THE REMNANTS OF WINTER (AND LUGE OF CURRENT EVENTS) STILL HAVE YOU WRAPPED UP IN DOLDRUMS? WHAT BETTER TIME TO EMBRACE COMFORTING DISTRACTION VIA THESE SWELL NEW STREAMING STANDOUTS FOR SPRING

BY DAN SALAMONE

WHITE LOTUS, SEASON 3 FEBRUARY 16 (HBO)

Mike White’s critic-beloved televisual thriller returns for another go-round. Based on the reviews and assorted chatter online, it will continue to “satirize” (the show leans so hard into lifestyle erotica, it’s tough to give it the full “satire” label) the decadent foibles of the grotesquely rich and provide more of the same sexy, hilarious thrills in a way recognizable from seasons one and two, but now with Walton Goggins, Parker Posey, and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s very handsome progeny, Patrick. (Parker Posey in anything is must-see.)

DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN MARCH 4 (DISNEY+)

Now we have fulfilled our obligation to drop something Marvel-shaped into this column. Perhaps the most beloved of the now-defunct Marvel Netflix shows, Daredevil covered the bad guy-eviscerating adventures of a blind lawyer who moonlights as basically the world’s most dangerous super ninja. This new limited series features the same key actors from the earlier show: Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin, and Charlie Cox as the afore mentioned blind lawyer. The action this time around is about Daredevil embarking on a “collision course” with a former mob boss now running for mayor

PLANKTON: THE MOVIE MARCH 6 (NETFLIX)

Yes, we strive to be the toniest of tastemakers, renowned for our refined ability to foretell the latest trends and declare the future vanguard of pop culture. Does that make us immune to the pleasures of a megalo maniacal plankton and his star-crossed romance with a sentient computer? No, it emphatically does not! Netflix is releasing this new movie spin-off of the SpongeBob Cinematic Universe, and if the parent show is any indication, this will be layered in as many quirky absurdist jokes and references for the moms and dads as for the kids. Sign this writer up

GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY MARCH 19 (HULU)

Filling the Tyler Perry role of providing heaping doses of purple camp is Hulu’s docu-drama about a family who adopts a daughter who they come to believe is actually an adult with dwarfism. The real story is somewhere between in scrutable and sad, but from the trailers (featuring the presence of a strongly mugging Ellen Pompeo of Grey’s Anatomy) there appears a strong chance for this to be the kind of histrionic silliness that career Lifetime watchers expect from such things. If this disappoints: the second Orphan movie (First Kill), which essentially covers the same story (with creative murders added), is a blast from crazy start to crazy finish and features an all-time Julia Stiles performance.

THE RESIDENCE MARCH 20 (NETFLIX)

Shonda Rhimes’ new Netflix show asks the immortal question, “What if Knives Out, but at the White House?” Uzo Aduba stars as wry detective Cordelia Cupp, tasked with solving a murder at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue after a disastrous state dinner. The mammoth cast of ringers in this dramedy also includes Randall Park, Giancarlo Esposito, Susan Kelechi Watson, Jane Curtin, Jason Lee, and Ken Marino.

MOBLAND MARCH 30 (PARAMOUNT+, SERIES)

Though seemingly divergent from its usual tray of easy Taylor Sheri dan crowd-pleasers, Paramount+ landed this new Guy Ritchie-created series about warring mob families in London. Guy Ritchie has created several iconic films about largely cockney-accented criminals (see: Snatch, RocknRolla, Wrath of Man, and The Gentlemen, plus a brilliant series adaptation of The Gentlemen). This one is peppered with talent, from Tom Hardy and Pierce Brosnan to Helen Mirren and Paddy Considine, thus hopes run high.

YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS APRIL 11 (APPLE TV+)

In the future, John Hamm (and his multifarious AI clones) will star in every TV show, but for the moment you must settle for this, one of five TV shows in which he has headlined over the last 18 months. In this one, he plays a disgraced hedge fund manager who takes to robbing his rich neighbors’ homes to get by. Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn also star.