It’s fine, escapist fare but lacking in much imagination.

Some viewers may find “The First” too slow, especially in the first two episodes, but “The First” becomes more engrossing as it unfurls, especially when the show’s scope broadens out from Tom and explores the other characters.

Directed by Michel Gondry, Kidding occasionally shows sparks of the magic he brought to his previous collaboration with Mr. Carrey, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” but there’s not enough of the show-within-a-show for Mr. Gondry’s wonderfully wacko visual style to get much play.

There are occasional glimpses of “Seinfeld”-style humor. ... But the pilot is neither as funny as that NBC classic nor as topical as “The Carmichael Show.”

It’s been a while since basic cable has delivered a guilty pleasure as enticing and entertaining as Lifetime’s stalker drama You.

While the character drama is compelling and often well-acted, the viciousness of this world proves a barrier to entry some viewers will understandably choose not to cross.

Filmic in its look and style – the series screams “big budget” – “Jack Ryan” has its exciting moments, and even when there are not explosions on screen, the presence of the always-likeable Mr. Krasinski easily pulls viewers through to the next exciting action set piece.

The first episode of “One Dollar” wallows in the struggles of several sad sack characters and jumps around a confusing amount as it introduces the unwieldy, large cast, but the show becomes more engrossing in episodes two and three. “One Dollar” hits its stride by episode six, proving it’s a worthy addition to the Peak TV era.

What began as a sublimely ridiculous pop culture sensation devolved over its first five films into just a junky exercise in bloated storytelling and C-list celebrity-spotting. No. 6 is more of the same with an often nonsensical time travel story.

The first two episodes of “Disenchantment” are more amusing than funny with entertaining enough puns and parodies of modern-day brands in the names of shops in the Kingdom of Dreamland.

Lodge 49 goes down easy but perhaps too easy. It feels unessential in the 500-series era, an OK diversion but not a must-see series.

The season premiere, written by Mr. Gould, serves as a warm-up act for the season’s more gripping second episode that features at least two remarkable scenes with bravura performances: Jimmy self-sabotaging and Kim, in a searing performance by Ms. Seehorn, ripping into Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian).

Through its first three episodes, Castle Rock builds out its world and character relationships thoughtfully and deliberately. Whether it holds up through the entire 10-episode first season remains to be seen, but Castle Rock gets off to a strong, engrossing start.

Casting Ms. Kreuk as an anti-hero would be a unique twist but Burden quickly undoes that, settling for the more pedestrian idea of Joanna crusading for the little guy while also, thankfully, voiding the notion that the show is pro anti-vaxxer.

Imagine a low-rent “Game of Thrones” wannabe with bargain basement special effects and a paint-by-numbers plot and you’ve got a good conception of the fantasy drama "The Outpost."

Ms. Chenoweth is a smart addition but the humor is often too broad and, worse, predictable. When the show’s humor offers a more surprising take, Trial & Error shines--the “East Peck Lady Laws of 1952” are particularly amusing--but that seems to happen with less frequency in season two.

The first two Sharp Objects episodes take a slow-burn approach--too slow--but the pace picks up in episode three as Sharp Objects delves deeper into Camille’s back story and as Camille begins to connect with suspects in the case. That’s probably OK for fans of the novel, but for the rest of us, it’s a tough early slog in an era of myriad TV series choices.

The two-hour “Yellowstone” pilot is both talky and somewhat predictable as it establishes the characters, their relationships and conflicts. But future episodes offer more surprises and deepen the characters--flashbacks help establish why Beth is the way she is--making “Yellowstone” an enticing summer diversion.

For fans of darker, soapier TV fare, the light-as-a-feather “Take Two” will be a hard pass, but for a light drama it’s entertaining enough, thanks to producers poking fun at TV procedural cliches (while also embracing them) and Ms. Bilson’s likable performance.

Written by novelist Patrick Gale, “Man in an Orange Shirt,” airing timed to national Pride Month, tells stories both familiar and heartfelt (the consequences of repression; not being true to yourself) but also occasionally surprising (“open relationships” come into play in the second, contemporary-set hour).

In its early going, Strange Angel just isn’t strange enough to warrant sustained viewer interest.

While the show’s first hour doesn’t inspire much confidence in the series, save for a poignant scene between Tyrone and his mother (Gloria Reuben), the second episode gives the characters more depth and allows for a little more light to sneak into the generally dark (tonally and visually) proceedings.

After a slow start early in the pilot episode, the pace quickens, turning Condor into a taut, violent, compulsively watchable series for fans of “24”-style thrillers.

Imagine a Don Draper-less, bland, unsurprising sequel to “Mad Men” and “American Woman” comes pretty close. All the plot twists are telegraphed.

Whether Dietland can sustain the will-Plum-get-caught? story remains to be seen, but early episodes show promise.

The character-based stories grow more effective over time as viewers come to care about the characters’ love lives and hardships.

The tone of the pilot makes jarring shifts, but episode two settles into a comfortably arch take on the hubris and egocentrism shared by members of the Roy clan.

Structurally, Arrested is in better shape than it was in season four. Fans who temper their expectations for this new batch of episodes--eight are available this week with another eight coming later this year--will be happy to be back with the terrible Bluth family.