The 5 New and Under-the-Radar Shows You Can’t Miss In February
Photo Courtesy of Prime Video TV Lists list
An ode to TV during the month of love:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I love TV
And I know you do too.
February will be filled with so many TV gifts.
Starting with a Super Bowl possibly featuring Taylor Swift.
Sure, the strikes delayed the premieres of your favorite shows,
But this month they return wrapped with a bow.
Truly, there’s no need to fret
February sees the premieres of Abbott Elementary, Ghosts, and Not Dead Yet.
There’s much to celebrate, let me give you some more reasons
Curb Your Enthusiasm and Blue Bloods are also back for their final season.
Want more good news? I’m here for you.
The Good Wife’s Elsbeth is getting her own series too.
Yes, the landscape is confusing, this much is very true.
Now all the streaming services have commercials we can’t fast forward through.
Do the episodes premiere once a week, two at a time, or in a big glob?
I often have no idea and I do this for a job.
But that’s okay! TV is our happy place.
A temporary chance to escape all the troubles you’re not ready to face.
So forgo the chocolate, leave the flowers behind
I say buy a streaming service subscription for your valentine.
There is much TV coming this month and we don’t want you to miss a minute of it. Here are the five new shows you can’t miss this month.
Three Little Birds
Stars: Rochelle Neil, Saffron Coomber, Yazmin Belo, Javone Prince, Bobby Gordon, Arthur Darvill, Tierney Turner, and Malachi Hall
Premiere Date: Three episodes premiere February 1st and the final three premiere February 8th on Britbox
Series creator and writer Sir Lenny Henry based this series, which premiered in Britain last October, on his mother’s experience leaving Jamaica in the 1950s for Great Britain. Three Little Birds follows sisters Leah (Rochelle Neil) and Chantrelle (Saffron Coomber) and their friend Hosanna (Yazmin Belo, making her screen debut) who leave their homeland in 1957 to live in Dudley, England. Chantrelle wants to be a movie star; Leah is leaving behind an abusive husband and her three children; and Hosanna, the daughter of a preacher, is hoping to find a husband. They all have different reasons for leaving their home, but together they must forge a new life for themselves. Keep an eye out for Henry, who cameos as Hosanna’s father.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Stars: Donald Glover and Maya Erskine
Premiere Date: All eight episodes premiere February 2nd on Prime Video
Inspired by the 2005 movie of the same name (perhaps you remember Brad and Angelina?), this eight-episode series follows two spies John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) who pretend to be married as part of their cover story. In their first mission, John and Jane try to learn a little bit more about each other while moving into a swanky brownstone and intercepting an important package. The series features guest stars aplenty, including Parker Posey, Alexander Skarsgard, Ron Perlman, and Sarah Paulson. But my favorite might be the adorable tuxedo cat named Max.
The Dynasty: New England Patriots
Stars: Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Jon Bon Jovi, Roger Goodell, Michael Strahan, Robert Gronkowski, Randy Moss, and Julian Edelman
Premiere Date: All 10 episodes premiere February 16th on AppleTV+
I mean, this would have been a fascinating series even if Bill Belichick hadn’t “amicably” agreed to part ways with the Patriots last month. The 10-episode series follows the Patriots over the last 20 years as owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships; the team went from being the underdogs to an often-reviled powerhouse. In addition to the players, including Adam Vinatieri, Drew Bledsoe, Rob Gronkowski, Ty Law, Randy Moss, and Julian Edelman, the series also talks to those who love the game, including Jon Bon Jovi, Bill Burr, and Rupert Murdoch. The series, based on the book of the same name by Jeff Benedict, also boasts never-before-seen video footage and audio files from the Patriots archives.
Deal or No Deal Island
Stars: Joe Manganiello, “Boston” Rob Mariano, and Claudia Jordan
Premiere Date: February 26th at 9:30 p.m. on NBC, all episodes available the next day on Peacock
I’m going to be honest. When I looked at my list of potential shows to highlight this month I couldn’t for the life of me remember why I had written down Deal or No Deal Island. It’s not as if I have some deep rooted attachment to the game show Howie Mandel started hosting back in 2005. Then I remembered! Boston Rob Mariano (Survivor, The Amazing Race), one of the most entertaining contestants ever (catch him on past seasons of Survivor and The Amazing Race), is competing in this new iteration hosted by Joe Manganiello. In Deal or No Deal Island, 13 contestants look for briefcases worth over two million dollars hidden around an island. In addition to Boston Rob, look for Claudia Jordan, a former Deal or No Deal model who competed on Celebrity Apprentice, as one of the contestants.
Iwájú
Stars: Simisola Gbadamosi, Dayo Okeniyi, Femi Branch, Siji Soetan and Weruche Opi
Premiere Date: All six episodes premiere February 28th on Disney+
This original animated series is a joint production between Disney Animation Studios and the Pan-African entertainment company Kugali. The series is set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria where a young girl named Tola and her technology-savvy best friend, Kole, go on extraordinary adventures together. The behind-the-scenes documentary Iwájú: A Day Ahead, from the same team that produced Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2, debuts on Disney+ on February 28th as well.
Amy Amatangelo, the TV Gal®, is a Boston-based freelance writer and a member of the Television Critics Association. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter (@AmyTVGal).
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