Love is in the air in February, and right now with the pandemic and the cold keeping us inside, we couldn’t love TV more. February may be the shortest month but TV doesn’t seem to know that. There’s lots of great television coming your way. Maybe instead of roses and chocolates, you can get your true love the gift of a streaming platform. What says love and commitment more than a year-long Disney+ subscription?
This month, we will have lots to say about Netflix’s new drama Firefly Lane, the latest entry into the Hannibal anthology with CBS’s Clarice, Dwayne Johnson mining his childhood for comedic fodder in NBC’s Young Rock, and Peacock bringing us another trip down memory lane with the Punky Brewster revival.
But, as always, we don’t want you to miss a thing. Here are five new, under-the-radar shows you can’t miss this month:
1. The Snoopy Show
Executive Producers: Josh Scherba, Anne Loi, Stephanie Betts, Paige Braddock, Craig Schulz, Mark Evestaff
Stars: Ethan Pugiotto, Terry McGurrin, Rob Tinkler, Christian Dal Dosso, Isabella Leo
Premiere Date: February 5 on AppleTV+
Good grief! Everybody’s favorite pup takes center stage in this new animated series. Each of the six episodes will feature three, seven-minute stories about Snoopy and his best friend Woodstock. Of course the rest of the Peanuts gang will be along for the ride including Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Franklin, Schroeder, and Peppermint Patty. This is the third series from AppleTV+’s collaboration with Peanuts. Even though these episodes are created long after the beloved specials of our childhood, the spirit, voices, and the music of The Snoopy Show remains very true to those classics. We’re so glad Charlie Brown doesn’t have a normal dog like everyone else.
2. The Equalizer
Executive Producers: Andrew W. Marlowe, Terri Edda Miller, Dana Owens, John Davis
Stars: Queen Latifah, Tory Kittles, Adam Goldberg, Liza Lapira, Laya DeLeon Hayes, Lorraine Toussaint, Chris Noth
Premiere Date: February 7 after the Super Bowl on CBS
Queen Latifah takes over the title character in this reimaging of the drama that originally aired on CBS from 1985-1989. Latifah is Robyn McCall, a former CIA operative who now spends her day trying to right wrongs. Chris Noth co-stars as Robyn’s former boss and one of the few people who knows her secret, along with Adam Goldberg as a hacker who can crack into any system and Liza Lapira as Robyn’s long-time friend Mel. Robyn must keep her work from her daughter Delilah (Laya DeLeon Hayes), her Aunt Vi (Lorraine Toussaint) and the NYPD detective (Tory Kittles) who is more than a little suspicious. The drama is getting the coveted post-Super Bowl premiere.
3. Tell Me Your Secrets
Executive Producers: Harriet Warner, Bruna Papandrea, Casey Haver, John Polson
Stars: Lily Rabe, Amy Brenneman, Hamish Linklater, Enrique Murciano
Premiere Date: February 19 on Amazon
Good news for those suffering from Big Little Lies and The Undoing withdrawal, Amazon enters the moody murder mystery mix with this 10-episode series. Originally developed for TNT, the drama follows three characters each seeking redemption while bearing the weight of a massive secret. Lily Rabe’s Emma once confronted a killer. Hamish Linklater’s John is trying to leave his criminal past behind, and Amy Brenneman’s Mary is searching for her missing daughter. How will their stories converge? You will have to watch to find out.
4. Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy and Lincoln: Divided We Stand
Executive Producers: Adam Hawkins, Eve Kay, Stanley Tucci and Nancy Glass, Jon Hirsch
Stars: Stanley Tucci and Sterling K. Brown
Premiere Date: February 14 at 9 p.m. on CNN
The news cycle has been, to put it mildly, overwhelming. But now is the time to turn into CNN not for latest breaking story but for the network’s thought-provoking and delightful Sunday night programming. Stanley Tucci hosts CNN’s first travel show since the death of Anthony Bourdain in 2018. In Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, the Oscar nominee travels to six regions of Italy to discover the most delectable cuisines. Look for risotto in Milan, pizza in Naples, and pasta alla Norma in Sicily. In Lincoln: Divided We Stand, Sterling K. Brown (This is Us) guides viewers through a deep dive into our nation’s 16th president. The six-episode series will feature never before seen photos and letters of the man who changed history.
5. Kenan
Executive Producers: Lorne Michaels, David Caspe, Jackie Clarke, Kenan Thompson, Ken Whittingham, Andrew Singer
Stars: Kenan Thompson, Don Johnson, Chris Redd, Dani Lane, Dannah Lane, Niccole Thurman, Kimrie Lewis
Premiere Date: February 16 at 8:30 on NBC
Kenan Thompson’s much delayed comedy finally makes its premiere. The Saturday Night Live veteran stars as a widowed father and talk show host trying to raise his two daughters with the help of his less-than-reliable father-in-law Rick (Don Johnson). While the pilot has some funny lines (shout out to the This is Us joke), it definitely felt like an episode that had gone through several iterations before finally making it to air (originally Chris Rock was involved and Andy Garcia played the Don Johnson role). But any fan of SNL knows how funny and versatile Thompson is. He’s able to bring a lot of heart to even his most outrageous characters, and can make even the most mundane throwaway line hilarious. Given time, this show could find its comedic rhythm and blossom.
Amy Amatangelo, the TV Gal®, is a Boston-based freelance writer, a member of the Television Critics Association and the Assistant TV Editor for Paste. 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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