Bad Monkey has a bit of a shaggy feel to it, with potential to fly off in a lot of different directions and a lot of characters to keep track of. But if anyone can keep a show like this on point, it’s Lawrence and his crew.

Despite the languid pace of the first episode, the unique perspectives at play in The English make it different enough from your standard Western to make it interesting.

Despite the distracting reenactments, Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street imparts a lot of good information about Madoff’s psyche, the structure of his Ponzi scheme, and why people invested in it in the first place.

Holding tweaks the small-town murder formula a bit by giving the mystery to a middle-aged, out-of-shape cop who is self-medicating with food instead of booze or drugs. Between that tweak and the performances of the main characters, it makes for an enjoyable, lightly comedic mystery.

From end to end, Sin Eater is a fascinating look at a man who is really only the tip of the spear for a rotten system. Pellicano makes for a perfect documentary subject, both for what he did and what he reveals about an industry that is nowhere near as far from its scandalous heyday as we are led to believe.

We’re hyped to see how our heroes will confront the latest Vought threat. Confidence in themselves and their powers is growing.

We suspect that the remaining four episodes of the limited series will pick up, as the ship actually fulfills its doomed mission as an insurance claim. But if you want to get a good idea about the main two characters, the first episode does a fine job setting things up.

Burden of Proof offers a different way to do true crime storytelling, emphasizing the toll that uncertainty takes on those experiencing it in the wake of an unsolved disappearance. It offers no easy answers to the kidnapping of Jennifer Pandos nor the strife left behind in her absence. But it uses that lack of conviction as a compelling plea for compassion.

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.

Cush Jumbo and her character are the reasons why we’re going to keep watching Criminal Record. Not that we hate Peter Capaldi’s character, but at the outset he feels much more generic than Jumbo’s character, and given that the two of them face off during the entire season, that could end up being a big problem.

Watching Jerry Before Seinfeld may feel more comforting in this moment than watching 23 Hours To Kill. But whether you think he’s great or he sucks, well, you’re not far off from the truth, either way.

Hip Hop Uncovered has found a great angle to make the history of hip hop fresh again. It doesn’t hurt that the filmmakers get perspectives from so many big names about the history of the genre and the power brokers who made it work behind the scenes.

Once again, The Afterparty has a funny ensemble that plays to their strengths in a solid format.

Kite Man: Hell Yeah! is a STREAM IT, especially if you’re already versed in the brash and bloodsoaked goings-on of the Harley Quinn animated series. This is a fun, foul-mouthed send-up of the superhero genre with expressive voice acting and a gleeful murderous streak that guarantees its NSFW-ness.

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.

The Umbrella Academy never met a time traveling wrinkle it didn’t like, and for season three, there’s a lot of fallout to sort through. But with strong characters both old and new, there’s plenty of reason to see it through.

Because of Bates, Matlock is certainly entertaining to watch. But would the show be equally entertaining if she wasn’t there? We’re not sure.

Twisted Metal has improved because it remembered that character development is as important as anything else, and it makes the show a lot less mentally tiring to watch.

McGregor’s performance is key to the success of A Gentleman In Moscow, a series which has its dark moments, but is a whole lot more hopeful than it seems on the surface.

Despite having a bored and unlikable character at its center, Am I Being Unreasonable? sets up enough mysteries and questions to make the three-hour series breeze by.

Euphoria Season 2 is good, but not quite great. ... Without seeing the final pieces of the overall puzzle, it’s impossible to say if Euphoria Season 2 manages to succeed as a whole. What we have seen is as masterful as it is messy. Euphoria remains an imperfect gem that works best as a showcase for the next generation of towering acting talents.

Flanagan’s ability to weave this story is helped by the fact that he has regulars like Greenwood, Gugino, Thomas and others in prominent roles, and pros like McDonnell and Lumbly joining his family of players. They know what’s required in a show like this and they make the most of what Flanagan gives them.

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.

Amanda Peet’s performance is more than enough to put Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story on a season pass. But Broderick’s story is an intriguing one, and it looks like it’ll be told in a way that will show that some of her simmering rage didn’t just come out of the blue.

The Pharmacist shows how sheer determination, fueled by grief and anger, can drive one man to affect change, even if it’s in the face of a corrupt bureaucracy or a massive corporation.

Between Cumming’s scenery-chewing and the whole dynamic between the reality stars and the civilians make The Traitors fun to watch.

Geek Girl is a well-written and well-acted look at what happens when someone who doesn’t usually embrace surprises in life does so out of the simple desire to be seen.

Pete Rose is a complicated figure, perhaps as complicated as any in the history of baseball. Whether you love him or hate him, Charlie Hustle & The Matter of Pete Rose will keep your interest; the whole story is there, and you can pick your side.

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.

Murder Among The Mormons is a fascinating look at some of the inner workings of the Mormon Church, even if the filmmakers were more interested in the story around the document trade than the church itself.

The first two episodes are off to a promising start, and we hope that the quality carries through to the end of the season. Based on what we’ve seen, we’re confident in saying that Rick and Morty is back and better than ever, broh.

Crazy Delicious is your new cooking show obsession.

The Woman In The Wall succeeds because of the lead performance by Ruth Wilson as well as the grey areas that the tragedy of the Magdalene Laundries caused.

Much like last year’s version, this one retains a mix of the early years of Jimmy Kimmel Live! with the spirit of Saturday Night Live, broken up by footage of Los Angeles and its inhabitants talking to the camera as if they were extras in How To With John Wilson. .... Thank goodness for any differences he’s bringing to the format!

Even though we don’t completely buy the chemistry between Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This is funny enough, and the supporting characters robust enough, to keep us watching to see if Bell and Brody’s characters mesh a little better.

For fans of Westeros — its incestuous soap opera, lavish world-building, and theatrical tragedy — House of the Dragon Season 2 delivers everything you love and then some. It’s I, Claudius with movie monsters, medieval history sprinkled with magic. .... House of the Dragon Season 2 is spectacular to behold, even if what’s unfolding is absolutely terrible.

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.

We trust Greg Garcia to not beat a dead horse with pandemic gags on Sprung. But for the first episode, they are a good way to introduce the story of Jack and the rest of the characters, and Garcia is well on the way to establishing character humor as the center of the series.

Yes, Boots is in many ways similar to many “misfits in the military” comedies that have been a staple of TV for decades. But entertaining characters will always be the key to making a show in this genre work, and this show has plenty of them.

Fallout does a good job drawing viewers into its expansive world without needing a ton of exposition to explain what’s going on. It helps that the show is visually stunning and filled with fine performances by Goggins, Purnell and others.

The second season of Percy Jackson And The Olympians starts off with a raucous episode and promises to send its heroes on a new quest immediately, which is exactly what an adventure series where we already know everyone should do.

It’s easy to get hung up on the choice to recreate Chamberlain’s voice, but love that choice or hate it, Goliath is a first-rate piece of sports documentary filmmaking, one worthy of its titanic subject.

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.

Kathryn Hahn makes Tiny Beautiful Things a compelling watch, mainly because she’s so good at playing someone barely holding things together. But the rest of the series, especially the flashback sequences, give us a pretty full picture of why her character continues to spiral.

Gen V has some well-drawn characters and a compelling young cast. Its storytelling is a bit spotty in the first episode, but the other factors are more than enough to keep us watching.

The world of Fallout expands in Season 2, but all of it still feels focused on the overall story of a post-apocalyptic world created by greed and avarice trying to survive.

The incisive writing and nuanced performances combine to make Heels one of the most entertaining shows of the summer. ... Amell and Ludwig are the headliners but Heels is bolstered by its exceptional undercard.

The Drowning has some aspects that are a little on the unbelievable side, but for the most part it’s a well-written, well-acted psychological mystery.

The Chair is funny as heck with some earned moments of real emotion, and a killer cast. Six episodes flew by, and we hope to see more of Pembroke’s English department soon.

A Murder at the End of the World is here for your wintertime whodunit watching, with a terrific lead performance from Emma Corrin, a strong cast throughout – while they’re still living, anyway! – and layers of forward-looking tech and classic mystery elements to pick at and peel.

While The Snoopy Show isn’t the Peanuts comeback some diehard fans might want, it’s still fun to watch Snoopy, Woodstock and the gang hang out together, even if the episodes are more kid oriented than usual.

More often than not, that structure comes off stiff and clunky rather than genuine and flowing. ... That’s not to say that the dialogue from Gaby Chiappe, who adapted Cecil Day-Lewis’ novel (though seems to change quite a bit, including Frances’ gender) isn’t sharp. It’s what we enjoyed about the first episode the most, including Jumbo’s and Howle’s performances (Harris doesn’t appear until Episode 2). But we just wish Frances’ way to George didn’t look so damned easy.

Jack Ryan has successfully evolved its formula of spycraft and gunfights to accommodate John Krasinski’s brand of charm. In other words, it’s solidly-built, with just enough of everything that a show in this genre requires.

At least trying to offer a glimmer of humanity beyond all of the government agency carrying on and mysterious international evildoing.

There’s plenty to enjoy about the series, which is warm and inviting and fun. Belly proves herself to be a great protagonist.

The show has maintained its likeability and goofy comedic tone after four seasons, and it’s impressive just how many levels it manages to operate on.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians tells a straightforward quest story with good writing and well-defined characters, but takes its time to set up Percy’s story without dragging the show to a halt.

The show is and always has been an incredibly well-acted soap, buoyed by Badgley’s excellent lead performance, and its continued commitment to taking things to crazier places than it ever has makes it more than worth your while.

Ted Lasso Season 3 starts rough, but it does find its footing by Episode 4. It’s the worst season so far to date, but there is enough there for fans to hope — if not “BELIEVE” (har, har) — in a triumphant conclusion to the season. We’ll just have to wait and see.

From its slick animation to its excellent voice cast, it's a winner from top to bottom. And just when you think you know exactly which direction it's going to explore, it pulls the rug out from under you in a truly exciting way. The long-running comic series couldn't have been made into a better serialized format, and if the rest of the show is just as interesting as this one, Amazon has quite the hit on its hands.

While the storytelling on One Day In October can be a bit uneven, the true stories of October 7 survivors, combined with real audio and video, kept us riveted to the relatively-short episodes.

I’m amused – and compelled to see if Command Z can maintain this level of reasonably biting comedy through all 90 minutes.

Dancing with the Devil is raw and heartbreaking and challenging to watch — which makes it all the more imperative that people do hear Lovato’s harrowing story. ... This is not a fun, poppy documentary, and it’s also not four episodes of hot goss. There’s a calming quality to the fact that the backgrounds of these interviews feature water or fountains or palm trees, while the clothes seem to pop with light, bright colors, as the concern in everyone’s voices will keep you watching.

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.

Am I Being Unreasonable? continues to be one of the darkest of dark comedies out there, though there may not be as many twists and turns as the first season had.

We’re not fans of the case Tony and Ziva have to figure out on NCIS: Tony & Ziva, but we like the fact that Weatherly and de Pablo are back in their fan-favorite roles, and their chemistry is as good as ever.

I Just Killed My Dad is the rare true crime docuseries that tells a story that hasn’t been picked apart and retold over decades, and tells the story in a brief, relatively compact manner.

The Gilded Age Season 2 is a fine, fizzy treat. Julian Fellowes has once again crafted a perfectly elevated soap opera for the masses.

Waco: American Apocalypse sticks mostly to the nuts and bolts of the Waco siege, making for an effective narrative about an incident that was one of 1993’s top stories.

The series is not only entertaining and admirable but also an important look at what so many women, even those at the very top of their game in the entertainment industry, have to go through and pretend it’s all good when it very clearly is not.

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.

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.

We’re still wondering if Archive 81 can effectively put its timelines together into a coherent thriller. But it’s off to a promising start, due to good performances from both Athie and Shihabi.

The Hunting Wives is a show you know is going to be ridiculous going in, and it doesn’t try to hide its sexy, at times campy personality under the sheen of a prestige drama. Such brazenness is pretty refreshing these days.

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.

The return of Scrubs works because it acknowledges that its characters have changed with age, and while it struggles to integrate its new generation of characters, there’s still more than enough laughs to satisfy the original’s most ardent fans.

Not only is it funny, but it sets itself up from the first minute as the next great workplace comedy, one that even gamers will like.

The performances are on-point across the board.

While it took a bit of time to get our bearings with regards to what’s going on in the Heavenly Realm, we still enjoyed the first episode of American Born Chinese because of the earthly part of the story, as well as the well-done action sequences.

While Daredevil: Born Again continues to be a watchable Marvel series with good performances, your enjoyment of the show may depend on how close you feel Fisk’s New York is to what is going on in real life.

Black Twitter: A People’s History is a fun and informative document of a phenomenon that is endemic to this particular era of social media discourse, but also helped change the discourse that was happening in general culture.

Stephanie Hsu’s dynamic lead performance is the main attraction of Laid, but the quest to figure out why Ruby’s lovers are dying and what this all means to her romantic life will be a funny and interesting journey to take with her.

The reason why we’re so hard on Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action is that The Jerry Springer Show, and Jerry himself, are such fascinating topics that we wanted a deeper exploration of the cultural phenomenon that the show was than what we got. It’s one of the few cases where a docuseries needs more episodes, not less.

Mary & George takes bold swings, with regard to its approach to the period’s details and to its depiction of history. These swings are wild enough that it could off-put purists of the genre, but I was delighted. Mary & George is the type of show pushing the period drama genre where it needs to go in the future: to a vision of the past that shows us how similar it really was to our present.

We complain about how impenetrable the world of Shadow And Bone is, but we also know that the story is an enjoyable adventure. We just wish things were a hair easier to follow.

Black Knight may take a couple of episodes to fully build out its world, but it’s not a slow-paced introduction to this post-apocalyptic version of Seoul, with stunning visuals and well-done fight sequences.

One of the things we appreciated about the first episode of The Lazarus Project is that writer Joe Barton (Giri/Haji, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself) doesn’t torture George with dozens of time jumps before being introduced to The Lazarus Project. But what we also appreciate is that the first episode does just enough time jumping to set up what’s really going to happen in the series.

American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is a fascinating look at a case that not only has huge implications about how the U.S. government ran in the 1980s and ’90s, but it’s also gives a lot of insight into how journalists can get so deep into stories that sometimes have pretty humble beginnings.

We were not super impressed with the creepiness or scares in Passenger, but we did like Wunmi Mosaku’s performance, and that may be enough to make this show tolerable.

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.

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.

The conspiracy aspects of The Capture are intriguing enough to keep us watching. We just hope we don’t get manipulated as much as we did during the first episode.

The second season of Outer Range certainly isn’t boring, but we just wonder if all the time jumping is going to either get confusing or just make for a bunch of jumbled mysteries without answers.

There’s so much detail here that even “Piano Man” – which is easily one of the most overexposed, wrung-dry songs on the planet – sounds new again. That’s a real feat for a doc, and proof that the giant-sized run-time of So It Goes is more than warranted.

Doctor Who may be taking a slightly different direction as it arrives on Disney+, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not as funny and witty as ever. And the chemistry between Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson does a lot to make up for any encroaching tweeness.

The first episode does an excellent job of hooking you in, but it’s the gorgeous animation, fantastic dubbing, and excellent music that’ll keep you coming back for more. If you’ve been looking for a reason to return to the feudal era of Japan, consider this your sign.

Bad Sisters continues to be a fun show to watch because all five actors playing the Garvey sisters have great chemistry with each other and look like they’re having fun with this dark comedy. It also helps that Horgan and company continue to write smart dialogue for them. We just hope the second season story keeps the focus on the sisters and their lives.

A well-organized script and some fantastic performances makes the expansive story of Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist an engaging, fun show to watch.