Our most anticipated TV shows & events for February 2020. Tell us what you’re looking forward to most in the comments below.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 7 (SBS) — 07/02
It’s more Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Not much else needs to be said. It’s one of the great comedies of the last decade and we’re getting more of it — something we feared might not happen when Fox cancelled it a couple of years ago. With Season 6 recently hitting Netflix, anticipation is high.
Not much is known about this season, but at the end of Season 6 Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) was demoted to a uniformed officer after it was revealed he hadn’t done the prerequisite period of service before becoming a detective. We’ll also see a second iteration of the Jimmy Jab Games, so there’s plenty to look forward to.
– Ashley Hobley
Locke & Key: Season 1 (Netflix) — 07/02
Locke & Key has had a long and tumultuous road to live action. The comic series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez was set for adaptation years ago: a Fox pilot was shot with Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) as showrunner and Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) directing, starring Miranda Otto, Sarah Bolger, Nick Stahl, and Jesse McCartney. A film trilogy was later announced with Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (Fringe, Star Trek) producing. That never happened. In 2017, Hulu ordered a pilot produced by Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel), Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange), and Lindsey Springer (Colony), with Andy Muschietti (It) directing, starring Frances O’Connor. Hulu passed, it was shopped again, and finally landed at Netflix. This version pairs Cuse with Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House) and Aron Eli Coleite (Daybreak) as showrunners.
I’ve never read the comics, even though I know they’re popular — I even own the trades digitally thanks to several Humble Bundles. Netflix has had a good run of adaptations with the hit The Witcher and something tangentially similar in tone to Locke & Key: Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. The premise is enticing: a family moves into a house filled with magic keys that grant powers. Looks like a fun contemporary fantasy series that could run a while — unless disaster strikes again.
– Ashley Hobley
NJPW: The New Beginning in Osaka (njpwworld.com) — 09/02
New Japan Pro Wrestling has already closed a chapter with the success of the two-night Wrestle Kingdom 14 at the beginning of the year. With masterful storytelling and several marquee matches, NJPW was left in an interesting position with Tetsuya Naito holding both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships.
The New Beginning in Osaka could be the truest representation of the event’s name in company history. WK14’s closing moments departed from traditional NJPW storytelling by ending on the newly crowned Naito being attacked by Kenta — a choice common in Western wrestling but not the Japanese scene. It signalled the writers are willing to step outside their long-held comforts.
With Kenta vs Naito set to headline, it’ll be interesting to see if that trend continues or if they revert to old habits. Another match already making waves was also set in motion on Night 2 of WK14: Jon Moxley left the Tokyo Dome with the United States title and immediately crossed paths with the legendary Minoru Suzuki. After a classic Suzuki beatdown, the audience buzzed for a showdown — and it’s coming sooner rather than later. That match could steal the show. The New Beginning in Osaka will tell us a lot about how NJPW will operate in 2020; with many top stars in story limbo, it’s exciting to see new threads begin.
– Ciaran Marchant
The Clone Wars: Season 7 (Disney+) — 17/02
When Disney bought Lucasfilm, the only canonical material that remained was the main films and The Clone Wars animated series. Even so, the show was cancelled, and remaining storylines were told across other media — a couple of novels, a handful of comics — before the book was closed. Then, at Star Wars Celebration, it was announced the series would get its proper goodbye on Disney+ with a seventh and final season.
I’ve been more excited for this than anything else in Star Wars recently and can’t wait to see the show get a real finale. Ahsoka Tano is my favourite character, and these episodes will see her join forces with Bo-Katan and the Mandalorians in a battle against Darth Maul — a fight for which they put Ray Park in a mo-cap suit to choreograph, which is even more exciting.
– Dylan Blight
Narcos: Mexico: Season 2 (Netflix) — 14/02
At the end of the first season, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo had cemented himself at the top of the Guadalajara Cartel — but one decision was bound to haunt him: the brutal torture and murder of Agent Camarena. Enter DEA agent Walt Breslin, based on several agents involved in the real mission to bring Gallardo down. Revealed as the season’s narrator, he’s played by Scoot McNairy.
How far this season takes the Mexican cartel story remains to be seen, but we did meet El Chapo in Season 1, so it’s easy to imagine the direction of travel.
– Dylan Blight
Better Call Saul: Season 5 (Stan) — 24/02
Year in, year out, Better Call Saul tops my list of favourite shows… except for last year, because it skipped one. It’s back now, and we know it’s the penultimate season — which makes sense given how the last one ended. The brilliant finale, “Winner,” saw Jimmy McGill take that final step toward the dark side and emerge as the man Breaking Bad fans know: Saul Goodman.
Will Jimmy start piecing together that new identity now, and how soon does he set up his own practice? Then there’s Kim — how will she handle the direction Jimmy is heading? It’s hard to imagine she’ll react positively, even if she’s flirted with illegality before.
– Dylan Blight
AEW: Revolution (FITE) — 01/03
Editor’s note: yes, it’s March, but we’ll fit it in here.
2020 has the potential to be the greatest year for professional wrestling outside WWE. AEW’s journey hasn’t been easy — there have been stumbles, difficulties building unknown talent, and criticism for not matching early PPVs like Double or Nothing and All In. But viewers of AEW’s Dynamite have seen an overall lift in quality in recent weeks, and the roster is putting itself in position for success this year.
With no matches currently booked for Revolution, the show has limitless potential to wrap up several storylines and set the bar for the company’s future. As the first major PPV of the year, this is the chance to shed creative growing pains and reward fans who’ve given them space to evolve since Dynamite began in October 2019. Stars will continue to be made after this PPV — for many, this could be the beginning; a true revolution within pro wrestling.
– Ciaran Marchant
