Minhaj has always been more of an engaging storyteller than a joke craftsman. In this special, he remains in full control of the audience, masterfully pulling “awwwws” and applause breaks out of them with the greatest of ease.

Interview With The Vampire is still a bit melodramatic in its manner and baroque in its language, despite the time shift from the novels and film. But it reestablishes its story so well that we can see it continuing for a number of seasons.

The ensemble on Family Law is appealing enough that we get the feeling that, once Nielsen and her writers tweak Saite’s character a bit, the show will be a funny, light law drama that’s entertainingly quirky.

Jungle has an arresting visual style, and its rap and drill soundtrack layers in more interesting elements. We’ll see how well those layers play together as the stories get more complicated.

The third season is challenging but worthwhile.

Kid Cudi and Barris do a fine job of making Entergalactic feel like much more than a vehicle for Cudi’s latest music; it’s a hip hop take on a familiar story, but is a satisfying watch despite knowing how it’s going to turn out.

Its consistent, formulaic approach is perfect for a complex story with several moving parts. You won’t cheer for the implication this story has on modern foreign relations (a component teased in upcoming episodes), but you’ll be thankful it’s told with such focus and clarity.

The jury’s still out on whether the procedural part of So Help Me Todd will ever be a strong part of the show. But the chemistry between Harden and Astin, along with the deep story possibilities that the Wright family could generate, more than makes up for the lack of procedural heft.

If you followed the GameStop story or saw GameStopped, the information in Eat The Rich: The GameStop Saga will probably be familiar to you. But it’s presented in an entertaining way and also has a more complete picture of the stock’s ups and downs.

Shadowland is fascinating, upsetting, sometimes depressing, sometimes revelatory journalism.

The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist feels like it glorifies the Bling Ring participants — at least the ones who agreed to be interviewed — and victim-blames the celebrities that got burglarized, which makes the series’ perspective really tough to swallow.

The great cast of Suspect saves the show from being a leaden disaster, but the story underpinning all that capital-A acting isn’t all that interesting.

Watchable, despite all of the ridiculousness. ... We’re going to give Reasonable Doubt a chance because Emayatzy Corinealdi is a sexy force to be reckoned with as Jax, and her cloudy ethics and taste in men is what gives some of the silliness in the series some depth.

Like its parent show, The Rookie: Feds is watchable because of its star and very little else. But Nash-Betts is just so damn watchable that you’ll enjoy the series despite any reservations you may have.

Despite one of the main plotlines being a bit wonky, Heartbreak High is a funny show with well-drawn characters. They just happen to hook up a lot.

The first two episodes, which is what ABC sent to critics, are equally as funny and heartwarming as the best of the show’s excellent first season.

The story is what’s going to keep viewers watching, because there aren’t really any compelling characters to latch onto.

This is a slow burn that assumes you’re somewhat familiar with this case. Most of the stress in “Episode One” worked for this critic because I knew what was coming. If I didn’t, there’s a chance this somber pacing drift into boring territory instead of being quietly terrifying.

Reboot is right up there with Abbott Elementary as 2022’s funniest new series, mainly because the confidence Levitan has in creating character-driven comedy is enhanced by a fantastic cast.

While it’s a bit of a slow burn of a show, Andor draws you in because it is so thoroughly and messily human. ... Andor is Star Wars, distilled down to its revolutionary soul.

The new Quantum Leap could end up being decent, but it needs to elevate itself above being a standard dark NBC procedural and take itself a lot less seriously.

So watchable right off the bat. ... Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners is a fantastic addition to the Cyberpunk universe. Its narrative is even more engaging than the original game in certain respects, with a protagonist it’s easy to get behind and root for.

The final season of Atlanta has a sense of the surreal that makes the delivery of its message a whole lot easier to take than the show’s third season, which felt like more of a take-your-medicine exercise at times.

While there’s nothing truly terrible about Vampire Academy, there’s little about it that stands out amid today’s crop of fantastical YA dramas.

Refn spreads out his sensory overload, giving all the brooding and brashness ample space to breathe. It can be repetitive, yes, but never monotonous. ... But, at the end of the day, this is NWR for NWR-heads.

Sins Of Our Mother is an intense retelling of an ongoing story, one that has more tragedy and twists and turns than even Shakespeare could come up with. And it’s all told in a very straightforward manner because with a story this intricate, there’s no real need for bells and whistles.

The Come Up doesn’t look like it’s going to be a particularly deep show, and anyone who’s older than the cast members have seen this kind of show many times. But it’s fun to see how the “youngs” in 2022 see the big city.

Despite Moss’ best efforts, the show is breaking at the seams when it comes to its larger narrative. ... Unless you’re already a dedicated Handmaid’s Tale fan, you can skip the drudgery of this season and check back in with June when the series comes to a close with Season 6.