Despite being the shortest month of the year, February never falls short in the entertainment sphere—with a host of binge-worthy new releases. Diverging from the action and thriller-dominated beginning of the year to provide a more extensive range of genres, cinephiles will be spoilt for choice when deciding what to watch this month.
The season of love is upon us, and you can count on streaming platforms to serve us the mandatory feel-good rom-coms. Embrace your inner hopeless romantic with Thai drama Ready, Set, Love, where hearts are literally won through a game show, or the heartwarming Upgraded, set in the romantic cities of New York and London. Fancy something with a little more intensity? Mr and Mrs Smith, reimagined as a series, retains the action and thrill of its 2005 film predecessor, with impending romance as a side effect of covert espionage missions.
Inquiring minds can travel back in history with biographical drama series Genius: MLK/X. Previously devoting seasons to Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso and Aretha Franklin, this third instalment follows the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, key historical figures who drove the civil rights movement. Similarly, The New Look spotlights two of the biggest names in luxury fashion, Christian Dior and Coco Chanel, as they fought to revive fashion during World War II alongside vying contemporaries.
Below, see the full lineup of shows to add to your February watchlist—all available on major streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Prime Video.
1 / 10
A Killer Paradox
Not your average serial killer story, this Netflix thriller drama casts Parasite star Choi Woo-shik as the meek Lee Tang, an ordinary college student who commits his first murder by accident. Upon finding out that his victim was a serial killer, one slaughter leads to another as Lee is inadvertently sucked into the role of an avenger. Now driven by a thirst for justice, psychological warfare brews between Lee and a relentless detective hot on his heels. Based on an award-winning webtoon, this gripping investigative crime series will probe you to question morality like never before.
Watch A Killer Paradox on Netflix from 9 February.
2 / 10
Avatar: The Last Airbender
2000’s kids can look forward to watching Nickelodeon characters come to life in this live-action adaptation of the popular animated series. The remake puts great emphasis on its commitment to authenticity—something evident through the intricate costuming revealed in the trailer. Not part of the original fanclub? It’s not too late to seize this chance to embark on the journey of Aang, his three friends, and their mystic quest to restore peace in a war-torn world.
Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix from 22 February.
3 / 10
Ready, Set, Love
Thai dramas have been capturing our hearts of late, and there will be no end to their popularity once this romantic comedy—with a side of mystery and a sprinkle of game show elements—premieres this season. In this alternate universe, women vastly outnumber men, resulting in a government-initiated competition amongst women for the affection of the rare male ‘national treasures’. Love’s a game—and main character Day hesitantly plays until the stars align for her and son, who happens to be the most sought-after bachelor.
Watch Ready, Set, Love on Netflix from 15 February.
4 / 10
Genius: MLK/X
Deep dive into history through the latest season of National Geographic’s Emmy Award-winning docudrama, which chronicles the formative years of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X—two of the 20th century’s most influential civil rights activists. With contrasting philosophies, the pair went down in history as opposing forces in the struggle against white supremacy. Yet what they shared was a wholehearted passion for the struggle against oppression. Revealing Martin Luther King and Malcolm X’s complex lives as husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons, while also drawing attention to their less publicly-known wives, the eight-hour limited series brings their humanity to life and reminds us of their resonant legacies.
Watch Genius: MLK/X on Disney+ from 2 February.
5 / 10
The New Look
The crowning jewel of this month’s releases is none other than biographical drama The New Look, starring Ben Mendelsohn as designer Christian Dior and Juliette Binoche as the bold Coco Chanel, reenacting one of fashion’s great stories amidst the World War II Nazi occupation. Fittingly filmed in Paris, every scene details the saga of fashion’s rise against the war. The fashion-fixated can look forward to a cast of familiar characters: think Cristóbal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Balmain and Yves Saint Laurent.
Watch The New Look on Apple TV+ from 14 February.
6 / 10
Apartment 404
For a more lighthearted watch, mystery variety show Apartment 404 presents an eclectic cast of six residents solving peculiar mysteries in apartments around South Korea, based on real-life events. Watch Running Man’s Yoo Jae Suk, Blackpink superstar Jennie, comedian Yang Se Chan and Lee Jung Ha, Oh Na Ra, and Cha Tae Hyun rack their brains to unravel truths in this unique eight-episode program.
Watch Apartment 404 on Prime Video from 23 February.
7 / 10
Upgraded
Camila Mendes plays Ana, an intern at a New York auction house who dreams to land a top job in an art gallery someday. When a coincidental first-class upgrade on a flight to work trip crosses Ana’s path with the dashing and distinguished Will, she realises that he has mistaken her for her influential boss, Claire. A white lie about her job title fuels a blossoming romance, but it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain, putting both her relationship and future profession at stake.
Watch Upgraded on Prime Video from 9 February.
8 / 10
Mr and Mrs Smith
Reimagining the 2005 blockbuster film is an action-comedy series of the same name, Mr and Mrs Smith, with Donald Glover and Maya Erskine inheriting the roles of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The pair are strangers forced into proximity—a powerful romance trope, to say the least—due to their underground occupations as spies, with new identities and a marriage as their cover. Glamour, international travel and high-risk missions fill each episode, but the challenge greater than espionage that the Smiths will have to face? Their unstoppable, growing feelings for each other.
Watch Mr and Mrs Smith on Prime Video from 2 February.
9 / 10
One Day
First adapted back in 2011, One Day was the heartrending film, which starred Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess as its leads. Now, the novel by David Nicholls, has been realised in a 14-episode British series on Netflix, following the journey of two friends Emma (Amibka Nod) and Dexter (Leo Woodall) as they navigate adulthood, growing pains and love. Centring itself on one day that unites the two, 15 July, the series serves as a grand expansion of Emma and Dexter’s relationship and the bittersweet ties that bond them.
Watch One Day on Netflix now.
10 / 10
This Is Me...Now: A Love Story
Singer, dancer, actress and Hollywood icon Jennifer Lopez is commemorated in a biopic this month, inspired by her upcoming album which is set to drop on the same day. A cinematic story of personal healing, the film is set against the backdrop of her home and neighbourhood in New York, through intimate scenes of therapy sessions, wedding montages and a motorcycle crash. Elaborate musical and dance sequences present Lopez’s publicly-scrutinised search for love, supported by a robust celebrity cast of Ben Affleck, Trevor Noah, Kim Petras, Post Malone, Keke Palmer, Sofia Vergara, Sadhguru and more.
Watch This Is Me…Now: A Love Story on Prime Video from 16 February.
