#Bingewatch: Your #TV #show guide for 21st – 27th January

Rise and shine, bingewatcher. The January 2019 slate brought a fresh stack of returns and premieres, from CW superheroes to prestige imports, and most of those series have since wrapped their runs. The week mixed ongoing network sagas with limited series and finales, giving viewers a snapshot of how linear schedules still drove conversation before the full streaming shift took hold. Some entries stayed within their lanes, while others fed into larger franchises that later closed out on their own terms.

Black Lightning (The CW)

Superhero serial developed by Salim Akil based on Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden’s DC hero. Cress Williams starred as a retired vigilante working as a high school principal until family trouble pulled him back into action. The series premiered in January 2018 and concluded after its fourth season in May 2021, keeping its grounded tone separate from the broader Arrowverse crossovers that once seemed possible.

Arrow (The CW)

Stephen Amell led the long-running series as Oliver Queen, the island survivor who became Star City’s hooded protector against corruption and conspiracies. The show anchored the CW’s shared superhero universe and ended with its eighth season in January 2020 after 170 episodes, closing the book on the character who started the entire multiverse experiment.

The Magicians (Syfy)

Jason Ralph played Quentin Coldwater, a bookish young man who discovers his favorite fantasy novels are real at Brakebills University. The series leaned into sex, trauma, and darker magic than its source material suggested. It finished after five seasons in April 2020, leaving behind a cult audience that still debates its final choices.

Pure (WGN America)

Ryan Robbins starred as Noah Funk, a Mennonite pastor drawn into a cross-border drug operation. The Canadian crime drama added Alyson Hannigan and Zoie Palmer for its second season and concluded without a third, closing after its 2019 run on a modest but committed audience.

Where to Watch the Original Runs Today

Most of the series from that week now live on major streaming libraries. Arrow and Black Lightning sit on Max alongside other Arrowverse titles. The Magicians and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt remain on Peacock and Netflix respectively. Medici and Black Earth Rising cycle through Netflix catalogs depending on regional licensing. The shift from weekly network appointments to on-demand libraries changed how these shows get rediscovered years after they ended.

Arrowverse Legacy and Crossovers

Arrow built the template for the CW’s interconnected superhero slate, pulling in The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow. Black Lightning stayed mostly standalone despite occasional talk of team-ups that never materialized. The shared-universe model peaked during these years and later influenced how other studios attempted their own multiverse events on both television and film.

Creator and Cast Career Updates

Noma Dumezweni, who appeared in Black Earth Rising, has since taken on roles in new prestige projects including the upcoming Apple TV+ series Murderbot. Drew Tarver from The Other Two moved into voice work and film supporting parts. Several performers from these 2019 entries have landed recurring spots on current network and streaming procedurals, showing how the talent pool from that slate continues to circulate.

The End of an Era for Network and Cable Originals

The shows airing that week spanned legacy cable outlets like Syfy and Cinemax, broadcast networks like The CW, and early Netflix imports. Many concluded between 2019 and 2023 as linear schedules gave ground to streaming originals. The mix of long-running procedurals, limited series, and spin-offs reflected a moment right before consolidation changed how mid-tier scripted television got financed and distributed.

Looking back, the January 2019 slate captured a television landscape already in transition. Some series ended quietly, others closed major franchises, and a few became footnotes in larger conversations about representation and genre. The bingewatch habit has only grown since then, but these particular titles now sit as completed chapters rather than open weekly appointments.