9 Netflix original series to binge watch in February 2019

The Break on Netflix (Image by Netflix)

The Break: Season Two – February 9

The Break is a French-language Belgian crime series about a grief-stricken police detective who moves back home and is immediately drawn into a dark case with buried secrets.

I don’t know much more about it except that the lead actor (Yoann Blanc) looks a lot like a Belgian version of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Criminal Intent character, with a lot of unusual mannerisms and head tilting but with the added excitement of seeming to just barely be holding it together.

Just watching the trailer it looks like this guy is just going to spiral into madness at any moment. It’s probably worth watching for him alone, never mind all the added benefits of a dark mystery.

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj on Netflix (Image by Netflix)

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj – February 14

If you hadn’t heard, Netflix came under fire for this show because they pulled an episode that was critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman after pressure from the Saudi Arabian government.

Apparently, the episode’s content violated Saudi laws regarding cybercrime and the production of content which challenges public order.

Minhaj rightly questioned America’s continued relationship with Saudi Arabia, but questions like that challenge public order.

In any case, the show continues, which is good news because Patriot Act is another in a run of smart, funny, thoughtful, political news shows born from The Daily Show.

The more diverse and intelligent entertainers can trick us into questioning the status quo, the better off everyone will be.