The Best Shows To Watch On Netflix In February 2021

The new show on Netflix:

“Canine Intervention” (Netflix Original)

Premise: Dog trainer Jas Leverette tries to retrain dogs facing the threat of being put down given aggressive behavior. This is basically the same plot as Cesar Milan’s “The Dog Whisperer.”

Leverette uses some unfortunate techniques on the dogs, such as punishment collars for bad behavior. This will make the show a hard pass for some. But beyond that aspect, the “Canine Intervention” ultimately centers on hope and the rewarding transformation of these loved pets. Surprisingly few dog-centric shows are available in the streaming world, and “Canine Intervention” at least makes for a compelling watch.

Netflix descriptors: “Inspiring,” “emotional” and “feel-good”

How it starts: The show features extreme close-ups of dogs set against a black backdrop. The dogs stare into the camera as uplifting electronic music plays.

“Dogs are complex creatures,” Leverette says in a voiceover as the show features more close-ups of dogs. “With complex emotions. They feel joy, hurt, fear and love.”

A dog barks on camera.

Runtime: Six episodes of roughly 30 minutes

Bonus: Here’s an old video of host Jas Leverette that features some truly wild editing choices in the intro.

Shows from earlier in the month:

“Tribes of Europa” (Netflix Original)

Premise: In this dark sci-fi show from Germany, a catastrophic event wipes out the energy grid in 2029. Roughly four decades later, different tribes have established small communities across Europe and vie for militaristic dominance. When a mysterious cube comes into the possession of one such tribal family, a new war breaks out over who will control the cube.

The show is in German and comes from the same production company behind the Netflix show “Dark.”

Netflix descriptors: “Dystopian,” “dark” and “exciting”

How it starts: Explanatory text appears in paragraph chunks:

In 2029, a mysterious global blackout led to decades of chaos and anarchy.

The old nations disappeared. Countless micro-states emerged, developing their own beliefs and cultural identities.

These are the Tribes.

The show cuts to an extreme close-up of a young woman’s face, and she begins narrating in German about her family’s existential struggles. The camera pulls back to show her standing in the hollowed-out shell of a building that has a sleek, metallic design reminiscent of the 2010s.

Runtime: Six episodes of roughly 45 minutes

Bonus: Here’s an alternate version of the trailer to get a better sense of what this show is like.

“Nadiya Bakes” (Netflix Original)

Premise: The British chef Nadiya Hussain hosts this baking show that features beautiful shots of opulent desserts.

Hussain became famous when she won the 2015 series of “The Great British Bake Off.” This show doesn’t feature the competition elements of “Bake Off,” but certainly continues the genre of happy escapism. My current favorite happy escapist show on Netflix is the similarly British “The Big Flower Fight,” but until that comes back, I welcome all well-crafted distract-from-pandemic content.

Netflix descriptor: “Feel-good”

How it starts: Twinkling music plays over an establishing shot of a butterfly. The show then cuts to Hussain standing in a kitchen talking to the camera.

“We all know life can be tough,” Hussain says. The show cycles through close-ups of decadent desserts. “But when I bake, somehow it makes me feel that little bit better.”

Runtime: Eight episodes of roughly 30 minutes

Bonus: Hussain appeared on “The Graham Norton Show” and shared a story of baking the Queen of England’s birthday cake.

“Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready” (Season 2, Netflix Comedy Series)

Premise: Tiffany Haddish hosts this showcase of experienced comedians who have not broken through to A-list stardom yet. The first season featured all female comedians; this season features all Black comics.

The episodes balance backstories of the comedians with a comedy set as a focal point. This second season was filmed during the pandemic, so some of the sets focus on that.

Featured comedians this season include Godfrey and Dean Edwards.

Netflix descriptors: “Raunchy,” “witty” and “irreverent”

How it starts: Haddish sits alone in a venue and talks about how Godfrey is one of her “personal favorites.” Godfrey’s set is the focus of the season’s first episode.

“Godfrey, I consider like family.”

Runtime: Seven episodes of roughly 20 minutes

Bonus: Here’s the trailer for the first season.

All the shows that have joined Netflix this month so far: