It’s hard to believe, but January slipped away incredibly quickly and February is already on the horizon. If you’re wondering what series you should you watch, or what the most anticipated returns on the small screen are, you’ve come to the right place, and fortunately we have plenty to choose from.
February 2024 boasts one of the most exciting lineups of television premieres in recent months. Highlights include a new The Walking Dead spin-off, titled The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, from AMC; the highly anticipated live-action series of Avatar: The Last Airbender, produced by Netflix; and Paramount’s heart-wrenching Korean thriller A Bloody Lucky Day.
For reality TV lovers, Sylvester Stallone and his family are back with another season of their likable series The Family Stallone. And finally, fans of TV adaptations will be able to enjoy two eagerly awaited projects: FX’s Shogun, and Prime Video’s Reina Roja (Red Queen). Beforehand, all of these programs offer interesting premises worth exploring.
Here’s a review of the titles and the dates you should keep in mind this February.
A Bloody Lucky Day
Paramount + | Series Premiere | Release date: Thursday, February 1
The Korean thriller A Bloody Lucky Day is directed by the talented Pil Gam-Seong, and features a screenplay by Kim Min-Seong and Song Han-Na.
The series follows Oh Taek (Lee Sung-Min), a down-and-out cab driver whose last ride of the night turns into something more dangerous than he could have ever imagined. Specifically, Oh Taek encounters Geum Hyeok-Soo (Yoo Yeon-Seok), a mysterious passenger willing to pay a hefty fare for a random transfer. At first glance, it seems like a great offer, almost a lottery prize. However, luck takes a dark turn when the passenger reveals himself to be a serial killer, confessing to all sorts of atrocities and committing further murders along the way.
Faced with this dangerous situation, Oh Taek is forced to fight a psychological battle to ensure that his new stroke of luck does not have a fatal outcome. A Bloody Lucky Day, is an adaptation of a popular webcomic of the same name.
Ready, Set, Love
Netflix | Series Premiere | Release date: Thursday, February 15
Set in a surreal world where the male population is dwindling at an alarming rate, women must compete in a peculiar challenge in order to win the affections of the few available men. In this quirky Thai comedy, it is the government that sponsors the romantic contest and promotes the men as “national treasures”.
The story centers on Day, an ordinary woman, when she unexpectedly receives the opportunity to participate in the competition. There, she meets Son, the most coveted male contestant and deep feelings arise between the two. Chaos ensues as Day and Son begin to discover delicate truths about the contest and the world they inhabit.
Directed by Yanyong Kuruangkura (App War, Mother Gamer, Back to the 90s), the series blends romance and comedy with elements of rivalry and conspiracy. The cast of Ready, Set, Love includes Blue Pongtiwat, Belle Kemisara, Man Trisanu and Lilly Nichapalak.
The Family Stallone
Paramount + | Season 2 | Release date: Wednesday, February 21
Last year, movie star Sylvester Stallone took a leap from the big screen to reality television with the launch of The Family Stallone, a series that explores the day-to-day lives of the “Italian Stallion”, his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and their three daughters, Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet.
Following the show’s successful premiere, Sylvester Stallone and the rest of his family are returning for a second season. The official description of the new installment announces: “This season, after four decades as one of Los Angeles’ most famous families, the Stallones are leaving Hollywood for good and moving east. With daughters Sophia and Sistine following their dreams in New York City and Scarlet navigating college and a new love in Miami, Stallone and his wife set up roots in Palm Beach as empty nesters. But distance can’t keep this family apart as the season culminates in a life-changing trip to Italy to explore their family history, rekindle love and make a lifetime of memories.”
All 10 episodes of the second season will arrive on Paramount on February 21.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Netflix | Series Premiere | Release date: Thursday, February 22
Almost 20 years after the premiere of the original animated series, the popular anime finally receives the live-action version it deserves, with a culturally appropriate cast. Notably, the Netflix adaptation has been in development since 2018, and now, several years later, we can finally enjoy this epic project.
Here is the official synopsis:
“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope. But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang, a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai. But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way.”
As you can see, the main plot of the series will follow Aang’s journey to becoming a full-fledged Avatar. Variety confirms that the first season of the series will have a total of eight episodes.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
AMC | Limited Series | Release date: Sunday, February 25
Rick and Michonne are finally back!
AMC’s latest series catches up with Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) as they attempt to reunite after years of separation. As we recall, Rick left TWD after being presumed dead during season nine, while Michonne went looking for him in the middle of the tenth installment.
The Walking Dead’s sixth spin-off is directed by showrunner Scott Gimble and focuses on an epic love story in the midst of a devastated world. Rick and Michonne will have to deal with multiple human and zombie threats to find their way back to each other. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live consists of six episodes, as do the spin-offs Daryl Dixon and Dead City.
The talented Danai Gurira, who was introduced to the TWD universe in season two, not only returns as the heroine Michonne, but also serves as co-creator of the new series. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is almost here, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting installments of the franchise to date.
Shōgun
FX | Series Premiere | Release date: Tuesday, February 27
Shōgun, FX’s new limited series, is based on the novel by James Clavell, and is set in feudal Japan during the civil war of 1600.
According to the description provided by FX, the miniseries will follow: “the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai; John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga, a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance.”
Shōgun is going to be available first on FX, but will also have a streaming offering for anyone interested. In this regard, U.S. viewers will be able to watch it on Hulu, Latin American viewers on Star Plus, and U.K. viewers on Disney Plus.
Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks were in charge of the adaptation of James Clavell’s best-selling novel.
Reina Roja (Red Queen)
Prime Video | Series Premiere | Release date: Thursday, February 29
Reina Roja (Red Queen), is a series that adapts the acclaimed novel of the same name by Juan Gómez-Jurado. The fiction arrives in a few weeks to Amazon Prime Video, and will try to do justice to a text that has hooked countless readers around the world.
It tells the story of Antonia Scott (Vicky Luengo), the smartest person on earth. The synopsis of the series states: “With an IQ of 242, Antonia Scott is officially the smartest person on Earth. Her intelligence allowed her to become the Red Queen of a secret, experimental police project, but what seemed like a gift became a curse and she ended up losing everything. When the son of a powerful Spain is kidnapped, the Red Queen organization goes into overdrive. Mentor (Alex Brendemühl), Antonia’s former boss, turns to Jon Gutierrez, a hot-tempered Basque cop about to be kicked off the force, to reactivate Antonia.”
The program is expected to consist of seven episodes. Koldo Serra and Julián de Tavira are in charge of directing this fiction. It should be added that the book by Juan Gómez-Jurado on which this project is based is the first installment of a trilogy, which also includes Loba Negra (Black Wolf) and Rey Blanco (White King).