The 5 New, Under-the-Radar TV Shows You Can’t Miss in January

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The 5 New, Under-the-Radar TV Shows You Can’t Miss in January

Should auld TV shows be forgot and never brought to mind?

Of course not! Unless, of course, you’re HBO Max and determined to erode your brand disappearing show by disappearing show. Also maaayyybbeee we can all pretend like The Terminal List didn’t happen? I’m sure Riggins might appreciate that.

But TV stops for no viewer and 2023 is off to a busy start. This month will see TV’s nostalgia wave continue with NBC’s Night Court (January 17) and Netflix’s That ‘90s Show (January 19). Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to series television with Paramount+’s Wolf Pack on January 26. Pedro Pascal takes a break from The Mandalorian to headline HBO’s The Last of Us on January 15.

And we’ll have coverage on all of it. But, as always, we don’t want you to miss a thing. Here are five new under-the-radar shows you can’t miss this month!

1. Will Trent

Stars: Ramón Rodríguez, Erika Christensen, Iantha Richardson, Jake McLaughlin and Sonja Sohn
Premiere Date: January 3 at 10 p.m. on ABC

TV has no shortage of police detectives, but this ABC drama still stands out. Based on the series of books by Karin Slaughter, Ramón Rodríguez stars as the title character, a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. Trent has the keen ability to read a crime scene and see things most other cops miss. In the series opener, Trent is investigating the kidnapping of a high school student. He’s actually the only one who figures out that a kidnapping has occurred. That arc, with guest stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Jennifer Morrison, comes to a conclusion next week. Episodes will also be on Hulu the day after they air on ABC.


2. The Traitors

Stars: Alan Cumming, Brandi Glanville, Ryan Lochte, Stephenie LaGrossa
Premiere Date: All 10 episodes premiere January 12 on Peacock

The always delightful Alan Cumming hosts this 10 episode reality competition series based on the Dutch game show of the same name. Twenty famous (or should we say infamous?) contestants—all from reality shows—compete for $250,000. But the trick is that three of the 20 are actually traitors plotting to steal the prize. Nobody but the traitors know who the traitors are. With contestants from The Real Housewives, Survivor, Below Deck, and Big Brother plus Ryan Lochte (?!?), the manufactured drama level will most likely be sky high, but we can’t wait to see Cumming try to rein in the craziness.


3. Velma

Stars: Mindy Kaling, Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson and Constance Wu
Premiere Date: January 12 on HBO Max

Jinkies! Mindy Kaling voices the title character in this new 10 episode animated series that gives viewers the origin story of one of Scooby-Do’s most beloved characters. Although most people discovered Scooby and the gang in their childhood, HBO Max is very clear that this is an adult animated series. Rounding out the cast are Constance Wu as Daphne, Glenn Howerton as Fred, and Sam Richardson as Shaggy. “This is my story, told my way,” Velma tells viewers at the top of the series. Two new episodes will premiere each week.


4. The Way Home

Stars: Chyler Leigh, Andie MacDowell, Evan Williams, Sadie Laflamme-Snow, Alex Hook
Premiere Date: January 15 at 9 p.m. on Hallmark Channel

Chlyer Leigh stars as Kat Landry, a recently divorced woman who returns home with her 15-year-old daughter Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) to try to make amends with her mom Del (Andie MacDowell), the grandmother Alice has never even met. Kat and Del are still traumatized by a family tragedy that occurred 20 years ago and left them estranged. But something surprising happens to Alice that may help bring her family back together. Unfolding in multiple timelines with an ongoing mystery as its undercurrent, The Way Home should quickly draw you in.


5. Accused

Stars: Rachel Bilson, Abigail Breslin, Michael Chiklis, Jill Hennessy, Whitney Cummings, Jack Davenport, Margo Martindale, Molly Parker, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Rhea Perlman, Wendell Pierce, Betsy Brandt, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Jason Ritter, and Keith Carradine
Premiere Date: January 22 at 9 p.m. on FOX

This anthology series from executive producers Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa, and David Shore follows a new case every week from the perspective of the person on trial. The show boasts an amazing amount of TV talent both in front of the screen and behind it. Marlee Matlin, Billy Porter and Michael Chiklis are among the episodes’ directors. First up Chiklis stars as Scott, a neurosurgeon who is worried his troubled son (Oakes Fegley) may be a danger not only to himself but to others. Jill Hennessy co-stars as Scott’s very in-denial wife.


Amy Amatangelo, the TV Gal®, is a Boston-based freelance writer and a member of the Television Critics Association. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter (@AmyTVGal).

For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV.

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