As we welcome 2022 and make plans for the upcoming months, we have new shows to match our moods, grab our attention, and guide us through the first 31 days of the year. The TV premieres this month offer us a window into a different world: we can dive into a melodramatic murder mystery, or a comedy filled with chaotic moments and hijinks.
One major theme showcased across several programs this month is motherhood. First, from Miranda Kwok, “The Cleaning Lady” (January 3) follows Élodie Yung as Thony De La Rosa, a Cambodian doctor who moves to the United States for her son’s medical aid. After being let down by the system, she becomes a cleaner for a group of criminals in order to make her way. Second, the documentary “Eggs Over Easy” (January 4), directed by Chiquita Lockley, discusses the subject of infertility and unexpected routes to motherhood, specifically within the Black community. Third, Marissa Jo Cerar’s limited series, “Women of the Movement” (January 6), follows Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight for justice after the lynching of her son Emmett Till in 1955.
January’s new shows also range across several genres, from the action-packed comic book adaption “Naomi” (January 11), from Ava DuVernay, to the new sitcom spinoff “How I Met Your Father” (January 18), starring Hilary Duff.
Finally, be sure to mark your calendars for some suspenseful HBO viewing. The highly anticipated return of the high school drama “Euphoria” will take place January 9, while the fifth and final season of the noir-comedy “Search Party” premieres January 7.
Here are January’s premiering and returning women-driven and women-created TV projects. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
TV and Episodic Premieres
“The Cleaning Lady” – Created by Miranda Kwok (Premieres January 3 on Fox)
“The Cleaning Lady”
“The Cleaning Lady” is a thrilling and emotionally-driven character drama about a whip-smart Cambodian doctor (Élodie Yung) who comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her ailing son. However, when the system fails and pushes her into hiding, she refuses to be beaten down and marginalized. Instead, she becomes a cleaning lady for organized crime, using her cunning and intelligence to forge her own path in the criminal underworld.
“Abbott Elementary” – Created by Quinta Brunson (Premieres January 4 on ABC)
In this workplace comedy, a group of dedicated, passionate teachers – and a slightly tone-deaf principal – are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do – even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
“Eggs Over Easy” (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Chiquita Lockley (Premieres January 4 on OWN)
Narrated and executive produced by Emmy-nominated actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, “Eggs Over Easy” investigates the often taboo subject of infertility in the Black community and brings Black women together for an enlightening and empowering dialogue about the sometimes unpredictable path to motherhood. Academy Award-nominated actress and singer Andra Day joins the conversation along with Black women, doctors, and fertility advocates who share their personal experiences including miscarriage, IVF, ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, and many other reproductive issues that are not typically discussed or widely understood.
“Good Sam” – Created by Katie Wech (Premieres January 5 on CBS)
Dr. Sam Griffith (Sophia Bush) excels in her new leadership role as chief of surgery after her renowned boss falls into a coma. When her former boss wakes up months later demanding to resume his duties, Sam is tasked with supervising the egotistical surgeon who never acknowledged her stellar talent. Matters are complicated further by the fact that the caustic and arrogant Dr. Rob “Griff” Griffith (Jason Isaacs) also happens to be her father. As Griff defies Sam’s authority and challenges her medical expertise, the big question becomes whether this father and daughter will ever be able to mend their own relationship as expertly as they heal the hearts of their patients.
“Women of the Movement” (Limited Series) – Created by Marissa Jo Cerar (Premieres January 6 on ABC)
“Women of the Movement”
This six-episode series to be aired in three parts is based on the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Adrienne Warren), who in 1955 risked her life to find justice after her son Emmett (Cedric Joe) was brutally murdered in the Jim Crow South. Unwilling to let Emmett’s murder disappear from the headlines, Mamie chose to bear her pain on the world’s stage, emerging as an activist for justice and igniting the civil rights movement as we know it today.
“Let the World See” (Docuseries) – Directed by Jeanmarie Condon and Fatima Curry (Premieres January 6 on ABC)
“Let the World See” is a fresh and deep examination of Ms. Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight to bring her son’s body home to Chicago and her pivotal yet heartbreaking decision to have an open-casket funeral for the public to see, which ultimately served as a turning point for the civil rights movement. The docuseries also traces Ms. Mamie Till-Mobley’s journey back to the Jim Crow South to face her son’s murderers in court. The program will illustrate how the Till family has continued her legacy since her death in 2003, remaining active in the movement as the deaths of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Ms. Breonna Taylor and others sparked protests around the country.
“Pivoting” – Created by Liz Astrof (Premieres January 9 on Fox)
“Pivoting”
“Pivoting” is a single-camera comedy about how we deal with life, death, and all the crazy things that happen in between. Set in a small, middle-class town in Long Island, NY, the series follows three women, and close-knit childhood friends (Eliza Coupe, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Maggie Q), as they cope with the death of the fourth member of their group. When faced with the reality that life is short, these women pivot, and alter their current paths, by way of a series of impulsive, ill-advised, and self-indulgent decisions. These pivots will strengthen their bond and prove it’s never too late to screw up your life in the pursuit of happiness.
“Naomi” – Written by Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship (Premieres January 11 on The CW)
When a supernatural event shakes her hometown of Port Oswego to the core, Naomi (Kaci Walfall) sets out to uncover its origins, with a little help from her fiercely loyal best friend Annabelle (Mary-Charles Jones). She also has the support of her adoptive, doting parents, veteran military officer Greg (Barry Watson) and linguistics teacher Jennifer (Mouzam Makkar). After an encounter with Zumbado (Cranston Johnson), the mysterious owner of a used car lot, leaves her shaken, Naomi turns to tattoo parlor owner Dee (Alexander Wraith), who becomes her reluctant mentor. While unfolding the mystery about herself, Naomi also effortlessly navigates her high school friendships with kids on the military base as well as local townies, including ex-boyfriend and high school jock Nathan (Daniel Puig); Annabelle’s longtime, loyal boyfriend Jacob (Aidan Gemme); proud “townie” Anthony (Will Meyers); and fellow comic book enthusiast Lourdes (Camila Moreno), who works in a vintage collectible shop. As Naomi journeys to the heights of the Multiverse in search of answers, what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes.
“The Kings of Napa” – Created by Janine Sherman Barrois (Premieres January 11 on OWN)
“The Kings of Napa”
“The Kings of Napa” is focused on a gorgeous and picturesque Napa Valley, California vineyard owned by the Kings, an aspirational African American family whose wealth and status lands them on the pages of design magazines and society pages. The wine business has brought the family success and acclaim, but following the patriarch’s sudden exit from the company, his three children must grapple for the reins to the kingdom — to their own power, wealth, and legacy.
“The Journalist” (Premieres January 13 on Netflix)
Anna Matsuda (Ryoko Yonekura), a reporter for the Toto Newspaper, is a highly regarded and well-respected journalist who uses her strong beliefs to get to the bottom — and discover the truth — of every story. Confronted with political crimes and the scandals of modern Japanese society, Anna makes it her priority to expose the corruption ravaging her nation.
“The House” – Directed by Emma De Swaef, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Paloma Baeza, and Marc James Roels (Premieres January 14 on Netflix)
Across different eras, a poor family, an anxious developer, and a fed-up landlady become tied to the same mysterious house in this animated dark comedy.
“Ray Donovan: The Movie” (TV Movie) – Written by Ann Biderman, Liev Schreiber, and David Hollander (Premieres January 14 on Showtime)
A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray (Liev Schreiber) 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, but destiny dies hard, 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.
“Somebody Somewhere” – Created by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen (Premieres January 16 on HBO/HBO Max)
“Somebody Somewhere” follows Sam (Bridget Everett), a true Kansan on the surface, but, beneath it all, is struggling to fit the hometown mold. Grappling with loss and acceptance, singing is Sam’s saving grace and leads her on a journey to discover herself and a community of outsiders who don’t fit in but don’t give up, showing that finding your people, and finding your voice, is possible. Anywhere. Somewhere.
“How I Met Your Father” – Created by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker (Premieres January 18 on Hulu)
“How I Met Your Father”
In the near future, Sophie (Hilary Duff) is telling her son the story of how she met his father: a story that catapults us back to the year 2021 where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options.
“Single Drunk Female” – Created by Simone Finch (Premieres January 20 on Freeform)
After a spectacularly embarrassing public breakdown, irreverent alcoholic Samantha Fink (Sofia Black-D’Elia) is forced to move back home with her “Smother” (Ally Sheedy) to sober up and avoid jail time. But when her childhood BFF reveals surprising news, Samantha starts to realize there is a fine line between “party girl” and “walking disaster.”
“The Gilded Age” – Directed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Michael Engler; Written by Sonja Warfield and Julian Fellowes (Premieres January 24 on HBO/HBO Max)
“The Gilded Age”
The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic change, of huge fortunes made and lost, and the rise of disparity between old money and new. Against this backdrop of change, the story begins in 1882 — introducing young Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), the orphaned daughter of a Union general, who moves into the New York City home of her thoroughly old money aunts Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon). Accompanied by Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), an accomplished African-American woman, Marian inadvertently becomes enmeshed in a social war between one of her aunts, a scion of the old money set, and her stupendously rich neighbors, a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife. In this exciting new world that is on the brink of the modern age, will Marian follow the established rules of society, or forge her own path?
“Astrid & Lilly Save the World” – Created by Noelle Stehman (Premieres January 26 on Syfy)
High school is hard enough when you’re different, but when outcast BFFs Astrid (Jana Morrison) and Lilly (Samantha Aucoin) accidentally crack open a portal to a terrifyingly quirky monster dimension, it gets a lot more complicated. It’s up to them to vanquish the creepy creatures and save the world, becoming the badass heroes they were meant to be. That is, if they can survive the horrors of high school.
“The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window” – Created by Rachel Ramras, Hugh Davidson, and Larry Dorf (Premieres January 28 on Netflix)
“The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window”
Anna (Kristen Bell), a heartbroken woman, for whom, every day is the same. She sits with her wine, staring out the window, watching life go by without her. But when a handsome neighbor moves in across the street, Anna starts to see a light at the end of the tunnel. That is until she witnesses a gruesome murder — or did she?
“Monarch” – Created by Melissa London Hilfers (Premieres January 30 on Fox)
“Monarch”
“Monarch” is a multigenerational musical drama about America’s first family of country music, the Romans. The Romans are headed by the insanely talented, but tough as nails Queen of Country Music Dottie Cantrell Roman (Susan Sarandon). Along with her beloved husband Albie (Trace Adkins) Dottie has created a country music dynasty. But even though the Roman name is synonymous with authenticity, the very foundation of their success is a lie. And when their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, heir to the crown Nicolette “Nicky” Roman (Anna Friel) will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy, while ensuring her own quest for stardom.
Returning Series
“Euphoria”
“The Hook Up Plan” – Created by Noémie Saglio, Chris Lang, and Julien Teisseire (Netflix, January 1)
“Speak Sis” (Talk Show) (OWN, January 4)
“The Club” – Created by Zeynep Günay Tan (Netflix, January 6)
“Search Party” – Created by Sarah-Violet Bliss, Charles Rogers, and Michael Showalter (HBO Max, January 7)
“A Discovery of Witches” (Sundance Now/Shudder/AMC+, January 8)
“Euphoria” (HBO/HBO Max, January 9)
“Call Me Kat” – Created by Darlene Hunt (Fox, January 9)
“Queens of Mystery” (Acorn TV, January 10)
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” (Talk Show) (TBS, January 20)
