skip to main content
We may earn money when you click our links.

What To Watch This Week: Relax With Our Top 8 TV & Movie Picks (January 13–19)

Entertainment writer Randy Harward recommends the best shows, movies, and more on TV this week, including Severance, Harley Quinn, Night Court, and A Real Bug’s Life.

What to watch January 13-19

New on TV this week

This week’s What To Watch picks include the long-awaited second season of Severance, the fifth season of Harley Quinn, a 50-year Saturday Night Live retrospective, new stand-up comedy specials from Ari Shaffir and Roy Wood Jr., the second season of A Real Bug’s Life, the continuing third season of Night Court, and more. Now let’s hit the couch!

Night owl? Peep what’s on late-night TV this week.

New on Netflix this week

Ari Shaffir: America’s Sweetheart | Netflix | Stand-up comedy

Special, Tuesday, January 14: In the trailer for his sixth comedy special, Ari Shaffir refers to his too-soon joke about Kobe Bryant’s 2020 death—that one that got him into trouble. We won’t repeat what he says, but he follows it up with, “Possibly too far.” It was too far, but that’s how the provocative comic rolls: fearlessly. His goal isn’t to offend; it’s to make us laugh and challenge how we think. In another trailer bit, Shaffir suggests killing children because “They don’t contribute to the GDP, like, at all.” He pauses. The crowd cringes. “Guys. I’m joking. I hope you understand that.” We do, mostly.

New on NBC this week

Night Court | NBC, Peacock | Comedy

Series returns, Tuesday, January 14, 8:30 p.m. ET: The third season of the rebooted popular ‘80s sitcom about the wacky judicial swing shift in a NYC court continues tonight. NBCU promises “more guest stars and insane cases” in Judge Abby Stone’s (Melissa Rauch, The Big Bang Theory) courtroom. We get one new ep tonight, with the rest coming weekly on Tuesdays. New episodes stream the following day on Peacock.

New on Disney+ this week

A Real Bug’s Life | Disney+ | Documentary, nature

Season 2 premiere, Wednesday, January 15: The magnificently shot documentary series about the insect microcosmos returns for a second season. Five new educational episodes follow tiger beetles on the beaches of Malaysia, damselflies in a British pond, Australia’s peacock jumping spider, Georgia’s Smoky Mountain luna moth, and more. If you haven’t already put it together, the series is based on the Pixar film A Bug’s Life (and produced by National Geographic for Disney+). Awkwafina (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) narrates.

Click on your favorite streaming service below to see new releases and classic recommendations from our TV critics.

netflix
maxlogo
peacocktv
Paramount+_with_Showtime_logo.svg
apple tv plus logo
DisneyPlus
Shudder logo
crunchyroll
sling-tv
Youtubetv-Center-Color

New on Max this week

Harley Quinn | Max | Adult animation, comedy

Season 5 premiere, Thursday, January 16: The brassy, batshit Harley Quinn’s (Kaley Cuoco) quest to find herself and prove her worth as a supervillain continues in the wild ‘n wacky series’ fifth season. Quinn and her partner Ivy (Lake Bell) have traded Gotham City (Batman’s turf) for Metropolis (Superman’s ‘hood), where they’ll face Lex Luthor, Lena Luthor, and Brainiac. The first of Season Five’s ten episodes debuts tonight. New eps will come weekly on Thursdays through March 20.

New on Peacock this week

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night | NBC, Peacock | Documentary

Limited series, Thursday, January 16: The first of three upcoming specials about the long-running sketch comedy institution Saturday Night Live is a four-part retrospective. More than 60 contributors—from the shows’ 1975 nascence to present—help tell the story. All four parts premiere today on Peacock. The other two specials include a three-hour documentary called Ladies and Gentleman … 50 Years of SNL Music directed by Oz Rodriguez and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Monday, January 27) and a live primetime special, SNL50: The Anniversary Special (Sunday, February 16) on both NBC and Peacock.

New on Apple TV+ this week

Severance | Apple TV+ | Drama, mystery

Season 2 premiere, Friday, January 17: If we knew it would take three years to see a second season of the popular, immensely intriguing Apple TV+ show, Severance fans might have preferred having the severance procedure to reduce the wait by half. The dystopian workplace mystery is that good, and we can’t wait to see where the new season takes the Lumon employees who’ve chosen to have separate work and personal lives—and the attendant complications. Unfortunately, after that lengthy wait, we get only one episode per week. But isn’t a mystery best served in a trickle?

New on Hulu this week

Roy Wood, Jr.: Lonely Flowers | Hulu | Stand-up comedy

Special, Friday, January 17: You might have seen Roy Wood Jr.’s Popeye’s chicken videos, stand-up specials, The Daily Show segments, CNN, or hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Wherever you saw Wood, he probably cracked you up. In his fourth comedy special (first for Hulu), Wood tackles society’s lack of connection, rude employees, self-checkout lanes, and gun culture; “I saw somebody get bad service at the gun range. How you gonna be rude to someone who showed up to practice murder?”

  TV Tan Podcast

Bill Frost and Tommy Milagro serve up TV news, reviews, and cocktails every week—at 500+ episodes over 10 years, it’s the longest-running television podcast ever (confirmation pending). Subscribe to TV Tan Podcast now on SpotifyApple PodcastsYouTube MusicYouTubeAmazon PodcastsAudible, or your favorite podcast app. [NFSW]

New movie releases available to rent/buy on VOD this week

La Pietà (2025)

Some great horror movies have been coming out of Spain (The Coffee Table) and Argentina (When Evil Lurks) lately. Now we have a joint Spanish-Argentine production—WonderTwin powers . . . activate! Eduardo Casanova’s La Pietà (aka La Piedad) black comedy horror, about a toxic mother-son relationship, looks to be on the same scary level (disturbing imagery, situations, themes, and gore) as some of these Spanish and Argentine films—but also miles above them artistically. The film is available on VOD Tuesday, January 14.

Don't miss an update

Stay updated on the latest products and services anytime anywhere.