New Year's Day, aside from being the first day of the year, is commonly a day of rest for many who spent New Year's Eve out and about on the town — frankly, it should just be re-named "Hangover Day" at this point. New Year's Day is meant to be an easy-going and relaxing response to the wild and crazy night before. If you had a truly exceptional New Year's Eve, then it's likely you'll want to spend Jan. 1 with a blanket, a tall glass of water, and a television. New Year's Day follows its own set of rules and codes of conduct when it comes to how you spend your day, which means there's no reason that anyone should have to pull you out of your house if you don't want to leave. Luckily, networks seem to know that everyone is going to be spending the day in, and have a solid New Year's Day TV schedule to help ring in 2016.
If deciding what to watch is a too much to think about right now, don't worry, because I've got some great picks for what to tune into on television so you can forget about how much your head hurts.
PBS: Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, 9 p.m.
Undoubtedly the biggest television event of New Year's Day is the return of Sherlock , but this time with a Victorian twist. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, who have become global stars since they started their roles as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, return to the small screen in different versions of their roles. Instead of updating the show for modern times, the creators are telling a classic Sherlock tale in the classic Sherlock time period.
Vh1: The Breakfast Club, 2:30 p.m.
Grab a Cap'n Crunch-and-Pixi-Stick sandwich and define the start of your 2016 with the tale of five teenagers trying to define themselves.
Syfy: The Twilight Zone, All Day
Syfy is airing its annual two-day Twilight Zone marathon for those that want to end one year with scary science-fiction full of existential terror, and begin the next year with scary science-fiction full of existential terror.
TCM: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 5:30 p.m.
For those who like their science fiction a little more light-hearted, check out the classic Spielberg film about aliens that just want to be friends with humans, and the mashed-potato sculptures they inspire.
ABC Family: The Princess Diaries 2, 6:15 p.m.
Much like a caterpillar emerges from a cocoon to become a butterfly, many people use the New Year to encourage a self-transformation into the person they want to be. What better movie to watch about transformation than The Princess Diaries? The film's sequel, of course!
Golf Channel: Chaddyshack, 7 p.m.
Not everyone has a great New Year's Eve. Maybe there was a party you weren't invited to or a friend you got in an argument with. Whatever may have happened, laugh it off with one of the silliest films ever made, Caddyshack. It's airing on the Golf Channel, because some things are just too obvious to not do.
ABC: Citrus Bowl, 1 p.m.
This year's Citrus Bowl is airing at 1 p.m. and serves as a good lead-in for any football fans who don't want to wait for the Rose Bowl.
ESPN: Rose Bowl, 5 p.m.
The Rose Bowl, one of the biggest games in all of college football, will be played this year by the Stanford Cardinals and the Iowa Hawkeyes. This, and the earlier Citrus Bowl on ABC, is a great thing to put on if you have family over and need an excuse to eat chicken wings or other "watching the game" foods.
BBC America: The Birds, 6 p.m.
BBC America is having a marathon of classic Alfred Hitchcock films, including the surprisingly intense film The Birds. While The Birds may be an odd concept for a film, you'll surely be able to relate to the feeling of having your head being pecked at, depending on the severity of your hangover.
MTV: Project X, 5 p.m.
If you don't want to come down from the party you were at on New Year's Eve, revel in the hedonistic debauchery of Project X and think about just how far Miles Teller's career has come since this film came out.
TBS: The Hangover, 6 p.m.
I mean, this seems like the most obvious programming choice in history. Of course The Hangover is airing on New Year's Day.
There are plenty of options to tune into on Jan. 1. If you want to actively watch television, or just have something on in the background while you sleep the day away, there's something for everyone this New Year's Day.
Image: BBC
