February may be the shortest month, but it has no shortage of book-to-screen adaptations. Be on the lookout for Kirkus’ forthcoming columns on Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, based on the bestseller by Helen Fielding and starring Renée Zellweger (premiering on Peacock on Feb. 13), and the horror-comedy film The Monkey, based on the short story by Stephen King from his collection Skeleton Crew (premiering in theaters on Feb. 21). Here are four more book-to-screen adaptations headed to big and small screens in the coming weeks:

Feb. 2: Funny Woman (Season 2 premiere, PBS)

Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man, Culprits) stars in the second season of this 1960s-set series, which first aired on British pay-TV channel Sky Max. It’s based on Nick Hornby’s Kirkus-starred 2015 novel, Funny Girl, about beauty-pageant winner Barbara Parker from the English seaside town of Blackpool, who heads to London hoping to find success on a sitcom. As this second season opens, Barbara—who takes the stage name of Sophie Straw—is now a famous TV comedy star but faces challenges in both her professional and personal life. However, a new movie role could change everything. Arterton is always a lively presence, and she effectively anchors a show that also lightly touches on social and cultural changes during the Swinging ’60s.

Feb. 6: Sweet Magnolias (Season 4 premiere, Netflix)

Between 2007 and 2014, Sherryl Woods published 11 popular Sweet Magnolias novels set in the small town of Serenity, South Carolina. They inspired this easygoing Netflix drama series that follows the personal and professional troubles and triumphs of single mom Maddie Townsend (Reba’s JoAnna Garcia Swisher), lawyer and entrepreneur Helen Decatur (Tony and Grammy Award winner Heather Headley), and restaurateur Dana Sue Sullivan (Drop Dead Diva’s Brooke Elliott) and their families. This new season sees the trio, who call themselves the Sweet Magnolias, dealing with a major storm and other crises between Halloween and Christmas, and fans can expect them to get through it all by leaning on one another during casual, cocktail-centered get-togethers. As Dana Sue notes in this trailer: “Sweet Magnolias don’t toast regrets. We toast hope, love, and occasionally top-tier gossip.” It’s a low-key small-town show that recalls the comfort-viewing of the Hallmark Channel’s Chesapeake Shores, which ended in 2022 and was based on another of Woods’ book series.

Feb. 14: Paddington in Peru (theatrical film premiere)

This third film-series installment continues the tale of Paddington Bear. Michael Bond’s 1958 children’s book, A Bear Called Paddington, established the title character as a Peruvian orphan who first arrived at London’s Paddington railway station with a suitcase and a note on his coat reading, “Please look after this bear. Thank you.” The sweet-natured creature, who loves marmalade sandwiches, is taken in by the Brown family and goes on to have numerous adventures over the course of 29 books. The movies, loosely based on Bond’s stories, began in 2014 with Paddington, directed by Paul King, who also helmed the lovely sequel, Paddington 2, which was, deservedly, a critical and commercial hit, thanks to its upbeat style and Wes Anderson–like cinematography. Both featured The Hour’s Ben Whishaw as the voice of the title character; The Crown’s Imelda Staunton as Paddington’s Aunt Lucy, now living in the Home for Retired Bears in Peru; and Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville as the bear’s adoptive father, Henry Brown. All return in this third installment, directed by Dougal Wilson, which has Paddington return to his native country, where he goes on a quest to find his missing aunt that involves the legend of El Dorado, the lost city of gold.

Feb. 20: Reacher (Season 3 premiere, Prime Video)

Since 1997, Lee Child has written or co-written 29 thrillers and several short stories featuring ex–military policeman and drifter Jack Reacher—a brilliant investigator who keeps getting entangled in mysteries that require his particular combination of brains and brawn. As our reviewer put it, regarding the 2017 collection, No Middle Name, “The fun of Reacher is his mix of Holmes-ian deductive genius, wisecracking insolence, and tough-guy muscle.” The same can be said for this streaming-series adaptation, which stars the entertaining Alan Ritchson as the tough, snarky sleuth; its first season, based on Child’s 1997 series-starter, Killing Floor, made the list of our favorite adaptations of 2022. The second season adapted the Kirkus-starred 2007 entry, Bad Luck and Trouble, and this third go-round takes on another starred title: 2003’s Persuader, in which Reacher gets involved in a mission to rescue a federal agent. The brutal fights are always a highlight of the show, and this season, Reacher faces a rare challenge—an opponent more imposing than he is, played by Dutch bodybuilder/actor Olivier Richters.

David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.