TCM Highlights: January 19-25 & Full January 2026 Calendar

This week, TCM honors everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to Diane Keaton to Patricia Neal with dedicated, day-long programming blocks. Expect films like Spike Lee‘s Malcolm X, Annie Hall, Father of the Bride, The Fountainhead, and the surprisingly dark Andy Griffith vehicle A Face in the Crowd — as well as an evening dedicated to films set in 1970s New York like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Shaft and Mean Streets.All this, plus airings of classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and A Foreign Affair are in store this week.

Just looking for the full January calendar for the month? Scroll to the bottom to download.

Monday, January 19

MLK Day Tribute

Beginning at 6am

Everett Collection

TCM once again marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a rich and moving collection of films that explore race, justice and the ongoing fight for equality in America led by MLK. The day begins with Edge of the City (1957), a powerful drama featuring Sidney Poitier in one of his early roles, followed by Intruder in the Dust (1949), adapted from William Faulkner’s novel about a wrongly accused Black man in the segregated South. Take a Giant Step (1959) is next up and offers a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of a Black teenager navigating a world not built for him.

The lineup continues with the exuberant gospel documentary Say Amen, Somebody (1982) and Freedom on My Mind (1994), an Academy Award-nominated documentary chronicling the Mississippi voter registration movement in the early ’60s. Later, Cicely Tyson gives one of her most unforgettable performances in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974). The evening turns toward reflection and remembrance with King: A Filmed Record … Montgomery to Memphis (1969) and I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1982), which follows writer James Baldwin as he revisits key sites of the Civil Rights Movement. Spike Lee’s Malcolm X (1992) anchors the primetime hours, and the overnight slate continues with the biographical film Uptight (1968) and documentaries Black Moderates and Black Militants (1969), The Murder of Fred Hampton (1971) and Black Panthers (1968). It is a lineup that honors a legacy while reminding viewers how many voices built the movement alongside King.

Tuesday, January 20

TCM 100th Birthday Tribute: Patricia Neal

Beginning at 6am

Everett Collection

Born on Jan. 20, 1926, Patricia Neal left behind a remarkable body of work when she died on Aug. 8, 2010, at the age of 84. TCM celebrates her centennial with a lineup that spans romance, noir, drama and deeply personal storytelling. The morning begins with the Western melodrama Raton Pass (1951) and the naval film Operation Pacific (1951), both showcasing her early screen charisma. The Fountainhead (1949) offers one of her most iconic roles opposite Gary Cooper, while John Loves Mary (1949) provides a lighter comedic contrast. In the afternoon, Neal’s Oscar-nominated performance shines in The Subject Was Roses (1968), followed by the atmospheric thriller The Night Digger (1971). The tribute concludes with A Face in the Crowd (1957), Elia Kazan‘s drama in which Neal anchors the film as the sharp, morally conflicted woman who discovers and ultimately confronts the dark potential of a rising media star. The collection highlights just how varied and accomplished Neal’s career truly was.

Wednesday, January 21

1970s New York

Beginning at 8pm

Everett Collection

Tonight’s centerpiece is the premiere of Song of My City (2025), a new short film that looks back at New York in the 1970s using old B-roll footage, remembering just how magical it was during the decade. The film pays tribute to the communities that shaped the era, from artists carving out makeshift studios in abandoned buildings to everyday New Yorkers finding beauty and meaning in a city often written off as broken and dirty. Surrounding the premiere are classics that bring this same decade to life. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) channels the tension of a subway hijacking that could only happen in a New York teetering on the edge, while Martin Scorsese‘s Mean Streets (1973) examines loyalty and survival in Little Italy. Shaft (1971) showcases a classic detective story set in the city, and The American Friend (1977), though partially set abroad, carries the uneasy mood that resonated across American cinema during the decade. Additional airings of Song of My City air throughout the night, offering several chances to experience the new film’s affectionate tribute to the city’s past.

Thursday, January 22

Star of the Month: Jean Arthur

Beginning at 8pm

Jean Arthur remains one of Hollywood’s most irresistible stars, famous for her quick timing and slightly husky voice. Tonight’s selections capture her gift for playing everyday women with a spark. The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) pairs her with Charles Coburn in a delightful comedy about class and unexpected friendships. The More the Merrier (1943), one of her most beloved films, finds Arthur at her very best in a wartime Washington, D.C., housing comedy that earned her an Oscar nomination. A Foreign Affair (1948) brings Arthur navigating postwar Berlin under the direction of Billy Wilder. The evening ends with The Impatient Years (1944), a gentle romantic drama that highlights her talent for mixing sincerity with humor. It is a lineup that shows exactly why Arthur’s charm has lasted for generations and why TCM chose her as a Star of the Month.

Friday, January 23

A Letter to Three Wives

8pm

This 1949 emotional thinker was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also wrote the screenplay, and follows three women who receive a note from a friend saying she has run off with one of their husbands, but does not say which one. The mystery unfolds through a series of flashbacks that dig into each marriage and reveal the insecurities that were quietly destroying them, making each woman feel as though it could be her husband who ran off. Mankiewicz won Oscars for both his writing and directing, and the film was a perfect example of a mix of humor and emotional honesty. Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell and Ann Sothern lead the cast, offering performances that still feel relevant today.

Saturday, January 24

Inspired By

Beginning at 5:15pm

Everett Collection

Get ready for a day of films adapted from books, stories and TV shows — including some classics that you might not have known were based on literature.

First up, Stanley Kubrick‘s 1968 epic 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was inspired by several short stories penned by sci-fi legend Arthur C. Clarke, who also cowrote the film’s script with Kubrick. Then, check out the 1985 Gene Hackman/ Ellen Burstyn midlife crisis drama Twice in a Lifetime, in which a married man celebrating his 50th birthday (Hackman) become smitten by a younger barmaid (Ann-Margret), and eventually leaves his wife (Burstyn) for her, much to the horror of his daughters (Ally Sheedy and Amy Madigan). The film was adapted from a 1973 episode of the British TV show Play for Today — and led to a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination for Hackman, and a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for Madigan.

Follow that up with the 1962 Joan Crawford/ Bette Davis shocker What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Yes, this chilling tale of a child star gone mad was based on a book — the 1960 novel of the same name by Henry Farrell. Then, finish things out with the 1954 corrupt-cop film noir Shield for Murder, which is based on the pulp novel of the same name by William P. McGivern.

Sunday, January 25

Diane Keaton Memorial Tribute

Beginning at 12:30pm

Everett Collection

TCM is paying tribute to the iconic actress Diane Keaton, who passed away on Oct. 11, 2025. The tribute begins with Father of the Bride (1991), the remake where Keaton stars as Nina Banks opposite Steve Martin. Following is Reds (1981), Warren Beatty‘s sweeping historical drama that earned Keaton a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her portrayal of journalist Louise Bryant. Then it’s Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), which brings out Keaton’s incredible comedic timing as she dives into a lighthearted whodunit alongside Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston. The evening continues with Annie Hall (1977), the film that won Keaton the Academy Award for Best Actress and made her a true star. Closing the night is Baby Boom (1987), where she stars as a high-powered executive whose life changes overnight when she unexpectedly becomes a caregiver.

Click here to download the printable January 2026 TCM schedule.

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Farewell 2025

January 2026

Celebrate the rich lives of the TV & Movie stars we lost in 2025 along with the music makers that created the soundtrack to our lives.

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