February has proven to be a great month for TV, all things considered, with exciting and critically acclaimed new series pretty much across the streaming spectrum. We got, among other TV shows this month, everything from Prime Video’s stellar new spy series Mr. & Mrs. Smith to big new Netflix releases like the swoon-worthy One Day and a live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
In terms of the best new shows, meanwhile, there are three series (one of which is just days away from debuting as of the time of this writing) that have sufficiently wowed critics to the point that each of them has a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, that’s obviously not a guarantee that you as a viewer will end up liking this or that series, but it’s nonetheless still a noteworthy signal about the quality of each of these dramas — all of which, by the way, feature largely Asian casts and stories.
We’ll take a closer look at all three below.
Shogun
In this 10-episode FX series set in Japan and coming on Feb. 27 — and adapted from James Clavell’s bestselling novel — it’s the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Hiroyuki Sanada stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him. “When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, its English pilot, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), comes bearing secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power and devastate the formidable influence of Blackthorne’s own enemies — the Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants.
“Toranaga’s and Blackthorne’s fates become inextricably tied to their translator, Toda Mariko (Sawai), a mysterious Christian noblewoman and the last of a disgraced line. While serving her lord amidst this fraught political landscape, Mariko must reconcile her newfound companionship with Blackthorne, her commitment to the faith that saved her, and her duty to her late father.”
House of Ninjas
Next on the list of TV shows that are absolutely crushing it on Rotten Tomatoes right now — who doesn’t love a good story about ninjas?
This action-packed, eight-episode drama from Netflix is built around the idea of ninjas having existed in secret throughout Japanese history — and some of them remain active today. The show is set in modern-day Japan and tells the story of the final clan of ninjas, a family that decided to put its legacy behind it once and for all after a mission gone wrong. But you know how these things go.
Whether it’s a story about ninjas, Marvel superheroes, or some other kind of reluctant warrior, there’s always a guy who shows up with a warning and an urgent request. The public is in danger, the heroes are told; the fate of the country hangs in the balance, and these shadow warriors are called upon to rise to the occasion one more time.
A Killer Paradox
This final TV show is another Netflix drama, this time about an ordinary man who ends up killing … (checks notes) … a serial killer. Dexter fans, I think you’ll especially love this K-drama starring Parasite’s Choi Woo-shik as a down-on-his-luck university student who works a low-paying job at a convenience store.
Lee Tang (Choi) is a 20-something who also still relies on his parents for support, in addition to working at the convenience store. He’s a generally passive guy, with no real goals in life. One day, on his way home from work, one of his customers assaults him — a confrontation that triggers Tang’s memories of being bullied in school, so he snaps and fights back. So much so, that he kills his assailant.
Consumed with guilt, he decides to turn himself in. Until, that is, he realizes that the man he killed was, in fact, a serial killer.
In this hit Netflix series, which is based on the webtoon of the same name by Kkomabi, Tang goes on to kill again and again. He’s not a bad guy if he offs bad guys, right?
