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Some streamers may choose to pace themselves at the beginning of 2026, but not HBO Max.
Instead, HBO and its official streaming service are kicking off the year with two of its best original series and debuting a new show.
That made it really easy for Watch With Us to pick the three must-watch HBO Max shows you need to stream in January 2026.
Our picks include the reigning Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama, a show on the rise and the latest spinoff from HBO’s biggest franchise.
‘The Pitt’ (2025 – Present)
It’s rare, but not unheard of, for a series to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama for its inaugural season. The Pitt is one of the few, and HBO Max had already lined up a second season before it took home the top prize, and season 2 is set to arrive just one year after the series premiere.
ER veteran Noah Wyle headlines the show as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, one of the overburdened doctors and medical staff on hand at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. The entire first season took a page from 24 by using each episode to tell a story in real time from a single 15-hour shift. Season 2 will be a little shorter with only 13 new episodes, but they’ll be coming out weekly through the beginning of April.
The Pitt season 2 will premiere on HBO Max on January 8.
‘Industry’ (2020 – Present)
What’s a little lack of ethical boundaries between friends? Harper Stern (Myha’la Herrold) sure seems eager to cross a few in the trailer for Industry season 4. Harper’s mentor, Eric Tao (Ken Leung), has laid out the stakes after Harper discovers potential financial malfeasance at a company called Tender. As seen at the end of Industry season 3, Harper has made it her mission in life to short-sell corrupt companies and cost them billions. If she can prove her allegations against Tender, then it could bring the entire company down.
Meanwhile, Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela) is adjusting to the good life as the new wife of Sir Henry Muck, as played by Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington. The trailer shows Yasmin’s sexually adventurous side, surprising her husband. However, it looks like there’s tension ahead in the Muck household, and the honeymoon may already be over for the young couple.
Industry season 4 will premiere on HBO Max on January 11.
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ (2026)
Believe it or not, George R.R. Martin‘s Tales of Dunk & Egg novellas are actually pretty lighthearted compared to the stories that unfolded in Game of Thrones. That doesn’t mean there won’t be serious dramatic stakes in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. As you can see in the trailer above, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) has run afoul of the royal Targaryen family, and he may have to stand alone against the most powerful house in the seven kingdoms.
Dexter Sol Ansell costars in the series as Egg, a young boy who wants to squire for Duncan. They’re actually a good pairing for each other because they both embrace the idealism of being a knight that most of the others have long since abandoned. If Dunk is looking for honorable people in King’s Landing to watch his back, then he’s going to learn that true friends are in short supply. But they do exist.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will premiere on HBO Max on January 18.
