While there’s a lot of messiness in this new version of Queer As Folk, it also introduces an interesting new set of characters and examines how much things have changed and stayed the same for the LGBTQIA community.

Drestzin has done her job. ... If you want insight into a closed society that is only known via blaring headlines, then watch Keep Sweet: Pray And Obey. Just be ready for a narrative that will make you uncomfortable and angry at the same time.

Through the first two episodes, Ms. Marvel is a fun examination of the usual coming-of-age issues couched in Kamala’s idea that being a superhero is so much less complicated than actual life.

The Orville: New Horizons is back for a third season with a new home, some light, effective tweaking, and more seasoning for its core cast.

Irma Vep is very loose and naturalistic, combining footage from the original Les Vampires with scenes shot for the show-within-a-show. But we’re just happy to see that Vikander’s story as Mira will be accompanied by a well-thought-out story about the production itself.

Starz’s latest female-focused costume drama does excel at showing audiences that the formidable Queen Elizabeth was not the only extraordinary woman vying for power. The best part of Becoming Elizabeth might not be what it tells us about the legendary ruler, but how it lets the complex women in her orbit shine.

For All Mankind Season 3 delivers more of what made its excellent Season 2 so thrilling. ... If there’s one spot, though, where For All Mankind Season 3 might frustrate viewers, it’s the resurrection of one of the most contested storylines in the show’s run. By the end of Episode 8, however, I could see where the writers were going with this story and its conflicted main player. ... Overall, For All Mankind is just freaking good TV.

Thanks to a fine performance by Whishaw and a well-struck balance between the funny and tragic, This Is Going To Hurt has the potential to be one of the best new series of 2022.

With much of its principal cast back in the saddle, Borgen: Power & Glory is a welcome return for a terrific Danish political thriller that hasn’t let up the tension since its 2010 premiere.

A howling satire of our real world and the superhero fictions we create, The Boys also features a ripping mean streak all its own. It’s brash. It’s bloody. And if the boys wanna fight, you better let ‘em.

There’s nothing about Dubai that distinguishes it from other editions of the franchise, and no one from the cast stands out after the first episode.

Pistol is a fun watch, rife with visual flourishes and emboldened by a strong cast on top of its otherwise by-the-book music biopic boilerplate.

Tom Swift gets too stuck in its leaden dialogue and attempts at being edgy to tell a conspiracy story that makes any sense.

Macdonald managed to be somehow timeless, outdated, and very much of his time, all at the same time.

Only if you’re a Letterkenny fan and love watching Shoresy curse between tobacco spits. Otherwise, SKIP IT, because the show isn’t that funny.

Judging by the two episodes screened at Star Wars Celebration, Deborah Chow and the cast and crew have not only risen to the occasion, but they’ve exceeded all hopes. ... Kenobi feels like a true auteur vision. Chow’s stamp is all over this series, making it feel like a unique entry in the Star Wars saga. ... Kenobi feels high stakes, emotionally deep, and like the first Star Wars series to Matter, capital M. It’s a feat.

Elon Musk’s Crash Course is yet another example of how The New York Times Presents concisely presents complicated news stories in a fast-moving, compelling package that gives viewers more than enough depth to understand the issue and who the players are.

Could the pacing of Prehistoric Planet be a little better? Sure. But the presentation of realistic-looking prehistoric animals in real-life environments is stunning to watch, especially for those with 4K TVs.

Zany, sharp, and entertaining as ever, Made for Love remains one of HBO Max’s best original series.

Its formula is tried and true — but has also grown stale. Hardcore fans of Stranger Things will likely find nothing wrong with the new season, as is their wont. They’ll love the nods to Barb (Shannon Purser) and character reunions. They’ll obsess over potential love triangles and thrill over creepy new flourishes. I personally wish the show had reined it in a bit, focused on the core cast over the newbs, and tried something truly creative with its storytelling instead of just nostalgia baiting.

Despite a fine performance from Perez, we fear we’re not going to see enough of her to make suffering through the generic main characters of Now And Then tolerable.

Night Sky is a decent series that is nudged into the very good category because of the performances of J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek.

With some funny moments, well-researched information, and an entertainingly fast pace, The G Word With Adam Conover entertainingly tells people about how various government agencies help Americans, but isn’t afraid to call them out if they work against our interests.

The storytelling of Angelyne leaves a lot to be desired, but Rossum’s performance cuts through the script gymnastics, making us curious about what parts of Angelyne’s life the series will explore.

We would have really liked Conversations With Friends if it were a movie or maybe even a four-part limited series. But there just doesn’t seem to be enough narrative energy to sustain the story for 12 episodes.

There’s nothing about this new version of The Time Traveler’s Wife that hooked us in so we could take this romantic ride with Henry and Claire. It doesn’t help that the show is cheekier than it really needs to be.

We’re tentatively giving The Essex Serpent a recommendation because the performances of Danes, Hiddleston and the rest of the cast can overcome the series’ plodding pacing in parts. But we’re just not sure how many people are going to make it through all six episodes when it seems like the first one doesn’t do much to set up the story.

There is also the reasons why the seemingly put-together Candy managed to snap to begin with. Going back to reconstruct all of that will be interesting to watch, especially given the performances of Biel and Lynskey. ... Candy makes a good case that more true-crime dramas should be about the lead up and the aftermath of an event, not the event itself.

The Big Conn is one of those docuseries that moves along at a good pace while not leaving out much pertinent information. It’s as intriguing as a good scripted drama, and that should be the goal of any true crime docuseries.

While adding boys into the mix takes away some of the singular magic of the first season, The Wilds remains an extremely entertaining and beautifully performed series.

Through it all, Jean Smart continues to reign supreme. She once again delivers an iconic performance as Deborah Vance and Emmy voters should be prepared to hand her yet another trophy this fall. Hacks Season 2 isn’t just good. It’s freaking great.

Girls5eva continues to build out its quirky, colorful world in Season 2, and each new face and development only makes it all richer. ... A showcase for some seriously funny women and infectious ear worms.

While Clark may dabble a bit too much in making Clark Olofsson into a hero, it’s still an entertaining look at how Olofsson saw his life, whether the stories are true or not.

Bosch: Legacy is pulpy, procedural fun in the tradition of both Bosch and the storied, sometimes sordid history of fictional Los Angeles gumshoes that dates all the way back to Phillip Marlowe.

As a whole, The Staircase is a worthwhile watch, mainly for the performances by Firth, Posey and Collette. But you might get more satisfying information about the Peterson case by watching the documentary or docuseries.

We don’t expect The Pentaverate to get much funnier as the season goes along. And the longer we watch, we think the more painfully unfunny most of the gags are going to get.

Instead of a rehash of an event that could be easily researched, Meltdown: Three Mile Island takes a familiar event from the past half-century and fills in people’s gaps in information and debunks commonly held beliefs about the event.

Big ideas here. Profound at times. But they’re encased in an oddly buoyant and funny context that also manages to be substantial and emotionally resonant. Salazar and Odenkirk are in tonal concert within the trippy setting and concept, finding comedy and affection in the material and making it seem effortless. ... To not continue watching Undone would be foolhardy.

[Bayer's] comedy chops here easily remind you of how she shined behind the Weekend Update desk with in-over-their-head characters such as Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy or flailing meteorologist Dawn Lazarus. ... The pilot, directed by Michael Showalter, has an even slower burn than say, Search Party, which he co-created.

The opening salvo of The Offer fails to convince us that 10 hours of a “true” Hollywood making-of story is worth sitting through. Haven’t we seen enough of this back-patting, inside-joke stuff lately? Rewatch The Player instead. Oh, and The Godfather, too.

Stream it, but only for the performances of Roberts, Penn and the rest of the cast of Gaslit. The series leans too hard on the farcical to help viewers come away with any real information about the Republican side of the Watergate scandal.

There’s good TV, there’s great TV, and then there’s the new Barry, a magnificent season of television that will unquestionably find its way onto your own personal best of the year list.

Under the Banner of Heaven turns Krakauer’s sprawling look at the roots and evolution of Fundamentalist Mormonism into a well-made detective drama. It’s not as transcendent as its source material, but it is a gripping watch, full of fantastic performances and horrifying reveals.

A Very British Scandal benefits from fine performances and a scandalous story that touches both on early feminism and salacious scandal.

Despite our reservations on the style choices by Dimmock, the story of Captive Audience is compelling, and the twist that involves Cary is what has us most intrigued.

Transcendent. ... Besides the characters, and the plot, which treats its teen LGBTQIA+ stories both frankly and gently, the pacing of the show is also pitch perfect. At eight, half hour episodes, it practically flies by; but works as both a four hour binge, or episodically. Each character’s storyline, every relationship is perfectly arched over the course of the season, while still leaving plenty of room for growth and exploration in a potential Season 2.

Because Laurie wanted to stay relatively faithful to the story, viewers are going to have to sit through some predictability to get to the witty dialogue and the inevitable reveal of the killer.

We don’t love Swimming With Sharks, because of its trashy-for-trashiness’ sake nature and the fact that the story feels fairly predictable. But Shipka’s performance keeps the show from getting really campy.

It is terrible. ... The First Lady will draw viewers in who want to see great actresses play great women, but unfortunately the show’s abysmal writing lets us all down. The scripts are honestly insulting to the real women The First Lady is about.

Outer Range has expansive scenery (when it can be seen), and decent performances from Brolin, Taylor, and Poots. But neither its family drama and supernatural elements are compelling enough to make up for the show’s slow pace.

So far, Better Call Saul Season 6 belongs to Kim Wexler. ... It’s gratifying to see her finally take the lead. It’s also a shift that gives Better Call Saul a deeply ominous quality. In its first two episodes, Season 6 doesn’t feel like a finale. It feels like just another twisting saga in Vince Gilligan’s corrupt world.

By keeping the stories simple, Roar is able to send its messages without hammering it over viewers’ heads. Could some of the episodes stick their landings better? Sure. But the storytelling in the series mostly solid.

Not So Pretty presents some pretty harrowing information in a tone that’s less hectoring and more sympathetic. By playing the, “hey, we didn’t know, either, buddy” card, its message is even more effective.

Despite the cumbersome cast and retrograde gags, The Garcias has the same warmth as The Brothers Garcia series, and should be a fun nostalgic watch for fans of the original show.

Killing It gets off to a rough but promising start, thanks to a fun performance from Robinson, with an assist from O’Doherty. We hope that as the story gets more personal, the characters will outshine the gags.

Even if you’re a fan of the Kardashians, the whole more-of-the-same vibe of The Kardashians is just a crashing bore.

Colors pop, details come out, and if you’ve got a big screen, some of the visuals are immersive. So, how is Obama as a narrator? He’s OK. His tone is more Policy Wonk Obama than Surprisingly Funny Obama or Soaring Orator Obama, but there are moments where his wryness comes through.

Russian Doll Season 2 is good, but it’s not quite as great as Russian Doll Season 1. This new season gets messy with its wild narrative swings and lazy with its logic.

The dialogue is as snappy as ever, and the spying scenes are just as tense as you’ve come to expect. If anything, these elements have only been sharpened in Season 2.

Between the tired format and the idea that Tate is playing most of the featured characters, Hard Cell becomes a lot to take, even after the first 30 minutes. We can’t imagine it getting much better during its first season.

We’re giving a recommendation of 61st Street mostly for the performances of Vance and Ellis. But we’re definitely concerned that the show will lean too hard on things we’ve seen in this genre too many times already to say anything new.

It’s frustrating to know that Savile never got his comeuppance while he was alive. At the same time, even documenting his horrors posthumously can serve some honesty to his true legacy. STREAM IT if you’re not worried about being triggered by it. Otherwise, quite obviously, SKIP IT.

For all of the seriousness of his revelations, Carmichael does manage to keep things from getting too dark.

The couples at the center of The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On don’t feel like real couples to us, mainly because of their relative age and relationship newness, which gives us no incentive to root for or against them staying together.

The thing that’s frustrating about Anatomy of a Scandal is that it’s ostensibly about serious issues like sexual violence, entitlement, and grey areas of the law, but it’s actually just a stupidly breezy thriller.

Ken Bruns doesn’t reveal a lot of new details in Benjamin Franklin, but he paints a complete picture of a statesman that most people only know his many life highlights.

We feel that once you get past the first episode of The Invisible Pilot, the craziness of Gary Betzner’s story kicks in. But the first episode makes it a little tough to get to that point.

Slow Horses has a bit of a generic case at its center, and it feels like some members of the Slough House team get short shrift, at least at first. But Oldman’s presence elevates our interest in just how everyone who works at Slough House actually got there.

In its first hour, The Outlaws manages to have a bunch of funny moments, one or two thrills, and tells more than enough about its ensemble to keep us watching.

If you don’t expect a lot of conflict or high drama, you should be able to sit back and enjoy Julia for the light, fun biography it’s intended to

Moon Knight rides on Oscar Isaac’s ability to believably inhabit distinct personalities, but that might be more than enough for people to watch this six-episode MCU side story.

As much as we like Holmes and everyone on How We Roll, we don’t see any signs that the show is going to get funnier, despite the warmth we saw in the pilot.

The Girl From Plainville is a nuanced look at a sensational case that played out with the usual media-induced broad strokes. It may be too nuanced for people looking for a show that utilizes those broad strokes, but the approach will probably be appreciated by those tired of campy true-crime scripted series.

Lizzo, in her first stab at reality programming, is a complete natural at hosting duties. And Watch Out for the Big Grrls promises to promote exuberance and empowerment over manufactured drama and assorted reality world tackiness.

Superfans of a specific film or director who seek a nugget or two of insight they haven’t already uncovered might find something of value in individual episodes. But beyond that, One Perfect Shot isn’t the compelling submersion into the art of film you’d likely prefer it to be.

Season 2 of Starstruck takes the show from the novelty of the star-regular-person dynamic of the first season and concentrates on the chemistry of the ensemble, which is the sign of a maturing show.

It may have taken four years for Atlanta to come back, but it’s lost none of its daring in the interim. We do prefer the episodes where Earn and crew are all together, but we’re looking forward to seeing where Glover and company take their storytelling this season.

Bridgerton Season 2’s main romance is a tortured affair that takes way too long to seal the deal. Bridgerton is still an enchanting bit of escapism, but fans might not fall as hard for its love story this time around. (Through no fault of the show’s leads.)

With a fresh premise and a delightful cast, Is It Cake? quickly charms and earns its place among some of Netflix’s most entertaining baking shows.

It’s those little, often subtle gags, that keep the audience from sinking into Beth’s depression along with her. That effort to alleviate some of the heaviness helps us go along on the journey Beth is going to take without making her seem like she doesn’t appreciate what she has.

WeCrashed isn’t perfect, but Hathaway’s performance (and Leto’s, to a lesser extent) and the fact that Adam Neumann’s at times shown to be the hustler he is sold us on wanting to watch more.

Welcome To Flatch gets out of the gate almost fully-formed, with a world we want to watch and characters that are funny and have the potential for a lot of room to develop.

It’s not hard to imagine this dystopian future, and DMZ offers a compelling story at the heart of the show.

We really wish Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. was less one-sided, but at least the side we see makes for an entertaining story.

Servant of the People is a surprisingly fun watch for an American viewer — a political fish-out-of-water comedy in the vein of movies like Dave, Bulworth or Head of State.

It goes without saying that Evan Rachel Wood’s story is a tough one, and the fact that she’s decided to put it all out there in Phoenix Rising makes the docuseries all the more worth watching.

There are good parts to Halo, and scenes and characters that should interest to new and old fans. But at least in its first two episodes, there is also room to grow. Halo has the potential to be the big-budget, hugely-watched space epic it wants to be. It just needs to take a breath and focus on its story — instead of its backstory — to do that.

As rough as the first episode may be for some viewers, just imagine if NBC hadn’t given Seinfeld a second chance after that sitcom’s initial struggles in both plot and ratings. Let’s see how Bust Down unfolds.

Power Book IV: Force is the Power sequel that’s got the loosest connection to the parent show’s universe. In fact, it sets itself up as a pure spin-off. But It does a good job of showing who the power players are in its story, and how Tommy Egan is ready to shake up the status quo.

Kogonada and Justin Chon’s direction, Soo Hugh’s writing, and the work of Pachinko’s outstanding ensemble cast weave together a story that is both huge in scope and humble in its beauty. Pachinko is perfectly exquisite (though not quite perfect) and will stick with you long after the credits roll.

Despite some stylistic touches that sometimes distract, The Andy Warhol Diaries is a fascinating look inside the mind of one of the 20th century’s most famous figures, a person who had no intention of letting anyone but his closest friends and family see his real self.

Where the series shines is through its at times brutal, at times delicate realism. Through Ptolemy’s widened unseeing eyes, you can understand the pure terror his life must be every day. If you’ve ever been someone diagnosed with dementia, Jackson nails their mannerisms while also infusing his performance with a degree of empathy many of these patients rarely experience. ... Fishback’s quietly powerful take on Robyn is what makes Jackson’s performance so notable.

The show comes off more like an exhausting parody than anything else. ... There were distractions beyond Zellweger’s fat suit. Doing a fictionalized take on the absurdity of a true crime story lends itself to too many stylistic flourishes that aren’t necessary. ... There also seems to be very little in the way of subtlety or shading to the story.

There’s nothing that distinguishes The Courtship from the Bachelor/Bachelorette series or any other reality dating series, for that matter. But you may want to watch it for the charming Remy or the costumes.

Shining Vale may get better during its first season as we find out what’s actually driving this story. But its first episode was a loud mess of a show that seemed to be more satisfied with giving Courteney Cox as many chances to swear as possible than to actually establish its characters.

In its riot of visuals and breathless narrative, the 29-minute premiere of Guardians of Justice packs quite a punch.

Anger toward the financial industry that just keeps churning, and how it broke so many regular folks in the wake of the 2008 crash and resulting twenty-nine-trillion-dollar mistake, gives some solid ground to Gaming Wall Street. It gives root to the narrative, a narrative that can occasionally feel like a printout of a particularly hyperactive online comment field.

Whether you’re a fan of The Boys or not, you’ll enjoy the animated shorts in The Boys Presents: Diabolical, mainly because they tell good stories with funny character-driven gags.