It’s closing in on two weeks since we first peered, eyes blinking, into the dawn of a new year. Maybe you’ve used the time since wisely to entrench good vibes, great intentions and positive routines into your everyday life. Or – and we’re not here to judge – perhaps you’re looking for something to distract you from the frigid hellscape of January. If it’s the latter, or, indeed, cultural enrichment counts toward the former, then look no further than your nearest screen, big and small. Here are the films and TV shows to watch out for, then watch, over the next few months.

Last year’s 28 Years Later, the belated Danny Boyle-helmed, Alex Garland-penned, folk-horror sequel to 28 Days Later, took us to some unlikely places. The first of two promised follow-ups, this time directed by Candyman’s Nia DaCosta, comes hot on its heels at the pace of the infected. Several decades on from the original set up and Britain is not in great shape. Will the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and the rumoured return of an original cast member make things any better? Have a guess.

In cinemas 16 January

Last year saw Guillermo del Toro reanimate Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Now Maggie Gyllenhaal fleshes out a subplot of the 1818 Gothic classic. Starring Hamnet’s Jessie Buckley in the title role, with Christian Bale and Peter Sarsgaard, this spin transplants the action to 1930s Chicago. In doing so, it stitches together 1935’s Bride Of Frankenstein and mob-land gangster movies, “sparking romance, police interest and radical social change”.

In cinemas 6 March

We’ve all been there. “There” being somewhere unexpected, the morning after the night before. So, spare a thought for the schoolteacher and former biologist Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, who in Project Hail Mary wakes up alone in a spaceship, some 12 light years from Earth – with no memory of how he got there. This adaptation of the cult sci-fi book of the same name by Andy Weir, who also wrote The Martian, is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse).

In cinemas 20 March

Steven Spielberg’s first film in four years circles back to one of the director’s pet interests: UFOs (although UAPs is the preferred official term these days). And while details are as scarce as evidence of life beyond our planet, the first trailer shows Emily Blunt as a weather reporter with a lead that may be extraterrestrial in origin. Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo also star.

In cinemas in June

It’s been 10 years since we last checked in on Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine, the former military officer turned hotel night manager, created by John le Carré. Season two sees Pine with a new identity and a job with MI6. He’s sent to Colombia to infiltrate an arms operation and smoke out a conspiracy. And thankfully Olivia Colman once again offers backup, reprising her role from the first season.

On BBC iPlayer and Prime Video now

Someone in this six-part thriller from William Oldroyd, the filmmaker behind 2016’s Lady Macbeth, is telling fibs. Could it be Tessa Thompson or Jon Bernthal, who head up the cast? All we know for sure is that this twisty mystery, set in Georgia, is based on the 2020 book by the British journalist turned novelist Alice Feeney.

On Netflix now

Entering its fourth season, and now HBO’s flagship Sunday night show, Industry has gone from a plucky office drama about the myriad indiscretions of a group of young financiers to, according to creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, a “globetrotting cat-and-mouse game” centring around a murky fintech company. Clock in for high stakes, dodgy dealings and plenty of sex, drugs and corporate malfeasance.

On HBO and BBC One now

For those left twiddling their thumbs between seasons of House Of The Dragon (although there was arguably plenty of time for that during season two), a new Game Of Thrones spin-off enters the battlefield. The omens look good for this six-part prequel series, based on George RR Martin’s Tales Of Dunk And Egg novellas, which has already been renewed for a second season. Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell star as a lowborn knight and his squire tussling their way through Westeros.

On HBO/Sky from 18 January

A scarcely believable 16 years since the last (“final”) season of the medical comedy comes this reboot, featuring much of the original cast. Dr John “JD” Dorian (Zach Braff) still can’t do this all on his own (he’s no Superman), so will be joined by doctors Chris Turk, Elliot Reid and Perry Cox, as well as the Sacred Heart Hospital’s formidable head nurse, Carla Espinosa. At least, we’re hoping that it’s not just a daydream…

On ABC from 25 February

Given that its lead star Zendaya will be pushing 30 by the time the new season of Euphoria lands, should we expect Sam Levinson’s zippy, zeitgeisty high-school drama to have finally graduated? Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney and Colman Domingo all also return, and as much bigger stars than they were when last seen in East Highland. Angus Cloud, however, will be sadly missed. Hopefully, the show will be easier to catch up with than drug addict Rue on the run.

On HBO/Sky in April