14 TV Shows and Specials to Watch in February 2016

The freshman season of FX’s American Crime Story takes viewers behind the scenes of the trial that captivated the nation—one that ultimately found O.J. Simpson not guilty of the double homicide of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as Simpson, with John Travolta and David Schwimmer as his defense attorneys Robert Shapiro and Robert Kardashian, respectively. Other key players in the legal drama’s retelling include Sarah Paulson in the role of prosecutor Marcia Clark and Selma Blair portraying Kris Jenner. (Feb. 2, 10 p.m. ET on FX)

Directed by Spike Lee, the Showtime documentary explores how the King of Pop came to be. Featuring archival footage as well as interviews with Michael Jackson’s peers and family members, the special offers an in-depth look at Jackson’s rise to fame before releasing his 1979 album, Off the Wall. (Feb. 5, 9 p.m. on Showtime)

Former The Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee is breaking into the male-dominated world of late night television with a weekly 30-minute program on TBS. With her quick wit and field reporting, the comedian will tackle culturally-relevant topics including politics and the role of women in the military. (Feb. 8, 10:30 p.m. on TBS)

HBO’s latest drama is set in 1970s New York, when the city’s music scene was defined by sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. Bobby Cannavale plays the struggling president of a record label at the show’s center, with Olivia Wilde starring as his wife. Both fictional musicians and real ones—think, David Bowie and Led Zeppelin—will be represented onscreen, and the show’s sense of authenticity is legitimate. The Rolling Stones’s Mick Jagger is an executive producer, along with Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter. (Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. on HBO)

Following the success of Adele’s Live in New York special that aired in December 2015, the British singing sensation is treating her fans to another televised concert—and this time, she’s doing it across the pond. In addition to performing her Oscar-winning James Bond theme song, “Skyfall,” on TV for the first time since the 85th Academy Awards in 2013, Adele will sing past hits as well as songs from her latest album, 25. (Feb. 14, 10 p.m. on BBC America)

James Franco stars as a divorced high school English teacher on a mission in the eight-part miniseries from J.J. Abrams and Stephen King. Tasked with traveling back in time to stop John F. Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, Franco’s character attempts to figure out who was intent on killing JFK while trying to rewrite history in the drama, which is based on King’s novel of the same title. Fittingly, it premieres on Presidents Day. (Feb. 15 on Hulu)

In the first season of Breaking Bad’s prequel, we learned the backstory of Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk). After walking a morally-ambiguous line between con-artist and public defender all season, Jimmy discovered that his brother, Chuck, has been the one standing in the way of his career success all along. The betrayal was definitely a turning point for Jimmy, but whether or not it’s the driving force that leads him to adopt his ultimate Saul Goodman persona from Breaking Bad remains TBD. (Feb. 15, 10 p.m. ET on AMC)

The queens of Comedy Central return with a third season. Executive produced by Amy Poehler, the series stars its co-creators Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer as two broke twenty-something BFFs living in New York City. The show doesn’t shy away from the characters’ grittier moments, and we’re ready for them to serve up a fresh dose of realness. (Feb. 17, 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central)

Judd Apatow’s new 10-episode comedy delivers a brutally honest look at modern dating. At the show’s center is the romance between two seemingly-opposite individuals, nice-guy Gus (Paul Rust) and fun-loving Mickey (Gillian Jacobs). Expect funny moments as the show delves into male and female perspectives on relationships. And it’s OK to commit to binge-watching this one—the show has already been picked up for a second season. (Feb. 19 on Netflix)

The buzzed-about special brings the casts of past hit sitcoms like Friends, Will & Grace, Cheers, and Frasier together in honor of director James Burrows’s 1,000th episode. While the special may not be quite the Friends reunion that fans had hoped for (Matthew Perry couldn’t break from his theater gig in London to attend the taping, but will appear in a pre-recorded segment), there will be enough star power in one room to keep things interesting. Just take in the magic of the Friends cast catching up with the stars of The Big Bang Theory in Johnny Galecki’s Instagram snap pictured above.  (Feb. 21, 9 p.m. ET on NBC)

The Girls gang is back for season five, and they’re finally (maybe?) ready to take on adulthood. Lena Dunham has already confirmed that season six will be the show’s last, which means that we’re ready to obsess over every awkward moment of its penultimate season. So far, we know that Marnie (Allison Williams) is tying the knot, Hannah (Dunham) is working out, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) is heading to Japan, and Jessa (Jemima Kirke) is—well, Jessa is being Jessa. (Feb. 21, 10 p.m. on HBO)

The Tanners are finally returning to TV, and boy, have they grown up. The long-anticipated Full House sequel is here, 20 years after the original series aired its last episode—and the entire cast is on board, other than Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (the fashion designer duo won’t be reprising their joint role as Michelle, sadly). In the 13-episode reboot, D.J. (Candace Cameron Bure) finds herself in the same situation that her dad once faced—widowed and raising three kids alone. She enlists the help of her best friend Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) and younger sis, Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin). Sound familiar? (Feb. 26 on Netflix)

The sequel to 2000’s Oscar-winning martial arts film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, again stars Michelle Yeoh as female warrior Yu Shu-Lien. This time around, she’s fighting to protect a powerful sword from an evil warlord. Since it’s being released in IMAX theaters, this one may seem more like it belongs on your movie list—but it’s also streaming on Netflix, so we’re going to go ahead and suggest adding it to your TV queue. (Feb. 26 on Netflix)

It’s Shondaland time! ABC’s Thursday night lineup has been MIA since November, but Shonda Rhimes’s trio of juicy dramas are finally back. Tune in for the back-to-back midseason premieres of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder to get your soapy fix. (Feb. 11, starting at 8 p.m. ET on ABC)