Netflix is set to drop a slew of content next week — but, if we’re honest, most of it will basically be filler. That’s the generous way to put it, and it’s certainly the pattern we’ve seen for most of the month of January, which has been filled with TV shows and movies you’ll forget five minutes after the credits roll (if you even make it that far). Fortunately, there are always some exceptions here and there, and that’s what this post is all about.
Next week’s exceptions, in my opinion, both happen to be sophomore seasons of returning TV shows: The Recruit Season 2 and Mo Season 2 are both set to premiere on January 30, and they’re arguably the biggest Netflix new releases we’re getting next week, Certainly, the only ones that matter.
The Recruit (Season 2)
Let’s start with The Recruit. Noah Centineo is back as Owen Hendricks, the rookie CIA lawyer who stumbled his way into deadly international intrigue in Season 1. The series had the perfect mix of suspense, humor, and charm, with Centineo’s everyman charisma anchoring it all. In Season 2, which picks up after Season 1’s wild ending, Hendricks gets caught up in an espionage in an espionage crisis in South Korea, only to realize the bigger threat just might be coming from inside the agency.
“Owen’s headspace is complete chaos,” Centineo says in a Netflix promotional interview. “He has just witnessed Max — the former CIA asset whom he almost died multiple times trying to protect — get shot by her daughter Nichka. Owen is wondering how in the hell he is going to survive the next few seconds of his life.”
Mo (Season 2)
Then there’s Mo. If you missed the first season of Mo Amer’s semi-autobiographical dramedy, that’s something you need to rectify immediately. The show’s blend of heartfelt storytelling and razor-sharp humor made it one of Netflix’s best yet rather hidden gems. The series introduced us to Mo Najjar, a Palestinian refugee trying to keep his family together in Houston while also trying to secure asylum. The comedy was inspired by the life of star, co-creator, and executive producer Mo Amer.
From Netflix’s summary of the new season, “Mo Season 2 will bring its hero’s journey for asylum to an end, with Amer reprising his role as Mo, alongside Teresa Ruiz (Maria), Farah Bsieso (Yusra), and Omar Elba (Sameer), who are back as series regulars.
“The new episodes find Mo stranded across the border and desperate to get back to Houston before his family’s asylum hearing. But as a stateless refugee without a passport, he’s gonna need all the hustle and charm he can muster. Little does he know that the journey home is just the start of his troubles, and there’s a new guy in town ready to steal both his longtime love, Maria — and his falafel taco recipe.”
Mo is poignant, hilarious, and deeply human—and something that’s all too rare on Netflix: The kind of show that stays with you long after you’ve binged it.
