Lessons In Chemistry contains layers of ingredients that build on and play off of each other: romance, drama, history, the second wave of feminism, all snuggled neatly into a 13 x 9 pan. When combined, they’re all greater than the sum of their parts.

There are plenty of funny character-based situations, and the cast is displaying good chemistry in the first two episodes. But the “been there, done that” feeling of American Auto is pervasive, even if the first two episodes have some funny moments.

Good Omens returns after a four-year hiatus with a good story and the same funny chemistry between its stars.

Not his best work but certainly his most ambitious and audacious endeavor yet, so it’s worth the effort to applaud his effort.

While there isn’t a ton of character development as The Rig starts, the acting is excellent, and it makes the tension that’s building on the Kinloch Bravo feel palpable.

Big Mouth Season 7 is still treading the same worn-out waters as it has across the rest of its runtime, and the only positive thing that can really be said here is that next season is its final set of episodes.

Despite our reservations about Delevingne as the host of Planet Sex With Cara Delevingne, the show manages to cover a lot of ground and still be informative about topics we thought we already knew a lot about.

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.

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.

If you don’t care about the MonsterVerse movies, this show probably won’t change your mind. However, if you’re into Godzilla, Kong, or the various Titans who square off against them, Monarch is a lot of fun.

Black Cake works best when it concentrates on how Covey became Eleanor and managed to make a life for herself despite the secrets she kept. The impact of those secrets on the present day feel like more of a punctuation on the story instead of part of the story itself.

Star Trek: Prodigy sets up a fun story that’s only somewhat connected to the greater canon of the Trek franchise, but with the addition of Mulgrew, makes the show accessible to newcomers and Trek fans alike.

Break Point is not a serious examination of the state of tennis going into 2023, but it is a pulpy binge-watch that will introduce you to the next generation of tennis stars. To put it bluntly, Break Point gives pro tennis the Kardashian treatment.

Stargirl is a fun ride, and the performances by Bassinger and Wilson make the first episode keep a lively pace.

Heist is a change of pace from the usual Netflix true crime docuseries, which by itself warrants a recommendation. Whether you think that these heists and the people who pulled them off deserve such an upbeat spotlight is up to you, but the series itself is visually interesting and well-executed.

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo thrives in the courtroom scenes that pepper Lincoln Lawyer. .... Lincoln Lawyer is also at its best when its centerpiece attorney is in reaction mode to the moves being made by the people in his personal and professional lives, which increasingly overlap.

Even though it may not touch the heights of the original Jury Duty, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat is a pretty funny workplace sitcom wrapped around the conceit that one of the people there have no idea he’s in a sitcom, and he’s buying into all of it.

Though the series strikes the creator’s signature balance of humor and emotional depth, Rooster has yet to rival Shrinking, Ted Lasso, or The Office. That’s not to say the six of ten episodes made available for review weren’t a genuinely fun ride; rather, it’s a testament to the incredible heights we’ve seen both men reach.

Strange Planet has the potential to be one of the most human animated series we’ve seen this year, despite the fact that none of the characters are actually human.

The Nest is twisty enough to keep our interest, but we just wish the first episode didn’t have so many eye-rolling coincidences.

A quality supporting cast and a light sense of humor also helps. Not every aspect of the show is light and airy, but it seems to know when it needs to be serious and when it needs to lighten things up. Because of this, Three Pines give viewers an interesting murder case to follow, quirky small-town folks with secrets, and a more serious case that tests its main character’s abilities.

Somehow, Boy Swallows Universe pulls off a pretty dark coming-of-age story without being depressing or hopeless, thanks to some deft writing and fantastic performances by the cast.

The 9-1-1 franchise wears its ridiculousness like a badge of honor, and that gives them the freedom to put their first responders into pretty much any situation, which is why 9-1-1: Nashville might be silly, but at least it’s entertainingly silly.

Whether you were a fan or not, Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model is a fascinating and thorough look at one of the biggest reality franchises ever—warts and all.

Ted is definitely more watchable in Season 2, more interested in character and story than it was in Season 1. But we just wish that, while Ted himself is pretty irredeemable, we got more growth out of John rather than just a series of gross shennanigans.

Daniels has succeeded to make the afterlife look like hell in Upload, even if it’s a hell with colorful foliage. And that’s just the kind of show we want to see right about now. But we also know he knows how to build a funny ensemble we’ll care about, and he’s on the way to doing that after the first episode.

While we wish Clean Slate was funnier and took a bit longer to have Harry accept that Desiree is now a woman, it feels like it’s going to be a warm show about rebuilding relationships and Southern small town life. Given the presence of Cox, Wallace and Hopkins, we’re on board for this one.

Whether you’re a true crime junkie or a casual viewer there’s plenty in Heaven’s Gate to interest you. Robert Balch and David Taylor’s accounts of going undercover into the organization are especially compelling.