10 new movies and shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more in February 2022
After what’s felt like the longest month imaginable, we’ve finally waved goodbye to January. And, while the first month of 2022 was filled with plenty of movies and TV shows to stream, February is promising to deliver a similarly packed schedule.
Curiously, there aren’t many new films launching on the world’s biggest streamers in the coming weeks. That means there won’t be many new entries to potentially add to our best Netflix movies or top-tier Prime Video movies lists.
But there will be a wealth of new and returning TV series for you to binge watch or catch up with. So our best Netflix shows, Prime Video TV series, HBO Max shows, and similar guides will be regularly updated with anything we think is a must-watch,
Below, you’ll find 10 of the biggest films and TV shows set to debut or return to Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, and Disney Plus in February. There’s even an entry apiece for Hulu and Peacock, too, with Pam and Tommy and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot debuting this month.
Pam and Tommy (Hulu/Disney Plus)
When to stream it: Wednesday, February 2
Based on the incredible true story – as detailed in an eye-opening 2014 Rolling Stone article – Pam and Tommy tells the extraordinary tale of how the homemade sex tape of celebrity couple Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee became the first-ever viral porn video.
In our spoiler-free review, we said that leading co-stars Lily James (Downton Abbey) and Sebastian Stan (Falcon and the Winter Soldier) are unrecognizable and “undoubtedly at the top of their games” as Pam and Tommy, respectively. Meanwhile, Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express, Invincible) also excels as the disgruntled contractor who releases the sex tape on the internet for the whole world to see.
You’ll come for the story and all-star cast, but stick around for the emotion-driven drama, surreal and obscene humor, and thematic commentary on privacy and the celebrity world.
US viewers can stream the first three entries on release day on Hulu, while UK audiences can tune into the same number of episodes via Disney Plus Star.
The Tinder Swindler (Netflix)
When to stream it: Wednesday, February 2
Speaking of true stories, Netflix is back to bring audiences another shocking documentary – this time exploring the murky world of online dating.
Based on real-life events, The Tinder Swindler covers the astonishing story of an alleged billionaire playboy who seduced numerous women worldwide before extorting millions of dollars out of them. Refusing to be victims of a heinous crime, though, the affected women band together with one aim: make the Tinder Swindler meet his match and answer for his crimes.
Suffice to say, this one looks like it’ll be making its way onto our best Netflix documentaries list. Critics have raved about it, with some calling it the best documentary Netflix has ever made, albeit a hugely upsetting one that’ll make you think twice about signing up to any dating app. Stick it on your Netflix wish list now.
Raised by Wolves season 2 (HBO Max)
When to stream it: Thursday, February 3
Raised by Wolves season 1 was something of a sleeper hit when it launched in 2020, amassing a cult following who viewed it as the spiritual successor to the Alien franchise’s crown.
While there are no necromorphs in this HBO Max sci-fi series, it’s hard not to look at it as the long-overdue and deserving inheritor of that mantle. Given legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott’s involvement as a producer, too, it’s unsurprising that fans have likened the two franchises.
Still, Raised by Wolves is a superb show in its own right, finding a wonderfully delicate balance between mind-boggling fantasy, far-flung sci-fi concepts, religious connotations and thematic exploration of what it means to be a family. Season 2 launches on HBO Max in the US, but UK audiences will have to wait until March to catch it on Sky/Now TV.
Reacher (Amazon Prime Video)
When to stream it: Friday, February 4
Five years on from the Tom Cruise-starring Jack Reacher films, a new adaptation of Lee Child’s crime-thriller novel series looks to reinvent the military operative-turned-investigator for television.
Alan Ritchson (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Titans) stars as the titular character in the show’s first season, which is based on the plot of Child’s award-winning Killing Floor book. After he’s framed over the first homicide in 20 years in a small Georgian town, Reacher works alongside the authorities – well, when he’s not taking matters into his own hands – to uncover the real culprit as a larger conspiracy unravels around them.
Expect plenty in the way of fun-fuelled action and character development, then, in this TV adaptation from Prison Break and Scorpion head writer Nick Santora. All eight episodes will launch simultaneously on Prime Video on release day.
Bel-Air (Peacock)
When to stream it: Sunday, February 13
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, so it seems strange that anyone would want to try and reboot it.
But that’s exactly what’s happened with Bel-Air, a dramatic retelling of the 1990s Will Smith-starring comedy, which lands on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform (in the US, anyway). It’ll be available to watch on Sky and Now TV in the UK, albeit a day later on February 14. The first three episodes will be released simultaneously, with subsequent entries arriving weekly after that.
Based on the original series and Morgan Cooper’s three-minute long, drama-fuelled YouTube ‘trailer’ that caught Smith’s eye back in 2019, Bel-Air is a full-blown reimagining of the Fresh Prince story, with newcomer Jabari Banks leading the cast as a modern-day Will Smith.
Reactions to the series’ first trailer were decidedly mixed, with fans divided over whether a Fresh Prince reboot was truly necessary or not. We’ll have a spoiler-free review, and a potential chat with the cast and crew, up closer to release, to help you decide whether it’s worth watching.
The Cuphead Show (Netflix)
When to stream it: Friday, February 18
Were you left infuriated by Studio MDHR’s hugely difficult Cuphead video game? Or has it completely passed you by, despite the 2D run-and-gun title being out for the past four years? Regardless, Netflix’s upcoming Cuphead TV adaptation is sure to intrigue you.
Based on the award-winning game, The Cuphead Show will follow the impulsive Cuphead and his more cowardly brother Mugman as they become embroiled in all kinds of misadventures. Season 1’s 12 episodes are each only 12 minutes long, too, so Netflix‘s adaptation will be easily binge watchable in a single day for fans and families alike.
Prominent voice actors Tru Valentino (Psychonauts 2) and Frank Todaro (Demon Slayer, Transformers: War of Cybertron) star as Cuphead and Mugman, respectively, while other household names including Wayne Brady (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) will feature as King Dice. Expect plenty of comedy capers in the style of 1930s Rubber hose animation.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 (Amazon Prime Video)
Finally, two years after the show’s third season ended, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel returns to Prime Video for its fourth instalment.
After season 3’s cliff hanger style ending – don’t worry, we won’t spoil it here – Rachel Brosnahan return as Miriam “Midge” Maisel, a would-be stand-up comic who continues to try and make a name for herself in 1960s America.
The comedy-drama series was one of Prime Video’s earliest hits among its subscriber base, winning multiple awards for its design, stellar performances from its ensemble cast, and playful-yet-poignant story beats. Admittedly, season 3 wasn’t as well received as its predecessors, but we’re hoping that season 4’s lengthy development will be a blessing in disguise and help it to recapture its earlier form.
Severance (Apple TV Plus)
When to stream it: Friday, February 18
From the mind of acclaimed actor-screenwriter Ben Stiller, this mind-boggling Apple TV Plus sci-fi thriller series is sure to rustle a few feathers in the workplace.
Severance stars Adam Scott (Parks and Rec., Big Little Lies) as Lumon Industries employee Mark. Upon being hired, Mark and his co-workers are inducted into Lumon’s “severance” program – a process that separates employees’ work memories from those in their personal life.
Presumably, it’s a way to separate different parts of each worker’s lives to ensure that they work at 100% capacity during work hours. But, as the trailer teases – perhaps unsurprisingly for a secret, seemingly mandated company-wide program – things start to go awry. Mark and his fellow staff members, then, will likely have to confront some home truths about themselves and the organization they work for.
Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Catch Me if You Can), John Turturro (The Big Lebowski, The Batman) and Patricia Arquette (True Romance, Boyhood) are among Severance’s stellar supporting cast.
The Walking Dead season 11 part 2 (AMC/Disney Plus)
When to stream it: Sunday, February 20
After a four-month hiatus, the final season of The Walking Dead returns to our screens this month.
Fans of AMC’s long-running TV adaptation will finally get to check in again with Daryl, Maggie and company after that semi cliff-hanger ending in episode 8. With only 16 episodes to go before the zombie apocalypse show ends for good, we’ll have to savour whatever entries we have left with the group.
The next eight-episode batch will land on February 20 in the US. Like Bel-Air, though, UK audiences will have to wait an extra day before The Walking Dead season 11 returns to British shores. It’ll be available to stream on Disney Plus on Monday, February 21.
Vikings Valhalla (Netflix)
When to stream it: Friday, February 25
Have you missed getting your Vikings fix over on History or Prime Video since the series ended in December 2020? If so, you’ll be delighted to hear that a sequel series is coming to Netflix later this month.
Set a century after the original show’s final episode, Vikings Valhalla will follow some of the most famous Norsemen in history – Leif Erikson, Freydís Eiríksdóttir, and Harold Hardrada – as they and their troops battle for survival in a world that’s outgrowing them. The historical drama will chart the Vikings’ journey from their homeland all the way to England, culminating in the infamously brutal and bloody Battle at Stamford Bridge in 1066.
Jeb Stuart, the Hollywood writer behind classic action movies Die Hard and The Fugitive, has co-created and written the show alongside original Vikings showrunner Michael Hirst. So you know it’ll be as suitably action-packed and violent as it is emotional and hard-hitting.
Here’s our review of Apple TV Plus
