Counterintelligence FBI agents, post-apocalyptic Secret Service agents, and the King of Monsters are among the characters returning to must-see TV shows in February. They’re joined by an aspiring filmmaker, an L.A. lawyer, Navajo police officers, and the long-absent doctors of Sacred Heart Hospital. From an underground bunker to the backseat of a Lincoln Navigator, here are the seven streaming series you should catch up on before they continue this month.
What it is: A legal drama from Ally McBeal and Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley, The Lincoln Lawyer is based on a series of novels by Michael Connelly. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo stars as the titular criminal defense attorney, Mickey Haller, who works cases out of his SUV with the help of his second ex-wife, played by Becki Newton. The fourth season premieres in its entirety on Netflix on Thursday, February 5, with 10 new episodes.
Why you should watch it: While it’s not among Netflix’s top-rated or most-watched shows, The Lincoln Lawyer is still consistently well-reviewed and widely streamed, with Tomatometer scores that have increased with each season. Thanks to its dependable cast and mystery-driven courtroom drama, adapted book-by-book, the show maintains a reliable narrative focus, resulting in an entertaining indulgence for fans of crime fiction.
Where to watch: Netflix (subscription, Seasons 1-3); buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV
Commitment: Approx. 25 hours (for Seasons 1-3)
What it is: Based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman, this 1970s-set murder-mystery series follows three Navajo Tribal Police officers (one of them an undercover FBI agent) as they investigate cases throughout the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. The first episode of Dark Winds: Season 4, which will primarily adapt Hillerman’s book The Ghostway, premieres on AMC on Sunday, February 15.
Why you should watch it: With Native American producer Graham Roland behind its creation and underrated star Zahn McClarnon also overseeing the show, Dark Winds earns marks for representation while also being a constantly thrilling Western noir procedural. The series, which includes George R.R. Martin and the late Robert Redford among its executive producers, has deservedly held onto a perfect Tomatometer score through its first three seasons.
Where to watch: AMC+ and Netflix (subscription, Seasons 1-3); buy on Fandango at Home, Google Play, Prime Video, and Apple TV
Commitment: Approx. 15 hours (for Seasons 1-3)
What it is: Gabriel Basso stars in this series, playing the title role of an FBI agent working in a top-secret counterintelligence unit known as Night Action. The first two seasons of the show, which is based on the novel by Matthew Quirk, deal with a conspiracy to assassinate a foreign leader and a terrorist plot against the UN, respectively. All 10 episodes of The Night Agent Season 3 begin streaming on Netflix on Thursday, February 19.
Why you should watch it: Another Netflix series that has increased its Tomatometer score season-to-season, The Night Agent is also one of the most popular original shows on the streaming service, based on viewership. If you’re one of the few subscribers who haven’t already, you’ll want to give this spy thriller a chance for its simple yet engaging premise, offering character-driven, action-packed enjoyment that’s like 24 meets The West Wing.
Where to watch: Netflix (subscription, Seasons 1-2)
Commitment: Approx. 16 hours (for Seasons 1-2)
What it is: Based on the British web series of the same name, Dreaming Whilst Black is co-written by and stars Adjani Salmon as a young man with hopes of becoming a film director. The comedy also follows his character in his romantic life, and his home situation, living with his cousin and the cousin’s pregnant wife. Following its UK release last fall, Season 2 premieres in the U.S. in full with six new episodes on Paramount+ on Friday, February 20.
Why you should watch it: Dreaming Whilst Black is a hip, hilarious, highly acclaimed, and award-winning show co-produced by A24, and it features several British comedy favorites, such as Jessica Hynes, Roger Griffiths, Jo Martin, and Peter Serafinowicz in supporting roles. The one to watch, though, is Salmon, who proves to be a charming newcomer with industry potential of his own. Its success has sustained, as the second season is already a hit overseas.
Where to watch: Paramount+ with Showtime (subscription, Season 1); buy on Fandango at Home, Google Play, Prime Video, and Apple TV
Commitment: Approx. 2.5 hours (for Season 1)
What it is: This high-concept political thriller reunites This is Us creator Dan Fogelman and star Sterling K. Brown, who plays a U.S. Secret Service agent seeking the truth about the death of the president, for which he’s accused. Oh, and aside from regular flashback sequences, this show mostly takes place in an underground city following the end of the world as we know it. The first three episodes of Paradise: Season 2 premiere on Hulu on Monday, February 23.
Why you should watch it: Sterling K. Brown earned his 10th Emmy nomination as an actor for his performance in the first season of Paradise, while co-stars James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson and the series as a whole were nominated as well. This show combines a lot of genres that mix surprisingly well due to its clever structure and shocking twists, making it broadly appealing to fans of everything from Silo and Lost to 24 and The Night Agent.
Where to watch: Hulu (subscription, Season 1)
Commitment: Approx. 6.5 hours (for Season 1)
What it is: Before they appeared together in commercials for wireless networks, Zach Braff and Donald Faison starred in this goofy sitcom set at a fictional teaching hospital. The show had ended in 2010 after nine seasons, but it’s been revived with Braff and Faison reprising their roles, alongside returning castmates Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, and Judy Reyes. The first two episodes of Scrubs: Season 10 premiere on ABC on Wednesday, February 25.
Why you should watch it: While its audience during the initial run had decreased substantially by the later seasons, Scrubs was a huge, Emmy-nominated hit 20-25 years ago and has now grown a new fanbase through syndication and streaming. The fact that it’s being brought back is evidence enough that it’s worth a look, but it’s also recommended anew for today’s TV audience as a funny counterbalance to the similarly premised drama The Pitt.
Where to watch: Hulu (subscription, Seasons 1-9); buy on Fandango at Home, Google Play, Prime Video, and Apple TV
Commitment: Approx. 66 hours (for Seasons 1-9)
What it is: This small-screen spinoff within the Monsterverse media franchise continues to explore the world encountered in recent Godzilla and King Kong movies, with its plot centered around the titular organization. The series follows two timelines, one set in the 1950s, long before the events of the films, the other taking place after the 2014 Godzilla. Season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters premieres its first episode on Apple TV on Friday, February 27.
Why you should watch it: Computer-generated VFX in television doesn’t get much better than in this cinematic series, but the best reason to watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the practical effect achieved in the casting of father and son actors Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell as the same compelling character in different eras. Even if the Monsterverse movies are becoming too outlandish for your tastes, this TV show is a more character-driven delight.
Where to watch: Apple TV (subscription, Season 1); HBO Max (subscription, Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters); YouTube TV (subscription, Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire); Fandango at Home, Google Play, Prime Video, and Apple TV (rent or buy, Godzilla)
Commitment: Approx. 17.5 hours (for Season 1, plus the movies Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire)
Thumbnail image by Apple TV
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