Looking for new movies and shows to watch in February 2022? We've got everything you need to know: from Pam & Tommy to Jack Reacher & Leatherface (which sounds inevitable, come to think of it).
Up and down the month, there's new TV series' and long-awaited movies that are finally streaming. Apple TV Plus has two series in this list, and they both look good (viable shows to watch while you wait for Ted Lasso season 3, to make your subscription matter).
Because, yes, while one of our editors is canceling Netflix, the service is doing its best to keep your business. It's adding multiple new series this week that have the potential to make it to our best shows on Netflix list.
On top of that, Peacock's debuting a new series right after the Super Bowl 2022 live stream with Bel-Air, a darker take on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. So, dear reader, keep on scrolling to see what you can't miss this month.
Nightmare Alley (HBO Max)
When: Tuesday, February 1
Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham’s classic gothic novel hit HBO Max this month after a limited theatrical release in late 2021. The film stars Bradley Cooper as an opportunistic hustler who finds himself working at a carnival in the 1939s, and subsequently forming a partnership with a female psychiatrist in an effort to swindle a ruthless tycoon.
Alongside Cooper, the film features Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Rooney Mara and Willem Dafoe. The impressive cast all have their part to play in a twisty noir thriller that slowly builds to an ending you won’t soon forget. As you’d expect the filmmaking from del Toro is impeccable, and while the two and half hour run time is a little indulgent, each thread pays off in the end. — Rory Mellon
Stream it on HBO Max
Pam and Tommy (Hulu / Disney Plus)
When: Wednesday, February 2
If you only know Sebastian Stan as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, the best friend of Steve Rogers/Captain America, then Pam and Tommy is going to be as shocking for you as the events it is based on. The series, starring Lily James as Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and Stan as Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, looks to give a deeper look at their tumultuous relationship and their sex tape that stunned the world. Seth Rogen and Nick Offerman co-star as two of the men who got their hands on, and illegally distributed, their tape. The series looks to provide clarity to clear up misconceptions about their relationship and the tape, and drops its first three episodes before weekly releases. It's one of our top picks of the new movies and shows to watch this weekend.
And, yes, this show will be on Disney Plus, if you're outside of the U.S., that is. — Henry T. Casey
Stream it on Hulu
Raised by Wolves season 2 (HBO Max)
When: Thursday, February 3
Ridley Scott's dystopian sci-fi series is back for more, with major Thunderdome combat vibes. This set of episodes finds Android partners Father (Abubakar Salim) and Mother (Amanda Collin) continuing to protect their six human children, and they've found what appears to be safety in an atheist colony in Kepler 22 b’s tropical zone.
But, of course, nothing will actually last or stay stable. Mother's "natural child" looks to threaten humanity's continued existence. Ideological debate, including a threat to the colony's science-first beliefs, are starting to simmer from within. — Henry T. Casey
Stream it on HBO Max
Suspicion (Apple TV Plus)
When: Friday, February 4
Apple TV Plus is breaking into the world of geopolitical thrillers with Suspicion, a series that revolves around the kidnapping of the son of Katherine Newman, a prominent American CEO (played by Uma Thurman) leads to four British citizens being suspected of the kidnapping. The suspects wind up meeting to discuss the accusations against them, and distrust abounds. Is one of the suspects fooling the others? Should Newman be considered a suspect? Questions will unfold in the first two episodes which arrive together, and following episodes come out on the next Fridays. Based on the Israeli TV series False Flag, Suspicion has a fine pedigree, with executive producers including Chris Long (The Americans). — Henry T. Casey
Stream it on Apple TV Plus
Reacher (Amazon Prime Video)
When: Friday, February 4
This Jack Reacher is not the one movie audiences are familiar with, but he looks like the one that fans of the novels have been waiting for. Yes, they've finally cast with an actor who can fill out the impressive physique that Jack Reacher has in the Lee Child books. And judging by the trailer, this interpretation of the Jack Reacher books will give us the zip-tie snapping action we long deserved (no offense, Tom Cruise).
In this new series on Prime Video, Alan Ritchson stars as the titular Jack Reacher, who finds himself in the middle of (no shock here) false accusations involving a murder and a whole lot of suspicious potential enemies. This season of the show draws from the Jack Reacher book Killing Floor, and looks exactly like a show Amazon will renew for multiple seasons, if only to show off Ritchson's chiseled physique. — Henry T. Casey
Stream it on Prime Video
Inventing Anna (Netflix)
When: Friday, February 11
Shonda Rhimes feels ubiquitous; as a producer, her fingerprints are on Bridgerton, Station 19 and For the People. But she herself hasn't created a show since 2012's Scandal — until Inventing Anna. The limited series is a glitzy and hard-boiled drama based on an infamous true story first told in a New York magazine article by Jessica Pressler.
Ozark star Julia Garner plays Anna Delvey (real name: Anna Sorokin), a grifter who manages to infiltrate and scam New York City's elite party scene. Through sheer, unashamed trickery, she she ends up swindling friends and businesses out of some $275,000. After getting caught, she recounts her tale to a reporter (Anna Clumsky) from jail, and the two develop a weird love-hate relationship as Anna’s trial unfurls. It's one of the Netflix shows we're most excited to watch this month. — Kelly Woo
Stream it on Netflix
Love Is Blind season 2 (Netflix)
When: Friday, February 11
In 2020, Love is Blind became the guilty pleasure hit that everyone was talking about. The reality series even rivaled the likes of The Bachelor and Love Island in terms of online buzz.
After a reunion special last year for the original cast, a whole new group of singletons are preparing for the ultimate social experiment in Love is Blind season 2. The show will retain the same format as the first season: contestants will get to know each other within pods that block their partner from sight before committing to marriage without ever laying eyes on each other. The trip down the aisle will naturally come with plenty of drama along the way.
You might not think Love is Blind is for you, but all your friends and family will be talking about it for weeks, so you might as well give it a shot. — Rory Mellon
Stream it on Netflix
Bel-Air (Peacock)
When: Sunday, February 13
“What if you took [insert comedy] and made it dark?” is an exercise popular on YouTube among clever fans with video editing skills. In 2018, Morgan Cooper made a trailer reimagining The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as a dark drama and Will Smith himself spotlighted it. And thus, Bel-Air was born, perhaps the first of these “what if” trailers that became an actual series.
The story remains essentially the same: Will Smith (Jabari Banks) leaves the hard-knock streets of West Philadelphia to live with his Uncle Phillip (Adrian Holmes) and Aunt Vivian (Cassandra Freeman). He’s dazzled by their wealth — the enormous mansion, shiny cars and designer clothing. But unlike the original series, Bel-Air doesn’t smooth over Will’s journey. He is definitely a fish out of water and not getting any help from his very cool cousin Carlton (Olly Sholotan). — Kelly Woo
Stream it on Peacock
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 (Amazon Prime Video)
When: Friday, February 18
The times are a-changing on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The swinging ‘60s are here, which excites Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) and terrifies her parents Abe and Rose (Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle).
Midge is more than ready to move into the next phase of her career — leaving much-put-upon manager Susie (Alex Borstein) to figure out how to make that happen. Becoming a headliner won’t be easy after the crushing setback of being fired from Shy Baldwin’s tour. They find a gig that gives Midge total creative freedom, but her fierce commitment to the craft strains relationships with her family and friends. — Kelly Woo
Stream it on Prime Video
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Netflix)
When: Friday, February 18
Netflix's biggest movie of the month brings us the return of Leatherface, one of the icons of classic horror (who'd been done dirty in recent sequels). The premise is simple: the chainsaw-slashing Leatherface returns to tear us up after being in hiding for 50 years, and his taste still runs young. And they've got a reputable team behind it, including Kim Henkel, the co-writer of the original TCM, as well as Fede Alvarez, who worked on the 2013 Evil Dead film.
And much like the recent Halloween movies, we've got a sole survivor from Leatherface's past 'massacre.' Sally Hardesty (played by Olwen Fouéré), is a silver-haired, shotgun-toting badass who's eager to get her revenge. A direct sequel to the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this film doesn't require much lore or rewatching to get caught up. — Henry T. Casey
Stream it on Netflix
The Cuphead Show! (Netflix)
When: Friday, February 18
Based on the 2017 video game, The Cuphead Show follows the adventures of the impulsive Cuphead and his cautious brother Mugman as they get into all sorts of mischief including facing off against the Devil himself.
The original game was critically acclaimed for its hand-drawn art style inspired by animation from the 1920s and 30s, and while this Netflix series doesn't look quite as impressive, it’s still primed to be a splendid throwback to the golden age of animated films.
The show has already been renewed for two additional seasons, so Netflix must be confident it has a hit on its hands. — Rory Mellon
Stream it on Netflix
Severance (Apple TV Plus)
When: Friday, February 18
Apple TV Plus' latest show looks like something out of Black Mirror, in the best way. Adam Scott stars as Mark S., a man who has "elected to undergo" something called Severance. Severance, we learn, is something of a corporate dream come true: you never think about your personal life when you're at work, and you never think about your work life when you're at home. It's an understandable sentiment from both sides.
Offices think of any moment spent not working as "time theft" and everyone who carries the stress of their job home with them probably wishes that could stop. But by the end of the trailer, we learn something darker is afoot. Scott is joined by a stellar supporting cast including John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette. Ben Stiller co-directed Severance, which looks like Apple TV Plus' next big thing. — Henry T. Casey
Stream it on Apple TV Plus
Free Guy (HBO Max)
When: Wednesday, February 23
Finally streaming this month, after being a theatrical exclusive online, Ryan Reynolds stars in a movie that we've jokingly called "Grand Theft Auto but for families." It's basically about what happens if you're one of the characters of a video game who always watches and witnesses the crime and chaos. Those folks, represented here by Guy (Reynolds) have suffered enough under the rule of the people who make the games, and that's where Free Guy offers a truly inspired piece of casting, with Taika Waititi as the immature man-child who runs the company that makes the game Guy is in. But Guy isn't going to save the virtual world on his own: He soon meets Millie (Jodie Comer), a gun-toting badass who pushes him to become more than a non-playable character, and actually get in the game. — Henry T. Casey
Stream it on HBO Max
The French Dispatch (HBO Max)
When: Friday, February 25
Wes Anderson's most recent movie is finally on streaming services, and what can we say other than "it's very much a Wes Anderson movie." Filled with characters that provide moody looks and whimsical dialogue — and sometimes both in the case of Benicio Del Toro's performance as a Moses Rosenthaler, an artist who is serving time in jail who creates while he has an affair with one of the guards.
The French Dispatch isn't just that story, though, as it's a combination of three stories plus small bits that bookend it. This film also shows a student-led revolution where we see Zeffirelli (Timothee Chalamet) and the other teenage boys start a commotion over being banned from the girls' dormitory. Your favorite of the bunch may be the third chapter, The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner wherein a food journalist named Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright) recalls the events of a kidnapping that ends with strategic poisoning and an animated chase scene. — Henry T. Casey
Stream it on HBO Max
Killing Eve season 4 (AMC)
When: Sunday, February 27
The best game of spy-vs-spy is finally coming to a conclusion this year, with the final season of Killing Eve. In the trailer for the new season we see Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and Villanelle (Jodie Comer), and the latter is trying to prove that she's truly changed. Eve doesn't believe it, and brings up the old fable of the scorpion and the frog as her proof.
Meanwhile, Carolyn is trying to bring Eve back into the fold, to track down the person who is killing members of The Twelve. Yes, Dozen Inc. — the group that hires assassins — is now on the wrong end of the kill. Carolyn is seemingly still rattled from her loss from season 3, while Eve and Villanelle are trying to figure out what the hell they're doing after the finale saw their inability to let go of each other. So, will Eve actually survive the series that's had a weapon to her the whole time? — Henry T. Casey
Stream it on AMC+ via Amazon
