New survival series Battle Of Fates pits Korean fortune tellers against one another in February

Battle Of Fates

Debuts on Disney+ on Feb 11

This might be the first survival reality show where contestants compete on their abilities as fortune tellers, astrologers and shamans.

South Korea’s “top 49 fate readers” – supposedly experts in tarot-reading, shamanism and saju (a traditional Korean system of fortune-telling) – will go head-to-head in a series of challenges designed to test their talents and prove if they are the real deal.

Observing and commentating on all this are South Korean celebrities such as actor Park Ha-seon, comedienne Park Na-rae and Super Junior rapper Shindong.

Why watch it: This unique concept was co-created by Mo Eun-seol, who is also behind Netflix’s hit South Korean cooking survival show Culinary Class Wars (2024 to present).

And the first image released suggests she is looking to replicate the high drama of other popular survival series such as Physical: 100 (2023 to 2024), while exploring the Korean fascination with destiny.

Million-Follower Detective

Debuts on Netflix on Feb 12

This Taiwanese crime thriller follows a veteran police detective (Ekin Cheng) as he attempts to unmask “The Witch Baba”, an anonymous online figure who becomes famous for foretelling the murders of several influencers.

And her uncanny prophecies prompt a viral online investigation that attracts more than a million followers.

But as the cop teams up with an influencer (Lou Jun-shuo) to crack the case, he realises there may be a connection to his estranged daughter (Buffy Chen).

Why watch it: This is the first series since 2008 for Cheng, the Hong Kong actor best known for playing Chan Ho Nam in the Young And Dangerous triad films of the 1990s and Wind in the wuxia blockbuster The Storm Riders (1998).

It is also one of the most prominent acting roles yet for Lou, a Taiwanese singer-rapper better known as Shou.

Expect Million-Follower Detective to explore contemporary topics such as cancel culture, doxxing and the precarious nature of internet fame.

56 Days

Debuts on Prime Video on Feb 18

A post-Valentine’s Day cautionary tale, this erotic thriller is based on a bestseller by Irish author Catherine Ryan Howard, but swops the 2021 novel’s pandemic-era Dublin for present-day Boston.

Oliver (Avan Jogia) and Ciara (Dove Cameron) meet in a supermarket and fall for each other hard and fast.

But 56 days later, a decaying, unidentifiable body – which could be either male or female – is found in the bathtub in Oliver’s apartment.

The story then cuts between the police investigation and the timeline of the couple’s relationship.

Why watch it: Executive produced by James Wan – the Malaysia-born Australian film-maker behind the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring horror movie franchises – 56 Days looks to be a dark, sexy and slickly produced whodunnit.

Our Universe

Now streaming on HBO Max

Seon Tae-hyung (Bae In-hyuk) and Woo Hyun-jin (Roh Jeong-eui) are two strangers who meet and instantly rub each other the wrong way at the start of this South Korean romantic comedy drama.

But they are thrown together again when Seon’s brother and Woo’s sister, who are married, die in a tragic accident, leaving behind their 20-month-old son Woo-ju (Park Yoo-ho).

Overnight, Seon and Woo become the boy’s guardians, and must set aside their differences as they navigate their grief and figure out how to raise their nephew.

And their antagonism slowly morphs into romance as they co-parent and co-habitate.

Why watch it: This is the K-drama version of the trope – popularised by the 1987 Hollywood comedy Three Men And A Baby – where unprepared adults are forced to raise a child and bond in the process.

And a cute toddler is the perfect foil for the slow-burning chemistry between Bae (The Story Of Park’s Marriage Contract, 2023 to 2024) and Roh (Our Beloved Summer, 2021 to 2022).