What to Watch in January: 19 Notable TV Shows & Streaming Movies

Comedy series debuts January 1 on Peacock

What if you could play yourself in a movie or TV show of your own life story? But what if the director you work with is also keen to show how you are acting in your own life story? The result is something very close to a Nathan Fielder show and one of the most unconventional ways to kick off this new year. Directed by Jason Woliner, a veteran of not only Nathan for You but also the second Borat film, this six-episode reality/comedy hybrid series centers on the real-life Paul T. Goldman, an awkward single dad who began chronicling his life a decade ago when discovering that his new relationship may have been part of a major international scam. Goldman wrote a book about the events, and then sought to turn it into a film. The latter, whose making is filmed by Woliner for this series, quickly goes off the rails as Goldman (a non-actor who opts to star as himself alongside professional actors like Rosanna Arquette, Dennis Haysbert, and Frank Grillo) begins changing the details about his life.

Note that critics only saw five of the six episodes because the finale was still being filmed over the last few weeks. (Indeed, a film crew was even present at the premiere screening to capture footage for that final episode.) So without knowing exactly how everything will come together at the end, reviewers weren't completely sure how to fully evaluate what they have seen so far, and the result is that some critics are positive about the show (with reservations), while others find it confusing, exploitative, or mean-spirited (or all of the above). But even the latter group seem to think Paul T. Goldman makes for a fascinating watch.