The Beatles: Get Back is clearly a labor of love for director Peter Jackson, but it plays as one of the clearest forms of fan worship there ever was, letting the band members act and speak for themselves in a natural format true to even the smallest moments of this crucial period in their history.

Only because Snipes plays such a dynamic role as Carlton, and his chemistry with Hart is fun to watch. The rest of True Story feels manufactured, and Hart’s role is too close to reality to separate the Kid from Hart, especially when he’s complaining about being rich and famous.

Hawkeye works because of the chemistry between Renner and Steinfeld, but also because it prioritizes character slightly more than action.

Despite how slow and disjointed the first episode of Hellbound is, it sets up an interesting story that could go just about anywhere.

Sort Of has a laid back, funny vibe, which is mostly driven by Bilal Baig’s performance. Yes, the actor and character are both nonbinary, but that’s only part of the story, which is what makes the show so entertaining.

The Curse Of Von Dutch is one of those docuseries that feels like it would have been better off as a 90-minute documentary film instead of a three-hour series. Even in the first episode, Renzi stretches the story to the point where it’s almost transparent.

Mindy Kaling’s knack for creating three-dimensional characters makes The Sex Lives Of College Girls a funny and addictive show, despite the fact that there’s really no new ground being broken by its premise or characters.

With the crew established and the characters beloved, the series is now taking the time to lead boldly not with surprises, but with tremendous amounts of heart.

We’re just not sure where the show is going to land on the tonal line. Takei and Munn’s characters could go either way. And, given that we don’t know a ton about Bryce, we may learn things about him that bring out Sudeikis’ considerable dramatic acting ability. We don’t need Hit-Monkey to be all serious or all funny. But it’s really hard to get a handle on what it wants to be, much less where it’s headed.

We’re just not sure that this is anything but a money grab by them and Netflix. ... We still recommend it to anyone who watched the first season and wants to find out more. But, it certainly isn’t essential watching to anyone, whether they liked the first season or were repulsed by it.

While Martin’s gritty, skeptical, and brutal look at the genre appealed to an HBO audience, I’m not sure Jordan’s romantic, mystical, and hopeful version will be as ubiquitously embraced. The Wheel of Time can’t be the next Game of Thrones. It’s just not in the source material’s DNA. But Prime Video’s series has the chance to be the first true Wheel of Time, and that excites this all-too-earnest nerd to bits.

One Night Only finds Adele personally refreshed and professionally primed, a place her legions of adoring fans will certainly enjoy hearing about in both performance and interview.

While Mayor Of Kingstown boasts fine performances, it’s confusing at times and incredibly depressing at others. If we wanted to watch a show that’s relentlessly grim, there are much better choices out there.

Yellowjackets does a good job at tackling three genres at once. It’s a thriller, a coming of age story and a survival story, and all of it is presented in a way that makes us want to see more.

All of the good things about Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop are betrayed by poor writing, uninspired action scenes, and a truly baffling obsession with the most annoying characters in the series.

Always Jane shows the life of a 2020s teenager who just happens to be trans, with all the struggles that come with being at that stage of life. What makes it interesting to watch is that her life isn’t being treated as some sort of anomaly, either by the filmmakers or her family.

Animal held our interest because of its amazing photography, but the energetic narration and family-centric narratives help move things along.

Mixing tragedy, comedy, and drama is an extremely difficult balance to achieve, something that, for example, fellow Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso managed to do deftly in its first season. Unfortunately, despite tremendous theatrical performances from all involved, it’s an equilibrium The Shrink Next Door fails to reach.

Even if you’re not a gamer, or a fan of League of Legends, Arcane will be more than entertaining enough to hold your interest, with an interesting story backed by amazing animation.

While Tampa Baes certainly gifts us with a few memorable reality characters, the show’s drama feels forced and the cast does not feel representative of Tampa’s diverse LGBTQ population.

We’re recommending it on the strength of Gomez’s lead performance and Lawrence’s ability to guide his showrunners to better episodes as his shows first seasons go along. But it’s too generic at this point to be considered a decent family sitcom, much less a successor to such a well-loved ’80s series.

Dr. Brain is a well-written exploration of science that perhaps goes too far, especially in the hands of someone so curious. We just hope it keeps that interesting premise and doesn’t become another run-of-the-mill thriller.

If you like straightforward British procedurals based on classic characters, than Dalgliesh won’t disappoint. But there seems to be a lost opportunity to dive more into Dalgliesh’s interesting character, especially given who is playing the detective this time around.

If the first episode is any indication, the cases are still the same brand of Jerry Springer-esque crazy that they’ve always been. ... For them [fans], Judy Justice should be more of what they love, even if it doesn’t really break new ground for Sheindlin or the judge-show genre.

Season 3 of Dickinson is an emotionally powerful and fulfilling journey through the final seconds of the final episode that found this reviewer’s eyes wet multiple times. ... What Smith has done is use Dickinson’s work as inspiration to create a new, artistic feat of her own (along with the hundreds of other people who work on the series), one that redefines what television can be.

The best thing about Dexter: New Blood is that it is unapologetically fun. The episodes sent to critics are full of dark — borderline campy — humor and some truly compelling human drama.

Swagger is a realistic look at how a talented kid becomes a superstar in the youth basketball world, but at least learns how to be a fully-realized person if basketball (more than likely) doesn’t make him rich.

Colin In Black & White is a biographical story with a social message to tell, but it’s also a genuinely entertaining series, and it’s worth your time.

Love Life‘s second season surpasses the first just by shifting the focus away from a subject we’ve seen so many times to one that has a messier, and more interesting, story.

Star Trek: Prodigy sets up a fun story that’s only somewhat connected to the greater canon of the Trek franchise, but with the addition of Mulgrew, makes the show accessible to newcomers and Trek fans alike.

While 4400 may need to smooth down some of its more noticeable tone hiccups, it has set up a very interesting mystery with undertones of issues that are very relevant to 2021.

While the last few seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm can’t match the consistency of its earlier ones, there are always funny moments when Larry complains about something and/or he gets his comeuppance for his grouchiness. In the first episode of Season 11, there’s both, plus a promising new season-long arc. That’s more than enough for us.

The Next Thing You Eat is equal parts foodie show and quirky investigative documentary, emphasizing the vital nature of the human side of the industry while also examining what the future might hold.

Home Sweet Home is not a reality show where you watch for the “gotcha” moments. But there’s more than enough interesting scenes in each episode to give the viewer a nice, heartwarming family watch on a Friday night.

Maya And The Three works on two levels: Battle scenes and colorful animation for the kids, goofy jokes and a good story for the adults.

Because Inside Job immediately establishes its characters, its brand of humor goes way beyond just seeing lizard people struggle with the Keurig machine in the break room. And that’s what will make the series last a few seasons.

It’s good enough to stay with, that’s for sure. It does feel like, though, that the aliens are going to be beside the point in this show, kind of like the zombies became after the first season of The Walking Dead. And we’re not sure we want to see yet another series where other people are way worse than the unknown enemy that’s invading our world.

This endeavor feels a lot like going with your friends to a sex therapy session (and I mean that in the best way possible). The casting here is really what makes the series such a winner; each couple has a compelling, relatable backstory.

Queens is one of the best new fall network series because it’s smarter than it needs to be and leans hard into its frothy premise.

Succession somehow only gets better in its third season, giving us more relentless nastiness, ridiculous humor, and remarkable performances. This is the stuff great TV is made of.

The series does a bang-up job of easing you back into the world and organically weaving the info you need to know into the character dialogue and motivations. ... By exploding the plot, the sophomore season does what the best go-for-broke storytelling does: it will leave you craving more.

Romero’s zombie movies were as much about societal ills as they were about the undead. This new version of Day Of The Dead tries to mimic that formula, but doesn’t follow through with good enough storylines or characters that we care about.

While we like Beckinsale’s performance in Guilty Party, the show doesn’t seem to have enough story elements to really make us latch onto Beth or her quest to get her career back.

What Happened, Brittany Murphy? is an incoherent, half-baked excuse for a documentary that chooses to disrespect and exploit its late subject rather than paying any tribute whatsoever to her memory.

Dopesick will certainly be a slow burn in spots. But it deals with a subject whose depth most people aren’t aware of, and the performances are so good that it should keep viewers interested.

Chucky adds some fun story elements to the “murdering doll” dynamic, bringing the franchise back to it’s earliest days, when we found out how Charles Lee Ray became a belligerent, knife-wielding, redheaded doll.

If you were a fan of the original Legends Of The Hidden Temple, this reboot will bring back fond memories. But even if you weren’t (we were adults when the show came out), it’s still a light, fun watch that leans completely into its goofiness.

The first episode of Buried draws viewers in by getting them on Eileen Franklin’s side, which will have even more impact once the other three episodes, detailing the trial’s aftermath, start to chip away at their initial confidence.

The acting is stronger than ever, now that Badgley’s Joe has a worthy opponent, and you won’t be able to see the season’s big twists coming. No matter why you initially enjoyed YOU, you’re going to fall in love with this new season, and Love Quinn.

Acapulco is definitely not a high-key comedy by any means. But the character-driven story will lure yo

Muppets Haunted Mansion is trifling silliness. It inspires some smiles, if not out-loud laughter. Call it a slight amusement then. Please don’t take that as a deterrent — Disney’s recent Muppets fare has kind of lowered our expectations, and this is perfectly acceptable fodder for an evening of family togetherness.

Only because of Osment’s lead performance and the hope that the characters in Pretty Smart will have their extreme quirks edged off a bit as the group and Chelsea start to bond.

During the final third, things settle down and Ghosts shows some funny potential of where it can go.

It’s Dave Chappelle. This special really is geared toward people who have been paying attention to his previous performances. ... Chappelle clearly wants to go out with a bang. If he meant his YouTube special (8:46) as his own rallying cry that Black Lives Matter, and his IG videos as a way to show other entertainers how to fight for their own rights, then he intends for The Closer to blaze a path for other stand-up comedians to survive and thrive in this moment when anyone and everyone feels they can try to “cancel” you over your words.

The presence of the old guard will keep fans interested in CSI: Vegas. But the new crew hasn’t distinguished themselves for the most part just yet, and they’ll need to do that soon before the presence of Petersen, Fox and company overwhelms the show.

The unexpected guest spots, like Duchovny as the depressed ice cream truck driver, are also hilarious. But what Dildarian has done a good job of is building the community around Tom, where characters voiced by people like John Malkovich fit in well.

We felt a whole lot better about The Problem With Jon Stewart after watching the second episode. What we saw was a show feeling its way, but with the steady hand of Stewart at the helm, even the bumpier, less funny episodes will be informative about issues that are pretty damned serious.

There’s enough to like about La Brea that will keep viewers watching, despite the show’s more silly and cheesy elements, especially the mystery of where the “lost” Angelenos are and why they’re there.

Controlling Britney Spears is equal parts shocking and infuriating, a necessary examination of the reality of the pop icon’s conservatorship and why so many have been calling for her freedom for so long.

Russell Hornby is a powerful presence as Charles Flenory; we’re interested to see how he continues to influence his sons as their empire grows.

Nuclear Family promises to be an engaging 3-hour look at a strong family that withstood a challenge that would tear other families apart.

The docuseries is entertaining despite its structural machinations, because it takes the phenomenon of Chippendales as seriously as it should be taken.

Thanks to Thornton’s consistent performance and the addition of heavy hitters like J.K. Simmons and Bruce Dern, it’s more than worth your while.

Squid Games takes a fresh idea and spins it into a thrilling drama; we hope it continues to build the tension we saw in the last 20 minutes throughout the season.

Foundation is a plodding, confusing tale of a civilization’s triumph over its almost certain doom. We’d love to see the parts that show the story’s humanity and hope, but the first episode was just too boring to draw us in.

Jaguar has great action sequences and doesn’t try to overthink its premise. For once, we’re almost happy that we don’t get backstory for every single main character, because it made room for a more exciting first episode.

Alter Ego is silly, sure, but on a network that airs The Masked Singer, it feels downright dignified. And the contestants’ stories are worth watching.

The new version of The Wonder Years doesn’t try to be like the original, and that’s a good thing. It doesn’t have the impact the original one had, but we’re confident that it’ll follow its own comedic path and become one of the better network comedies.

Star Wars: Visions has something for every Star Wars fan.

Maid is not a cozy weekend binge nor is it a crackling murder mystery. That said, it does deserve to be your next Netflix watch. The series tells a haunting, but ultimately inspiring, human story and features a next level performance from Margaret Qualley. It might also change the way you think about poverty.

Our Kind Of People is a frothy show with a more serious underlying message about wealth, racism and women supporting each other. If you miss Empire, it should fill that hole in your schedule quite nicely.

We don’t fault any of the acting on Ordinary Joe for this show’s issues; the actors are doing the best they can, but are stuck in a premise with a limited shelf life and already signs that it might collapse under its own weight or get too clever for its own good.

STREAM IT if you’re an NCIS fan. NCIS: Hawai’i will give you more of the same stuff you love, with the Aloha state as a beautiful backdrop. If you’re expecting anything deeper than that, though, you should SKIP IT.

The Big Leap has a lot of funny, feel-good moments, and the show-within-the-show story gives it enough narrative momentum to last an entire network-length season. How the show will adapt and change once everyone dances Swan Lake, however, is anyone’s guess.

If you give Flanagan’s new miniseries the time and respect it deserves, you’ll be treated to a soulful and gorgeously acted novel about what faith, religious or otherwise, means that concludes with a truly spectacular finale. Seen in its entirety, Midnight Mass is haunting, one of those shows that threatens to lurk in the corners of your mind and question your long-held beliefs long after you finish the last episode. But if three hours of buildup seems like too much, you may be better off rewatching The Haunting of Hill House.

Even though Muhammad Ali is getting the “Ken Burns treatment,” the docuseries Muhammad Ali is reverent but unafraid of digging into what made Ali tick and the people who influenced the most.

Instead of making Diane Dunbrowski a walking Chicago joke machine, the creators of Chicago Party Aunt have actually given her a heart and a rudimentary moral code. And that will be how the show will be able to sustain itself for multiple seasons.

The Morning Show Season 2 is a thrilling melange of ridiculous drama. There are hookups that had me gasping, plot developments that gave me whiplash, and a few moments where I had second-hand embarrassment for all involved. ... The Morning Show will never be a perfect show. It’s too boldly outspoken, too shockingly self-indulgent, and too obsessed with speaking first about a moment in time instead of speaking wisely. Still, I can’t help but find its brand of backstabbing elites terribly fun to watch.

What this version of He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe lacks in nostalgia it more than makes up for with smart dialogue, good CGI, and its ability to start building the world of Eternia from scratch with a compelling story.

The Harper House has plenty of curb appeal: Goofy characters, real-life sentiment, a mildly acidic tone. It probably won’t be the best house on the block, but it’s funny enough to warrant taking in a few more episodes.

Zukerman is no Tom Hanks, but he’s sufficiently charming as Langdon to make us believe he’s the young version of Brown’s signature character. ... The more we buy into Langdon’s prolific skills and the more twisty the story is, the better. But we’re not sure if Dworkin, Beattie and their writers will be able to pull it off.

Even though the first episode of The Premise was uneven, there was enough there to make us want to watch the other episodes. Mainly we want to see if the big swings Novak takes in each episode connect, or if they’re admirable strike outs.

Little Ellen is a vibrant, funny show for the PreK set that gives fun lessons in being adaptable and resilient, and viewers should be able to enjoy it, whether they’re fans of DeGeneres or not.

Finding Alice strikes the right balance between drama and comedy, sadness and laughter, with a fine performance by Keeley Hawes at its center.

The fact that they [the Stidhams] did sit down to talk to the filmmakers makes the docuseries 200% better. And that’s mostly due to the magnetic and somewhat unhinged personality of DeAnn Stidham.

HBO’s new spin on the story is so gorgeously acted, though, you can’t stop thinking about the theatrics of it. The very thing that will hook you — Isaac and Chastain’s full-throttle performances — might also take you out of it.

Kin starts a bit muddled but the performances and story setup give us a good feeling that the tension will ratchet up as the series goes along.

It’s a series with a whole that is far more fascinating than its slow-paced parts. If you give it the space of a few episodes, this new drama promises great things.

Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. is a delightful remake of a well-loved ’80s show that immediately distinguishes itself from the original by its setting and the well-thought-out cast of characters.

On The Verge is so disjointed in its storytelling and so surface with its character development that it actually made us not want to see another episode.

If you want to know about the mission and the crew, read up on it and skip the first two episodes of Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission To Space. We’re hoping that once Hehir turns to the mission itself, the docuseries will get more interesting and less of a butt-kissing exercise.

Something feels vaguely unsettling about The D’Amelio Show. What made us squinchy wasn’t Charli D’Amelio herself; she seems to have her head screwed on straight. ... We’re not sure about the rest of the D’Amelios. ... It doesn’t really give much insight into teens and sudden social media fame, except for the fact that commenters really, really suuuuuuck.

Q-Force feels like a missed opportunity to present LGBTQ characters in a light that doesn’t necessarily point to their queerness with such a big, 1990’s-style arrow. But we’re holding out hope that the show gets better during the first season.

It feels like Turning Point takes a half-measure, going over that day in some detail but glossing over what truly made it horrifying to the people who lived through it or people like us, who were just in the tri-state area. ... If you’re interested in either a 9/11 documentary or a War on Terror documentary, there are better ones out there than Turning Point: 9/11 And The War On Terror, which tries to go into both in depth and accomplishes very little that’s new.

Sparking Joy did just what its title described while we watched it. Kondo’s preternatural calm was fascinating to watch and the way the transformed spaces transformed people’s lives made for emotionally satisfying TV.

You’ll leave Impeachment feeling many things: anger at Linda Tripp, disgust toward Bill Clinton, revulsion about the cutthroat media landscape and our current team mentality of politics. But you’ll also leave it understanding that Monica Lewinsky was a real person rather than a punchline.

9/11: One Day In America is tough to watch. But it very effectively brings back the feelings from that harrowing day, even as it highlights the moments of kindness that filtered through all the darkness and death. It’s a great illustration of what that day was like and should be shown to students for decades to come.

It’s an enjoyably ludicrous premise which sits somewhere between Agatha Christie classic And Then There Were None, recent aristocratic horror comedy Ready or Not and mid-‘00s one-season wonder Harper’s Island. The acting, on the other hand, is more daytime soap opera. ... By taking aim at the privilege of the 1%, the most satisfying [chapter], too. But we’d still prefer Cronenberg to take the director’s chair for season five.