SmartLess: On The Road takes three well-known actors and shows them acting like three buddies on a long road trip, and we wouldn’t want the show to be anything other than that.

Even if you’ve never seen an episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, you’ll get a lot out of seeing Bloom speak openly about grief while keeping it harmonious.

Sure, the new Punky Brewster is still a sitcom aimed at younger viewers. But it’s got a warmth and sweetness to it that feel genuine. And it’s smart enough to deal with Punky as she is now, not trying to make her into some grown-up version of her 8-year-old self.

An intense and funny performance by Margo Martindale is the highlight of The Sticky, but the idea that this crazy heist story could go just about anywhere is what’s the most intriguing thing about it.

Kate Hudson is the best part of Running Point, but Kaling, Ko, Barinholtz and Stassen have built a winning ensemble around her, with a story that’s not only a workplace comedy, but one about family, as well.

Pepsi, Where’s My Jet? doesn’t even try to take itself seriously, making for a fun look at how the little guy tried to call a big corporation on its mistakes. We don’t imagine they got away with it, but we’re looking forward to the journey they took to get to that point.

Like Squid Game, the fun of The 8 Show is seeing just what kind of situations the characters are going to be put in and how they figure out how to play the strange game they find themselves in.

From hip hop’s inception and its emergence and growth, Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World offers a powerful message that connects influence, innovation, and a unifying beat to how we continue to think and speak about the artform today.

The Tourist hooked us in with its story, plus the performances by Dornan, Macdonald and Brune-Franklin.

Despite the “howcatechem” aspect of Elsbeth being less than satisfying, Preston is so good as the title character we will put up with unsatisfying cases just to watch Elsbeth do her thing.

Our Oceans is a fascinating look at the environment that takes up the vast majority of our planet, the ecosystems that exist under the surface, and the manmade threats the oceans face.

Never Let Him Go is an emotional, respectful, measured take on the Scott Johnson case and the forces that contributed to his killer not being found for over 30 years.

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.

This show isn’t perfect, but I keep finding myself willing to forgive Task its trespasses thanks to all of the other miracles it pulls off.

Will Trent continues to go deeper into its characters’ lives and psyches, transforming the show from an average crime procedural to one of the best character-driven dramas on any broadcast network.

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.

Perhaps Half Man‘s biggest flaw is the heavy-handed way in which Ruben menaces over the entire series. There are moments when Gadd is so ominous as Ruben it almost takes you out of the show’s dramatic atmosphere. .... Niall and Ruben’s journey together is worth sticking around for.

Despite the series’ scattershot focus, America The Beautiful has more than enough spectacular footage to satisfy fans of nature docuseries.

Down In The Valley finds joy and power among the people who do sex work or sex-adjacent work in the Deep South, and Nicco Annan brings the energy to match that objective.

Transatlantic takes a serious story and gives it a bit of a bouncy, adventurous edge, thanks to some crisp writing and a fun lead performance by Jacobs. But it still pays reverence to the people who risked everything to help Nazi refugees, as well as the refugees themselves.

Born In Synanon is unique among cult-related docuseries because it shows that not all cults start because of one person’s narcissism and messiah complex; some actually have good intentions. Of course, it makes it all the more fascinating to watch it all go wrong.

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.

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.

Win Or Lose manages to tell detailed stories about each of its characters, with emotions rooted in reality while taking advantage of Pixar’s ability to create a fascinating visual landscape.

Rain Dogs promises to be an interesting examination in a certain kind of found family that’s by turns darkly funny and warmly inspiring.

Just because a show goes in the direction of a procedural-type show doesn’t mean that it can’t be elevated by a good cast and sharp writing. After the ace performances by Millman and Griffiths, we’re looking forward to seeing what direction Total Control goes in.

While not hilarious, Sunny Nights works because of Carden’s performance, the premise’s clash of sensibilities, and its ability to give viewers a glimpse at Sydney’s seedier side.

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.