After all the midseason TV shows that premiered in January, it’s impressive that television still has so much left over for the rest of the winter. February is packed with important series premieres, returns, and finales — which is fortunate, because just today Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, and we’re going to need all the TV we can get to keep us warm indoors while we avoid the outside world. From the premiere of Better Call Saul to the end of Parks and Recreation, here are ten TV events to put on your calendar this month.
February 4: Fresh Off the Boat premieres on ABC
There’s already plenty of buzz surrounding Fresh Off the Boat. Not only was it praised by critics as the best new sitcom pilot (all the way back in fall!), but Eddie Huang, who wrote the memoir the series is loosely based on, has been vocal about his struggles with the network and ABC’s awful marketing. It’s a comedy that mostly lives up to the hype, and premieres on Wednesday with a double dose of funny episodes.
February 8 and 9: Better Call Saul premieres on AMC
Speaking of highly anticipated comedies, it’s safe to say that Better Call Saul is the show that everyone is looking forward to, even if it’s just to see whether or not it’s going to be a disaster. The Breaking Bad spinoff focuses on Saul Goodman and aims to humanize the slimy lawyer a bit, to explore his motives in more detail than Breaking Bad was able to. The series gets a two-night premiere, with episodes airing this coming Sunday and Monday.
February 11: Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara star in Schitt’s Creek
Last month, TVGN (which was previously known as the TV Guide Network) rebranded again to become Pop. This month, it will debut its first scripted series, Schitt’s Creek, a Canadian sitcom starring Christopher Guest staples Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as a rich couple who lose everything and have to rebuild in a small town (Schitt’s Creek) that they once jokingly bought.
February 12: The Slap miniseries begins on NBC
Here is February’s weirdest premiere: NBC’s eight-episode series The Slap. Based on an Australian drama (which was based on a novel), The Slap stars Zachary Quinto as a man who, without thinking, slaps someone else’s child and has to face the consequences. The family drama also stars Peter Sarsgaard, Uma Thurman, Melissa George, and Thandie Newton.
February 15: NBC celebrates 40 years of Saturday Night Live
You already know what SNL is, so let’s just marvel at the number of amazing celebrities who will take part in the three-hour event: Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, and Paul Simon will all perform, while Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Betty White, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, and plenty more are scheduled to appear.
February 19: The Odd Couple reboot premieres on CBS
This month’s ill-advised reboot is CBS’s The Odd Couple. Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon portray iconic characters Oscar and Felix, respectively, in the fourth iteration of The Odd Couple on screen. The two mismatched roommates will surely have some blandly funny disagreements, much to the delight of CBS viewers everywhere.
February 20: Adult Swim gets weird with sitcom parodies
This month Adult Swim is premiering both a new show and a new special. First up is The Jack and Triumph Show, starring Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog as unlikely roommates (hey, it’s basically The Odd Couple!) in a darkly funny multi-camera series that works as both a sitcom and a parody of sitcoms. Then there’s Bagboy, a surreal and absolutely hilarious sitcom parody featuring character Steve Brule (John C. Reilly) as a hapless bag boy (who regularly breaks the fourth wall).
February 24: Parks and Recreation ends forever, and we all cry
Based on its poorly received first season, it seemed unlikely that Parks and Recreation would ever become a good sitcom, let alone one of the funniest programs currently on television. But the writers learned to let the characters shine by finding unique idiosyncrasies to explore and by allowing Leslie to become a sitcom heroine whose optimism rubbed off on everyone around her — including viewers. This month, Parks ends its seven-season run with a one-hour finale.
February 25: Catfish returns!
MTV’s biggest guilty pleasure returns for a fourth season. With Max leaving to film a movie, Nev spends a few episodes with various guest hosts, including Tyler Oakley and Angel Haze.
February 27: People have sex in a box on Sex Box
The best and worst reality show of 2015 is finally happening.