Westeros knights, spy thrills, Marvel satire and fox tales in January

A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms

Debuts on Jan 19 on HBO Max

This long-awaited third show from American author George R.R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire fantasy universe is set a century before Game Of Thrones (2011 to 2019) and after House Of The Dragon (2022 to present).

It follows the adventures of Dunk, or Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) – an untested knight from humble origins – and his precocious young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).

As Dunk tries to prove his worth, the unlikely duo wander across Westeros, navigating tournaments, rivalries and moral dilemmas in a time when the Targaryen family still rule, but do not have their dragons any more.

Why watch it: For Game Of Thrones fans, this return to Westeros cannot come faster.

And the new show – already renewed for a second season – promises a more intimate, character-driven story compared with the epic scale of its predecessors.

The Night Manager 2

Debuts on Prime Video on Jan 11

This award-winning British espionage series is back for a second season, a decade after its 2016 debut.

Tom Hiddleston – the English actor who plays Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – is Jonathan Pine, a former soldier turned hotel night manager who found himself becoming a spy in Season 1. Now, he lives a quiet life in London as a low-level intelligence officer.

But a chance sighting of a figure from his past brings him into the orbit of Colombian arms dealer Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva).

This leads him to Colombia, where a businesswoman named Roxana Bolanos (Camila Morrone) helps him infiltrate a local arms-dealing ring, and he discovers a deadly conspiracy.

Pine must navigate a risky game of deception, seduction and shifting allegiances if he is to expose the plot in time.

Why watch it: Based on characters created by British writer John le Carre, but with an original story, this season is as cinematic and globetrotting as the first.

English Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite, 2018) reprises her role as Angela Burr, the shrewd intelligence officer who recruited Pine in the first season.

The creators have also teased a steamy love triangle involving Pine.

Wonder Man

Debuts on Disney+ on Jan 28

The first of several new Marvel superhero series debuting in 2026, this stars American actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who was Black Manta in the Aquaman films (2018 and 2023).

He plays Simon Williams, a struggling actor who auditions for the lead in a remake of a classic superhero movie titled Wonder Man.

But as he chases this career-making role, Simon begins to manifest real superpowers, which he then has to hide.

Simon also forms a bond with washed-up actor Trevor Slattery, with English star Ben Kingsley reprising his character from Marvel films such as Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021).

Why watch it: Directed by American film-maker Destin Daniel Cretin, who helmed the Shang-Chi movie, this eight-episode miniseries takes a satirical swing at both show business and the superhero genre.

No Tail To Tell

Debuts on Jan 16 on Netflix

One of the K-dramas airing on Netflix as part of its 2024 deal with South Korean broadcaster SBS, this fantasy comedy is inspired by Korean folklore around the gumiho, or nine-tailed fox.

But unlike in traditional tales, where the gumiho yearns to become human, protagonist Eun-ho (Kim Hye-yoon) cannot imagine anything worse.

Instead, she revels in her immortality, actively avoiding human beings. She does everything she can to not become one of them, while also using her powers to have as much fun as she can in their world.

Then she meets cocky soccer star Kang Si-yeol (Lomon) and, after a fateful accident, turns human.

Stripped of her powers, she must now navigate human responsibilities, as well as a love-hate relationship with Si-yeol that will transform them both.

Why watch it: This irreverent fantasy subverts the legend of the gumiho, which often involves the creature shapeshifting into a beautiful woman to seduce and eat human hearts.

Fans of Lomon – known for the zombie drama All Of Us Are Dead (2022) and thriller series Revenge Of Others (2022) – will be pleased to see him in his first romantic comedy. And this is a return to form for Kim, who starred in the buzzy fantasy romcom Lovely Runner (2024).