It’s the Pam, it’s Tommy, it’s Anna, it’s Angelina and it’s Ru, and they’re all coming to you this February. (Image Design: Tina Tiller)
It’s the Pam, it’s Tommy, it’s Anna, it’s Angelina and it’s Ru, and they’re all coming to you this February. (Image Design: Tina Tiller)

Pop CultureFebruary 1, 2022

What’s new to Netflix NZ, Neon and other streaming services in February

It’s the Pam, it’s Tommy, it’s Anna, it’s Angelina and it’s Ru, and they’re all coming to you this February. (Image Design: Tina Tiller)
It’s the Pam, it’s Tommy, it’s Anna, it’s Angelina and it’s Ru, and they’re all coming to you this February. (Image Design: Tina Tiller)

What are you going to be watching in February? With thanks to our friends at Nando’s, we round up everything coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand.

The biggies

Inventing Anna (binge on Netflix from February 11)

Any show from Shonda Rhimes, the prolific producer behind the likes of Grey’s Anatomy, is worth a watch – but Inventing Anna is poised to be appointment viewing. The Netflix series stars Ozark breakout Julia Garner as real life con woman Anna Delvey who, for four years, pretended to be a German heiress in order to defraud banks, hotels, and practically anyone in her path who was rich. It’s hard to tell from the trailer whether this will end up being trashy popcorn TV or high brow drama. But either way, I’m in. / Stewart Sowman-Lund

Super Pumped (weekly on Neon from February 28)

Before Elon Musk was the poster child for toxic techbro behaviour, there was Uber founder Travis Kalanick. His heinous exploits – from employee bullying, to industrial espionage, to reckless overspending – were documented in Super Pumped, a 2019 bestseller by New York Times tech journalist Mike Isaac. Now that book has been adapted into the first season of a planned limited anthology series about “businesses that have affected the culture”, with Joshua Gordon-Levitt as Kalanick. Made by the team behind tycoons-at-war drama Billions, Super Pumped seems all set to fill the Succession-shaped hole in our lives. / Catherine McGregor

Landscapers (weekly on Neon from February 21)

Olivia Colman AND David Thewlis in a British crime black comedy directed by the creator of Flowers?! Need I say more. If I must: Landscapers is inspired by the 1998 murder of William and Patricia Wycherley by their own daughter, Susan. It doesn’t sound like particularly “funny” subject material but by all accounts Landscapers manages to balance the horror of the real life crime with a darkly comedic script. But as I said… Colman and Thewlis: need I say more? / SS-L

Pam and Tommy (weekly on Disney+ from February 2)

There’s leftfield casting, and then there’s casting English period-drama queen Lily James (Downton Abbey, War & Peace, The Pursuit of Love) as the thoroughly modern (and American) Pamela Anderson. It could have been a disaster, but the critics are raving over her performance as the Baywatch babe who married a rock star (Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee, played here by Sebastian Stan), recorded a private sex tape, and then watched on in horror as the tape was stolen and illegally distributed worldwide. The first three episodes of this eight-part miniseries are directed by the guy behind Tonya Harding biopic I, Tonya – expect a similar mix of pitch black comedy and heart-tugging pathos here. / CM

The notables

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World (weekly on TVNZ on Demand from February 2)

Truly, when this pandemic is over, all that may be left are the roaches and Drag Race spinoffs. The latest spinoff is slightly more complicated than what the title implies: it’s not actually the queens of the Drag Race UK pitted against international contestants, it’s every drag performer for themselves. It would be more accurate to call it: RuPaul’s Drag Race: International All Stars. If you’re lamenting the loss of RuPaul’s Drag Race US on a platform you have access to, this should temporarily sate your appetite for all things Drag Race. / Sam Brooks

Raised by Refugees (weekly on Neon from February 25)

A win for local comedy is a win for local audiences! This new series, which also airs on Prime, is from award-winning comedian Pax Assadi, and it’s a more-than-semi-autobiographical look at the confusing and harsh reality of being a part-Pakistani part-Iranian kid growing up in post-9/11 Aotearoa. Sky/Prime’s last commissioned work, Inked, was a triumph, and I can only hope this continues the company’s confident foray into scripted work. / SB

Bel-Air (weekly on TVNZ on Demand from February 14)

Should you be allowed to reboot The Fresh Prince of Bel Air if you’re not going to include the iconic ‘Carlton Dance’? Seems like the answer is yes. The popular 1990s sitcom that launched Will Smith’s career has been flip-turned-upside down and rebooted into a serious drama, taking a modern look at the fresh prince’s journey from West Philadelphia to opulent Bel Air. It’s darker, it’s more serious, and while there’s no nerdy dancing, Bel-Air is about to show us the Banks family like we’ve never seen them before. Tara Ward

Murderville (on Netflix from February 3)

Celebrities solving murders? Sure, why not. Will Arnett stars as detective Terry Seattle in Netflix’s new improvised comedy series, and in every episode he’s joined by a different celebrity who helps him solve a fictional murder.  Based on the British show Murder in Successville, Murderville takes American stars like Sharon Stone, Conan O’Brien and Annie Murphy and chucks them into the middle of an unusual crime scene. The twist?  They have no script and no idea what’s about to happen. The chance for chaos is high, and also, fake moustaches never fail to get a laugh. / TW

The movies

The French Dispatch (on Disney+ from February 2)

The full title of this Wes Anderson film is actually The French Dispatch of the Liberty Kansas Evening Sun, which tells you all you need to know about the grand arbiter of twee’s latest. The film is set in the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blase (yup) in the aftermath of the death of Arthur Howitzer Jr, the American editor of the French Dispatch. According to his will, the publication of the magazine is to be suspended following one farewell issue, and this film follows a few of the stories that are to be published in this issue. As per usual, a stacked cast of people you can recognise by last name only (McDormand, Chalamet, Brody, del Toro, Swinton, et al) deliver it./ SB

Unsound (on Netflix from February 1)

This Aussie indie film is one of the more risky, but interesting, acquisitions that Netflix has made in the past while. It follows a disillusioned musician after he quits his band and returns to his hometown. When he clashes with his mother, he finds himself involved with a transman who only speaks Auslan. As they become closer, despite no shared language, they work together to save a community nightclub for the deaf. Unsound has received rave reviews, and I’m pretty stoked to be able to stream it from the safety and security of my own home. / SB

Those Who Wish Me Dead (on Neon from February 27)

Angelina Jolie runs away from fires. That’s pretty much the pitch for this silly but deeply watchable thriller. If that sounds like your thing, you’ll enjoy it. If it doesn’t, move along./ SB


This post is made possible by our friends at Nando’s


The rest

 

Netflix

February 1

Raising Dion: Season 2

My Best Friend Anne Frank

Gabby’s Dollhouse: Season 4

Red Dog: True Blue

Unsound

February 2

Dark Desire: Season 2

The Tinder Swindler

Meateater: Season 10: Part 2

February 3

Murderville

Finding Ola

Kid Cosmic: Season 3

February 4

Sweet Magnolias: Season 2

Through My Window

Looop Lapeta

February 8

Love is Blind Japan

Ms Pat: Y’all Wanna Hear Something Crazy

Child of Kamiari Month

February 9

Ideias a Venda

Disenchantment: Part 4

The Privilege

Only Jokes Allowed

Catching Killers: Season 2

Jeenyuhs: A Kanye Trilogy

February 10

Until Life Do Us Part

Into the Wind

February 11

Inventing Anna

Toy Boy: Season 2

Love is Blind: Season 2

Love Tactics

Love and Leashes

Anne+: The Film

Tall Girl 2

Bigbug

February 12

Forecasting Love and Weather

Twenty Five Twenty One

February 14

Devotion, a Story of Love and Desire

Fishbowl Wives

February 15

Ridley Jones: Season 3

February 16

Thirty-Nine

Swap Shop: Season 2

Secrets of Summer

February 17

Young Wallander: Killer’s Shadow

Erax

Heart Shot

Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Fistful of Vengeance

Mo Gillian: There’s Mo to Life

Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Season 9

Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Season 10

February 18

One of us is Lying

Space Force: Season 2

Rabbids Invasion Special; Mission to Mars

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing

The Cuphead Show!

February 20

Don’t Kill Me

February 22

Cat Burglar

Race: Bubba Wallace

February 23

UFO

February 24

Karma World Music Videos

February 25

Back to 25

Merli. Sapere Aude.

Vikings: Valhalla

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Homecoming

Restless

February 28

My Wonderful Life

Neon

February 1

Equal

Peppa Pig: Season 2

Dirty Harry

February 2

MTV’s Living the Dream

Patriots Day

February 3

Dora the Explorer: Season 7

Dora the Explorer: Season 8

Interstellar

February 4

Raised by Wolves: Season 2

Shark Tale

February 5

Blackbird

Executive Decision

February 6

Wrath of Man

February 7

Bump: Season 2

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

February 8

Magnum Force

Sudden Impact

February 9

La Brea

Lake Placid: Legacy

February 10

Monster Beach: Season 1b

About Time

The Dead Pool

February 11

Every Breath You Take

Monster House

February 12

Dollface: Season 2

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

February 13

The Girl Before

Locked Down

Maid in Manhattan

February 14

Five Bedrooms: Season 3

Notting Hill

The Bodyguard

Forever Young

February 15

Apple and Onion: Seasons 1-2

February 16

Medici The Magnificent: Seasons 1-2

The Enforcer

February 17

Clarice: Season 3

The Witches of Eastwick

February 18

Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Four Good Days

The Shining

February 19

State of Play

February 20

Snake Eyes: G.I Joe Origins

February 21

Landscapes

Cobra

February 22

Victor and Valentino: Seasons 1-2

Cape Fear

Maverick

February 23

Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness

Robin Hood

February 24

Monsters vs Aliens

Eraser

Wyatt Earp

February 25

Raised by Refugees

Snowfall: Season 5

Songbird

February 26

Dream Horse

February 27

Those Who Wish Me Dead

February 28

Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber

TVNZ on Demand

February 1

Ragdoll

From the Vault: Waitangi Day

The Last Suit

Borfer

100 Kilo Kids: Obesity SOS

Roxette Diaries

Masked Monkey

Wild Horse, Wild Ride

Invisible Heart

Death of a Vegas Showgirl

Bury the Past

Beaches

Story of a Girl

Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story

Buccaneers and Bones: Season 4

Dead Meat

Madfin Shark: Season 2

Marc & Todd’s Crazy Clips

Fight to Survive

February 2

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World

February 3

The Inbetween

February 5

Madam Secretary: Season 1-6

February 8

Rules of the Game

February 10

Alphas

February 12

The Go-Go’s

Can You Feel It – How Dance Music Conquered The World

John and Yoko: Above Us Only Sky

February 13

Outcry

February 14

Bel-Air

Killer Camp

February 15

CSI: Vegas

Home Ground: Season 1-2

February 16

DEAD

February 19

Harper House

February 21

Riddle Me This

The Long Song: Season 4

February 24

Under the Dome: Seasons 1-3

February 26

Dsorry For Your Loss

Disney+

February 2

Pam and Tommy

The French Dispatch

Blaze

NYPD Blue: Seasons 1-12

This is Us: Season 6

T.O.T.S: Season 3

February 4

Derek DelGaudio’s In and Of Itself

Torn

Inside Costa Concordia: Voices of Disaster

The Book of Manning

The Band That Wouldn’t Die

The Best That Never Was

Big Shot

Brian and the Boz

Broke

Fantastic Lies

Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau

No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson

Run Ricky Run

Silly Little Game

Slaying the Badger

Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?

Survive and Advance

This Magic Moment

Al Davis vs. the NFL

Angry Sky

23:59: the Haunting Hour

Let’s Eat

Long Long Time Ago 2

More Than Blue

Zombiepura

February 9

Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye

The Chicken Squad

How to Win at Everything

Superstar

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Ruyi’s Love in the Palace

The Wolf

February 16

Assembled: The Making of Eternals

Abbot Elementary

Filthy Rich

World’s Deadliest

February 23

City of Angels | City of Death

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder

Mira, Royal Detective: Season 2

February 25

No Exit

The Kid

Amazon Prime Video

February 1

Law and Order: Season 10-20

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 17-18

February 2

The Ugly Truth

February 3

Limitless

February 4

Reacher

Phat Tuesdays

February 8

17 Again

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Pineapple Express

February 9

Sex and the City

Sex and the City 2

February 11

I Want You Back

Dream Horse

Les Norton

February 16

Inferno

February 17

Downton Abbey: Season 1-6

February 18

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel: Season 4

Last One Laughing

February 21

Almost Famous

February 23

Life (2017)

February 24

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

February 27

Old

February 28

Shrek

Shrek 2

Apple TV+

February 4

Suspicion

February 18

Severance

Acorn

February 7

The Chelsea Detective

The Madame Blanc Mysteries

Rectify

Taggart: Season 10

The Good Karma Hospital

February 14

Poldark: Season 3

Taggart: Season 11

February 21

Taggart: Season 12

February 28

Cracker: Season 3

Taggart: Season 13

Candice Renoir: Season 3

Shudder

February 3

Slapface

February 8

Entwined

Intiation

February 10

All the Moons

February 15

The Wretched

A Night of Horror

XX

February 17

They Live in the Grey

February 22

Dawn of the Beast

February 24

Hellbender

Keep going!