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Netflix knows what time of year it is, and its February releases reflect the bleak, sorry state of a sludgy, sad winter.
As a great man once said, “February: It’s the worst month of the year, but it’s an honest month.” While I disagree with the “worst” part — August, and its sweltering heat, is abysmal— I can’t dispute the honesty inherent to February, especially when it comes to television. The cold weather, early sunsets, and lack of legitimate holidays (I love Valentine’s Day, but if you don’t get the day off, it’s not a real holiday) can leave us exhausted, and when worn out, TV is often the quickest, simplest reprieve.
And in February, there’s no pretending. It’s too early for the networks to release their Emmy darlings, and too late to premiere their most-hyped projects. Instead, audiences are force-fed a whole lot of junk. Sure, there may be a few tantalizing tidbits stuffed into these big ol’ nothing burgers — a favorite actor or an entrancing subject — but the overall result is the same: a lot of bad food, that you may just have to eat anyway.
Though not exclusive to the world’s most popular streaming service, Netflix’s February lineup still offers a classic example. Yes, there’s a few quality offerings like “You” Season 4, “Freeridge” Season 1, or “Survivor” Season 32, but it’s pretty bleak otherwise — and even those offerings come with setbacks. “You” is divided into two parts, meaning February only provides the first half of Season 4 and fans will have to wait another 30 days to see the finale. That “Survivor” season sure seems random, and “Freeridge” doubles as a reminder that Netflix canceled its predecessor, “On My Block.”
No, February isn’t the month for prestige dramas or award-winning comedies. It’s the month of “CoComelon” (premiering February 15, timed perfectly to ruin parents’ Valentine’s Day high). It’s the month of bad reality TV, forgotten medical procedurals, and trashy teen soaps. It may not be the worst month of the year, but it is a garbage month for TV. Better to just embrace it.
Photo:Courtesy of Netflix
Release Date: Thursday, February 9
Creators: Sera Gamble and Greg Berlanti
Cast: Penn Badgley, Tati Gabrielle, Charlotte Ritchie, Lukas Gage, Ed Speleers
Format: 5 hourlong episodes in Part 1; Part 2 will be released March 9, consisting of five more episodes
Best Reason to Watch: Joe’s obsession continues in the fourth season of Sera Gamble’s Lifetime-turned-Netflix hit. Now in Paris, after following his latest “love” interest across an ocean at the end of Season 3, Joe (Penn Badgley) finds himself in new territory: figuratively, in that Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) remains at large, and literally in Europe, where he’ll attempt to start over yet again — without losing an ounce of control. “You” is a fascinating study of masculine ego at its most dangerous, and Badgley’s performance continues to transfix (even in our post-antihero era). Well-paced, confident, and self-aware, the biting drama is one of the few Netflix offerings in February that really gives viewers something to chew on.
Photo:Courtesy of Kevin Estrada / Netflix
Release Date: Thursday, February 2
Showrunner and Co-Creator: Lauren Iungerich
Cast: Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Bryana Salaz, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Ciara Riley Wilson, and Peggy Blow
Format: 8 half-hour episodes
Best Reason to Watch: Following the critical acclaim of “On My Block,” Netflix is returning to the fictional Los Angeles neighborhood of Freeridge in… “Freeridge.” There’s a new core four in town — Gloria (Keyla Monterroso Mejia), Ines (Bryana Salaz), Cam (Tenzing Norgay Trainor), and Demi (Ciara Riley Wilson) — who may or may not have released a curse that’s darkening their days in high school. With original creators Lauren Iungerich, Eddie Gonzalez, and Jeremy Haft onboard as executive producers — along with Jamie Uyeshiro and Jamie Dooner, who also worked on “On My Block” — there’s plenty of reasons to believe the spinoff can capture the originals’ magic and then some. Frankly, after her turn on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” I don’t know how anyone could resist watching just to see what Mejia does next.
Photo:Courtesy of Netflix
Release Date: Friday, February 3
Hosts: Benoit Blin and Cherish Linden
Format: 10 hourlong episodes
Best Reason to Watch: Only a few months removed from the latest season of the original “Great British Baking Show” — and with plenty of unofficial spinoffs available in “Nailed It!,” “Bake Squad,” and more — Netflix still felt the need to provide even more recorded baking competitions for its (hopefully) sated subscribers. “The Professionals” is an official spinoff of the original British series, though it has different competitors (no amateurs here!), different hosts (no Paul or Prue!), and a different setting. (“The Professionals” eschews the tent for a posh catering kitchen.) So… what keeps it tied to our beloved “GBBS”? The format. These trained chefs will illustrate their talents first by making miniatures, then executing a secret recipe, and finally concocting a Showstopper— er, Showpiece. If the familiar structure is what makes the “Baking Show” great to you, then perhaps “Professionals” is worth a try! Otherwise, you’ve got a few more months before the O.G.’s next season.
Release Date: Wednesday, February 1
Creator: David Schulner
Cast: Ryan Eggold, Freema Agyeman, Janet Montgomery, Jocko Sims, Tyler Labine
Format: Season 3 consists of 14 episodes, and Season 4 consists of 22 episodes. Each episode is 44 minutes long.
Best Reason to Watch: The one, true, good doctor returns in the third and fourth seasons of NBC’s still-on-the-air medical procedural, “New Amsterdam.” The premise is as simple as it is forgettable: Dr. Max Goodwin becomes the medical director, you guessed it, New Amsterdam, which he dreams of reforming into a beacon of medical care. The twist: This hospital is one of America’s last public institutions, meaning it’s fully funded by taxpayers and thus bent by the whims of the government oversight committees that control it. Based on Dr. Eric Manheimer’s memoir of his time as the medical director of Bellevue Hospital, “New Amsterdam” begs two questions: Can America’s healthcare system survive, or even thrive, without private interference? And second: Why on earth did they change the lead character’s name to Max Goodwin instead of Eric Manheimer?!
Photo:Jackson Lee Davis / Netflix
Release Date: Thursday, February 23
Creators: Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, Shannon Burke
Cast: Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss, Rudy Pankow, Austin North, Charles Esten, Drew Starkey, Carlacia Grant, Andy McQueen, Fiona Palomo, Lou Ferrigno Jr.
Format: 10 hourlong episodes
Best Reason to Watch: “Outer Banks” — a soapy beach drama about a group of teens in search of a legendary treasure — deserves to be released in February, and that’s about all I have to say about that. For more, I refer you to my enthusiastic colleague and esteemed critic, Mr. Stephen Greene.
Release Date: Friday, February 10
Executive Producers: Chris Coelen, Ally Simpson, Eric Detwiler, Brent Gauches
Format: Three, 45-minute episodes released
Best Reason to Watch: No one ever accused a Netflix original of being too short — short-lived, yes, all the time, but the hits are milked for every minute of digital footage — so “Love Is Blind” doesn’t just get a reunion special; it gets a reunion series. “After the Altar” catches up with the Season 3 couples who tied the knot, letting fans know who’s thriving, who’s struggling, and who’s hooking up. Over three, 45-minute episodes, “Love Is Blind: After the Altar” chronicles a birthday extravaganza for the ages. Well, with the “highlights” spanning two-plus hours, it better be.
Photo:Courtesy of Netflix
Release Date: Tuesday, February 14
Host: Nick Lachey
Format: 12 hourlong episodes released weekly in batches of four
Best Reason to Watch: As Netflix expands its reality empire, it’s time for an “Avengers”-style team-up of all your favorite stars from past shows. “The most famously single stars” (which feels like a needlessly cruel way for Netflix to describe its contestants) return for “Perfect Match,” a reality-competition series where the most compatible couples get to play god with other relationships. They can send people on dates or break them up. They can build a house of love or burn it down in a firestorm of chaos. So if one of those — or better still, both — sounds like a good time, or you just desperately miss select contestants from “Too Hot To Handle,” “Love Is Blind,” “Selling Tampa,” “Sexy Beasts,” “The Circle,” “The Mole,” and/or “The Ultimatum,” then “Perfect Match” may just be your… perfect match.
Photo:Courtesy of Netflix
“Survivor” Season 32 (available February 1)
“Class” (available February 3)
“Thomas and Friends: All Engines Go” Season 2 (available February 3)
“Vinland Saga” Season 2 (available February 6)
“The Exchange” (available February 8)
“MTV Floribama Shore” Season 1 (available February 8)
“Love To Hate You” (available February 10)
“In Love All Over Again” (available February 14)
“Paisón de Gavilanes” Seasons 1-2 (available February 14)
“#NoFilter” (available February 15)
“CoComelon” Season 7 (available February 15)
“Eva Lasting” (available February 15)
“Full Swing” (available February 15)
“The Law According to Lidia Poët” (available February 15)
“Red Rose” (available February 15)
“The Upshaws” Part 3 (available February 16)
“A Girl and an Astronaut” (available February 17)
“Community Squad” (available February 17)
“Ganglands” Season 2 (available February 17)
“Triptych” (available February 22)
“Formula 1: Drive to Survive” Season 5 (available February 24)
“Oddballs” Season 2 (available February 24)
“Married at First Sight” Season 12 (available February 24)
“Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series” Part 2 (available February 24)
“The Real World” Season 12 (available February 24)
“Who Were We Running From?” (available February 24)
“American Pickers” Season 15 (available February 28)
“Too Hot To Handle: Germany” (available February 28)
