The South Westerlies is as refreshing as an ocean breeze, with a fine cast that has great chemistry from their first scenes together.

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.

The Charles and Diana soap opera shines in part because of its built-in cache, but mostly because Josh O’Connor and Emma Corrin are the season’s standouts. ... Less impressive is Gillian Anderson’s Margaret Thatcher. ... But it’s a credit to showrunner Peter Morgan and Emma Corrin herself that Princess Di doesn’t takeover the entire show. There are still standalone episodes devoted to peculiar moments for the monarchy.

The fact that we have a solid idea of who Kim is at the outset is more than enough for us. ... While Two Weeks To Live needs to deepen a few other characters, it set up its story very well in its first episode, aided by the fine lead performance of Maisie Williams.

Dash & Lily is effervescently charming and brimming with real emotion. It is a Christmas rom-com that even the most grumpy of grinches will fall for.

We’re recommending B Positive mostly on the strength of the cast and the ability of Lorre and his showrunners to make the adjustments they need to find the show’s sweet spot. ... But this is one of the shakiest premises we’ve seen yet in a Lorre sitcom.

It’s that very back and forth that makes Industry so much fun. This workplace and its employees are so callous, so singleminded you want to see them trip over their own inflated egos not once but a dozen times. You want to see them rise from the ashes of their own mistakes and try to make it, even if doing so will make you hate them just a little bit more.

There’s little about A Teacher that should feel comfortable. FX on Hulu’s latest miniseries focuses on the relationship between a teacher and her underage high school student, and creator Hannah Fidell does everything possible to sell this romance. Yet it’s that grueling feeling of discomfort that makes this miniseries work.

As soapy as Roadkill is, it has a great cast going for it, led by the always watchable Hugh Laurie. In fact, Laurie is the entire reason to watch this pulpy miniseries, just to see if his character can outrun everyone trying to bring him down.

The magic of Pegg and Frost is alive and well, and Truth Seekers strikes the perfect balance of heart, horror, and humanity. This one is more than worth your time.

That Animal Rescue Show takes a low-key, realistic look at people who give their lives to animals that need help. In a sea of negativity in media, such a positive show is a welcome, refreshing change of pace.

The more enjoyable aspects of the special came during the bits that had nothing to do with Trump but everything to do with how weird 2020 is. ... Other sketches hit or missed as much due to the celebrity co-star’s willingness to throw him or herself into the character. So, much like SNL, then.

It’s like a nice light dessert after all the heavy fare the network offers. We love seeing and hearing from the intensely uncomfortable Wilson, and marvel at how his filmmaking instincts take him in very strange and interesting directions.

While the reenactments in Equal were distracting, we were enlightened by this examination of a piece of history we knew little about, and enjoyed what Porter brought to the project via a narration style only Porter could pull off.

Despite Kidman’s and Grant’s performances, we couldn’t muster up enough energy to care about anyone in The Undoing, at least not enough to spend six hours unraveling its central mystery. It’s certainly watchable, but having this show come so soon after BLL makes it feel like we’ve seen it all before.

Allan Scott and Scott Frank have done a fine job of adapting the long sought-after 1983 novel and exploring the phases of Beth Harmon’s life.

Clips along at an entertaining pace and turns an upsetting story into comic tragedy. You likely haven’t seen this saga told with such crisp clarity before.

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.

Based on Tennant’s performance alone, Des is a compelling watch. But Mays and Watkins put in solid performances, as well.

It plays fast and loose with history and political ideals, sure, but more than anything, it’s a fantasy – and a spooky one at that. La Révolution is indulgent, bloody, and mysterious. What more could you want?

It’s more creepy than scary and the first episode does nothing to make us want to watch and find more of those scares. ... Helstrom was slow-moving and dull, and is more interested in brooding dialogue than actual scares.

All five of the leads put in fine performances. ... But the show lacks focus, at least at the outset.

The fact that this group has such good chemistry with each other despite not being in the same room, and the fact that Gero and Gall are able to craft story arcs as we go through the pandemic is almost miraculous. We genuinely laughed many times through the three episodes NBC sent for review.

The episodes we watched did fine during the funny parts, not as fine during the serious ones. ... But what we appreciated was the sophisticated nature of the humor we saw in each 16-22-minute episode. ... It’s also refreshing to not hear those [“remember when we did this?”] lines, and just have stories about how the humans relate to each other has so utterly changed because of COVID. Let’s hope the rest of the episodes follow suit.

If you’re a West Wing fan, you’ll love this special. If you’re not, you won’t even go find this on HBO Max. And that’s what makes us wonder about if the special’s message will actually land with the people with whom they’re trying to communicate.

Ultimately it’s the characters who shine this season, and that hold the show together. The ensemble has hit its groove in Season 3, and everyone gets time in the spotlight. ... The first four episodes feel sleeker and breezier; lighter, like Burnham.

The Haunting Of Bly Manor is entertaining to watch even during the times it’s not trying to scare the audience, and that’s something that not many horror series can do.

It’s a show that embraces melodrama, yes, but it’s also full of heart; it perfectly balances soul with soapiness, turning these students into characters but also keeping their cores intact.