What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022

Gilded Sky

by Andy Bassett
Movies & TV Shows News

12

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022

Sky starts 2022 off with blockbuster movies and returning fan favourite shows along with the Harry Potter 20th anniversary retrospective and a brand new period drama series in the form of The Gilded Age.

Updated 20-Dec-2021: Magnum PI S4 (2nd Jan 2022, moved from 26th Dec 2021) - NCIS: New Orleans S7/Final (2nd Jan 2022, moved from 26th Dec 2021) - Rock Dog 2 (8th Jan) - The Rookie S4 (20th Jan confirmed) - French Exit (30th Jan)


There’s a decent brace of movie premieres on Sky Cinema to kick proceedings off in the New Year, running the gamut from VFX driven tent pole fare such as Monster Hunter and A Quiet Place Part II to action flicks like Nobody and One Shot plus more dramatic films in the form of the emotionally punishing Mass, Supernova and Land. Throw in the animated follow-up to The Croods and there’s something for everyone here.

Sky’s big hit, A Discovery of Witches, reaches its concluding third season, while Euphoria returns to deal with more teen-based troubles for a full second outing after two recent specials. Meanwhile, on the new series front, Sky brings its Bridgerton A-game with the Julian Fellowes created period drama, A Gilded Age.

Comedy shows are served up with Pen15 and Frayed, both returning, and there’s a variety of documentaries covering the natural world (Shark: British Isles Special with Steve Backshall), true crime (The Murders at Starved Rock) and extreme sports (The Alpinist).

And just to make everyone feel really old, the young cast of the Harry Potter film franchise meet up to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first film in the one-off special, Return to Hogwarts.

So, here’s a more in depth look at how Sky is launching 2022 and remember to check back as we’ll be updating the listing when new content is announced.


Movie Premieres

(Requires Sky Cinema subscription or Now Cinema Pass)

1st January

The Croods 2: A New Age (2020, Amination, Adventure, Comedy, PG. Voices: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann, Kelly Marie Tran, Dir. Joel Crawford)

Having survived natural disasters, predators and other dangers, prehistoric family the Croods are still trying to find a permanent base. Led by overprotective patriarch, Grug, the Croods stumble upon a secluded Eden which has everything they could possibly need in a ‘forever home’. However it already has occupants in the shape of a significantly more evolved family, the Bettermans. Now, as tensions boil over between the two clans, a new menace threatens the future of both families. Can the Croods and the Bettermans put aside their differences, pool their divergent skills and fight the common enemy and move on together?

Production on the follow up to Dreamworks’ 2013, hit The Croods was interrupted by Universal's acquisition of DreamWorks as well as the pandemic, with much of the final animation completed at the animators’ homes. It was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film though lost out to Soul, but it does mark Nic Cage’s 100th film acting credit, so hooray for that.


2nd January

Naked Singularity (2021, Comedy, Crime, Drama, R. John Boyega, Olivia Cooke, Bill Skarsgård, Ed Skrein, Dir. Chase Palmer)

Casi is a promising young NYC public defender whose idealism is beginning to crack under the daily injustices of the very system he’s trying to support. Becoming more and more burned out and on the brink of disbarment, Casi becomes desperate for things to change and is pulled into a dangerous high-stakes drug heist by Lea, an unpredictable former client, in an effort to beat the broken system at its own game.

Executive produced by Ridley Scott and Law & Order creator Dick Wolf.


7th January - Friday

A Quiet Place Part II (2020, Horror, Sci-Fi, Drama, PG-13. Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe, Dir. + Scr. John Krasinski)

Following the deadly events at home but now armed with new knowledge, the Abbott family ventures out from their home to find other survivors, and must now face the terrors of the wider world as they continue their survival in silence. However, it soon becomes apparent that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

Despite originally viewing the first film as a ‘one-off’, writer-director John Krasinski was persuaded to return for A Quiet Place Part II, along with the original sound designers, and the film premiered in New York on 8th March 2020 before being held up for release for over a year due to Covid. It was finally released on 28th May 2021.


8th January

Rock Dog 2: Rock Around the Park (2021, Animation , Adventure, Comedy. Graham Hamilton, Ashleigh Ball, Kathleen Barr, Brian Dobson, Dir. Mark Baldo) - added 20-Dec-2021

Bodi and his band 'True Blue' return with a new voice cast (there’s no J. K. Simmons, Luke Wilson, or Eddie Izzard from the original film).

Offered a chance to leave Snow Mountain and tour with pop sensation, Lil' Foxy, Bodi and his bandmates learn that fame comes at a price.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
Rock Dog 2 is on Sky Cinema in January 2022

9th January

Land (2021, Drama, Adventure, PG-13. Robin Wright, Demián Bichir, Sarah Dawn Pledge, Kim Dickens, Dir. Robin Wright)

In the aftermath of a traumatic event, Edee finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew and retreats to the magnificent, but unforgiving, wilds of the Rockies. After struggling with the unrelenting hardship, she is discovered on the brink of death by a local hunter who agrees to teach her the skills she needs so that she can not only survive but also find a way to live again.


14th January - Friday

Save the Cinema (2021, Drama, True Life. Sky Original Film. Samantha Morton, Tom Felton, Jonathan Pryce, Adeel Akhtar, Dir. Sara Sugarman)

In 1993, hairdresser Liz Evans is a leader of a youth theatre in Carmarthen, Wales, who learns that the venue is to be closed down for redevelopment. Convinced that the Lyric Theatre is the heart of the local community, she starts a campaign to save it, first by barricading herself inside and then by hatching a grand plan involving a Hollywood legend and a monster-sized premiere.

Liz Evans, on whom the film's protagonist is based, is the mother of Wynn Evans, famous for his 'Gio Compario' character on the Go Compare adverts.

Trailer features spoilers.


15th January

The Paper Tigers (2020, Action. Comedy, PG-13. Drama, Action. Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Dir. + Scr. Quoc Bao Tran)

As teenagers, kung fu prodigies Danny, Hing and Jim were inseparable. Now almost 30 years later, each has grown into a washed-up, middle-aged man who doesn't waste a second thought on his martial arts background or childhood best friends. But when their old master is murdered, the trio reunite, soon learning that avenging their sifu will require putting aside dad duties, conquering old grudges and facing a dangerous hitman whose knee isn’t likely to pop out.

Funding for The Paper Tigers initially came via Kickstarter after the filmmakers refused to bow to Hollywood studio pressure to cast older, white actors such as Bruce Willis or Nicolas Cage.


16th January

Pig (2021, Drama, Thriller, R. Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin, Cassandra Violet, Dir. Michael Sarnoski)

Robin "Rob" Feld is a former Portland-based chef turned reclusive truffle forager who lives in a cabin deep in the Oregon forests with his beloved pig. When his porcine companion is taken one day, Feld returns to his old stamping ground in Portland to find out who is responsible.

Pig was well received and Nicolas Cage received a nomination for Best Actor at the 27th Critics' Choice Awards for one of his more restrained performances.


20th January

Mass (2021, Drama, PG-13, Sky Original Film. Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Ann Dowd, Reed Birney, Dir. + Scr. Fran Kranz)

Years after an unspeakable tragedy involving their sons tore all their lives apart, two sets of parents agree to talk privately in an attempt to move forward from the pain they share in different ways.

Fran Kranz’s writing and directing debut is a thoughtful examination of the journey of grief, anger and acceptance for the ones who have been left behind.


21st January - Friday

Nobody (2021, Action, Crime, Drama, R. Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, Aleksey Serebryakov, Dir. Ilya Naishuller, Scr. Derek Kolstad)

Hutch Mansell is a nobody. An underestimated and overlooked dad and husband, taking life's indignities on the chin, letting things slide and never rocking the boat.

And when two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch fails to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent serious violence, leading to disappointment from his teenage son and a widening of the gap between him and his wife, Becca.

In the aftermath of the incident, Hutch's long-simmering rage reaches boiling point and triggers dormant instincts and skills no-one knew he possessed. As he is propelled on a brutal path to reacquire his daughter’s kitty-cat bracelet, his rampage of revenge ensures he’s never seen as a nobody, ever again.


22nd January

Supernova (2021, Drama, Romance, R. Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, Pippa Haywood, Ian Drysdale, Dir. + Scr. Harry Macqueen)

Sam and Tusker, partners of twenty years, are on holiday travelling across England in their old campervan visiting friends, family and places from their past. Since Tusker was diagnosed with early onset dementia two years ago, their lives have had to change. Now, secrets are uncovered, private plans unravel and their love for each other is tested like never before as they face a limited future.

Originally cast in the other’s role, Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci surprised director Harry Macqueen during the rehearsal period by requesting that they switch roles because it ‘just felt right’.


28th January - Friday

Monster Hunter (2021, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, PG-13. Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman, Meagan Good, Dir. + Scr. Paul W.S. Anderson)

When an unexpected sandstorm transports Cpt. Artemis and her loyal squad to a new world beyond our own, they’re plunged into a desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers and unstoppable, terrifying attacks. Artemis is forced to rely on a mysterious hunter who has found a way to fight back.

Monster Hunter is of course based on the global smash hit video game series from Capcom.


29th January

One Shot (2021, Action, Thriller. Scott Adkins, Ashley Greene, Ryan Phillippe, Emmanuel Imani, Dir. James Nunn)

An elite squad of Navy SEALs, on a covert mission to transport a prisoner off a CIA black site island prison, are trapped when insurgents attack while trying to free the same prisoner.

The title 'One Shot' is reference to the attempt to stop the terrorist bomb plot and also to the 1917-style single take approach to the narrative.


30th January

French Exit (2020, Comedy, Drama, R. Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, Imogen Poots, Valerie Mahaffey, Dir. Azazel Jacobs) - added 20-Dec-2021

When the funds from her dead husband’s fortune run dry and the banks move in, penniless Manhattan socialite Frances Price has no choice but to drastically change the direction of her life. She decides to live out her twilight years anonymously in a borrowed apartment in Paris, accompanied by her directionless son Malcolm and a cat named Small Frank - who may or may not embody the spirit of Frances's dead husband, Franklyn.


TV Shows

(Requires Sky TV subscription, Now Entertainment Pass)

1st January

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022, HBO Max TV Special) Sky Documentaries

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, lead actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are joined by a host of fellow cast members from across the eight movie saga, as well as filmmaker Chris Columbus. Together, they take a retrospective trip and travel back to Hogwarts to celebrate this special two decade birthday of the franchise’s first film.

These all-new in-depth interviews and cast conversations invite fans on a magical behind the scenes journey of one of the most beloved film series of all time, starting right at the beginning.

Shark: British Isles Special with Steve Backshall (2022, Sky Original Documentary) Sky Nature

Explorer and naturalist Steve Backshall continues his series focussing on the much maligned shark with a special that looks at the twenty different species often found around the British Isles.

His journey takes him the length and breadth of the British coastline to uncover the survival strategies and lifestyles of UK sharks, demystifying the negative headlines and exploring the latest ocean conservation issues that affect both the UK and wider world.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
Shark: British Isles Special with Steve Backshall is on Sky Nature in January 2022

2nd January

Magnum PI (2021, S4, CBS Procedural Series) Sky Max - added 20-Dec-2021

Thomas Magnum, an ex-Navy SEAL, returns from Afghanistan and uses his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii while staying at a luxury residence protected by Juliet Higgins, a former MI6 agent assigned by the owner to protect the estate.

Season 4 sees Magnum try to keep his new relationship a secret and handle his cases solo as he's looking for a single mom being hunted by two very dangerous killers. Meanwhile a misstep abroad forces Higgins to become involved with an old employer.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
Magnum PI S4 is on Sky Max in January 2022

NCIS: New Orleans (2021, S7 / Final CBS Procedural Series) Sky Max - added 20-Dec-2021

An NCIS spin-off featuring a field office that investigates criminal cases involving military personnel in New Orleans, aka The Big Easy, a city known for its music, entertainment and decadence but which often draws out the dark side of service personnel, When that happens, Special Agent Dwayne Pride's team are ready to step in. Starring Scott Bakula.

As New Orleans grapples with the effects of COVID-19, Pride joins a task-force set up by the mayor to restore the city and sends Tammy and Carter to investigate a suspicious death aboard an offshore humanitarian ship. Meanwhile, Wade is overwhelmed by the high volume in the morgue due to COVID-19.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
NCIS: New Orleans S7/Final is on Sky Max in January 2022

Secret Life of the Koala (2016, Documentary Series) Sky Nature

They’re cute and cuddly and sleep for up to 21 hours a day but Koalas are still capable of sudden displays of energy, agility and even aggression. This series takes a closer look at the surprisingly rich and unexpected secret lives of these iconic Australian marsupials in their natural habitat.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
Secret Life of the Koala is on Sky Nature in January 2022

4th January

Pen15 (2021, S2b, Hulu Comedy Series) Sky Comedy

The second half of the show’s second (and reportedly final) season returns to find Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle still playing themselves as 13-year-olds in middle school in the year 2000 and still trying to figure out where they fit in and dealing with the trauma of being a teenager.


5th January

Bull (2020,S5, CBS Legal Series) Sky Witness

Brilliant, brash, and charming, Dr. Jason Bull heads up the Trial Analysis Corporation (TAC), a jury consulting firm which combines psychology, human intuition and high-tech data to select the right jurors for his clients, but also to help his clients' lawyers decide which type of argument will best win over the jurors.

Season five sees Bull and the TAC team struggle to adjust to a virtual court system as they weather the New York City shutdown due to the coronavirus.

Bull stars former NCIS actor Michael Weatherly and is inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw (US TV’s famous Dr. Phil), who also serves as an executive producer.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
Bull S5 is on Sky Witness in January 2022

The Curse of Oak Island (2021, S9, Reality Docuseries) Sky History

Rick and Marty Lagina, two brothers from Michigan with a life-long interest in the mystery of Oak Island, continue their efforts to discover the legendary 220-year-old treasure they are convinced is hidden on the island.


7th January - Friday

A Discovery of Witches (2022, S3 / Final, Sky Original Fantasy Series) Sky Max

Vampire Matthew and witch Diana returning from 1590 to find tragedy at Sept-Tours. As their enemies close in, the pair must find the missing pages from the Book of Life before it’s too late, but a monster from Matthew’s past, bent on revenge, is lying in wait for his return.

Set in a world where a handful of witches, vampires, and daemons live and work unseen, hiding in plain sight amongst humans, this is the third and final instalment of the adaptation of Deborah Harkness’ All Souls trilogy.


9th January

The Murders at Starved Rock (2021, HBO Documentary Series) Sky Crime

In 1960, the bodies of three women from the suburbs of Chicago were discovered in a canyon that makes up one of the natural wonders of Starved Rock State, Illinois. A year later, Chester Weger was convicted in relation to the brutal killings but protested his innocence right up until his release on parole in Feb 2020, after nearly six decades of incarceration.

Now, after years of questions and doubts, the son of the prosecutor in the case seeks to discover whether the man who went to prison could in fact be innocent of this terrible crime, meaning his own father made a tragic mistake 59 years ago.

The series was produced by Mark Wahlberg.


10th January

Euphoria (2022, S2, HBO Original Series. Weekly episodes) Sky Atlantic

With a successful first season and two specials under its belt, the teen drama series returns for second season look at 17-year-old Rue and her friends in the town of East Highland as they balance the pressures of love, loss, and addiction.

Star Zendaya herself has indicated that the season will be ‘challenging’ and ‘not a fun watch’ as it continues to develop Rue’s character and story.


16th January

Kalahari: Land of Secret Alliances (Documentary) Sky Nature

In the harsh and mighty Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, scientists have discovered that animals have found innovative ways to survive through collaboration, including secret pacts and tacit alliances. Using new camera technology, the programme reveals the incredible tactics animals use to survive in one of the most gruelling environments on Earth.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
Kalahari: Land of Secret Alliances is on Sky Nature in January 2022

20th January

The Rookie (2022, S4, ABC Procedural Series) Sky Witness - added 20-Dec-2021

Nathan Fillion returns as John Nolan, a divorced man in his forties looking to restart his life and career by becoming the oldest rookie in the LAPD. After he graduates, Nolan must navigate the dangerous and unpredictable streets of LA, something normally experienced by officers twenty years his junior.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
The Rookie S4 is on Sky Witness in January 2022

22nd January

The Alpinist (2021, Sky Original Documentary Film) Sky Documentaries

Marc-André Leclerc, a free-spirited 23-year-old Canadian, amazes his fellow climbers as he makes his incredible ascents alone, far from the limelight. With no cameras, no rope, and no margin for error, Leclerc's approach is the essence of solo adventure. So when veteran filmmaker Peter Mortimer sets out to make a film about Leclerc, he struggles to keep up with his elusive subject. Then, Leclerc embarks on a historic adventure in Patagonia that will redefine what is possible in solo climbing.


24th January

Red Elvis aka Red Elvis: The Cold War Cowboy (2022, Documentary Film) Sky Documentaries

Dean Reed was an American actor and singer who relocated to East Germany in 1973 and became the best-selling Western performer in communist countries at the time, with his songs often topping the local charts, and millions of his records selling in the Eastern bloc.

He never gave up his American citizenship but became quite vocal in his denouncements of the US government even comparing President Ronald Reagan to Stalin on an episode of 60 Minutes. Six weeks later, at the age of 47, his body was found floating in a lake in East Berlin.

Featuring exclusive access to Dean’s friends and family, a treasure trove of unseen film and music, and previously sealed government documents, Red Elvis reveals the extraordinary story of the American who defected to the East at the height of the Cold War and became a superstar.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
Red Elvis is on Sky Documentaries in January 2022

25th January

The Gilded Age (2022, S1 HBO Period Drama Series, Ten weekly episodes) Sky Atlantic

In 1880’s New York, during a period known as the ‘Gilded Age’ due to the vast amounts of new money exchanging hands, making and breaking fortunes, Marian Brook, a naive, young, orphaned daughter of a Southern general, moves in with her rigidly conventional aunts. With the help of Peggy Scott, an African American woman masquerading as her maid, Marian gets swept up in the dazzling lives of her rich neighbours, including the ruthless railroad tycoon George Russell and his family, as she struggles to fit in with this new way of life.

Developed by Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age stars Louisa Jacobson, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector.


26th January

Billions (2022, S6, Showtime Drama Series) Sky Atlantic

There’s further Machiavellian political and financial manoeuvring as Michael Prince becomes a more powerful player than ever before and he’s determined to change the game – and new money means no mercy. Meanwhile U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades is convinced no one should have that much wealth or that much power and decides to develop a new strategy that is keener and more sophisticated than before. Soon, all the participants must sharpen their weapons and look for new alliances in order to survive. With the stakes this high, only one thing’s for certain… wealth means war.


27th January

Frayed (2022, S2, Sky Original Comedy Series. Weekly episodes) Sky Max

In 1988, when wealthy London housewife Sammy Cooper’s husband dies, exposing the real state of their finances, she is forced to return home to Australia to confront her past.

Now, having returned to London, Sammy is living in a tiny flat frantically trying to prove that her lawyer has stolen her house. Barely able to make ends meet, she’s desperate to find a way to reclaim her opulent UK life while dissuading her kids from returning to Oz and hiding the truth about what happened to their neighbour down under.

Meanwhile, back in Australia, Detective Sergeant Fairbank has the Cooper family firmly under the microscope.


30th January

The Sleepwalker (2022, Sky Original True Crime Series) Sky Crime

Sky Original series The Sleepwalker flips the traditional thriller narrative to explore a deeper and more troubling mystery – did a remorseful Randy Herman Jr. really commit a brutal murder in his sleep, or was it a convenient cover story? With exclusive access to Herman and his family, the defence and prosecution attorneys, journalists who covered the case, forensic psychiatrists and world experts in violent parasomnia (sleepwalking), viewers gain an inside look at the shocking twists and turns of the controversial crime.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
The Sleepwalker is on Sky Crime in January 2022

TBC

The Righteous Gemstones (2022, S2 HBO Comedy Series) Sky Comedy
The Gemstones are a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed and, of course, charitable work. Season 2 sees the family threatened by outsiders from both the past and present who wish to destroy their empire.‌

Created by Danny McBride who also stars, The Righteous Gemstones also features John Goodman, Adam DeVine and Walton Goggins.

The Devil’s Advocate (2022, Documentary) Sky Documentaries
The Devil's Advocate follows three high-profile defense attorneys, their clients accused of terrorism, and the implications of the words "justice for all."

Ray Donovan: The Movie (2022, Drama, Showtime Original Film. Liev Schreiber, Eddie Marsan, Jon Voight, Josh Hamilton, Dir. David Hollander) Sky Atlantic
A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each of them struggles to overcome their violent upbringing, and only their fierce love for each other keeps them in the fight. Whether they stand together or they go down swinging, one thing is certain - Ray doesn't do loose ends.

Picking up where the unexpectedly cancelled show left off at the end of season 7, fans of Ray Donovan will get some closure with this final outing that was co-written by star Liev Schreiber.

The Simpsons (2021, S33, 20th Television Animation Series) Sky Showcase
The venerable TV institution that is The Simpsons returns for more adventures featuring Springfield’s colourful and riot-prone residents. Of course, at the centre of it all is Homer and his family and their adventures in the thirty-third season include: Grampa being phone scammed into parting with $10,000 to bail Bart out of jail, Marge reliving her high school play glory-days, Bart and Lisa contracting a strange infection which requires treatment from steroids that cause temporary weight gain and Smithers starting a relationship with famous fashion designer Michael de Graaf only to discover he is a lot more like Mr. Burns than he initially seems.

The season includes ‘appearances’ from Alan Cumming, Kristen Bell, Brian Cox, Glenn Close, Timothy Olyphant, Chris O’Dowd and Victor Garber either as themselves or guest characters.

What's new on Sky and NOW UK for January 2022
The Simpsons S33 is on Sky in January 2022 (TBC)

So that’s it for January 2022. Let us know what you think about the lineup in the comments section. As new content is added, we’ll update the listing, so be sure to check back so you don’t miss out

Source: Digital Spy, Geektown, Virgin
Image Source: Google

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