Genius: Aretha seems content to tell Franklin’s story through signal events in her life. Those broad strokes leave significant narrative gaps, but magnetic singing and acting from Cynthia Erivo goes a long way to keeping it on point.

Unconditional tries to be more than it is, which is a pretty conventional thriller. But the “message-y” parts of the show don’t get in the way all that much, and the story builds tension very well.

The performances are on-point across the board.

Alter Ego is silly, sure, but on a network that airs The Masked Singer, it feels downright dignified. And the contestants’ stories are worth watching.

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.

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.

This new version of The Stand is off to an intriguing start, whether you’re a fan of the book or not.

As rough as the first episode may be for some viewers, just imagine if NBC hadn’t given Seinfeld a second chance after that sitcom’s initial struggles in both plot and ratings. Let’s see how Bust Down unfolds.

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

When Cobra Kai really clicks is when the nostalgia factor is balanced by the interactions of the current group of kids. That balance is certainly out of whack in the first two episodes, but it’s something we hope gets restored later in the season.

While we didn’t laugh much during the first episode of Moonbase 8, we still saw the beginnings of three interesting characters and a great chemistry among them.

While Burning Body has its flaws, the performance of Úrsula Corberó helps viewers get past them and get into this very complex story.

Despite all our reservations, we’re recommending Gangs Of London because it feels like the story is going to be relatively straightforward, despite all the characters that will need to be addressed. At least that’s what we hope will happen.

Where Is Wendy Williams? is really hard to watch, but if you are at all interested in what’s been going on in her life in the last few years, or have been following the confusing drama around her care, this is a must watch.

Professor T doesn’t tread new ground. But the writing is solid and Miller and the rest of the cast do a good job of making the obsessive detective trope entertaining to watch.

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test does its best to really show that the celebrities who are going through this extraordinarily difficult training aren’t getting any special treatment, from either the staff or the producers. We give credit for the celebs for participating, and many giving honest reasons why, and it’ll be interesting to see who makes it until the end of the ten-day training stretch.

The new version of Supermarket Sweep doesn’t try to dress up what’s essentially a pretty straightforward game show. Jones is an enthusiastic host, as you’d expect.

Kimmel makes an awesome Millionaire host, and the celebs are entertaining enough.

The movie is about two percent positive, 98 percent terrifying.

While Yellowjackets has its storytelling issues, it does seem that, with everyone settled into the story, that the stakes will be ramped up in Season 2. That should help keep our minds off the show’s glaring flaws.

Killing It gets off to a rough but promising start, thanks to a fun performance from Robinson, with an assist from O’Doherty. We hope that as the story gets more personal, the characters will outshine the gags.

If you’ve been hankering for another heaping helping of slow-moving, romantic drama a la Virgin River, then Sullivan’s Crossing should help satisfy that craving.

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.

Girl Taken builds its tension in a straightforward manner, not through trickery or withheld information, and that is a rare commodity on streaming TV these days.

The premiere episode of this new American version of The Chase didn’t deliver as much tension as we expected, and did drag in parts. But we do see the potential of the format, especially with the three Jeopardy! champions in place as Chasers.

You might not learn much that’s new while watching Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness, but you’ll spend an entertaining half hour watching the ever-funny JVN get his questions answered.

Despite the cumbersome cast and retrograde gags, The Garcias has the same warmth as The Brothers Garcia series, and should be a fun nostalgic watch for fans of the original show.

If you liked EMHE the first time around, you’ll like it now. And you’ll also like watching Ferguson fumble his way through these jobs and bringing his comedic touch to a show that can get repetitive after awhile.