February 2017 TV premieres
Rafael De Fuenta (center) stars in screenwriter Dustin Lance Black's "When We Rise," a miniseries look at key events in the history of the LGBT movement. (Eike Schroter/ABC)

February 2017 TV premieres, movies, specials, finales

A spy with PTSD, a suburban zombie mom and a messed up, would-be X-Man lead the charge of new characters among the February 2017 TV premieres. 

February doesn’t bring only my birthday (and presents hopefully), it delivers another wave a new and returning series along with an important miniseries the struggle for LGBTQ rights. ABC’s “When We Rise” dramatizes the real-life personal and political struggles, set-backs and triumphs of the LGBT men and women who helped pioneer the gay rights movement from its beginnings to present day. 

Among the new shows, I’m especially looking forward to Amazon’s “Patriot,” a darkly comic spy story filmed partly in Chicago. Speaking of comedy, Netflix’s zombie-com “Santa Clarita Diet” sparked a spit take when I watched it. FX’s “Legion” takes viewers into the bizarre and bent mind of a mutant trying to control his amazing powers.

Those are just three of the big premieres coming this month. Watch for CBS All-Access’ spin-off of “the Good Wife,” titled “The Good Fight.” Fox has “24: Legacy” and “APB.” BET visits “The Quad,” while NBC finds everyday heroes in “Powerless.”

On the returning shows front, Syfy’s “The Expanse” begins its second season with a quickly warming cold war in space. AMC brings back the artificial intelligence drama “Humans.” And the crabby heroes of “SuperMansion” are back on Crackle for another season.

Many more new and returning shows debut this month, so mark your viewing calendars. I’ll add new premieres to the list as I get them.

 

February 2017 TV premieres calendar

(All times Central)

Wednesday, Feb. 1

7 p.m.

  • “Spy in the Wild,” PBS (5-part “Nature” miniseries; 30 animatronic spy cameras, disguised as animals, record animal behavior in wild)
  • “Showtime at the Apollo,” Fox (special)

8 p.m.

  • “The 100,” CW (season 4)

9 p.m.

  • The Expanse,” Syfy (season 2; double episode)
  • “The Quad,” BET (series premiere; everyone is looking to make a name for themselves at Georgia A&M)
  • “The Carbonara Effect,” Tru TV (season 3)
  • “Aurora: Fire in the Sky,” PBS (doc; links popular myths to the aurora’s physical effects on the natural world)

 

Thursday, Feb. 2

Streaming

  • “The Cyanide and Happiness Show,” Seeso (season 3)
  • “Always Shine,” Sundance Now (movie; two actresses spend weekend together to mend friendship)

7 p.m.

  • “Powerless,” NBC (series premiere; everyday people in the DC super-powered superhero universe show they can be heroic, too)

7:30 p.m.

  • “Superior Donuts,” CBS (series premiere; relationship between donut shop owner, his enterprising new employee and their loyal patrons in gentrifying Chicago neighborhood)

9 p.m.

  • “Training Day,” CBS (series premiere; rookie cop secretly investigates possibly crooked veteran training officer)
  • “Nirvanna The Band The Show,” Viceland (series premiere; two friends go to unnecessary extremes to book their band at The Rivoli, a modest Toronto rock club)

9:30 p.m.

  • “People Just Do Nothing,” Viceland (series premiere; mockumentary follows hapless crew of social dropouts running illegal pirate radio station in West London)

 

Friday, Feb. 3

Streaming

  • Santa Clarita Diet,” Netflix (series premiere; husband-and-wife realtors deal with drastic change to their’s and daughter’s lives; read my Santa Clarita Diet review)
  • Tomorrow with You,” DramaFever (series premiere; a time traveler and his wife go back in time to the beginning of their relationship)
  • Ten Miles of Peach Blossom,” DramaFever (series premiere; goddess doesn’t remember her love)

8 p.m.

  • “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” CW (season 2 finale)

 

Saturday, Feb. 4

7 p.m.

  • “High School Lover,” Lifetime (movie; relationship between high school girl and rising star gets dangerous in James Franco produced film)

 

Sunday, Feb. 5

11 a.m.

  • “Kitten Bowl IV,” Hallmark (special; 3 hours of kitty football)

4 p.m.

  • “Super Bowl LI,” Fox (special)

9 p.m.

  • 24 Legacy,” Fox (series premiere, part 1; new hero races against clock to stop devastating terrorist attack on U.S. soil; after Super Bowl)

 

Monday Feb. 6

7 p.m.

  • “24 Legacy,” Fox (series premiere, part 2; new hero races against clock to stop devastating terrorist attack on U.S. soil)

8 p.m.

  • “Time Presents: Celebrities on Trial,” Reelz (special; stars who broke laws and went to court)
  • “Superior Donuts,” CBS (time period premiere)

8:01 p.m.

  • “APB,” Fox (series premiere; rich man takes over Chicago police district to fight crime)

9 p.m.

  • “Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison,” HBO (doc; life on both sides of the bars at Red Onion State Prison, a supermax facility built to house individual inmates in solitary-confinement cells)
  • “Birth of a Movement,” PBS (“Independent Lens” premiere;  1915 premiere of D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” sparked African-American protests, reinvigorated KKK)

 

Tuesday, Feb. 7

Streaming

  • “Creative Galaxy: Heart Day,” Amazon ( Valentine’s Day special)

9 p.m.

  • “Imposters,” Bravo (series premiere; former victims track a con artist)

9:30 p.m.

  • “Detroiters,” Comedy Central

 

Wednesday, Feb. 8

7 p.m.

  • “So Cosmo,” E! (docuseries premiere; following employees at Cosmopolitan Magazine)

8 p.m.

  • Legion,” FX (series premiere; powerful mutant begins to understand his abilities)

9 p.m.

  • “City in the Sky,” PBS (series premiere; behind the scenes of invisible global networks and complex logistics of air travel)

 

Thursday, Feb. 9

Streaming

7 p.m.

  • “Masterchef Junior,” Fox (season premiere)

9 p.m.

  • “Impractical Jokers,” truTV (season 6)
  • “Nightwatch,” A&E (new episodes; emergency responders as they risk their lives to work the critical and daunting overnight shift in Tampa)

 

Friday, Feb. 10

Streaming

  • The Collection,” Amazon (series premiere; Sabine brothers launch fashion house in post-WW II Paris, but past, treachery threaten success)
  • “David Brent: Life on the Road,” Netflix (movie)

8 p.m.

  • “After Spring,” Starz (doc; personal stories of Syrian refugees and aid workers at the Zaatari Refugee Camp)
  • “Reign,” CW (season 4)
  • “Smokey Robinson: Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song,” PBS (special; all-star tribute to singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson)

9:30 p.m.

  • “John Lewis—Get in the Way,” PBS (doc; a look at the Civil Rights hero and Congressional leader)

 

Saturday, Feb. 11

6:30 p.m.

  • “NAACP Image Awards Red Carpet,” TV One (special)

7 p.m.

  • “From Straight A’s to XXX,” Lifetime (movie; college freshman at Duke University turns to porn)

8 p.m.

  • “48th NAACP Image Awards,” TV One (special)

 

Sunday, Feb. 12

6:30 p.m.

  • “Grammy Red Carpet Live,” CBS (special)

7 p.m.

  • “The Missing,” Starz (season 2)
  • “The 59th annual Grammy Awards,” CBS (special)

8 p.m.

  • “The Walking Dead,” AMC (season 7B)
  • “An Uncommon Grace,” Hallmark M&M (movie; complicated love story)

9 p.m.

  • “Girls,” HBO (final season)

9:13 p.m.

  • “Talking Dead,” AMC (midseason premiere)

10 p.m.

  • “Last Week with John Oliver,” HBO (season 4)

11:24 p.m.

  • “Comic Book Men,” AMC (season 6B)

 

Monday, Feb. 13

Streaming

  • Crownies,” Acorn TV (exclusive U.S. premiere; Aussie law drama that introduced Janet King character)
  • “Birds of a Feather,” Acorn TV (exclusive U.S. premiere of Series 12)

9 p.m.

  • Humans,” AMC (season 2)
  • “Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America,” PBS (“Independent Lens” premiere; musician Daryl Davis befriends Ku Klux Klan members in attempt to change their minds)

9:05 p.m.

  • “Eagles of Death Metal: Not Amis,” HBO (doc: members of American rock band recount experiences before and after tragic events of Nov. 13, 2015, terrorist attack in Paris)

 

Tuesday, Feb. 14

Streaming

  • “The Mindy Project,” Hulu (season 5B)

7 p.m.

  • “The Big Interview,” AXS TV (season 5)
  • “Bad Girls Club: East Meets West,” Oxygen (season premiere)
  • “Tough Mudder:  The Challenge Within,” CW (finale)

8 p.m.

  • “Love at First Glance,” Hallmark (movie; journalist finds love while writing a story about the meaning of love)
  • “Battle of the Ex-Besties,” Oxygen (series premiere; more of the same BGC BS)

9 p.m.

  • “Secrets of the Underground,” Science Channel (series premiere; scientist and tech fanatic Rob Nelson travels country to investigate subterranean phenomena)

 

Wednesday, Feb. 15

Streaming

  • “QB1: Beyond the Lights,” go90 (10-part docuseries; “Friday Night Lights” creator Peter Berg and Complex Networks’ Rated Red follow top high school quarterbacks Jake Fromm, Tate Martell, and Tayvon Bowers in senior year)

9 p.m.

  • “Doubt,” CBS (series premiere; attorney falls for client, who might be a killer)
  • “Hacking the Wild,” Discovery (series premiere; “Digital Survivalist” Andy Quitmeyer goes deep into remote areas with nothing but everyday technology and science to survive)
Thursday, Feb. 16

Streaming

  • “SuperMansion,” Crackle (season 2)

5 p.m.

  • “Good Spirits,” FYI (series premiere; cocktail chef Matthew Biancaniello sails globe on cruise lines to find what inspire one-of-a-kind cocktail creations; airs on A&E beginning Feb. 20)
Friday, Feb. 17

7:30 p.m.

  • “Pup Star,” Disney (movie; dog-filled spin on singing competitions)

8 p.m.

  • “New York City Ballet in Paris,” PBS (“Great Performances” premiere; Part 2 airs Feb. 24)

 

Saturday, Feb. 18

7 p.m.

  • “Britney Ever After,” Lifetime (movie; Natasha Bassett plays the pop star)

8 p.m.

  • “Planet Earth II,” BBC America (natural history series; shot over 2,089 shooting days during 117 filming trips in 40 different countries)

 

Sunday, Feb. 19

7 p.m.

  • The Good Fight,” CBS and CBS All Access (series premiere; forced out of Lockhart & Lee, Diane Lockhart and Maia Rindell join Lucca Quinn at one of Chicago’s pre-eminent law firms; “The Good Wife” spin-off will air its premiere simultaneously on CBS)
  • “Long Island Medium,” TLC (season premiere)

8 p.m.

  • Big Little Lies,” HBO (series premiere; 3 mothers of first-graders see their seemingly perfect lives unravel to point of murder)
  • “When Calls the Heart,” Hallmark (season 4)
  • “Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Higher Ground,” Hallmark M&M (movie; the Postables attempt to get a love letter to a resident who had been displace after Hurricane Katrina)
  • “The Paley Center Salutes NBC’s 90th Anniversary,” NBC (special; a look back on the network’s history)

9 p.m.

  • “Trapped,” Viceland (series premiere; after discovering a mangled body floating next to a ferry from Denmark, local police is a small Icelandic town investigate the death alone when a blizzard keeps big city detectives away)
  • “Billions,” Showtime (season 2)

9:30 p.m.

  • “Crashing,” HBO (series premiere; Pete Holmes stars as standup comic whose cheating wife leads him to reevaluate his life amidst the New York City comedy scene)

 

Monday, Feb. 20

7 p.m.

  • “Unlocking the Cage,” HBO (doc; animal rights attorney Steven Wise and Nonhuman Rights Project file first lawsuits seeking to transform animal from a thing with no rights to a person with legal protections)

8 p.m.

  • “The Talk—Race in America,” PBS (special; how black and Hispanic families counsel kids to stay safe if stopped by police)

9 p.m.

  • Bates Motel,” A&E (final season premiere)

Tuesday, Feb. 21

7 p.m.

  • “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise,” PBS (“American Masters” premiere; life of poet and author)

9 p.m.

  • “Needles and Pins,” Viceland (series premiere; tattoo artist Grace Neutral explores communities, histories and rapid growth of worldwide tattoo and body modification scenes)
  • “The Pop Game,” Lifetime (series premiere; Timbaland works with five aspiring singers)
  • “The Detour,” TBS (season 2 premiere, back-to-back episodes)

 

Wednesday, Feb. 22

8 p.m.

  • “Major Crimes,” TNT (season 5B)

9 p.m.

  • “Brit Awards 2017,” BBC America (special)

9:30 p.m.

  • “Vice World of Sports,” Viceland (season 2, subtitled “Rivals”)

 

Thursday, Feb. 23

Streaming

  • “My Brother, My Brother and Me,” Seeso (series premiere; McElroy brothers pick question from viewer, spin it into an adventure)

7 p.m.

  • “The Blacklist: Redemption,” NBC (series premiere; other baddies turn to fight for good in this “Blacklist” spin-off)

9 p.m.

  • “Sun Records,” CMT (limited series premiere; rise of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins)

 

Friday, Feb. 24

Streaming

  • Patriot,” Amazon (series premiere; nothing goes right for undercover intelligence officer John Tavner as he tries to stop Iran from going nuclear)

7:30 p.m.

  • “Prison Fighters: 5 Rounds to Freedom,” Showtime (doc; film examines controversial practice of Thai inmates fighting for their freedom)

9 p.m.

  • “Mama June: From Not to Hot,” WEtv (series premiere; June Shannon changes her look and more)

10 p.m.

  • “Vice,” HBO (season 5)

 

Saturday, Feb. 25

5 p.m.

  • “Film Independent Spirit Awards,” IFC (special)

7 p.m.

  • “Say Yes to the Dress,” TLC (season 15)
  • “Infidelity in Suburbia,” Lifetime (movie; home contractor fulfills housewife’s forbidden dreams)

 

Sunday, Feb. 26

6 p.m.

  • “Oscars Opening Ceremony: Live From the Red Carpet,” ABC (special)

7 p.m.

  • “89th Academy Awards,” ABC (special)

8 p.m.

  • “Building Alaska,” DIY (season premiere)

 

Monday, Feb. 27

Streaming

  • Code of a Killer,” Acorn TV (exclusive U.S. premiere; 3-part crime drama)

7 p.m.

  • “The Voice,” NBC (season 12)
  • “The Obama Years: The Power of Words,” Smithsonian (special; defining moments of Obama’s political career through his most memorable speeches)

8 p.m.

  • When We Rise,” ABC (limited series premiere; dramatization of early days of gay rights movement)
  • “America’s Great Civilizations,” PBS (doc series premiere; Henry Louis Gates, Jr. brings to life epic stories of African kingdoms and cultures)
  • “Cold Case Files,” A&E (season premiere; true crime series gets a reboot with host Donald Glover)

9 p.m.

  • Taken,” NBC (series premiere; young Bryan Mills seeks revenge in prequel to “Taken” films)

 

Tuesday, Feb. 28

8 p.m.

  • President Donald Trump’s address to Congress, ABC, CBS, NBC (news special)
  • “Little Women: LA,” Lifetime (season premiere)

9 p.m.

  • “The Partner,” CNBC (series premiere; 10 people compete for $500,000 contract and equity deal with Marcus Lemonis)