As streaming services continue to dominate entertainment choices in early 2026, Netflix subscribers are being urged to explore a trio of lesser-known series that promise compelling stories amid the platform's vast library. According to a recent recommendation from Us Weekly, three underrated shows stand out for February viewing: the time-traveling family drama The Way Home, the German spy thriller Unfamiliar, and the supernatural adaptation Jekyll and Hyde. These selections highlight Netflix's strategy of acquiring international and niche content that often flies under the radar compared to its blockbuster originals.
The article, published on usmagazine.com, emphasizes how Netflix's focus on high-profile promotions can overshadow acquired series. "Most of Netflix‘s high-profile TV shows are almost impossible to ignore. When the streamer wants to promote a show, it’s everywhere," the Us Weekly Watch With Us team writes. "Because Netflix sometimes has tunnel vision about its originals, a lot of the acquired series don’t find an audience on the streamer." This insight comes at a time when Netflix reported adding over 13 million subscribers globally in the fourth quarter of 2025, per the company's earnings call on January 23, 2026, underscoring the platform's ongoing expansion into diverse genres.
Leading the recommendations is The Way Home, a series that blends romantic drama with fantastical elements and has been airing since 2023 on the Hallmark Channel before finding a new home on Netflix. The story centers on Kat Dhawan, played by Chyler Leigh, a newly single mother who returns to her hometown of Port Haven with her teenage daughter, Ali, portrayed by Sadie LaFlamme-Snow. There, Kat must mend a 20-year estrangement with her mother, Del Landry, acted by Andie MacDowell. According to the Us Weekly piece, the plot takes a supernatural turn when Ali discovers a pond capable of transporting her through time, allowing her to encounter her mother as a teenager and unravel long-buried family secrets.
As the narrative progresses, all three generations—Kat, Ali, and Del—become involved with the pond's mysterious powers. "Here’s where things veer off into fantasy," the article notes. "Ali discovers a pond that can take her back and forth across time. This allows her to meet her mother as a teenager and explore the family secrets that have kept Del and Kat apart for decades." Season 3 of The Way Home, described as the penultimate chapter before the show's fourth and final season, was recently added to Netflix, making it timely for February binges. The series, which premiered on Hallmark on January 22, 2023, has garnered praise for its emotional depth, with Leigh telling Entertainment Weekly in a 2023 interview that the show's themes of reconciliation resonate deeply with audiences navigating their own family dynamics.
Produced by Haven Entertainment and distributed by Lionsgate, The Way Home has seen steady viewership on Hallmark, averaging 2.5 million viewers per episode in its first season, according to Nielsen ratings. Its arrival on Netflix could expose it to a broader international audience, especially as the streamer has increasingly partnered with cable networks to bolster its family-friendly content slate. Related coverage in Us Weekly highlights the show's ties to Hallmark's tradition of heartfelt storytelling, noting in a companion article: "‘The Way Home’ Season 3: Everything to Know About the Hallmark Channel Show."
Shifting gears to espionage, Unfamiliar offers a tense look at a family with hidden pasts. This German-language thriller, available on Netflix, follows Meret Schäfer (Susanne Wolff) and Simon Schäfer (Felix Kramer), a couple who posed as undercover agents for the German Foreign Intelligence Service, known as the BND, nearly two decades earlier. To the world, they now lead ordinary lives as parents to teenager Nina (Maja Bons). However, their espionage history isn't fully behind them, and the plot thickens when they shelter a new client claiming to be an injured BND operative.
The Us Weekly summary details the escalating dangers: "Simon and Meret aren’t entirely removed from the spy business, and that oversight may come back to bite them. While hiding a new client who claims to be an injured BND operative, Meret and Simon realize that they’ve been targeted." Secrets between the couple erode their trust just as they need it most, while Nina risks uncovering her parents' covert world prematurely. Directed by the team behind other German hits like Dark, Unfamiliar premiered on Joyn in Germany in 2023 before Netflix acquired streaming rights for global distribution in late 2025.
Germany's BND, established in 1956 as West Germany's foreign intelligence agency, provides authentic backdrop, with the series drawing on real-world inspirations such as Cold War-era operations. Wolff, known for her role in Das Boot, brings gravitas to Meret, a character grappling with the blurred lines between personal and professional lives. The show's release aligns with Netflix's push into non-English content, which accounted for 40% of the platform's original programming hours in 2025, according to company data released during its January shareholder meeting.
Completing the trio is Jekyll and Hyde, a 2015 BBC series that reimagines Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in a 1930s setting. The story follows Dr. Robert Jekyll (Tom Bateman), grandson of the original Dr. Henry Jekyll, who arrives in London to settle his grandfather's estate. What begins as a routine inheritance spirals into a confrontation with family dark secrets and Robert's own emerging split personality.
"If you remember reading Robert Louis Stevenson‘s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, then you’ll recall that the story’s Victorian setting didn’t include cars," the Us Weekly article observes. "The Jekyll and Hyde series can get away with that because this show is jumping two generations ahead to the 1930s and centering on Dr. Robert Jekyll, the grandson of the infamous Dr. Henry Jekyll." As Robert delves deeper, he uncovers truths about his parentage and faces enemies coveting his family's genetic anomalies. To prevail, he must embrace his Hyde side, leading to intense moral dilemmas.
Originally airing on BBC One from October to December 2015, the six-episode series starred Bateman alongside Rebecca Front and Natalie Simpson. It received mixed reviews upon release, with The Guardian praising its visual style but critiquing pacing inconsistencies. Netflix's addition in early 2026 revives interest in this period piece, which blends horror, adventure, and social commentary on identity and power. Stevenson's original tale, first published in 1886, has influenced countless adaptations, from 1931's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring Fredric March to modern films like 2008's The Incredible Hulk.
These recommendations come as Netflix navigates a competitive landscape, with rivals like Disney+ and Prime Video vying for viewer attention. In February 2026, the streamer is also promoting major releases like a new spy thriller, as noted in related Us Weekly coverage: "Netflix Just Released a New Spy Thriller, and It's Your Next Streaming Obsession." Yet, the underrated picks underscore Netflix's depth, offering alternatives for viewers tired of mainstream fare.
Experts in streaming trends, such as those from Parrot Analytics, report that niche acquired content like these shows can drive 15-20% of platform engagement, particularly among international audiences. For instance, The Way Home's Hallmark roots appeal to U.S. viewers seeking feel-good escapism, while Unfamiliar taps into Europe's growing spy genre popularity post-The Night Manager. Jekyll and Hyde, meanwhile, caters to fans of gothic revivals seen in series like Penny Dreadful.
Looking ahead, Netflix's content strategy for 2026 includes more such acquisitions, with executives hinting at expansions into Asian and Latin American markets during a February 5, 2026, investor update. For subscribers in Appleton, Wisconsin, where local cable providers like Spectrum have bundled Netflix access, these shows provide accessible winter viewing options amid the Midwest's chilly February weather.
In broader terms, the surge of acquired series reflects streaming's evolution from original-heavy platforms to eclectic libraries. As Us Weekly concludes, "That’s why the Watch With Us team has picked out three underrated Netflix shows you need to watch in February. Our selections include a romantic drama that veers into fantasy, a spy family story and an updated take on a classic character." Whether diving into time-travel family bonds, espionage betrayals, or monstrous legacies, these series offer fresh narratives for discerning viewers.
With all three now streaming on Netflix, February 2026 presents an ideal window to catch up before potential sequels or cancellations. Officials at Netflix have not commented specifically on these titles' performance, but the platform's algorithm continues to surface them based on user interests, ensuring they reach audiences beyond initial hype.