You’ve recovered from the holidays but not quite enough to leave the sofa unless absolutely necessary. Good thing, then, that February is shaping up to be a great month for some therapeutic binge-watching! Here’s a sampling of what’s streaming on small screens.
There’s Nothing Like A Dame (BritBox, Feb. 1)
A BritBox pre-Oscars compendium featuring a weekend of performances from Judi Dench (in Cranford), Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect), Emma Thompson (in ’80s sketch series Alfresco) and Julie Walters (Mo).
Winterwatch 2020 (BritBox, Feb. 1)
The North American premiere of Brit nature series looks at the animals and plants that fight for survival in the frigid landscape of Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.
Wisting (Sundance Now, Feb. 5)
Another episode of popular new series Wisting, starring Vancouver native Carrie-Anne Moss, airs Feb. 5. Moss plays FBI special agent Maggie Griffin working alongside widower William Wisting (Sven Nordin) in this taut Nordic police drama based on the books by Jorn Lier Horst.
The Pharmacist (Netflix, Feb. 5)
A limited documentary series that follows a father on a mission after the drug-related death of his son. After bringing his son’s killer to justice, Dan Schneider then sees a large number of prescriptions for high-dose OxyContin come through his small-town practice. A look at the opioid crisis and how one man took his personal crusade all the way to big Pharma.
Couple Trouble (Sundance Now, Feb. 6)
U.S. premiere of the Danish dramedy which sees Anders and Lise, a couple in their 30s, experiencing the seven-year itch. In therapy and on the brink of divorce, they look back at the highs and lows of their relationship.
Locke and Key (Netflix, Feb. 7)
Based on the cult favourite graphic novels, this coming-of-age series focuses on the Locke children who, after the murder of their father, settle into their ancestral home where magical keys unlock secret powers.
Into the Dark: “My Valentine” (Hulu, Feb. 7)
Blumhouse and Hulu’s horror series celebrates Valentine’s Day with a suitably bloody episode. A pop singer’s songs and persona are stolen by her ex-manager/boyfriend and used by his latest protégé. The three of them are booked in a nightclub after hours to sort out the sins of the past and see who will own the pop brand in the future.
Horse Girl (Netflix, Feb. 7)
This film premiered at Sundance and stars Alison Brie (Mad Men) as a quiet woman with little else going on outside her life at the fabric store (alongside co-worker Molly Shannon) or time spent grooming her childhood pony. Just as Sarah begins to get a life, things shift: she begins to think she’s falling down the same rabbit hole as her mentally ill grandmother, who thought aliens were making regular visits. The story is reportedly based in part by Brie’s own family history with paranoid schizophrenia.
Agatha Raisin (AcornTV, Feb. 7)
Season three of the exclusive Acorn series stars Emmy nominee Ashley Jensen as a London PR whiz who becomes an amateur sleuth after her ill-fated plans to retire in the country fall apart. Season three sees Agatha go legit as a proper private investigator, struggling to bring in business while keeping her romantic life intact.
Hold The Sunset (BritBox, Feb. 11)
The Canadian premiere of season two of Hold The Sunset, which stars John Cleese and Alison Steadman as Phil and Edith, new lovers who plan to spend their golden years in the sun, that is until Edith’s infantile son (Jason Watkins) leaves his wife and kids and moves in, searching for the kind of carefree happiness he had as a child.
To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (Netflix, Feb. 12)
If you have a tween girl in your house you already know about this sequel to the ridiculously successful All the Boys, starring Noah Centineo and Lana Condor as Peter and Lara Jean, the seemingly perfect couple. But the relationship brings new insecurities into the mix for Lara Jean, as well as a rival for her affections. (Psst: keep your eyes open for West Van actor Molly Grace.)
Narcos: Mexico (Netflix, Feb. 13)
Just in time for Valentine’s Day: nothing says romance better than an evening of Guadalajara drug kingpins fighting for territory! Felix Gallardo (Diego Luna) struggles to keep the title of “El Padrino” amidst rivals, DEA agents and corrupt politicians in the second season of this taut series.
High Fidelity (Hulu, Feb. 14)
In a gender-switch on the classic Nick Hornby novel and subsequent film starring John Cusack, Zoe Kravitz (who also serves as executive producer) is a music-obsessed record store owner who tracks down her exes to see where the relationships went wrong.
Playing for Keeps (Sundance Now, Feb. 20)
Exclusive North American premiere of the Australian drama that takes a look at the high-stakes lives of the wives and girlfriends – the WAGS – of Aussie football. Teacher Paige Dunkley (Cece Peters) struggles to fit in with the glamourous, cutthroat wives of the Southern Jets Football Club, where careers are made and lost not on the field but on the red carpets and in the bedrooms of the real power players: the WAGs.
Followers (Netflix, Feb. 27)
Insta-celebrity after a social media post is the starting point for season one of this Japanese series about the lives of two women in present-day Tokyo. Limi (Miki Nakatani) is a confident, well-respected fashion photographer who “discovers” a struggling actress (Elaiza Hakeda) held back by insecurity and self-doubt.
Altered Carbon (Netflix, Feb. 27)
Season two of the shot-in-Vancouver series continues interstellar soldier Takeshi Kovacs’ (Anthony Mackie) search for his long-lost love, Quellcrist Falconer (Renee Elise Goldberry). Back on his home planet, Takeshi discovers that his new mission to solve a string of unsolved murders align with his interplanetary search for Quell. Based on the sci-fi novels by Richard K. Morgan.
All The Bright Places (Netflix, Feb. 28)
Elle Fanning and Justice Smith (Pokemon: Detective Pikachu) star in this romantic drama based on Jennifer Niven’s YA best-seller, about two broken young people who come together and find a way to heal.
Queen Sono (Netflix, Feb. 28)
This one is notable for being the first Netflix series out of Africa. A woman (Pearl Thusi) becomes a secret agent after the childhood murder of her mother. During one mission, details of her mother’s death collide with the present, setting off a search for the truth.
