5 New Series Coming To Netflix In February That Are Worth The Binge.
I watch a lot of shows and write about those that are worth the binge.
When Netflix NFLX recently announced its latest earnings, it came to light that the behemoth had reached a huge first-of-its-kind milestone by exceeding 200 million subscribers.
As many industries have crumbled under the weight of the pandemic, streaming platforms have seen growth as people hunker down at home and escape the atrocities of the world with entertainment. Netflix, in particular, has fared exceptionally well.
Following the streamer’s fourth-quarter earnings announcement, the company’s stock skyrocketed an astounding 16% catapulting its market capitalization up more than $30 billion to an all-time high of approximately $255 billion.
And, it appears, growth for Netflix and its competitors is likely to continue. According to a recent survey by Adtaxi on consumer streaming trends projected post-pandemic, the new normal for TV viewing will continue to be focused on streaming services.
Of those surveyed, more than half (59%) have or will cut the cord in favor of streaming in 2021. For 62%, they went the streaming route to save money. Nearly half (48%) say they want to watch movies and shows on their own schedule.
The option to binge-watch series appealed to 41% and 30% say they want to avoid traditional TV commercials due to a lack of personal relevance.
With Netflix in particular, a large draw for subscribers is the streamer’s continuous influx of stellar original series. Here are five new originals premiering in February that are definitely worth the binge.
friends navigating life in ‘Firefly Lane’ on Netflix.
Photo Courtesy of Netflix.
1. Firefly Lane (February 3, Ten Episodes):
This series is extremely well done and serves as the perfect binge for anyone who has had that one friend through all of life’s ups and downs.
This is not a typical love story; it is one between the very best of friends but their bond will be tested over the years. Tully (Katherine Heigl) and Kate (Sarah Chalke) are an unlikely pair but their many differences don’t get in the way of an immediate friendship when they first meet at 14-years-old.
Tully is the brazen, bold girl who stands out in any crowd, while Kate is the shy, quiet type who most overlook. A tragedy will initially bring them together as teenagers but as they grow up, many of life’s challenges will threaten to pull them apart. One will go on to experience wealth and fame as the other chooses marriage and motherhood.
The story is told over multiple decades and follows their lives over the course of 30 years as they experience numerous struggles, including a love triangle that threatens to destroy everything. Will their friendship survive?
This fantastic series is based on the novel of the same name by New York Times NYT bestselling author Kristin Hannah, who serves as co-executive producer.
Creator Maggie Friedman serves as showrunner and executive producer along with executive producers Heigl, Peter O’Fallon, Shawn Williamson and Lee Rose. Rounding out the cast are Ben Lawson, Ali Skovbye, Roan Curtis, Yael Yurman and Beau Garrett.
Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Not everyone who checks in gets out alive.
Photo Courtesy of Netflix.
2. Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel(February 10, Four Episodes):
Are you a true crime junkie? If so, this new series from director Joe Berlinger (Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes) is absolutely for you. Downtown Los Angeles is home to the Cecil Hotel and not everyone who checks in gets out alive.
For nearly a century, this has been a place directly linked to some of the city’s most notorious activity. There have been several untimely and questionable deaths at this hotel, which is also known for housing various serial killers. In 2013, college student Elisa Lam was staying at the infamous hotel when she vanished.
This mystery at the Cecil ignited a media frenzy and mobilized a global community of internet sleuths eager to solve the case. Lam’s disappearance, the latest chapter in the hotel’s complex history, offers a chilling and captivating lens into one of L.A.’s most nefarious settings.
This is the first season in a new documentary series that deconstructs the mythology and mysteries surrounding infamous locations in contemporary crime. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are executive producers.
series ‘Behind Her Eyes’ premiering in February.
Photo Courtesy of Netflix.
3. Behind Her Eyes (February 17, Six Episodes):
This isn’t the easiest plot to describe as there are so many twists and turns in this supernatural tale. A love triangle serves as the epicenter in this gripping limited series where the viewer cannot afford to miss one second of this thrilling drama.
The deeply layered story follows Louise, played exceptionally well by Simona Brown, a single mother who has an affair with her psychiatrist boss David (Tom Bateman).
Her life takes an extraordinarily strange turn when she befriends his wife Adele (Eve Hewson) and she soon finds herself caught in a potentially inescapable web of secrets, lies and betrayals.
Also starring Robert Aramayo, this thriller is produced by Left Bank Pictures (The Crown) and written by Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna. The series is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough. This one is a nonstop ride with an unexpected twist.
after a mysterious global catastrophe splits the region into Tribal warring states?
Photo by Gordon Timpen for Netflix.
4. Tribes of Europa (February 19, Six Episodes):
This German sci-fi drama series takes place in a not-too-distant future in 2074 and follows three siblings who aim to forever change the fate of Europe following a mysterious global catastrophe that has destroyed the continent.
The wreckage left behind results in the region being split into a myriad of dystopian Tribal microstates and each must fight in a war for dominance.
The story follows Kiano (Emilio Sakraya), Liv (Henriette Confurius) and Elja (David Ali Rashed), who hail from the peaceful Origine tribe, as they are separated and forced to fight in this bloody war. What will the future be like in this new Europa? The series was directed by Philip Koch and Florian Baxmeyer.
but learns it’s hard to escape her past in ‘Ginny & Georgia’ premiering on Netflix in February.
Photo Courtesy of Netflix
5. Ginny & Georgia (February 24, Ten Episodes):
In this YA mother-daughter coming-of-age drama series, Ginny Miller (newcomer Antonia Gentry) is an angsty and awkward 15-year-old who struggles with her dynamic 30-year-old mother, Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey), whom she feels she doesn’t quite measure up to.
Counter to her insecure teen, Georgia is an irresistible force of nature who grew up on the move. Georgia yearns to give her family something she lacked as a child: a normal life.
She desperately wants to put down roots in New England but soon comes to learn that life in this picturesque place cannot shield her from her painful past.
This series was helmed by an all-female creative team with first-time creator/executive producer Sarah Lampert, first-time showrunner/executive producer Debra J. Fisher (Alias, Criminal Minds) and director/executive producer Anya Adams (GLOW, Black-ish).