The hunt is on with Clarice, The Equalizer, and more of February’s TV premieres

Putting Eva Green in a velvet Victorian gown and handing her some tarot cards is arguably enough to sustain a historical limited series all on its own. But The Luminaries further stacks the deck (so to speak) with a novel frontier setting—1860s New Zealand, referred to here as “the end of the world”—a cast that also includes Tenet’s Himesh Patel and The Knick’s Eve Hewson, and a plot stuffed with murder, mystery, and mediumship. Based on the novel by Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries premiered in New Zealand and the U.K. last summer, and arrives on American shores courtesy of Starz, a network practically built on torrid period romance. [Katie Rife]

Kevin James plays yet another Kevin in Netflix’s The Crew, a new comedy about a tight-knit NASCAR crew weathering a change in leadership. When Bobby Spencer (Bruce McGill) hands over his racing team to his daughter Catherine (Jillian Mueller), Kevin (James) balks at the idea of working for someone he presumes has little knowledge of racing. The rest of the crew, including Sarah Stiles as Beth, seems a bit more capable of rolling with the punches—though the fact that they’re described as a “tech-reliant millennial” bunch suggests cars, not jokes, will be the only things zipping around in this comedy. Series creator Jeff Lowell, late of , executive produces along with James. [Danette Chavez]

Having already published a memoir, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is now bringing his “origin story” to NBC in Young Rock (not affiliated with ). The sitcom, which Johnson co-created with Nahnatchka Khan, will follow the Rock from pebble to wrestler to presidential candidate. (That last one is just within the world of the show,) Johnson and Khan have assembled a whole team of personable actors to portray The Rock at ages 10, 15, and 20: Adrian Groulx, Bradley Constant, and Uli Latukefu, respectively. This coming-of-age sitcom is a tad more involved than most; the framing device sees Randall Park (as himself, now a journalist) interviewing the presidential hopeful, which will trigger all kinds of flashbacks to his fanny-packed, mustachioed adolescence. But with Khan, fresh off , helping to lead the way, Young Rock should offer more than just more ’80s-fashions-based humor. [Danette Chavez]

It’s been 20 years since Kenan Thompson starred on Nickelodeon’s , but after some movie roles and 17 seasons on , he’s finally getting another live-action sitcom. On Kenan, Thompson plays a widowed father who hosts a morning talk show, with the stress of his life forcing him to begrudgingly accept help from his sax-loving father-in-law (Don Johnson) who is desperate to spend time with his granddaughters. SNL’s Chris Redd also stops by as Thompson’s brother, presumably offering some of the same kind of chaotic energy that Thompson played so well off of in his Nickelodeon days. It’s hard to get much of a read on the show from this short clip, but come on, Kenan Thompson is finally doing a sitcom again—and it’s about time. [Sam Barsanti]

It’s A Sin is already a hit in the U.K.: The affecting new series from Queer As Folk creator Russell T. Davies is reportedly on track to have the biggest-ever launch for a drama on Channel 4. Now the period drama is coming to co-producer HBO Max. Set in 1981, It’s A Sin follows a group of friends—Ritchie (Olly Alexander), Roscoe (Omari Douglas), and Colin (Callum Scott Howells)—as they navigate new lives in London. Their coming-of-age stories are shaped as much by first loves and jobs as the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a public health crisis that’s killed more than 32 million people since its outset. Davies’ series is, in part, a tribute to the lives lost, but though It’s A Sin confronts the harsh, homophobic realities faced by young men like Ritchie, it’s also a celebration of their resilience. (And yes, the soundtrack is fabulous.) [Danette Chavez]

In Harriet Warner’s (Call The Midwife) new series, three disparate lives intersect: those of a mother (Amy Brenneman) who won’t stop looking for her missing daughter, the girlfriend (Lily Rabe) of the serial killer who apparently abducted her, and a former predator (Hamish Linklater) that the mother enlists to find the girlfriend. Tell Me Your Secrets is a murky series, and not just because Rabe’s Emma is stuck in a swampy Louisiana town. The show seeks out the cruel underbelly of humanity, where discovering the ugly truth still trumps staying in a safe but unenlightened bubble. This makes Tell Me Your Secrets not the easiest series to watch, but the performances by the main trio make it worth it. Brenneman is all maternal ferocity and anguish; as Emma, Rabe grapples toward some semblance of a normal life; and Linklater’s character fights his natural but evil tendencies on a possibly fruitless search for absolution as a newly minted investigator. [Gwen Ihnat]

The newest addition to the CWverse has one of the most storied superheroes at its center: Superman (Tyler Hoechlin). Instead of charting his adolescence, à la , Superman & Lois will see Clark Kent navigating parenthood with Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch). It’s actually got a hint of , as Lois and Clark return to his hometown to raise their twin teenage sons, Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin), who, wouldn’t you know it, also begin to develop superpowers of their own. There are plenty of familiar names, if not faces (at least, in this context)—Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui) regularly comes over to the Kents’ for barbecue. But even though he’s ventured far from Metropolis, Superman still has to contend with a rich egomaniac (Adam Rayner as Morgan Edge), and someone called The Stranger (Wolé Parks), who’s “hellbent on proving to the world that it no longer needs Superman.” [Danette Chavez]

Ginny & Georgia is like Gilmore Girls in an alternative universe, one where Lorelai is on the lam and sports a Foghorn Leghorn-like Southern accent. Like that 2000s dramedy, Ginny & Georgia features a bright high-schooler (Antonia Gentry as Ginny) hanging with her less-responsible mother (Brianne Howey as Georgia), who gave birth to her when she was a teenager. In a close-knit New England town. And both the mother and daughter have two suitors. And the one the mom has more chemistry with the one who runs a restaurant. And the mom often spars with her cranky gay coworker. Honestly, the line between Ginny & Georgia being the most devoted Gilmore Girls homage imaginable and a plain ripoff is pretty thin. Unfortunately, despite the cast’s finest efforts (especially ’s Jennifer Robertson as a fun neighbor), it seems unlikely that G&G will come close to the charm of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s series—but at least it’s a lot more inclusive. [Gwen Ihnat]

Very rarely does a reboot inspire real excitement. In fact, it wasn’t long ago that news of a modernized , a Peacock original, caused us to scratch our own heads in confusion. Imagining the ’80s-era, rainbow-tinted audaciousness of Punky Brewster in today’s more grounded climate feels similarly out-of-place. However, there’s a chance this revival—which follows Punky (Soleil Moon Frye) as a single mother of three (hey, it worked for That’s So Raven)—will have some of the same magic that its streaming-mate found, making it another surprise hit for the NBCUniversal team. With Punky learning how to reclaim her “Punky Power” in the face of adversity and adulthood, the new sitcom could serve as a complex story bolstered by charisma and a can-do spirit. And if the old Punky Brewster taught us anything, it’s that anything is possible. [Shannon Miller]

, season two (February 8); Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, season eight (February 14); , season two (February 19); , season two (February 24)