Shows like How To Die Alone completely depend on the charm of the star and the cast. And Natasha Rothwell is definitely charming. But she has also built a cast around her that we want to see more of.

Ultimately Only Murders in the Building doesn’t break new ground so much as it deftly embraces what makes the mystery genre so universally compelling.

The Boys continues to build towards a climactic confrontation, but with a story that has reached the point where it’s become personal and intimate. We hope that continues, even if it exists alongside the action and funny moments.

Sasquatch may not prove to you one way or another that sasquatches actually exist, but it’s an entertaining true crime story with some interesting twists and turns.

Oswalt’s comedy will put you at ease for an hour.

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.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a visually-stunning animated series that has a fresh take on Peter Parker’s early days as New York’s only webslinging crimefighter.

Because The Recruit is at its heart a silly action series, its success really leans on Centineo’s charm and the comedic vibe of the show’s writing, and that continues in the second season.

Our Flag Means Death continues to emphasize story over gags, and manages to be both funny and touching at the same time.

By shifting its focus from Dev to Denise, Master Of None gives us a third season that’s fresh and poignant and makes us want to see more after its first episode. Does it trip over its own pretentiousness at times? Sure. But that’s not a deterrent for us.

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.

The series is only getting more ambitious as it moves into season 3, which rewards the viewer with greater stakes for core characters we’ve come to know.

While we’re a bit disappointed in the dark turn The Boys has made as it goes into its final season, we’re looking forward to seeing how Eric Kripke and company bring the story to an end.

In the second season of Shrinking, Lawrence’s patented “found family” vibe is in place, with different segments of the excellent cast mixing and matching easily in storylines that feel earned and unforced.

This new take on Mr. & Mrs. Smith is funny and full of surprises, with great chemistry between Glover and Erskine that may lead to some interesting sexual tension as the series goes on.

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.

While the first episode of Legends could have fleshed out some of the main characters a little better, it does just enough — with enough restraint — to keep us watching.

There are a lot of elements that make Welcome To Wrexham a fascinating watch, namely how two Hollywood superstars are going to come into a small Welsh town and try to turn around its football team without making like they’re saviors.

Hillary gives viewers the chance to go beyond soundbites and stereotypes, if they dare.

Matthew Macfadyen is quite good as the somewhat vapid, wholly incompetent John Stonehouse. The rest of Stonehouse feels like it’s a bit light and trivial, but it wisely puts Macfadyen front and center in just about every scene.

If you’re in the mood for a lighthearted giggle, this is not the special for that and Netflix is packed with dozens of others that do provide this service. It didn’t make me laugh and I believe the intention was to do so, even more than her previous special.

Ultimately it’s the characters who shine this season, and that hold the show together. The ensemble has hit its groove in Season 3, and everyone gets time in the spotlight. ... The first four episodes feel sleeker and breezier; lighter, like Burnham.

Jones and Oyelowo carry the first episode of Silo with great performances. But the rest of the cast, as well as the hopeful ending and Yost’s proven storytelling ability, tells us that the show won’t be a typical depressing dystopian drama.

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.

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.

Losing Alice is setting up to be an interesting erotic thriller. But, more than most shows, it hinges on its main character. And Ayelet Zurer absolutely hits the right notes as Alice.

While we still enjoy High Potential, especially now that Olson and the rest of the cast have settled into a nice rhythm with each other, we hope that the continuing Game Maker storyline doesn’t disrupt the show’s flow as much as it does in the first episode of Season 2.

Wonder Man is a Marvel show that’s accessible to even non-Marvel fans mainly because it’s less about the MCU and more about an actor who is trying to land the biggest role in Hollywood while not getting too lost in his own head. If that includes his superpowers, all the better.

Allen v. Farrow is a fascinating deep dive into a case that has been all over the news media for almost 30 years now, even if it’s admittedly a one-sided account.

Cunk On Life is often laugh-out-loud funny, mainly because Diane Morgan plays Philomena Cunk with just the right tone; Cunk is dumb, ignorant about her own stupidity, and confident in that stupidity without being cocky. Combined with Brooker’s dry sense of humor, it’s a formula that Netflix can count on for the next number of years.

We’re going to stick with The Dropout because of Seyfried’s pitch-perfect performance as Holmes as well as the myriad guest actor performances that are already looking promising by the end of the first episode. We just hope that the show doesn’t continue to make Holmes the hero of her own story.

Plot lines don’t veer too far into WTF territory without a payoff. Through vulnerability and introspection, Platonic strikes a nice balance between lighthearted and serious storylines.

The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez is a very difficult show to watch. But it’s one of those that’s a must watch, because it’ll show you how the government agencies that are supposed to protect children can often fail, often for very stupid reasons.

Based on Tennant’s performance alone, Des is a compelling watch. But Mays and Watkins put in solid performances, as well.

The Tex Avery-style sight gags on Cat Burglar can get tiring because they’re doled out at hyper speed. But Rowdy’s deaths, and even the vignettes where he succeeds, make up for that.

If you followed the GameStop story or saw GameStopped, the information in Eat The Rich: The GameStop Saga will probably be familiar to you. But it’s presented in an entertaining way and also has a more complete picture of the stock’s ups and downs.

Red Rose starts off on solid footing, setting up a season full scary twists and turns that we hope don’t get too ridiculous.

Martin acknowledges at one point they’re perhaps preaching to the choir in the theater, but perhaps more than a few viewers unfamiliar with Martin will happen upon their special and learn a thing or two, too.

Outlander Season 7 isn’t what I would call good TV, but it is a good season of Outlander.

The Hunt For Raoul Moat is a pretty by-the-numbers limited series about a real-life manhunt. However, the performances are compelling enough, and the runtime short enough, to keep viewers engaged.

When MaryLand concentrates on Becca and Rosaline re-bonding while seeking answers about their mother, the series works the best, thanks the performances from Jones and Best. The rest of the stories surrounding the sisters feel like filler that won’t really have much to do with the general direction of the series.

Leonardo Da Vinci breathes new life into the artist’s legend; Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon have painted a pretty complete picture of a man who was much more than the sum of his most famous works.

Tulsa King continues to be a bit cartoonish and ridiculous, with stories that are introduced and dropped with increasing frequency. But Stallone is still entertaining as Dwight, as is the crew around him, and that may be enough for this show.

There’s great potential for a fun road-trip comedy here.

Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is certainly one of the darker entries in the franchise, especially among the animated series. But there is a lot of potential to dig into the personality of one of the franchise’s most notorious villains, which is always something we look forward to seeing.

If it weren't for Deborah Ayorinde and especially Sarah Niles, we'd likely tell people to skip Riches because it's so over-the-top soapy. But the two lead performances are so compelling that it will definitely make viewers flip to at least the second episode after the first is over.

If you’re going to wait a decade to create a second season of a show, it’s got to do two things: It’s got to remind people who watched the first season what the connections back to that season are, and it’s got to tell a new story that’s just as compelling as the first season was. The second season of The Night Manager definitely accomplishes the first, but hasn’t yet proven that it’ll accomplish the second.

It’s a wildly entertaining rollercoaster that will have you rooting for the complex characters, questioning who you can trust, and reexamining your own biases in a way that doesn’t feel derivative.

If you find Hallmark’s holiday movies to be a little too sappy for your taste, With Love will scratch that itch you may have for a warm family-oriented romcom, with just a bit more representation and edge.

Quiz isn’t exactly a heavy lift for the viewer; it’s only 3 parts — though probably would be better as 2 — and is about a scandal that has more silly elements (a lot of coughing, for instance) than serious ones.

The first episode of Extraordinary sets up a pretty funny premise; we just hope that the joke that everyone in the world has powers except Jen doesn’t quickly wear out when the novelty of it does.

Frayed tells a funny and hopefully heartwarming story about a woman who has to re-adapt to the place she fled decades ago, and how her pasty and awkward kids might flourish there. It’s not a new concept, but it works here.

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.

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.

A Man on the Inside is a breezy and fun septuagenarian shenanigan tale from start to finish.

STREAM IT, if you’re a fan of the Spartacus franchise. If you’re not, you’re going to be too confused and confounded by Spartacus: House Of Asher to want to continue past the first couple of episodes, so SKIP IT

While there are a lot of scene of just people talking that don’t add much to the overall story, The Gold still paints an interesting picture of a massive accidental heist and its aftermath.

Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer is an interesting look at the fascinating career of Dr. Ann Burgess, highlighting how she changed the way law enforcement looked at rape victims as well as serial killers.

Ultimately what makes Bridgerton such a gem is its adoration of the historic romance genre. The attention to detail in this show doesn’t cater to fussy historic accuracy, but the way the romance genre drowns readers in fantasy. Bridgerton is a swoon-inducing treat that will leave you hot, bothered, and begging for more.

This doc can and should inspire many important conversations across the legal, music, and media industries. Framing Britney Spears is entertaining to watch, but even more than that, it is shocking and hopefully motivating.

Minx is effervescently fun, full of heart and smarts, and a heck of a lot of promise for what’s still to come.

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.

It’s very silly, very extreme, and very entertaining. But unlike Regular Show, Close Enough consistently channels its random energy and silly characters to make a bigger, more interesting point.

Because of the twist at the end of the first episode and the series’ relative brevity, watching Sophie: A Murder In West Cork should be worth your time.

Mulaney’s magic act remains using turns of phrase as his sleight of hand. He’s just now a much creepier magician. ... We get two-thirds of the story from Mulaney, but he’s still holding back on us. Whether he’s doing that for his benefit or for ours, we may never know. But he’s still a gifted and often hilarious storyteller. No matter what story he’s selling us.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a charming new addition to the Game of Thrones franchise that will woo you back to Westeros.

While it’s a bit of a slow burn of a show, Andor draws you in because it is so thoroughly and messily human. ... Andor is Star Wars, distilled down to its revolutionary soul.

While The Real World Homecoming: New York may be a nostalgia trip for people who started their adult years in the grunge era [raises hand], the perspectives of the now middle-aged first cast are so much more welcomed than what we’ve seen from younger, very hyper-aware casts of late.

Mysteries abound and the audience is left to guess and try to keep things straight. The execution here, though, isn’t as cohesive as we would want and it frustrated us at every turn.

Over 20 years later, this series does a good job of stripping away the excess and offering the essentials of the case and the evidence against Scott. Most of all though, the series provides the narrative that, despite his best attempts to seem like a man in mourning, Scott Peterson knew what he was doing all along and was pretty bad at concealing it.

The Great tries to be irreverent and funny but fails on both accounts. In fact, some of what passes for jokes on this show is downright painful to watch because it’s so dark and mean-spirited.

Queenie has some equally funny and dramatic moments in its first episode, and Dionne Brown handles both sides of her character well.

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.

Spacey Unmasked is a relentless series of stories detailing horrific behavior by Kevin Spacey, but it also tries to give a little context by delving into the actor’s life. Still, it’s hard to watch.

The Tower does a good job of telling its central mystery without a lot of filler, and Whelan’s performance as Collins is both intense and emotional.

Twenty Twenty Six is a funny take on a workplace focused on putting together one of the world’s biggest sporting events, helmed by a person who is experienced with all the craziness and somehow manages to get things done in spite of 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.

The Patient delivers a good story and dramatic tension in a compact package. It’s an exercise in “less is more”, and Carell and Gleeson are especially good at reining in their characters’ extreme emotions.

At times, Spector doesn’t seem to know how to align the man’s competing legacies. But it does its best to portray a fuller picture of the woman who paid the ultimate price for his behavior.

The Mole isn’t quite as fun as the Anderson Cooper version, but it’s still a solid reality competition format that we’re glad is getting new life with Netflix.

Creature Commandos features a ton of James Gunn’s trademark wit and sweetness, lots of gleeful destruction, an adult-animation-worthy helping of boobs and butts and stuff, and for comic book heads, a shared visual aesthetic and the deliberate centering of oddball characters straight off the page.

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.

After dozens of adventurous movies and the visionary WandaVision, I feel confident that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is going to take flight and soar—but right now we’re still on the runway.

The supporting cast is solid, from Sewell’s smarmy Hal on down. The show has a mild sense of humor that can alleviate some of the seriousness. But there’s nothing about the show that makes it a buzzy must-watch.

ZeroZeroZero is surprisingly engaging given just how many locales and characters the viewer needs to keep track of.

As big as Stranger Things has stretched in season four, the avenues by which its parallel narrative threads will converge are becoming more clear with the revelations of volume two. And that’s exciting, watching as all of these characters, long broken apart, find their way back to each other.

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.

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.

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.

If you’ve stuck with Sweet Tooth to this point, there is nothing about the final season that would make you stay away from completing the story.

Because of the funny moments, and the idea that these two coddled young men are now going to have to get into hardcore criminal activity, we are feeling pretty good about the prospects that the first season of Deli Boys will be entertaining.

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.

World On Fire is certainly a character-driven drama, but those characters, and the fine performances that shape them, are more than enough to work through the disjointed first episode and see where their lives go as World War II grows in scope and danger.

Schmigadoon! is silly, sweet, sharp, and most of all, sensational. It’s just the latest in a string of Apple TV+ comedies to balance wit and heart.

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.

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

The friendship at the center of Everything I Know About Love is what is going to fuel the show and keep it flying off into just showing hipster nonsense. But the first episode felt much longer than its 43-minute runtime because of all that hipster nonsense.