Countdown pretty much uses every action procedural cliche to piece together a plot and cast of characters that are neither exciting or interesting.

Nautilus is a visually fun, family-friendly new chapter in the story of Captain Nemo, which keeps the action moving throughout its first episode.

Ultimately, the performances in Smoke will help carry the story as fills in during subsequent episodes. But we do wonder how much patience people will have for the atmospheric nature of the show as the story ramps up.

While refusing to resolve the show’s existential drama in a simple, easy way. It’s messy, magnificent, and a fitting conclusion to the sensational story that started back in 2021.

OG fans of The Bear know its capacity for greatness, so when scenes become too self-indulgent and overextended bits read like forced comedic relief (cc: the Faks), the series feels tonally uneven. Even if The Bear still isn’t cooking like it once was, to ignore the show’s positive attributes would be disingenuous.

Despite being part of the MCU, Ironheart stands on its own as the story of a teen genius, tech vs. magic, and how that genius navigates all of it in her hometown of Chicago.

Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy does a solid job of laying out how everything at Travis Scott’s 2021 concert pretty much went wrong. But to truly be a STREAM IT, we feel like it would have to offer something more definitive than simply being a part of Netflix’s track record of Trainwreck docs.

This doc slaps together some fantastical facts, calls it a day, and is woefully inexhaustive.

A documentary that’s little more than pointing cameras at an overflowing toilet and asking people to comment on it.

Olympo needs to tighten up its plotting in order for it to be more than just scenes of perfect bodies in motion, whether that motion is athletic or sexual.

The stories of the women on the DCC squad are what make America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders worth watching, even if the format sometimes feels repetitive.

Despite the excellent cast, there were lines and situations that were so clunky and predictable that we shook our heads that they made it to the final cut. But there is an interesting twist at the end of the episode that leads us to believe that some of the clunkiness will eventually be ironed out.

While there are good performances and some interesting characters in We Were Liars, we were pretty bored with the nondescript teenage characters at the show’s center, and wanted to scream every time we heard Candence’s narration.

The Buccaneers Season 2 levels up in almost every way, even when it’s concocting popcorn love triangles, and is well worth the weekly tune-in.

The story of Outrageous is deathly serious, but the vibe is still somehow effervescently fun. This balance makes it intoxicating. .... Outrageous is the platonic ideal of what the period drama can be.

It’s an upscale version of the classic primetime soap and one that’s perfect to get lost in when real life drama is too much.

FUBAR continues to be a stupid good time, and we love it when Arnold doesn’t take himself seriously in a role. But with the addition of Moss as Greta, we wonder if the second season story will be more about generic spycraft and less about Luke’s family strife.

While the evacuation aspect of Families Like Us makes us almost as queasy as one of the characters became while hearing that news, it does set up an interesting circumstance to explore family bonds and how they change in extreme situations.

Call Her Alex is fan service for Call Her Daddy listeners for sure, but there’s no denying that Alex Cooper is a woman who earned success on her own terms, and her story will absolutely appeal even to non-fans.

While the world of Patience is humming along pretty well in Season 4 of Resident Alien, we’re still here to watch Alan Tudyk do his thing.

While Art Detectives isn’t really doing anything revolutionary format-wise, Moyer’s charm and the art-centric themes to the crimes Palmer and Malik investigate does make this show stand out from the sea of British mystery series that are streaming these days.

The action and revenge story in Mercy For None is enough to keep us watching, and the episodes are well-paced. But we really need to see more context about the rivalry between the gangs in order to really get invested in this story.

It’s all well-done here, but there isn’t a whole lot about the story that’s engaging us and inviting us to keep watching.

Death Valley is a funny mystery series with a good pairing at its center. Let’s hope the mysteries improve as the season goes along.

We’re happy to see Phineas And Ferb back with new adventures, and after ten years away, it’s as fun and creative as ever.

We still can’t buy into the raunch-for-raunch’s-sake tone of Tires, even if the characters are at least starting to get personalities and motivations that go beyond just saying offensive things.

Thanks to the expertly crafted plots that jump from breezy high school scenes to courtroom drama to uncomfortable and even threatening flashbacks, Ginny & Georgia makes murder fun. Well, I mean, not fun, but…no, actually, I do mean fun.

Mr. Loverman is a tour de force for Lennie James, but it’s also an affecting story of a man who struggles to be his true self and knows what the consequences are if he comes out at his advanced age.

Stick is as funny as it is wholesome, and as wholesome as it is endearing. This silly golf comedy is winner in every sense and a show you might just restart the moment the final credits roll.

Duck Dynasty: The Revival might just be the silly, goofy fun you need after a hard week of working and watching the news, especially if you identify with the Robertsons’ credo of “Faith, family and ducks.”

The Mortician effectively shows just how ghoulish the things David Sconce did to people’s loved ones really was, and does so mostly through Sconce’s own words.

Dept. Q spends a lot of its first episode in misdirection mode, but by the end it has set up an intriguing case that’s being followed by an interesting-to-watch group of cops.

I just can’t stop loving And Just Like That… and I also could not stop binging the first six episodes that were sent to critics recently. It might not be good TV, but I firmly believe it is top tier entertainment.

For them [fans], it’s a definite STREAM IT. But for the less invested, the show’s obsessions with sex and swearing might feel one-dimensional.

Tt ultimately reads as a stale and redundant crime thriller that doesn’t thrill at all. In fact, at times I struggled to stay interested in one part of the show. .... You’re better off queueing up Defending Jacob, Bad Sisters, Presumed Innocent, or The Sinner instead.

Adults definitely starts out a bit frantic, and the characters a bit cartoonish, but there is more than enough that’s funny about this group of friends that makes us want to spend more time with them.

The central mystery of Boglands is definitely intriguing enough to keep viewers interested, but we liked the fact that the characters’ personalities are solidly established before the investigation gets started.

The dad stuff may hit home for many viewers. But what’ll definitely stand out to comedy fans is Birbiglia’s description of his invitation to join Jim Gaffigan, Chris Rock, Conan O’Brien and other comedians on a trip to the Vatican last summer to meet Pope Francis. There’s fun to be had just in learning more about this. But the comedian also takes this moment to hammer home how his views of the church differed from those of his parents, and how he’ll still zing the Catholics for their multi-generation molestation scandal

This hour feels like a reset. .... Getting to peer behind the proverbial curtain of fame and fortune (it’s quite something to hear a comedian reveal themselves to be a multimillionaire!) feels more special when the famous person isn’t dropping a lot of names, just truth bombs.

Fun series so far if you need your Asterix fix.

As her late father might’ve written: “Tell ’em Schleppy sent you.”

Despite some interesting elements and the steadying presence of Vaughn, the sillier elements of Tyler Perry’s She The People overwhelm what could have been a funny story about messy families and racial politics.

Sirens works because it leans into the absurdity of the story and the awfulness of most of the characters, making the show a dark comedy that’s truly comedic.

We’re still largely “meh” about Nine Perfect Strangers, but the show’s second season is marginally better than its first.

Does Motorheads sound like a very mid show? Sure. But it’s a well-done mid show, which is all we’re asking for as far as teen shows are concerned.

Stanley Tucci isn’t exactly the most relatable or warm presence as a travel host, but he is thorough, and Tucci In Italy is a good continuation of the journey through the country that he started on CNN in 2021.

Murderbot is certainly a quirky show, but it has a good combination of fun and human moments, punctuated by a surprisingly funny performance by Alexander Skarsgård.

Welcome To Wrexham continues to show how the rise of Wrexham AFC has affected the fans and the city of Wrexham, while still having a good sense of humor around the fact that Reynolds and McIlhenney are the team’s owners.

Rotten Legacy is a sometimes-funny, mostly dramatic story about a mogul who acknowledges he might have been a rotten dad, but that his kids are a whole lot more rotten than he is, and he’s going to extremes to let them know about that.

Secrets We Keep is a thriller that doesn’t try to distract viewers by sending them down too many dead ends, and tells a story about class, race and wealth in the process.

Volume 4 of Love, Death & Robots again makes tremendous use of its anthology form, allowing space for left-field thematic choices and story adaptations, a rich palette of animation styles, and a streak of mischievousness that keeps the whole thing consistently interesting.

Duster knows exactly what it mainly is, which is a terrific vehicle for Josh Holloway. Rachel Hilson’s chemistry with Holloway is also a win, and sets up a wily criminals-and-cops yarn that delights in period references and music cues and exalts in the kind of car-as-character hero shots that defined a previous TV age.

Overcompensating‘s first episode has a few funny moments, but tries to[o] hard in other spots. But the friendship between Benny and Carmen is worth following, as long as Benny starts making his way out of the closet quickly.

Believe it or not, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 2 might be even better than Season 1.

Fred And Rose West: A British Horror Story does a good job of utilizing the audio and video recordings that are the docuseries’ centerpiece, while not getting in the weeds of what is a very complex story about the Wests and their victims.

His thoughts are shallow and ugly. Sometimes they’re afterthoughts. The second episode devotes a full parody to Steven Seagal. It’s neither nostalgic nor revealing.

Long Way Home has an ambling quality about it that suits a travel-centric show, all of the scenic shots you’d expect – from the Scottish highlands to Scandinavian fjords and onward through Europe – and a level of bff banter between Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman that’s enjoyable as we become their companions for their latest two-wheeled adventure.

Octopus! is watchable not only because it doesn’t take itself too seriously but because it ditches a lot of the conventions that make nature documentaries all feel the same after awhile.

Forever takes its time to tell its story of first love, with all the ups and downs that teens who are discovering love and sex in the social media era have to deal with. It’s a vibe that we love, aided by the chemistry between the show’s stars.

Poker Face sometimes indulges itself in the cult of personality of its guest murderers and Charlie’s BS detector skills at the sacrifice of making a more intricate case for her to solve. But Lyonne always puts in a winning performance and the guest killers are fun to watch, which is why mystery nerds like us don’t get frustrated watching the series.

While the stories in Star Wars: Tales Of The Underground are a little skimpy, they help to deepen the characters of two well-known franchise villains.

While it may take you awhile to figure out how everyone in Miss Austen is connected to each other, the performances of Hawes as the older Cassandra and Ferran as the young Jane will keep you interested in the story.

Despite some languid pacing and a surprising lack of laughs, the chemistry among the cast of The Four Seasons saves the show from being a pale remake of a film that was well-regarded 44 years ago.

Turning Point: The Vietnam War is a thoughtful, meticulous and considered examination of the U.S.’s involvement in Vietnam and how it changed how we saw our government.

The creepiness of the unknown enemy in The Eternaut is what drives this show, even as Salvo and other survivors get together to try to fight whoever it is they’re fighting, and we’re here for it.

Carême is compelling enough to recommend, especially given the show’s lavish look and Voisin’s charismatic performance. But the storytelling needs to become a bit more robust after the first episode in order to keep viewers’ attention.

Yes, Chef! may just be a bigger-budget version of Top Chef, but the show has gotten together a group of 12 excellent chefs and two cooking show experts as hosts/judges. It may not break new ground, but the season should be entertaining.

What Not To Wear's Clinton Kelly and Stacy London are reunited in a series where they help clients discover their own style.

The Narrow Road To The Deep North is a gritty, powerful watch with striking imagery and riveting performances that sometimes read as subtle in all the best ways.

Can the show be hagiographic at times, and a bit pretentious at others? Sure. .... But the episodes’ directors and the show’s producers do make sure they provide a complete picture of the episode’s featured chef.

What role Bronte plays in all this, whether she becomes an intellectual or even a physical love interest for Joe, is yet to be seen. It seems that Joe is attracted to her because she provides something Kate doesn’t, even though he loves Kate as much as anyone he’s ever met. That complex dance is going to be interesting to watch.

I, Jack Wright has real potential to be a fun murder mystery combined with a dramedy about wealthy family conflict. The first episode certainly indicates that things will only get more explosive as the series goes along.

We’re giving Étoile a recommendation more on hope and the Palladinos’ reputation than anything we saw in the first episode, which moved slowly and felt a bit too insular for our comfort.

Andor Season 2 is a glorious, life-affirming experience. There’s action, drama, and even romance, but most importantly, there’s fire. Andor will set your soul on fire and give your heart the courage it needs to keep going.

#1 Happy Family USA is a bit uneven in the comedy department, but we’ll forgive that because whatever humor that comes out of the Hussein family’s attempts to blend into American society should be funnier than just one-off gags.

While the performances in Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero are worth watching, we get the feeling most viewers who aren’t hardcore Christie fans will be to bored to hang in for the entire 3-hour run.

No one is going to mistake Ransom Canyon for prestige television. But it’s certainly a soapy, guilty pleasure, anchored by performances from Duhamel and Kelly that make you want to see both of their characters get what they want, which is each other.

While being a bit one-sided, Bad Influence: The Dark Side Of Kidfluencing is still an interesting look at the dodgy world of kidfluencers, and how adults take advantage of kids who are doing the videos for fun, even though the channel is raking in millions of viewers and dollars.

While the first episode of The Stolen Girl is a bit too predictable, there does seem to be a really twisty story underneath the predictable premiere.

Stream It, perhaps with an ounce or two of patience. While a pedigree that includes the creator or Cowboy Bebop’s creator and the fight maven from John Wick is impressive, It feels like there is a lot of story still to develop with Lazarus.

There are certainly funny moments in the first episode of Government Cheese, and we like the potential of the story, plus the performances of Oyelowo and Missick. But the first episode didn’t grab us as much as we thought it would. There’s enough good stuff there, though, to encourage us to stay with this show.

The first episode of The Glass Dome was too predictable, giving us a bad feeling that the rest of the limited series will be, as well.

It shouldn’t be profoundly emotionally moving. Nevertheless, The Rehearsal Season 2 is all of these things and more, thanks wholly to the mad genius its creator, director, and star, Nathan Fielder.

More than ever, Doctor Who feels like an old-fashioned movie adventure serial geared more towards kids than anyone else. But because of Gatwa’s enthusiastic portrayal of The Doctor, it’s still a pleasure to watch.

In the first two episodes, the tension between Ava and Deborah gets things off to a strong start.

The anthology series is putting us in a new twilight zone with its season 7 tales of technology run amok and raw emotion as the timeless driver of the human condition.

The charm of Anna Lambe and the Arctic small-town setting make North Of North a breezy, fun watch.

Despite being stretched to the hilt, Spy High still tells a compelling story about a school district that went too far and a brash family that was not afraid to fight back.

Taken on its own merits, there are definitely interesting story prospects for the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale. .... While it might be cathartic to watch June, Moira and others try to bring the government down, the show now might be too close to reality for our comfort.

Obviously the series will be of interest to anyone familiar with the playable characters. But we feel like this Devil will work just as well for those who’ve never played the video game on which it’s based.

Despite the fact that the first two episodes of Dying For Sex try too hard to lean on the funny side of Molly’s story, the elements are there for a moving story of life, death. love and desire.

The Last of Us Season 2 is a mixed bag, full of gorgeous craftsmanship, from riveting turns from celebrity guest stars to carefully-concocted faux fungus. However, it ultimately feels a bit unsure of its own reason for being.

Pulse is one of the most generic medical dramas we’ve seen in some time, with characters who aren’t compelling and medical situations that are eye-rolling to watch.

Truelove is the rare show that can combine elements of a thriller with real emotional propulsion. The fact that it addresses so many issues about aging, illness and death in a way that’s more matter-of-fact than maudlin is an achievement.

We’re giving a tentative recommendation to MobLand because of the cast and the show’s potential to go deep into its characters’ psyches. But we also wonder if this is just a generic mob drama with a prestige drama skin on it, which would be a big disappointment if that was the case.

Mid-Century Modern feels old-fashioned, even for a four-camera sitcom, mainly because it can’t seem to portray its characters in a way that’s more appropriate for 2025 than 1995.

We don’t need more Paul bothers content, and Paul American really doesn’t give enough insight into Jake and Logan’s lives to make us want to keep watching.

As with the first season, Survival Of The Thickest rides on the effervescent confidence of Michelle Buteau, with Mavis now knowing that she took the big swing she never did before.