TV worth staying in for next month
Reality TV has returned to dominate the free-toair sphere, but plenty of other viewing options are coming to a screen near you next month.
Lightbox has new series of Outlander (February 17) and Better Call Saul (February 24), Sky TV’s CI will screen another Surviving R Kelly documentary (February 1) and Netflix has the second seasons of Narcos: Mexico (February 13) and Altered Carbon (February 27).
For romance fans looking for Valentine’s Day viewing, there’s the follow-up to the mega hit To All the Boys, PS I Love You (Netflix, February 12), while those who enjoy Riverdale should check out the latest spinoff series Katy Keene (February 7, TVNZ OnDemand).
Elsewhere, there are British crime dramas in the form of White House Farm (February 5, SoHo) and A Confession (February 24, UKTV), and Sean Bean returns to action in Curfew (February 5, Sky5).
However, after searching through the forward schedules, Stuff has come up with a list of eight great-looking shows we’re excited about checking out this February.
Homeland (February 10, SoHo2)
After seven seasons of battling enemies of America, her colleagues and her own mental health, Claire Danes’ Carrie Mathison is back for a final 12-episode stint.
Recovering from months of brutal confinement in a Russian gulag, she’s pressed into service by old friend Saul (Mandy Patinkin), who needs her to help him negotiate peace with the Taliban.
Hunters (February 21, Amazon Prime Video)
Al Pacino, Logan Lerman and Dylan Baker star in this 10-part, 1970s-set action-drama about a diverse band of New York-based Nazi hunters.
Having discovered that there are hundreds of high-ranking officials still at large, the group are out to put a stop to their plans to create a United Statesbased Fourth Reich.
Locke & Key (February 7, Netflix)
Inspired by Joe Hill’s popular comic-book series, this 10-part supernatural horror revolves around three siblings who, after the gruesome murder of their father, move to their ancestral home, only to find the house has magical keys that give them a vast array of powers and abilities.
The series’ executive producers include Lost’s Carlton Cuse and It director Andy Muschietti.
Mad About You (February 29, TVNZ OnDemand)
Twenty years after the sitcom’s original seven-season run came to an end, Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser return as Paul and Jamie Buchman for 12 new episodes.
Here, events begin when the pair drop their daughter off for her first day of college. ‘‘Reiser and Hunt retain an amiable chemistry and Hunt, especially, makes a compelling case for her continued stardom,’’ wrote Variety’s Daniel D’Addario.
McMillions (February 4, SoHo)
What if someone found a way to rig McDonald’s annual Monopoly
promotion? That’s the question at the heart of HBO’s new truecrime documentary.
Told over six hour-long instalments, it details how a small FBI office uncovered a scam which meant there had been almost no legitimate winners of the high-value rewards for more than a decade. Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet (February 7, AppleTV+)
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney and Homeland’s F Murray Abraham team up for this comedy set in a video game development studio.
The show, which has already been renewed for a second season, was allegedly inspired by McElhenney’s visit to the headquarters of game developer Ubisoft.
Ramy (February 16, TVNZ1)
A surprise winner for Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical or Comedy at the recent Golden Globes, Ramy Youssef is
the star and co-creator of this dramedy about a Millennial American Muslim grappling with his faith and lifestyle.
‘‘Ramy is an effective rebuttal to stereotyping for the same reason that it’s simply good TV. It’s a complex, funny series about messy and specifically drawn people,’’ wrote The New
York Times’ James Poniewick. Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (February 17, TVNZ OnDemand)
Suburgatory and Castle Rock’s
Jane Levy plays the titular coder whose life is transformed by a freak accident which leaves her able to perceive the innermost thoughts of other people – albeit in the form of popular songs.
‘‘It is a show that is 100 per cent guaranteed to put a smile on your face, get your feet tapping and leave you humming a happy tune. I defy you to not be in a good mood after watching it,’’ wrote Paste magazine’s Amy Amatangelo.