book to Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King and Jonathan Swift, suggesting an epic road journey swathed in satire. (Jan. 4)

More new reads: (Jan. 11) Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom by Carl Bernstein; Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen Kirby; To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara (Jan. 25) Devil House by John Darnielle  

LISTEN: Earl Sweatshirt

Do we really need another album inspired by the on-going coronavirus pandemic? Possibly. Earl Sweatshirt’s Sick! Promises to “lean into the chaos” of the past few years; the acclaimed hip-hop artist’s fourth record includes collaborations with Armand Hammer, Zelooperz, the Alchemist, Black Noi$e and many more. (Jan. 14)

More new music: (Jan. 7) The Wombats (Jan. 14) Cat Power; Elvis Costello (Jan. 21) John Mellencamp (Jan. 28) John Mayall; Urge Overkill 

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