Netflix has a number of new original series coming to the streamer this month, but it’s hard to judge the new shows without seeing them first.
Fortunately, Netflix is also picking up a handful of older shows from outside sources that give fans a new chance to follow them.
The Watch With Us team has selected three new Netflix shows to watch in January 2026 and ranked them by their IMDb score.
Our trio of picks is all law-enforcement-led series that were either hits on TNT or Fox before they came to Netflix.
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3. ‘The Following’ (2013 – 2015)
Kevin Bacon headlined his own thriller series on Fox for three seasons, and now The Following has come to Netflix. Bacon plays Ryan Hardy, a former FBI agent who stepped away from the bureau after he brought down Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), an infamous serial killer. However, Joe has only become more dangerous behind bars because being imprisoned gave him the chance to amass a large cult that follows his every command.
Ryan is recruited back into the FBI after Joe escapes from custody, but the latter’s game is far more complex than Ryan suspects. Members of Joe’s cult are everywhere, even among Ryan’s colleagues. These people are willing to kill and die for Joe, and he’s already used them to kidnap his young son, Joey Matthews (Kyle Catlett), to corrupt the kid and bring him into the fold. Each of the three seasons largely wrapped up its story, with some plots continuing in the subsequent seasons.
The Following is streaming on Netflix.
2. ‘Rizzoli & Isles’ (2010 – 2016)
Following her stint on Law & Order, Angie Harmon was cast in one of the leading roles of TNT’s crime drama Rizzoli & Isles opposite Sasha Alexander. Harmon plays Jane Rizzoli, a detective working for Boston PD’s Homicide division. Her new partner is medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles (Alexander), who went on to become Jane’s best friend as well.
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Rizzoli & Isles had a long seven-season run on TNT, and it largely took an episodic approach that let the two women solve a single case within an hour of television. There were some serialized components to the show as well, including serial killer Charles Hoyt (Michael Massee). Charles nearly killed Jane, and he keeps finding new ways to get at her even when locked up. The show eventually wrapped up that plotline, but not right away.
Rizzoli & Isles will stream on Netflix on January 20.
1. ‘Southland’ (2009 – 2013)
Southland was a cop drama that seemed like it was made in response to FX’s The Shield. When the series premiered on NBC in 2009, Southland was presented as a raw and grounded take on the standard police procedural. The O.C.‘s former star, Ben McKenzie, had a leading role on this series as police officer Ben Sherman, while The Walking Dead‘s Michael Cudlitz played a senior officer, John Cooper, who kept his homosexuality hidden from his colleagues.
Starting with season 2, Southland became a TNT original series, and some of the restrictions placed on it by NBC started to go away. This show primarily focused on its leading characters rather than the crimes they were investigating. Southland also depicted the psychological toll that the job took on its officers, and not all of the police featured on the show escaped physically unscathed.
Southland will stream on Netflix on January 16.
