Week of February 22 – 28

How is February already over? We know it’s the shortest month of the year but this seems particularly brief. Thankfully, the month is going out with a bang – “1923” returns after a particularly long absence (on Paramount+); “Suits” gets a West Coast spinoff (“Suits LA") on NBC; “Nosferatu” haunts Peacock; and “The Americas,” a brand-new, “Planet Earth”-style documentary series narrated by Tom Hanks comes to NBC. Not too shabby right? And there’s even more – a new sports comedy from Mindy Kaling (“Running Point” on Netflix), a British drama based on a real-life crime (“Toxic Town” on Netflix) and a movie with a hitman hunting down demons (the appropriately named “Demon City” on – you guessed it – Netflix). 

On with the television! 

1923

Sunday, February 23, Paramount+

Source: Paramount+

“1923” has finally returned. The “Yellowstone” prequel series originally debuted back in December 2022 and is back after a prolonged absence that included, among other things, the twin WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, along with creator Taylor Sheridan attending to his other television franchises (including finishing off the mainline “Yellowstone” series). And let us be the first to tell you – it was worth the wait. As the season opens, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) is in the boiler room of a steam ship as restitution for murdering a guest; his wife Julia (Julia Schlaepfer) has returned to England; Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) is facing a trial that could determine the fate of his ranch; and villain Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dutton) is still doing gross stuff. There are few things on television with the epic sweep of “1923” and this, the final season, promises to bring everything together while also illuminating pieces of the Dutton family history that have remained in the shadows. (Helen Mirren has a truly incredible moment in the season premiere that’s too good to ruin here.) And while this season will mark the end of “1923,” there is another prequel series, “1944,” that was announced in 2023 and is on its way. The sun never sets on the “Yellowstone” empire. Nor should it. Long may it reign. [TRAILER]

Eyes on the Prize III: We Believe in Freedom

Thursday, February 27 at 10 p.m., HBO

Source: HBO

The final two installments in the new documentary series, inspired by Henry Hampton’s legendary “Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement,” premiere Thursday. (The two episodes are “We Don’t See Color 1996-2013” and “What Comes After Hope? 2008-2015.”) The new series “illuminates the bold stories of people and communities who continue to work for equity and racial justice in the years since the birth of the American civil rights movement.” And given everything that has happened since 2015, well, we’re going to need some more installments on the way. [TRAILER]

Nosferatu

Peacock

Source: Focus Features

Succumb to darkness. “Nosferatu,” a new version of the 1922 silent movie classic (itself an unlicensed adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”), hit theaters at Christmas and became a surprise smash, making nearly $200 million worldwide. And it’s easy to see why – this new “Nosferatu” is absolutely great. It hails from writer/director Robert Eggers, who made “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse,” and stars Lily Rose-Depp as a woman under the thrall of a primordial evil (and Bill Skarsgård as said primordial evil). The rest of the cast includes Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Ralph Ineson. Sumptuous in both design and photography, this “Nosferatu” is everything you could want from a remake of a silent movie era classic – and then some! And if, for some reason, you missed it in theaters at Christmastime, staying in with Nosferatu is just as much blood-curdling fun. [WATCH]

The Americas

Sunday, February 23 at 7 p.m., NBC

Source: NBC

Ready to be wowed by “The Americas?” The new documentary series is described by NBC as “a 10-hour limited docuseries spotlighting the wonderful creatures, habitats, and ecosystems found throughout North and South America.” There are several aspects of this new series that make it remarkable – for one, it is narrated by the one and only Tom Hanks. Secondly, it is scored by Hans Zimmer, a man who, like Hanks, is an Academy Award winner. And the project was produced by BAFTA-winning wildlife producer Mike Gunton, who made “Life,” “Planet Earth II” and “Dynasties.” Each episode is centered around a different spot on the continent: “The Atlantic Coast,” “Mexico,” “The Wild West,” “The Amazon,” “The Frozen North,” “The Gulf Coast,” “The Andes,” “The Caribbean,” “The West Coast,” and “Patagonia.” Feels a little hard to be wowed about America at the moment, but this should do the trick. We’re looking forward to spending time with some weird animals we never knew existed. [TRAILER]

Suits

Prime Video

Source: Universal

“Suits,” a “Blue Sky” drama produced by Universal that aired on the USA Network from 2011 to 2019, became a minor sensation when the series arrived on Netflix in 2023. (It also streamed on Peacock but it was really the Netflix debut that made an impact.) That’s when the show, set in a fictional New York corporate law firm, took on a life of its own. It topped Nielsen ratings charts for a record-breaking 12 weeks and became Netflix’s “most-watched acquired series in a single week.” If, for some reason, you did not take part in this phenomenon, you might want to catch up now (there are only 134 42-minute episodes), since the show is back, with “Suits LA” debuting on NBC this week (see below). Without the resurgent popularity supplied by Netflix, this new spinoff wouldn’t have been developed. Incredible right? Now it’s on Prime Video. [WATCH]

Source: Netflix

“Grosse Point Garden Society”

Sunday, February 23 at 10 p.m., NBC