February TV’s full of scandals and scams, thanks to Pam & Tommy and Inventing Anna

Plus: Will Arnett travels to Murderville, Peacock goes back to Bel-Air, and Netflix visits Valhalla

February TV’s full of scandals and scams, thanks to Pam & Tommy and Inventing Anna
Clockwise from left: Julia Garner in Inventing Anna (Photo: Aaron Epstein/Netflix), Jabari Banks in Bel-Air (Photo: Peacock), Lily James and Sebastian Stan in Pam & Tommy (Photo: Erin Simkin/Hulu), Adam Scott in Severance (Photo: Apple TV+) Graphic: Rebecca Fassola

February comes packed with new series based on real-life scandals and crimes, as well as equally devious fictional turns. Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, which centers on the Pamela Anderson-Tommy Lee sex tape, opens up the discourse on celebrity culture. Julia Garner drops her Ozark accent to play con artist Anna Delvey in Shonda Rhimes’ Inventing Anna on Netflix. Showtime debuts the first season of anthology drama Super Pumped, which comes from the Billions team and tracks the rise and fall of Uber’s CEO, Travis Kalanick (played here by Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

But it’s not all scammers and charlatans—over at Apple TV+, Uma Thurman’s under Suspicion and Adam Scott seeks his Severance in a new thriller co-directed by Ben Stiller. And, on the broadcast network front, NBC’s Endgame arrives with a plot that sounds suspiciously similar to The Blacklist.

Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
Pam & Tommy (Hulu)
Clockwise from left: Julia Garner in Graphic Rebecca Fassola

February comes packed with new series based on real-life scandals and crimes, as well as equally devious fictional turns. , which centers on the Pamela Anderson-Tommy Lee sex tape, opens up the discourse on celebrity culture. Julia Garner drops her accent to play con artist Anna Delvey in Shonda Rhimes’ on Netflix. Showtime debuts the first season of anthology drama , which comes from the team and tracks the rise and fall of Uber’s CEO, Travis Kalanick (played here by Joseph Gordon-Levitt). But it’s not all scammers and charlatans—over at Apple TV+, Uma Thurman’s under Suspicion and Adam Scott seeks his in a new thriller co-directed by Ben Stiller. And, on the broadcast network front, NBC’s Endgame arrives with a plot that sounds suspiciously similar to .

Pam & Tommy (Hulu): Premieres February 2

The Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee sex tape was one of the biggest scandals of the 1990s, but the story behind the tape may be even more engrossing than those infamous eight minutes of carnal footage. Directed by Craig Gillespie (), Pam & Tommy traces not only the famous pair’s whirlwind romance (meeting and getting married within 96 hours), but their relationship with the tabloids, and the early days of the internet as the fledgling World Wide Web—and the disgruntled contractor who inadvertently stole the recording—opened up a Pandora’s box for the pair. Lily James and Sebastian Stan portray the titular couple, Seth Rogen is the thieving electrician, Nick Offerman is his co-conspirator, and . [Gwen Ihnat]

Murderville (Netflix): Premieres February 3

Will Arnett leads this madcap series, an adaptation of BBC Three’s Murder In Successville, which makes celebrity guest stars the stand-ins for mystery-loving audiences. Arnett plays Terry Seattle, an eccentric detective regularly tasked with training new recruits (played by the likes of Annie Murphy, Conan O’Brien, and Marshawn Lynch) as he investigates grisly crimes all over town. There’s no script for the guest stars, who have to improvise their way through the cases and ultimately identify the bad guy (or guys). Arnett provides backup, in a way, feeding his trainees horrible aliases and encouraging them to do questionable things via ear pieces, like a (more) deranged . With such a game cast, Murderville promises to put a new twist on the TV murder mystery. [Danette Chavez]

Reacher (Prime Video): Premieres February 4

simply didn’t offer enough action for Prime Video, so the streamer’s adding Jack Reacher to its roster of gun-toting heroes. Reacher is based on Lee Child’s book series of the same name—specifically, the Killing Floor novel. Alan Ritchson leads the cast, which also includes Willa Fitzgerald, Malcolm Goodwin, and Harvey Guillén. Ritchson plays the titular star, a retired military police officer who takes odd jobs and frequently finds himself in a dangerous position. When he is arrested for a murder he definitely did not commit, Jack finds himself smack dab in the middle of a deadly conspiracy full of dirty cops, corrupt businessmen, and dirty politicians in Margrave, Georgia. Naturally, he’s the only one who can save himself. [Saloni Gajjar]

Suspicion (Apple TV Plus): Premieres February 4

Uma Thurman returns to the small screen almost three years after Netflix’s middling for Suspicion, a thriller based on an Israeli drama called False Flag. She plays workaholic media mogul Katherine Newman, whose world is shattered when her son is abducted from a hotel. The police—led by Noah Emmerich’s Scott Anderson—identify five culprits, all seemingly ordinary British citizens, who might be involved in the kidnapping. They are played by Kunal Nayyar, Georgina Campbell, Elizabeth Henstridge, Tom Rhys-Harries, and Elyes Gable. The accused band together to try and prove their innocence, but exactly how guilt-free are they? Meanwhile, Katherine struggles to convey to the world that she really is a grieving mother. [Saloni Gajjar]

Phat Tuesdays: The Era Of Hip Hop Comedy (Prime Video): Premieres February 4

The story of The Comedy Store, which launched the careers of many of the biggest names in comedy, was recently explored in . What went largely undiscussed was the staggering amount of Black talent that made it to the venue’s stage for Phat Tuesdays, the all-Black comedy night created by Guy Torry that ran from 1995 to 2005. Now Torry’s teamed up with Reginald Hudlin for Phat Tuesdays, a three-part docuseries dedicated to the “Hip Hop Era Of Comedy,” when The Comedy Store hosted comics like Cedric The Entertainer, Tiffany Haddish, and Lil Rel, as well as celebrity guests like Eddie Murphy, Prince, Magic Johnson, and Snoop Dogg. This vibrant docuseries includes never-before-seen footage from the Phat Tuesdays lineups, as well as interviews with performers like Kym Whitley, J.B. Smoove, Anthony Anderson, Tichina Arnold, Bill Bellamy, and many more. [Danette Chavez]

The Girl Before (HBO Max): Premieres February 10

Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars in this BBC One original thriller as Jane Cavendish, a traumatized woman who falls in love with an extraordinary minimalist house. The mansion is designed by Edward (David Oyelowo), an architect who is strict about the rules of the place—few possessions, no children, etc. As she moves into her new place, Jane discovers secrets about the previous owners that feel eerily similar to her own. The Girl Before is created by J.P. Delaney based on his 2016 novel of the same name. All four episodes already aired in the U.K., with HBO Max bringing the adaptation to the U.S.

Inventing Anna (Netflix): Premieres February 11

​​Inventing Anna is Shonda Rhimes’ adaptation of the fascinating true story of Anna Sorokin (a.k.a. Anna Delvey), a young Russian woman who posed as a German heiress, grifting her way to an incredible amount of money by squatting at luxury hotels, defrauding banks, and swindling her closest friends. s Julia Garner reportedly visited the real Anna in prison to inform her portrayal of the enigmatic title character—including her odd, multi-faceted accent. s Anna Chlumsky is the journalist hot on Anna’s trail. The story was plenty riveting when it was just limited to news headlines, so seeing Sorokin’s many scams in action (including absconding with a jet) through the Shondaland filter and led by two such strong performers should make for an addictive binge-watch. [Gwen Ihnat]

Bel-Air (Peacock): Premieres February 13

Peacock scored a hit with by paying homage to the original series while also updating the comedy to resonate with a new class of teens. Now the streamer is set to debut its dramatic reimagining of NBC’s , a series that, despite its DayGlo logo and sitcom antics, embraced topicality at every turn. Jabari Banks takes over for Will Smith (who serves as executive producer) as, er, Will Smith, a Philly teen whose life is flipped, turned upside down, and relocated to the sunny and posh climes of Los Angeles. The class tensions already seem to be boiling over in the trailer, so this return trip to Bel-Air is going to be a bumpy one. The series also stars Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar, Jimmy Akingbola, Jordan L. Jones, and Simone Joy Jones. [Danette Chavez]

Severance (Apple TV+): Premieres February 18

Having a good work-life balance is always helpful, allowing you to live your life in peace without getting depressed by work stuff when you’re not actually on the clock. Apple TV+’s Severance takes place in a world where employees of a company called Lumon Industries take part in an experimental program to completely sever their work life and their home life. At work, they spend their time in an unusually creepy, retro-looking office building with a distinct lack of windows; at home, they forget all about their weird jobs and any potential lingering mysteries and horrors they may have had to deal with. A perfect situation, until things inevitably begin to unravel. The series stars Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Britt Lower, Christopher Walken, and Zach Cherry, and is directed by Ben Stiller. [Sam Barsanti]

From (Epix): Premieres February 20

Created by John Griffin, From is a science-fiction horror drama set in a mysterious town in middle America. The show unwraps a nightmarish mystery about a place that traps anyone who enters, as the unwilling town residents fight to maintain sanity and some sense of normalcy while trying to search for a way out. They must also survive threats that come from the surrounding forest, including unknown terrifying creatures. The cast is led by ’s Harold Perrineau, who is clearly no stranger to playing a character trapped in foreign territory with no escape in sight. The show counts Anthony and Joe Russo among its executive producers. [Saloni Gajjar]

The Endgame (NBC): Premieres February 21

NBC’s Endgame is nothing like (though it does star a Marvel-adjacent actor), but it will remind you of another NBC drama, The Blacklist. Instead of James Spader as the mysterious Reddington, Morena Bacarrin leads the series as Elena Federova, an international arms dealer, thief, and criminal mastermind who intentionally gets captured by the FBI—while wearing a stunning blue gown, no less. She claims to have a connection with agent Val Turner (Ryan Michelle Bathé). Val, a social outcast, will stop at nothing to foil Elena’s plans, even though she doesn’t really know how they’ll unfold yet. Costa Ronin plays Sergey Vodianov, Elena’s love interest and partner-in-crime, while Noah Bean stars as Val’s boss Jonathan Doak. [Saloni Gajjar]

Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix): Premieres February 25

History’s changed what a basic cable historical drama could be, quietly becoming an enormous hit that belied its origins as something ostensibly educational, and Netflix’s sequel series Vikings: Valhalla looks to recapture that show’s lightning-in-a-bottle with a new tale focusing on the legendary Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett). Set a hundred years after the end of the original show, meaning any knowledge of Ragnar Lothbrok and his violent reign probably won’t be necessary, Valhalla follows Eriksson as different factions form among the Norse people who have effectively conquered England as they try to stand up against the rising influence of Christianity. Also, not to spoil the show, but Leif Eriksson is famous for… going to a particular place, so it remains to be seen how much of that will happen just yet on Valhalla. The series will also star Frida Gustavsson, Leo Suter, Laura Berlin, and Bradley Freegard. [Sam Barsanti]

Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber (Showtime): Premieres February 27

duo Brian Koppelman and David Levian team up with Showtime again for this anthology drama. Each potential season will explore stories of large-scale businesses that have affected society and culture as we know it. The first season is based on Mike Isaac’s Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber book, and depicts the rise and fall of former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Kalanick was ousted in a boardroom coup after intense internal and external battles, as Uber came under fire for various reasons. The rest of the impressive cast includes Kerry Bishé as Uber exec Austin Geidt, Hank Azaria as Apple CEO Tim Cook, Uma Thurman as Arianna Huffington, and Kyle Chandler as venture capitalist Bill Gurley. [Saloni Gajjar]

Returning
Returning
Left: Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle star in

season-two premiere (2/1); season-two premiere (2/3); season-four premiere, season-two premiere (2/18); Law & Order season 21 premiere (2/21); season-five premiere (2/23); season-four premiere (2/27); season-five premiere (2/28)

 
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