The first month of 2022 is almost over, and Chinese New Year is around the corner. With the festive season fast approaching, there are plenty of exciting blockbusters to catch in theatres, such as Jack Neo’s Ah Girls Go Army. But if you prefer to laze at home — then check out New Police Story, God of Gamblers 2, Wish Dragon and Mahjong Heroes on Netflix.
That said, we will never forget the enticing selection of romance dramas and films appearing on Netflix and our other favourite TV streaming services too. Check out TheHomeground Asia’s recommendations on what to tune in to come February.
Rookie Cops
In this promising South Korean romance drama Rookie Cops, singer-turned-actor Kang Daniel plays Seung-Hyun, a police trainee in his first year at a police university. He is joined by actress Chae Soo-Bin who plays Ko Eun-Kang, a fellow freshman trainee who joined the force to get closer to her eye candy. Rookie Cops is Kang’s debut drama and Chae was initially intimidated when they first interacted. She said: “He had dyed hair, he’s this superstar, an idol, right? So I felt like he was far away from me and that I could never bridge the distance between us. But he’s actually a really good kid and we became close friends.”
Rookie Cops is now streaming on Disney+.
The Red Sleeve Special Episode
Back in the November’s Watchlist, we introduced The Red Sleeve which starred 2PM’s Lee Junho and Lee Se-Young. If you cannot get enough of the poignant love story between the two, you can now binge on a special unreleased episode of the historical K-drama. HereIn this special episode, the cast members reunite to answer viewers’ questions, and you get to catch behind-the-scenes bloopers and stories too.
The Red Sleeve is already streaming on Viu, the special episode will be streaming on Viu from 1 February 2022.
Through My Window
The steamy Spanish romance Through My Window has an interesting premise: Raquel (played by Clara Galle) and Ares (played by Julio Peña) are neighbours but a confrontational meeting ensued after Raquel caught Ares mooching on her home wifi, effectively changing the course of their lives and yes, sparks do fly thereafter and the mooching turns into smooching for the two.
Through My Window will be streaming on Netflix from 4 February 2022.
Suspicion
In AppleTV+’s upcoming full throttle thriller series Suspicion, Uma Thurman plays a high-profile CEO, whose child is taken by four masked kidnappers at a hotel. As the authorities narrow down their search to four suspects, the four find themselves in a cat and mouse game as they struggle to provide alibis. Thurman is joined by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar, The Americans’ Noah Emmerich, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Elizabeth Henstridge, and Black Mirror’s Georgina Campbell.
Suspicion will be streaming on AppleTV+ from 4 February 2022.
Inventing Anna
Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Shonda Rhimes is back to helm this Netflix documentary series based on a real life story. Russian born Anna Sorokin, or as her moniker goes “Anna Delvey” (played by Julia Garner), is a fake heiress who conned her way into the upper echelons of the New York society. In doing so, the “socialite” defrauded banks, hotels and many wealthy acquaintances. She was eventually arrested in 2017 and was subsequently released for “good behaviour”. This story caught worldwide attention after journalist Jessica Pressler covered the story in New York Magazine. Part of the docu-series was also directed by Devil Wears Prada’s director David Frankel, so you can expect some high-fashion moments too.
Inventing Anna will be streaming on Netflix from 11 February 2022.
Love and Leashes
Starring U-Kiss’ Lee Jun-Young and Girl Generation’s Seohyun, this upcoming K-drama is a world away from the classic South Korean rom-com. In Love and Leashes, Lee and Seohyun play colleagues-turned-sex partners-turned couple who venture into the steamy and playful realm of BDSM. We recommend binging this in one seating before Valentine’s Day.
Love and Leashes will be streaming on Netflix from 11 February 2022.
Thirty-Nine
After a three years break, Son Ye-Jin is making an on-screen comeback in Thirty-Nine, her first K-drama since 2019’s Crash Landing on You. Having taken on many roles in the past, including a chaebol (Korean for rich heiress) in Crash, a florist in Summer Scent and a prosecutor in Don’t Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus, Son is venturing into medicine in Thirty-Nine, where she plays a wealthy dermatologist. The new slice-of-life K-drama revolves around the lives of three female friends, all of whom are 39 years old, and is directed by Kim Sang-Ho and written by Yoo Young. She is joined by Jeon Mi-Do and Kim Ji-Hyun. Incidentally, Son is also presently dating her former Crash co-star Hyun Bin.
Thirty-Nine will be streaming on Netflix from 16 February 2022.
Space Force: Season 2
Season 2 of the hilarious Netflix comedy series Space Force picks up right after Season 1’s cliffhanger, where we see Steve Carell’s character General Mark R. Naird possibly headed to a court martial for insubordination. Despite mixed reviews from Season 1, which could probably be the reason why Netflix decided to cut its budget, the new season seems to be poised for the better. Iconic show-runner Norm Hiscock, who is known for his works in Parks and Recreation and King of the Hill, and The Office director Ken Kwapis have been brought in to save the show. Nevertheless, you can expect the same amount of chaos and hilarity between the members of the dysfunctional Space Force.
Space Force: Season 2 will be streaming on Netflix from 18 February 2022.
Severance
In the pursuit of better work-life balance, a group of scientists at Lumon Industries formulated a severance procedure that surgically divides their memories between work and personal lives. In simpler words, the individual is seen “splitting” himself into two worlds where he will have no recollection of what transpired in the office after work nor will he have any inkling to his personal life during work. A dark spin on the ‘work-life balance’ debacle, the workplace thriller is directed by Ben Stiller and stars Adam Scott as the lead.
Severance will be streaming on Apple TV+ from 18 February 2022.
The King’s Man
If you have yet to catch this at the theatre, you can watch the prequel to the action-espionage franchise series Kingsman here. The film stars Ralph Fiennes (or Lord Voldermort in the Harry Potter series) as the Duke of Oxford who unwillingly set up an independent spy agency to combat world threats. The King’s Man co-stars Gemma Arterton as Polly Wilkins, a housekeeper, Harris Dickison as the Duke’s son, and Djimon Hounsou as Shola, as a butler and bodyguard.
The King’s Man will be streaming on Disney+ from 23 February 2022.
Kill Heel
We have seen several K-dramas that delve into the cut-throat corporate world, but have yet to venture into the fiercely competitive world of home shopping. In Kill Heel, TV and movie veteran Kim Ha-Neul stars as Woo Hyun, an exceedingly average and mundane home shopping host with a big dream. She aspires to be like Bae Ok-Sun (played by Kim Sung-Ryoung), the highest-paid celebrity host in the home shopping field.
Kill Heel will be streaming on Viu from 24 February 2022.
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