Fresh Off the Boat Series Premiere (ABC, Feb. 4th) — On first blush, the first network sitcom featuring an all Asian-American cast since Margaret Cho’s All American Girl may not sound that exciting, but considering how fantastically the cast of the show and its creator, Eddie Huang, have put the media and the “mouth-breathing psycho” in its own marketing department in their place, I suddenly have very high hopes for the series.
The Walking Dead Midseason Premiere (AMC, Feb. 8th) — Several new characters (including one gay character) will be introduced to the back half of the fifth season, which actually looks surprisingly hopeful. The back half is expected to explore how the rest of the cast picks up the pieces after the painful death of one of the show’s major characters.
Better Call Saul Series Premiere (AMC, Feb. 8th) — The much anticipated Breaking Bad spin-off finally arrives on Sunday February 8th before airing its second episode on Monday, February 9th, and then continuing to air on Mondays throughout its first season. Walter White and Jesse Pinkman are not expected to appear in the first season, but based on the trailer, I think we’ll be in very safe hands with Vince Gilligan.
The Slap Series Premiere (NBC, Feb. 12th) — The premise itself sounds kind of silly — a parent slaps another parent’s child, leading to a chain of events that threatens to tear apart the lives of two families — but it’s based on a very well received Australian mini-series and it has a phenomenal cast that includes Peter Sarsgaard, Thandie Newton, Zachary Quinto, and Uma Thurman.
Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special (NBC, Feb. 15th) — Not only will the 40th Anniversary special of SNL bring back Eddie Murphy, there’s an insane lineup of alums and former hosts returning to the show for what looks to be a spectacular episode.
Two and a Half Men Series Finale (CBS, Feb. 19th) — This is anticipated not so much because we can’t wait to see it, but because it means that the show that has represented all that’s bad about television for the last 11 years will finally end its run. That finale may or may not also include the return of Charlie Sheen.
The Odd Couple Series Premiere (CBS, Feb. 19th) — I don’t have a ton of hope for another reboot of The Odd Couple, but the cast really is solid and it may finally break Matthew Perry’s post-Friends curse. That cast also includes Thomas Lennon, Wendell Pierce, Yvette Nicole Brown (who quit Community to do the show) and Lauren Graham in a recurring role.
The Academy Awards (ABC, Feb. 22nd) — Neil Patrick Harris hosts the 87th Academy Awards, and let’s hope he brings the magic he brought to the Tony Awards and doesn’t repeat what he did at the Emmy Awards. Here’s the full list of nominees.
Parks and Recreation Series Finale (NBC, February 24th) — After seven wonderful, magical, hilarious, and heartfelt seasons, Parks and Recreation — the only holdover from the pre-“broader-is-better” era on NBC — finally ends its run. There’s no end to how much we will miss about this show.
House of Cards 3rd Season (Netflix, February 27th) — Season three of the Emmy-nominated Netflix series kicks off in the last weekend of the month. We don’t know much about it based on the third season trailer, except that Frank Underwood is the President now and crimes will likely be committed so that he can maintain his ill-gotten presidency.
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Agent Carter (Feb. 24th), Downton Abbey (Feb. 22nd), Sleepy Hollow (Feb. 23rd), and How to Get Away With Murder will also air their season finales this month, while The Mentalist (Feb. 18th) and likely Mulaney (Feb. 15th) will air their series finales in February.
