Skip to main content

What to Watch in January

Daniel Hautzinger
James and Helen walking through a field in All Creatures Great and Small
The third season of 'All Creatures Great and Small' is one of a number of new seasons in January. Photo: Helen Williams (C) Playground Entertainment

There's a huge amount of worthwhile TV out there nowadays, so it can be hard to choose what to watch. But who better to recommend shows than the person who programs them? Lisa Tipton, WTTW’s Head of Programming and Pledge, constructs the WTTW schedule by searching through offerings from many different sources which include the national PBS network, the BBC, and independent filmmakers to put together a varied and engaging broadcast schedule. Each month, she’ll recommend a few shows that she thinks you should watch.

Find all the ways to watch WTTW here.

New Seasons

January brings tons of new seasons of your favorite shows, and not just dramas and mysteries (which we're highlighting below). Even Chicago Tonight will have some changes, as it moves to 10:00 pm beginning Monday, January 23—a change that will have an effect on various other programs as well, so be sure to check our schedule to keep up on everything you want to watch. 

A new season of Antiques Roadshow starts January 2 and airs Mondays at 8:00 pm until January 23, when it switches to 7:00 pm. Finding Your Roots follows with a new season starting January 3 and airs Tuesdays at 8:00 pm until switching to 7:00 pm on January 3. And season 23 of America's Test Kitchen airs Saturdays at 2:30 pm beginning January 7.

Saturday Night Mystery Line-up

Frankie Drake Mysteries joins our Saturday night line-up of mysteries with its third season, beginning January 7 at 8:00 pm. Midsomer Murders follows at 9:00 pm, and its 21st season premieres January 28. 

Sunday Night Drama Line-up

Sunday nights feature three new third seasons, beginning January 8. First up is the third season of Miss Scarlet & the Duke at 7:00 pm (catch up on season 2 with a marathon beginning at 10:00 am on New Year's Day, or with our recaps and streaming, which is available to WTTW Passport members). Season 3 of All Creatures Great and Small follows at 8:00 pm; there's a season 2 marathon beginning at 10:00 am on January 8, or Passport members can stream previous seasons while anyone can recap them. Season 3 of Vienna Blood rounds out the night. There's no marathon of season 2, but you can recap previous seasons, while Passport members can stream them. 

Independent Lens—The Big Payback

Monday, January 16 at 10:00 pm

In 2021, the northern suburb of Evanston became the first city to begin offering reparations to Black residents for decades of discrimination and the lingering pernicious effects of slavery. This documentary follows the story of an alderwoman who led the fight for reparations, and the debate over it.

WTTW has also delved into Evanston's plan for reparations, and the debate over it, in one of our FIRSTHAND: Segregation episodes.