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A shorter month means less TV right? WRONG. February was still a powerhouse when it comes to television shows, with some enormous hit series that dominated the conversation, sneaky comedies that delighted the whole family, and much, much more.
Wading into that mess of new series is the intrepid staff of Decider, who bravely looked at the whole televisual landscape and said: we can figure this out. And we did, indeed, figure it out. We figured it out so well that we broke down a list of nine shows you absolutely couldn’t miss over the past month. That includes bold new superhero shows, a powerhouse teen hit, a bizarre workplace drama, and much, much more.
A word on methodology. In order to arrive at this list, the staff all submitted their top five choices for the month. Those choices were ranked, weighted, culled together, heated to boiling, then reduced to a simmer for twenty minutes until about half the liquid has evaporated. Once that is done, they were poured off into a pan and whisked heavily with some flour in order to make a roux. Once that was done, we took each of the top choices and culled them together to make the list you see below.
Looking for our best shows of January, in case you were asleep for a month? We got those. For February? Read on.
'The Gilded Age'
HBO
“What if Downton Abbey… but mean?” is how I’ve generally pitched The Gilded Age to people. It’s reductive, for sure, but particularly when it comes to the scorched Earth approach of the Russells (Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector’s characters specifically), all the niceties of society are out the window in the most deliciously over the top way possible. Meanwhile, if “What if Downton Abbey… but New York?” is more your speed, that’s exactly what’s happening literally across the street on the show. In February, episodes heated up with some unnecessary nudity and a lot of maneuvering; but it remains as sumptuous as ever. — Alex Zalben
'Pam & Tommy'
Hulu
Streaming’s newest ’90s nostalgia series is a whole lot of debaucherous, sleazy fun. Hulu’s Pam & Tommy takes a look back at the stranger-than-fiction true story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s stolen sex tape. Lily James and Sebastian Stan don’t so much portray Pam and Tommy as they completely subsume these larger-than-life pop culture legends, resulting in an entertaining trifle that’ll have you hooked from jump street. — Josh Sorokach
'Love is Blind'
Netflix
After becoming one of Netflix’s breakout hits in 2020, Love Is Blind finally returned for Season 2 — and proved to be even more chaotic and romantic than ever. Stacked with a new cast of singles hungry for love (and maybe some social media fame), this show had us gasping and screaming every single week. We got awkward pod proposals (oof, Jarrette!), energy both manic (Shayne) and panicked (Danielle), lots of shots of gold wine glasses, and we lived through the brief but eventful reign of Shaina. And just before the month was up, Season 2 ended with a string of suspenseful “I dos” and “I don’ts.” No matter what all the couples decide to do, we are committed to Love Is Blind for the long haul. — Brett White
'Euphoria'
HBO
For a fleeting moment this winter, HBO’s megahit Euphoria returned for a second season, and it was just as grand as when the show initially debuted in the summer of 2019. Although the show has had plenty of shortcomings — like excluding amazing players like Barbie Ferreira’s Kat and Hunter Schafer’s Jules — the online community has electrified this season with plenty of memes, hilarious reactions, and takes to keep the show fresh. Further, young stars like Sydney Sweeney and, of course, Zendaya have brought this season to new heights. Ethan, we can’t wait to see your acceptance speech at this year’s Tony Awards. — Fletcher Peters
'Peacemaker'
HBO Max
Between The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, you get the sense that this is the type of superhero adaptation James Gunn has always wanted to make. Gunn’s irreverent and chronically awkward sense of humor blends perfectly with John Cena’s bumbling puppy dog take on this “hero.” But between its action scenes and addicting opening credits, there’s more to this HBO Max original than meets the eye. While Marvel has done everything possible to gloss over its problematic past, Peacemaker does the exact opposite, airing out DC’s dirty laundry and finding an interesting way to bring it into the modern age. This is a series about atonement, both for its red pill-adjacent protagonist and this genre as a whole. — Kayla Cobb
'Raised by Wolves'
HBO Max
Is there a bolder, wilder show on TV than Raised by Wolves? Season 2 started with what seemed like a slow burn, pitting the now ascendant Atheists against a burgeoning religious rebellion, led by the converted Marcus (Travis Fimmel). And not that anything is ever straightforward on this show, but rather than building to this conflict, thanks to a murderous android rampage, the hunt for a snake baby, and some acid mermaids, everything you thought would happen this season was thrown out the window by the end of Episode 5. Wherever this show is going to go in the back half of the season? You won’t be able to predict it, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. — Alex Zalben
'The Afterparty'
Apple TV+
Apple TV+’s wildly creative mystery comedy The Afterparty continued its ludicrously entertaining run in February, offering up a psychological thriller, an animated episode, a flashback to Detective Danner’s (Tiffany Haddish) beginnings in the police force, and perhaps best of all, a flashback to everyone in high school that was as delightfully cringe-worthy as you might expect. Though the show won’t reveal who killed Xavier (Dave Franco) until next month’s finale, The Afterparty is already deserving of a celebration of its own. — Alex Zalben
'Abbott Elementary'
ABC
Think the workplace mockumentary is dead? Think again! Quinta Brunson’s new show, Abbott Elementary, breathes some much-needed new air into the network sitcom. The series — which follows a group of teachers at an underfunded Philadelphia school — has whip-smart dialogue made even better thanks to a knockout cast. Broadway legend Sheryl Lee Ralph and The Parent Trap’s Lisa Ann Walter as work wives?! Yes, please. — Abby Monteil
'Severance'
Apple TV+
Severance is an exquisite celebration of small-screen innovation. Starring Adam Scott, Britt Lower, John Turturro, Zach Cherry, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette, the Apple TV+ thriller centers on the enigmatic Lumon Industries, a mysterious company whose employees have undergone a severance procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. A deft combination of beautiful cinematography, savvy writing, and outstanding theatrical performances, the brilliant series is a destabilizing tour de force that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. — Josh Sorokach
