Here is a list of five shows, returning as well as new, that are worth checking out this month:
1)Better Call Saul: Season 2
Spin-offs rarely have a habit of turning out good. More than often, they end up falling short in content and quality when compared with their parent shows, becoming subjects of loath from fans and critics. Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould broke this custom last year when they brought out Better Call Saul, a spin-off/ 
prequel to the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad, created by Gilligan himself. Better Call Saul was received positively by fans and critics alike from the get-go and holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Set six years before the events of Breaking Bad, the show follows the early life of Saul Goodman(Bob Odenkirk), then known as Jimmy McGill. The end of season 1 saw Jimmy finally bidding farewell to all of his moral dilemmas to make a name for himself as a lawyer hinting that season 2 will depict how he takes up the “Saul Goodman” persona. It is expected that season 2 will be on par with the bar set by its predecessor and probably rise above it. Other than Bob Odenkirk, most of the main cast including Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn, and Michael McKean are expected to reprise their characters in season 2. Better Call Saul is a must-watch for fans of Breaking Bad as it expands up on the latter’s world and providing more backstory to some of its characters. Even for new viewers, Better Call Saul offers a unique and entertaining crime-drama that does not rely too much on its parent show.
Season 2 of Better Call Saul premieres on February 15th
2) 11.22.63
11.22.63 is an eight-part sci-fi drama that has been developed by Hulu based on 11/22/63, a book by Stephen King. The show revolves around Jake Epping, a high school teacher, who gets an opportunity to travel back in time and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Epping gets attached to life in the 60s and must deal with the repercussions of trying to change history while his quest is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, Kennedy’s assassin. In addition to an intriguing plot, the names attached to 11.22.63 make it a more appealing new show. Produced by Warner Bros Television, the series is executive produced J.J. Abrams, Bridget Carptenter, Bryan Carpenter, and Stephen King himself. James Franco plays the lead role in the show as Jake Epping while Daniel Webber has been cast as Lee Harvey Oswald. The rest of the cast consists of Chris Cooper, Josh Duhamel, Sarah Gadon, and Lucy Fry. 11.22.63’s first two episodes are directed and produced by Academy Award winning director, Kevin Macdonald.11.23.63 ought to be a safe bet for viewers who want to get into something brief, yet thrilling and entertaining.
11.22.63 premieres on February 16th
3) Vinyl
HBO is known for creating excellent dramas based on a variety of settings and time-periods that feature equally excellent cast and characters. In many ways, these shows act as period-dramas that successfully portray the soul of these settings to the viewers in an immersive fashion. Vinyl is set in New York in the 70s and focuses on the music industry that has been influenced by drugs and sex during the rise of disco and hip-hop. This ten-episode drama is presented from the perspective of Richie Finestra, a record executive who is trying to save his company. Vinyl is produced by Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, Terence Winter, and Rich Cohen with Scorsese directing the pilot episode. Bobby Cannavale and Olivia Wilde have respectively been cast as Richie Finestra and his wife, Devon Finestra, in the series. Much like 11.22.63, the crew behind Vinyl along with a fresh setting and HBO’s reputation gives the impression of a promising show.
Vinyl premieres on February 14th
4) The Night Manager
The Night Manager is a six-part British-American drama based on the book of the same name written by John le Carré. The show stars Tom Hiddleston in the role of a former British soldier, Jonathan Pine, who is recruited on a mission to look into a concord between secret arms traders and the intelligence community in Washington D.C and Whitehall. The Night Manager is directed by Academy Award winner Susanne Bier and its screenplay is written by David Farr. The show’s remaining cast consists of Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki, Tom Hollander, and Hugh Laurie. It is expected that The Night Manager will prove to be an excellent espionage-drama when it starts airing later this month.
The Night Manager is set to air on AMC and BBC One on February 22nd
5) American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson
The anthological horror series, American Horror Story, has remained a fan-favourite over the last five years even when its reputation faltered in the eyes of critics. This year, a companion show to AHS titled American Crime Story has been created by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszwezki in association with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, the creators of AHS, who are serving as the executive producers of the show. Along the same veins of AHS, American Crime Story will also be an anthology with each season focusing on a different setting and characters. The first season, based on The Run of His Life: The People v O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin, focuses on the murder trial of O.J.Simpson. The series stars Cuba Gooding Jr as O.J. Simpson, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, and several others portraying people associated with the trial. A second season of the series is already being developed, revolving around the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The show’s premiere has received a fair welcome from critics and viewers alike. American Crime Story is worth a try for new viewers as well as fans of its parent series.
American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson premiered on February 2, 2016
(Written By Nisanth Suresh)
