January 5–11 OTT Highlights: Exciting New Titles Across Major Platforms
The second week of January 2026 promises a feast for streaming fans, with many exciting new films and shows premiering on Netflix, JioHotstar, Prime Video, Sony LIV, ZEE5, and more. Expect a blend of high-profile sequels, award ceremonies, gripping thrillers, and reality TV favourites.
Awards Season Kick-off
Streaming audiences can catch the 31st Critics Choice Awards live on JioHotstar from January 5. Hosted once again by Chelsea Handler, this year’s ceremony celebrates top achievements in film, TV, and streaming, with Sinners leading nominations at 17 and Adolescence following with six. New categories such as Best Variety Series and Best Stunt Design add fresh excitement, making the event a significant Oscars predictor.
Drama & Thrillers Return
From January 9, A Thousand Blows Season 2 hits JioHotstar, revisiting London’s gritty East End in the 1880s. Malachi Kirby and Stephen Graham return in a tense tale of survival and shifting underworld power.
Netflix delivers Akhanda 2: Thaandavam, where Nandamuri Balakrishna’s legendary warrior faces a deadly bio-weapon conspiracy threatening the Ganga river during the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Sony LIV’s Freedom at Midnight Season 2 continues its historical retelling of post-Independence India, diving deep into political and human struggles after Partition.
Eight years after the explosive finale of the first season, The Night Manager returns with Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston) drawn back into the perilous world of espionage. Streams on Prime Video from Jan. 11.
Set ten months after the chaotic events of its debut season, The Pitt returns to the intense halls of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Centre. The new season (JioHotstar – Jan.9) unfolds during a frantic Fourth of July weekend, with Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) handling one final shift before a long-awaited sabbatical as a cyberattack forces the hospital offline.
Romance & Family Drama
Netflix’s De De Pyaar De 2 rekindles the unconventional love story between Ashish and Ayesha, but this time family tensions and generational hypocrisy stand in their way.
Based on Emily Henry’s beloved novel, People We Meet on Vacation (Netflix) captures the fine line between friendship and love through the story of Poppy Wright (Emily Bader), a free-spirited travel writer, and Alex Nilsen (Tom Blyth), a reserved English teacher.
Regional Gems
Tamil drama Angammal (Sun NXT) offers a heartfelt portrayal of a widow defying societal norms in the mid-’90s, while Balti (Prime Video) blends sports and crime in a kabaddi-fuelled revenge saga.
The dark comedy-heist thriller Mask (ZEE5) follows morally ambiguous private detective Velu (Kavin), who makes a living by outsmarting his clients under the guise of ethics.
Psychological Suspense
Netflix’s HIS & HERS, based on Alice Feeney’s novel, unfolds a tense dual-perspective murder investigation in Georgia, with Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal leading the cast.
Zach Cregger’s horror-mystery Weapons (JioHotstar from Jan. 8) unfolds in a small Pennsylvania town shattered by the disappearance of seventeen schoolchildren who vanish simultaneously in the dead of night.
Adapted from Max Porter’s acclaimed novel Grief is the Thing with Feathers, the poetic psychological drama, The Thing with Feathers – January 9, Lionsgate Play), stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a bereaved illustrator struggling to raise his two sons after his wife’s sudden death.
Docuseries
Ajitesh Sharma’s Honeymoon Se Hatya: Why Women Kill (ZEE5) is a gripping five-episode true-crime docuseries exploring how seemingly perfect marriages can conceal psychological fractures that lead to tragedy.
K-Drama
Spring Fever (Prime Video, Jan 5), starring Ahn Bo-hyun and Lee Joo-bin, is a gentle, heartwarming Korean drama that follows a weary woman’s journey from urban burnout to renewal as she swaps city chaos for the quiet embrace of countryside life.
Platforms & Variety
Between reality TV staples like Shark Tank India S5, MasterChef India, and Splitsvilla X5, and high-stakes dramas like Weapons, January’s second week caters to every taste—from romance and historical intrigue to sports thrillers and award shows.
