The 10 best Netflix Originals to beat January blues

January still arrives with short days, holiday bills, and the usual pressure to reinvent yourself overnight. The good news is that a strong slate of Netflix Originals remains ready to deliver laughs, romance, and the occasional full-throated cry when the weather turns grim. These ten titles keep delivering comfort even years after their original runs, whether you need motivation, distraction, or simply a few hours of sharp writing.

10. Ultimate Beastmaster

Determined actually to use that couch-to-5k app on your phone this year? Then this Sylvester Stallone-produced athletic competition might inspire you to take on your own “beast” of exercise this January – and maybe even win.

9. Santa Clarita Diet

If you’re sick of witnessing the “new year, new me” regimes of your neighbors, you’ll love seeing Drew Barrymore’s flesh-eating housewife bring suburbia down a notch. Santa Clarita Diet is gory, hilarious, and surprisingly optimistic. The series ended after its third season in 2019 with no fourth season produced, yet the complete run still rewards a quick binge when you want something irreverent and oddly life-affirming.

8. Hello, My Twenties

This upbeat South Korean drama about five young women sharing accommodation makes for compulsive, comforting viewing. Full of surprising plot twists, feminist statements, and absurdist comedy, Hello, My Twenties is the perfect escape.

7. Love

Flush with humor, heartbreak, and pathos, Love is exactly the show you need if you’re currently recalibrating existence. Following unlikely-yet-compatible couple Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) and Gus (Paul Rust), the show gets painfully real about how difficult relationships actually are – and how much being an adult can blow.

6. Good Morning Call

If kooky, quaint romance is what you need to keep going through this dark month, you need to experience Good Morning Call. Following a teenage romance between two students who accidentally move in together, this Japanese comedy is as quirky as it is full of heart.

5. Big Mouth

The irreverent animated comedy about the pains (and pleasures) of puberty will have you laughing so hard your face will ache for days. Big Mouth can be lewd yet oddly poignant – and just as strange as being an adolescent was. The series ran for eight seasons before concluding in 2026, and the same creative team launched a spin-off called Mating Season later that year.

4. Terrace House: Boys & Girls in the City & Terrace House: Aloha State

Following six housemates as they pursue life and romance together, it’s rewarding to watch the sparks fly between them. But the real joys can be found in Terrace House’s caustic commentary on every episode, delivered by some of Japan’s wittiest comedians. The franchise concluded in 2020 after the Tokyo 2019-2020 season was canceled following a cast member incident; the earlier seasons remain complete and watchable for anyone seeking low-stakes reality comfort.

3. GLOW

Whatever motivation you need to start this year out right, you’ll find it in GLOW. Not only will it inspire you to get buff and kick ass, it’ll also immerse you in the wonders of brightly colored spandex. The series was canceled after its third season despite a planned fourth season, yet its complete run still stands as one of Netflix’s most energetic ensemble comedies.

2. BoJack Horseman

If your idea of fighting January blues includes indulging in a healthy cry session (same), then you need BoJack Horseman for the foreseeable future. Who knew a story about a washed up, alcoholic equine actor could be so emotional? The series concluded after six seasons in 2020, giving the full arc a satisfying emotional payoff that rewards rewatching when you want something honest about adulthood and recovery.

1. The Good Place

January can be a Bad Place of its own. As such, it can only be balanced out by the acerbic comedy offered by The Good Place. Unflinchingly hopeful, yet harboring delightfully dark twists, the show will make you supremely appreciative of life. And Ted Danson (Cheers). The series ended after four seasons in 2020, leaving a tidy, rewatchable package that still feels like a warm, witty hug when the month drags.

Why These Shows Still Work in 2026

Many of these titles are now complete series, which makes them ideal low-commitment comfort watches with known endings and strong rewatch value for seasonal blues. Complete runs of BoJack Horseman, The Good Place, and others allow full-arc emotional payoff without cliffhangers. Canceled shows like Santa Clarita Diet and GLOW retain dedicated fanbases and cult status for their humor and tone, so new viewers can dive in without worrying about unresolved storylines.

Modern Alternatives for January Comfort

Newer Netflix originals have filled similar niches of humor, relationships, and light motivation since the original article. Love on the Spectrum offers empathetic, feel-good reality dating content that pairs well with a blanket and snacks. The Four Seasons (2025) is highlighted as a cozy dramedy remake that delivers the same warm ensemble energy many fans once found in GLOW and Santa Clarita Diet.

How Cancellations Shaped Netflix's Approach

Several shows on the list illustrate Netflix’s historical pattern of ending series after three seasons, providing context for viewers discovering older catalogs. Santa Clarita Diet and GLOW exemplify abrupt ends despite critical acclaim. This history influences current viewer expectations around availability, so many now treat complete seasons as self-contained comfort binges rather than ongoing commitments.

The Enduring Appeal of Animated Comfort Shows

Big Mouth and BoJack Horseman demonstrate how animation can deliver poignant, humorous takes on mental health and growth that remain relevant. Big Mouth ran eight seasons before concluding in 2026. Creators of Big Mouth launched Mating Season spin-off in 2026, extending the same blend of crude jokes and genuine insight that made the original series a go-to January escape.

Whether you revisit the full runs of these earlier hits or sample newer comfort titles, the list still proves that the right show can turn a gray month into something bearable. The best Netflix Originals keep doing what they always did: offering sharp writing, memorable characters, and just enough hope to get you through until the days start getting longer again.