For the month of love, I give you a TV-themed Valentine poem.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I love TV,
And I know you do too.
Dramas, comedies, streaming, and binge,
On the release schedule, our viewing does hinge.
Every month we find shows you might miss,
To add to your TV-watching bliss.
We’ll say welcome back to Mrs. Maisel, Sam Fox, Villanelle, and Eve,
And goodbye and good luck to Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and poor Steve.
This month may be short, but the new shows are many,
Here are the five new ones you can’t miss this February.
1. Murderville
Executive Producers: Krister Johnson and Will Arnett
Stars: Will Arnett, Haneefah Wood, Lilan Bowden, Phillip Smithey, Annie Murphy, Conan O’Brien, Ken Jeong, Kumail Nanjiani, Marshawn Lynch, and Sharon Stone
Premiere Date: All episodes released February 3 on Netflix
Will Arnett stars as homicide detective Terry Seattle in this six-episode comedy. Terry’s former partner died 15 years ago (I’ll let the casting on that one be a surprise) and has been having trouble finding and keeping a partner ever since. Enter a rotating cast of guest stars. Annie Murphy, Conan O’Brien, Ken Jeong, Kumail Nanjiani, Marshawn Lynch, and Sharon Stone all come on for one episode to play Terry’s prospective partner. The gimmick? Arnett and the other series regulars are working off a script. The guest stars aren’t and must improvise their way through the episode as they solve the crime. O’Brien kicks things off with a case involving a murdered magician.
2. Angela Black
Executive Producers: Jack and Harry Williams, Christopher Aird, and Sarah Hammond
Stars: Joanne Froggatt, Michiel Huisman, and Samuel Adewunmi
Premiere Date: All episodes released February 7 on Spectrum
Downton Abbey’s Joanne Froggatt stars as the eponymous character in this six-episode series that aired in the UK last fall. Angela has the seemingly perfect marriage to Olivier (Michiel Huisman). They live in a gorgeous house, have two children, and Angela works at an animal shelter. Beneath this tranquil veneer, though, lies a horror show. Olivier is abusive and controlling, a man simmering with rage. Angela hides his abuse thinking he will change—and because she doesn’t want to take her children away from their father. But when she is approached by Ed (Samuel Adewunmi), she soon learns that Olivier is far worse and far more deceptive than she has ever known.
3. The Girl Before
Executive Producers: JP Delaney and Lisa Brühlmann
Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Jessica Plummer, and Ben Hardy
Premiere Date: All episodes released February 10 on HBO Max
Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is looking for a new home as she recovers from a heartbreaking loss in this four-episode thriller based on the novel of the same name by JP Delaney. She finds an amazing place, known as One Folgate Street, built by Edward (David Oyelowo), a minimalist architect with exacting requirements for prospective tenants: no pictures on the walls, no plantings, no leaving anything on the bed. Edward makes everyone interested in renting fill out an extensive application that is peppered with questions like, “Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.” Meanwhile, Emma (Jessica Plummer) and her boyfriend, Simon (Ben Hardy), are also anxious for a new place to live. Jane soon realizes her life is entwined with Emma’s more than she could ever know. The series aired in December on BBC One.
4. The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder
Executive Producers: Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar
Stars: Kyla Pratt, Tommy Davidson, Paula Jai Parker, JoMarie Payton, Cedric the Entertainer, Karen Malina White, Soleil Moon Frye, Keke Palmer, Billy Porter, and Zachary Quinto
Premiere Date: Wednesday, February 23 on Disney+
Seventeen years may have passed since The Proud Family completed its run on the Disney Channel, but thankfully, Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt, who returns to reprise the role) is still the delightful 14-year-old girl viewers fell in love with back in 2001. Penny is navigating school, friendships, and family life in the new animated series, titled The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Other returning voices include Soleil Moon Frye as Penny’s shy friend Zoey; Tommy Davidson as Penny’s (over?)protective dad Oscar; Paula Jai Parker as her more reasonable mother Trudy; and Cedric the Entertainer as her Uncle Bobby. Joining the cast for the 10-episode first season is Keke Palmer as Maya, a new student in Smithville. Fellow newcomers Billy Porter and Zachary Quinto will play her two dads.
5. Senorita 89
Executive Producers: Pablo Larraín Juan de Dios Larraín
Stars: Ilse Salas, Juan Manuel Bernal, Ximena Romo, Natasha Dupeyron, Barbara Lopez, Coty Camacho, and Leidi Gutierrez
Premiere Date: Two episodes will be released on February 27, followed by weekly episodes every Sunday on Pantaya. All eight episodes will be available on April 10.
Ilse Salas stars as Concepción in this eight-episode thriller streaming on the Spanish-language platform Pantaya. It’s 1989 and Concepción is the mastermind behind the Miss Mexico pageant. Every year she brings 32 finalists to La Encantada, her gorgeous, lush estate, where she shepherds them through the process of becoming the most beautiful girl in the country. But as viewers soon learn, it’s more than just having the right makeup, a beautiful outfit, and gorgeous hair. Graduate student Elena (Ximena Romo) comes to La Encantada to teach the contestants because “it would be great if the world knew that Mexican women are more than” just beauty queens. But we soon discover the pageant has a dark underbelly, as the contestants must fight not just for the crown but for their lives.
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).
For all the latest TV news, reviews, lists and features, follow @Paste_TV.