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.

There’s certainly information in the first episode that we either didn’t know or forgot, and Having historians like Stryker and Jules Gill-Peterson give their perspectives of that history helps contextualize things. We hope that as the episodes move towards more modern times, the reliance on recreations will subside.

Run The World proves that a TV formula can be repeated if the characters and actors are appealing and the writing starts to create worlds around them that are start to stand out on their own. After the first episode, the show is on its way to doing just that.

Despite the performances by the miniseries’ leads, Death And Nightingales is just too boring and inaccessible to really get into; by the end of the first episode, we were even more in the dark about the story than we were at the beginning.

The final frame of the pilot challenges your notion on how the rest of this journey will go. ... These two slaves are going to be free at some point, but what they will encounter on their way north will create enough tension and empathy to keep viewers’ attention beyond the first episode.

Perhaps as things go along, we’ll see more development from these characters. But it may also be that Halston is the only one we see any kind of depth from. And that feels like a missed opportunity. ... McGregor’s performance ties together the flatter characters that are depicted in Halston’s orbit. Despite the broad strokes, five episodes sounds just about right for this series.

Writer Julie Gearey wastes no time getting to the meat of the story. In doing that, it makes the characters one-dimensional. ... Intergalactic tries too hard to create its world, leaving a confusing mess in its wake.

The Upshaws has “good sitcom bones”, but is so saddled with tired plots and dialogue it just makes for a show that feels like it’s already stale, even though it just started.

It’s refreshing to experience a talk show that cuts the monologue out entirely to get straight to the straight talking. ... [Ziwe] certainly stars shines throughout, even while she’s consistently throwing shade and facial expressions.

From Cradle To Stage gives viewers a great look at how their favorite music stars became so driven to succeed in what is an impossible business, and the moms who helped make them that way.

The Drowning has some aspects that are a little on the unbelievable side, but for the most part it’s a well-written, well-acted psychological mystery.

While it’s a valiant try at starting a new superhero franchise, Jupiter’s Legacy can’t wrangle its sprawling mythology well enough to make a coherent and cohesive first episode.

What the series lacks in laugh-out-loud moments, it more than makes up for in thought-provoking ones, especially if you’ve found yourself wondering what Che would do if he had more agency and authority in selecting the sketches on SNL.

With four fantastic leads and some sharp writing, Girls5eva should give Fey-Carlock fans the fix they’ve been looking for since Kimmy Schmidt ended.

Searing. ... Because Gibney is committed to showing the full scope of opioid-related sin, it’s hard to hang our anger on one singular party. Gibney’s most popular past documentaries left us understanding who the villains were and who the victims were. The lines get blurred when it comes to the opioid crisis in part because there are so many at fault and so many who have gotten hurt.

While we were annoyed at the first episode of The Sons Of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness, we’re looking forward to digging into what Terry found and how the investigation affected him.

There is some goofiness to the show, especially Wrecker’s desire to “blow stuff up,” but The Bad Batch feels like a worthy spinoff to the very popular Clone Wars series.

Hacks is the rare comedy that not only nails its punchlines, but brutally deconstructs the pain, effort, and genius it takes to make jokes land. ... A spectacular showcase for its leading ladies, and above all, a love letter to life in the comedy trenches.

A fine lead performance from Justin Theroux, in addition to a story that’s been rejiggered just enough to make it more modern than its source material gives this new version of The Mosquito Coast a real chance to be the next talked-about series.

The first episode does an excellent job of hooking you in, but it’s the gorgeous animation, fantastic dubbing, and excellent music that’ll keep you coming back for more. If you’ve been looking for a reason to return to the feudal era of Japan, consider this your sign.

Some episodes pick up days after their previous installment. Some take place months, or even years down the line. At times it can be a bit jarring. Suddenly, the House of Evangelista jumps from being ballroom mainstays to largely absent legends. Characters who barely dabble with drugs have full-blown addictions. But this season has so much heart, these little logical leaps can be forgiven. If anything, they add to the ethereal feeling of the series’ conclusion.

Not only does Greta Thunbrerg: A Year To Change The World reinforce the young activist’s forceful language about climate change, it shows some glimpses into her motivation and drive, as well.

Rutherford Falls is a smart comedy that takes a view of indigenous people that most TV shows, even recent ones, have just not made the effort to take. It helps that Helms and Schmieding are appealing leads and have good chemistry as lifelong friends Nathan and Reagan.

If you’re a fan of watching documentaries about the “anatomy of a scam”, then Generation Hustle has ten different well-told stories to choose from.

Life In Color With David Attenborough is informative and visually stunning, of course, but the technology behind some of its more interesting scenes is what makes us want to keep watching.

So far so good for Secrets of the Whales. Nature-doc lovers will eat this stuff up like, I dunno, a generous-of-spirit orca to a half-eaten stingray.

Shadow and Bone delivers pure escapism with timely social commentary and good old fashioned soapy storytelling. It is the next big fantasy sensation. ... This show is extremely dense. ... For Grishaverse virgins, Shadow and Bone could prove to be overwhelming.

Mysteries abound and the audience is left to guess and try to keep things straight. The execution here, though, isn’t as cohesive as we would want and it frustrated us at every turn.