The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are visually gorgeous, densely lived-in, and awe-inspiring at times. ... There is a big problem, though. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power might have a strong start, but its plot is laden with so many moving parts and far-flung heroes, it’s easy to see the story cratering. ... Without watching beyond the two episodes provided for review, we can only be cautiously optimistic — and skeptical of what’s next.

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.

We felt instantly immersed in this 18th century Pacific island world, before contact by Westerners, where omens and prophecies are all powerful and the stars above are as important a guide as what the land and sea can give.

Under the Banner of Heaven turns Krakauer’s sprawling look at the roots and evolution of Fundamentalist Mormonism into a well-made detective drama. It’s not as transcendent as its source material, but it is a gripping watch, full of fantastic performances and horrifying reveals.

With naysayers proven wrong, the newly confident Bel-Air hits its stride in Season 2.

By the end of the first episode, we were rooting hard for Andy, Gabriel and Jake to become a strong family unit, which is certainly a product of the show’s strong performances and inventive storytelling.

We’re a bit wary that all the stories the first episode of The Crow Girl introduces won’t come together, and it’s a tonally inconsistent episode. But we’re also going to keep watching, mainly because of the potential twists and turns involved with those stories merging at some point.

Only Murders In The Building continues to be funny while presenting solid mysteries for Mabel, Charles and Oliver to solve.

Devs emerges as an indisputably stunning mystery.

There are multiple reasons why Wedding Season works so well. The first are the two leads. ... It feels like an adventure that’ll be fun to watch. Lyttelton has also done a good job sketching out the supporting characters.

The second season of A Man On The Inside may or may not have as much of the sentiment and emotion as the first season, but it should be just as funny, thanks to Schur, Danson, and a great cast.

Jeremy Clarkson loves knowing everything, even when he doesn’t know anything, and this inherent conflict continues its bountiful crop yield in Season 5 of Clarkson’s Farm. It’s a consistently fun show, because you can see the contours of Top Gear and The Grand Tour within it, how the host combines thoughtful observations with smart-alecky asides.

There’s some genuine big laughs and a few story questions that should keep us intrigued.

Thompson is definitely the main draw on Down Cemetery Road, but good performances all around and a sense of humor that makes us snicker makes up for a mystery that might be frustratingly slow to develop.

Eyes Of Wakanda can definitely drag at times, but the lively action sequences, well-done animation, and the moral dilemmas faced by the stories’ antagonists make the anthology worth watching.

It has the all-consuming romance, gritty action, gorgeous costumes, shocking melodrama, mystical magic, feudal politics, and enchanting Celtic backdrop that made Outlander such an intoxicating hit over a decade ago. Outlander: Blood of My Blood is going to be your new favorite escapist obsession.

While we have some issues with how The Testaments is structured, given how depressing the world of Gilead continues to be, we are looking forward to seeing Agnes and Daisy starting to agitate for change as the show goes forward.

While the writing is sharp on the miniseries, created by Marissa Jo Cerar (The Fosters), the performances take already strong material and make it resonant.

Every aspect of Big Mood, from the chemistry between Coughlan and West, the sharp, comedic commentary on pop culture and social media, and the nuanced handling of mental illness is responsible for this show being a must-watch.

Because the series is so one-sided and speculative, The Man With 1000 Kids has to be seen with a bit of jaundiced eye. But that doesn’t keep us from being fascinated at the results of what happens when one man feels the need to donate his sperm everywhere he can.

The House is certainly off-putting and weird at times, but the animation is great and the stories moved along just quickly enough to keep us interested.

DTF St. Louis is definitely a little weird at the start, but viewers’ patience will be rewarded with a quirky but interesting mystery starting in Episode 2.

Stranger Thing Season 5 Part 1— streaming now — is full of gaudy special effects, nonsensical lore, and insane plot devices, and yet you will still somehow fall under the show’s spell. That’s because it was never the spectacle or super-sized episode run times that won audiences over. No, the best part of Stranger Things is still, as it’s always been, the sheer humanity of its characters and the incandescent talent of its young cast.

If you’ve seen some amazing LEGO sculptures and wonder who does that sort of thing, LEGO Masters will be a good insight into master builders’ skill set and thought process.

Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. suffers from not only being not as funny as it should be, but it also pumps the fan service gags instead of actually developing the world around its star supervillain.

The frothiness of the first season is replaced by real grief and adult emotions, but it’s a welcome change in Belly’s journey to adulthood.

Welliver’s ability to keep the quaking emotions of his character consistently interesting – has always been a highlight of Bosch: Legacy and the series it emerged from. And with Bosch as PI existing untethered by department rules and regs, it’s enticing to consider what walls he’ll run through next.

While there’s a lot about Supacell that we’ve seen before, there’s also enough that’s new to keep us watching, especially given the performances of its main cast.