“Ride” is emblematic of the new, more inclusive Hallmark because there’s also a gay, stereotype-defying McMurray brother whose name is — and I am not making this up — Tuff (Jake Foy, “Designated Survivor”). Like much about “Ride,” that name tries a little too hard, but at least Hallmark now reflects the real world more accurately.

A best drama nomination for “Yellowjackets,” which was nominated for its first season in last year’s Emmy race, seems pretty likely if the first six episodes made available for review are indicative of the season as a whole.

“Succession” proves particularly engrossing when the series finds new themes to explore and forces the characters to confront new situations as it does in season four. ... Allowing the series to conclude sooner rather than later insures it will likely continue to be regarded as one of the best TV dramas of all time.

That lighter touch the writers take with Hailey draws more humor out of Sutherland’s Weir. ... That may not be enough to recommend “Rabbit Hole,” which is largely a generic conspiracy thriller, but it’s at least a differentiator.

It gets repetitive and dull, though the musical numbers should help maintain some viewer interest.

While the pilot episode shows promise and is funnier than “The Chair,” episode two disappoints and confuses with no clear answer as to what “Lucky Hank” will be on a weekly basis.

The “Swarm” finale may not satisfy all viewers – it’s somewhat open to interpretation and not concrete – but it is a fitting finale to easily one of the year’s best, most outrageous series.

“History of the World, Part II” would be more worthwhile if it was shorter in duration. It has one movie’s worth of strong material stretched out over eight streaming episodes. Maybe consider watching episodes one through four and then skip to eight.

The season two plot, courtesy of new showrunners Jack Amiel and Michael Begler (“The Knick”), is less convoluted but still occasionally overly languid. “Perry Mason” remains at its best when the focus is on the series regulars and their relationships.

Like many programs of the streaming age, this one probably would be better as a movie – Jack continues to find ways to kick the can of truth down the road into a potential second season — but ultimately “Hello Tomorrow!” made me hope the show will have enough tomorrows to reach an adequate resolution.

This season of “Picard” doesn’t feel like fan fiction; it feels legit.

To succeed in the long-term, “Animal Control” needs to get funnier fast and spend more time on its human characters and less time on animal gags.

A generally overlong, unsatisfying program.

“Not Dead Yet” is only mildly amusing, not laugh-out-loud funny.

“The Ark” is poorly written (grating exposition galore!) with mediocre special effects and cardboard characters. Syfy’s latest disappoints on every level.

These [two] episodes feel like an overlong prologue. But credit Davis’ ability to blend teen horror and romance and his photogenic young cast for making me want to learn more about them and the secrets that seem destined to bind them as a pack.

It only takes a few episodes for “Shrinking” to feel like a true ensemble.

Even though this is a procedural, it’s more elevated, more cinematic and more entertaining than most. ... Lyonne is perfectly suited to this milieu.

[The “Accused” premiere] made me want to see Chiklis in a series again, maybe playing against his tough-guy type. Future episodes deliver diminishing returns.

Rauch and Larroquette evince great chemistry and the new characters show promise, but much of the writing seems stuck in the ’90s.

“The Last of Us” turns out to be a terrific series despite its thematic similarities to “The Walking Dead.”

In the premiere episode, a girl is kidnapped by terrorists. Nikki rescues the girl but only after risking her life by shooting the driver of a car the girl is in. It’s this sort of ridiculous storytelling, coupled with the uncredible recurring Keith storyline, that make “Alert” a series to avoid.

Paramount+ only made the first episode available for review, and it’s a taut hour of drama with a few moments of levity courtesy of Ford’s trademark, low-key sarcasm.

Typical Netflix series bloat disappointments aside, “Inventing Anna” is a pretty engrossing ride largely due to Chlumsky’s relatability and Garner’s bonkers accent.

If CW dramas are your jam, you might like “Wednesday.” I was mostly bored and found the plot machinations predictable. “Wednesday” is at its best when it leans into the mordant humor Wednesday evinces.

This Marvel-ous treat from writer/director James Gunn proves an entertaining enough diversion regardless of the degree of your devotion to the MCU.

The new “Willow” feels a little fan-fiction-y. Some will surely lap it up, but I can’t imagine this series, despite its big budget, registering in the pop culture zeitgeist in the same way “Star Wars” and Marvel shows on Disney+ sometimes do.

Even with some wayward storytelling, “Fleishman” remains appealing for viewers whose primary interest is in complex characters (nobody is black or white, they’re all shades of gray) rather than plot. And while several characters make questionable choices, the ending defies expectations in a way that seems true-to-life.

“Tulsa King” leans too hard into obvious jokes about Dwight’s age and Dwight’s cluelessness about modern tech. ... But, “Tulsa King” benefits from a few surprise plot turns, Stallone’s comic timing and a winning supporting cast, particularly the aforementioned Savage and Martin Starr (“Freaks and Geeks”) as the poor pot shop owner Dwight sets his sights on.

Meh traditional multicam sitcom.

Stilted performances and bad dialogue permeate this awful action-adventure pilot.

The sleuthing quartet gives the show some “Scooby-Doo” vibes. “Winchesters” feels like it exists in the same world as “Supernatural.”

“Blockbuster” is likeable enough thanks to a game cast, but in early episodes made available for review, it’s not all that funny.

Even if the plotting is less urgent and the comedy, when it flares up (not often enough), is less biting, “White Lotus” remains consistently watchable for White’s finely-drawn characters, whether it’s Daphne’s sunny disposition that masks uncomfortable truths or Dominic’s justification/excuse for his cheating ways.

In its second episode, “I Love You, You Hate Me” explores how some of the kids featured on “Barney” rebelled (pretty typical child-actors-growing up stuff) and then it gets into the thorny question of Patrick Leach’s crime and whether “Barney” and its impact on his family contributed to Patrick Leach’s criminal act. Up to that point, this “Barney” doc is fun and even thoughtful, but then it starts to feel needlessly exploitative.

Just an entertaining, 52-minute program shot in the style of classic Universal Studios monster movies. ... This Halloween-season special is a true treat, not a trick.

There’s enough potential in “Alaska Daily,” to easily be fall broadcast TV’s best drama pilot that it’s worth rooting for this series that’s earnest without being cloying, sincere without getting sappy.

It’s a light-hearted legal drama that is fine but totally unessential.

Added relationship drama helps this series rise slightly above the middle of the pack among CBS procedurals.

“1883” but make it sexy! And ridiculous!

Yes, this is a fairly straightforward police drama, but it’s buoyed by some well-drawn characters even in its pilot episode, not always an easy task.

Light legal drama that’s neither funny enough nor dramatic enough to make much of an impression.

Light-hearted procedural that’s better than it should be thanks to the comedic, charismatic personality of its lead performer.

“Let the Right One In” features strong performances, particularly from Bichir and Rose, but it’s a slow burn and doesn’t have much new to say about the themes it embraces.

“Reginald” lacks much dramatic or comedic bite.

This is a show that knows what viewers want and gives it to them. “Interview” is not precious about its subject matter. ... Through the first five (of eight) episodes, it’s got all the makings of a deserving cult hit.

These characters offer a fresher take on “Star Wars” lore than Andor’s story, which is a rote rebel mission. If the series finds a way to further blend familiar storytelling with the more-unusual-for-“Star Wars” vibe of palace intrigue, “Andor” might yet prove itself to be a favorite among fans much the way “Rogue One” has become embraced in the eight years since its initial theatrical run.

“Reboot” benefits from a great cast – Judy Greer and Paul Reiser are among the show’s series regulars – and some funny moments. But occasionally it feels like there’s something missing. ... Still, “Reboot” has enough going for it that I’ll stick with it to see how it develops in later episodes.

Raymond Lee makes a decent first impression as the new Leaper, physicist Ben Song. ... The new “Leap” does have the added element of a connection to Beckett and his hologram companion, Al (the late Dean Stockwell), but that serialized story seems destined to drag on endlessly unless and until Bakula reprises his role.

Perhaps the affable Thompson, so reliable on “Saturday Night Live,” was talked into that awful opening, because he quickly returned to tell some jokes that successfully scored laughs. The remainder of the telecast was funny, entertaining and moved like a freight train.

“Monarch” is a decidedly old-school, broadcast network prime-time sudser.

Through its first five episodes, the show’s final, sixth season is stronger even as it gets stranger.

“The Serpent Queen” offers juicier period drama than either of the ballyhooed fantasy epics [“House of the Dragon” and “The Rings of Power”]. ... [Samantha] Morton mesmerizes.

Fans of Hollander’s “Ray Donovan” will recognize Hollander’s style of storytelling.

This first hour is a slog punctuated by the occasional battle with a Ray Harryhausen-esque snow troll. The second episode, written by Gennifer Hutchinson (“Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul”), proves more satisfying.

A tension-filled, character-driven psychological thriller that's a worthy successor to their early 1980s Soviet spies drama [Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg's "The Americans"].

Two things make this series a vast improvement over the miniseries: Show runner Ron Moore and his writing staff now feel free to dig deeper into the characters, and the show's pace and tone, though still sometimes slow and somber by conventional standards, has been opened up and made more accessible. Lighter moments have been added and the show's scope has grown more epic, the way a "Battlestar Galactica" story should be. [9 Jan 2005]

If early seasons of “Game of Thrones” meandered a bit or felt slow as the series followed assorted characters on multiple quests, “House of the Dragon” barrels through its story.

Coarse but clever comedy abounds in “Sprung,” with Plimpton stealing almost every scene as a crusty mama bear with a contorted face and a squishy core.

Credit Marvel with attempting a half-hour comedy series for Disney+, but “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” proves too timid about leaning into humor.

By the end of the first season, it’s hard not to be invested in the Peaches as a team, but it’s an occasionally bumpy road getting to the point that the series and its characters become entirely embraceable.

A lot of “The Terminal List” is pretty standard-issue, macho-man military conspiracy theory fare, just darker, bleaker, duller and more humorless than usual.

While there are some nice small moments – a few Will (Noah Schnapp) scenes indirectly address his sexuality; Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) have some welcome interactions – it’s all the overheated bombast that feels like filler that disappoints.

The good news is the show’s second season, streaming Tuesday, is more like the back half of season one: funnier and more involved because we’re dealing with established characters and because the writers, led by showrunner John Hoffman (“Grace and Frankie”), have a firmer grasp on the show’s tone and a more confident hand in its plotting.

Most of the laughs come later in the [premiere] episode. Subsequent episodes prove funnier still.

If you have been on board already, season three proves as addictive as season two, albeit slightly more heightened because the technology of this timeline’s 1990s is advanced beyond space-faring technology then or now.

Proves itself a pretty good queer soap if you can tolerate how self-absorbed, narcissistic and generally unlikeable most of the characters are.

“First Kill” is a dull, predictable “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” knock-off (if Buffy was a lesbian).

“Dark Winds” is at its best when focusing on aspects of Navajo culture that give “Dark Winds” a unique flavor and at its most TV-unreal when officers wander into dangerous situations without calling for backup.

The title character is a welcome departure, but the plotting is patented CW fare.

There’s loads of great music on the soundtrack that’s representative of the era (not just by The Sex Pistols) that’s matched by Boyle’s shooting style that embraces the period in an off-kilter, slightly chaotic manner.

When it’s not rehashing plot elements of past seasons, “Stranger Things 4” foregoes the Amblin-esque, ‘80s movie joy of previous seasons in favor of a more gruesome, horror-tinged story. True believers may not care about this tonal shift but more casual viewers – and those who value not having a TV show waste their time with needlessly over-long episodes – probably will.

“Hacks” remains in top form. ... “Hacks” finds a way to restore the frenemies dynamic between the two lead characters without ignoring the progress made in their relationship in season one.

The show, written by David E. Kelley (“Big Sky”), still feels fairly broadcast network-y, albeit slightly elevated.

Delivers a welcome fairytale with a “Pushing Daisies” vibe, but with such a tight initial focus on just these two characters, one wonders if it can go the distance.

“Strange New Worlds” is at its best in its fifth episode, which delivers more cheeky fun and short bursts of character development with economy that are more meaningful than the paragraphs of breathless character exposition found in the first four episodes.

Unlike plenty of past Netflix shows in this genre (think: “Tiger King”), “Meltdown” is relatively right-sized with only the fourth, 45-minute episode feeling somewhat repetitive.

When the focus is on Pyre, interrogations and the investigation, “Under the Banner of Heaven” can be a harrowing deep dive. But flashbacks that depict how tenets of the faith were rooted in the church’s history, while relevant to the characters’ motivations, leads to some plodding pacing.

Unfortunately, the resulting product is frequently too on-the-nose. If there’s any reason to watch, it’s for the performance of actor Matthew Goode as legendary Paramount executive Robert Evans.

The show approaches these themes [what it means when companies commodify and exploit employees’ personal stories and Joanna’s stunted-by-childhood-cancer inner life] with a deft subtlety but it’s enough to ground it and make the cringe comedy more palatable.

The show eventually gets to Billy (Tom Blyth) in his outlaw years, but it’s such a predictable and lackadaisical journey, only the heartiest of Western fans will bother to go along for the entire ride.

Roberts’ all-in performance and those of her co-stars, especially Allison Tolman (“Downward Dog”) as a sympathetic reporter and Shea Whigham as an accurately unhinged G. Gordon Liddy, are a delight, and the whole endeavor is entertaining enough to recommend.

Serious and sobering, the six-episode limited series “We Own This City” delivers a worthy and worthwhile follow-up to “The Wire.”

While the first episode takes a bit of time to get going, once it does it’s clear there’s some “Servant”-like dark fun to be had watching this “Baby.”

What’s great about “The Flight Attendant” is that it’s airy fun but it’s also well-plotted with an eye toward satisfying viewers. Many characters from season one pop in, often in the most unexpected moments, and it’s a delight.

Through the first two episodes made available for review, “Better Call Saul” remains a well-plotted masterpiece, similar to “Breaking Bad” for which “Saul” is a prequel, complete with unexpected twists and action sequences that a viewer might expect to go right but end up going left.

While the family story and conflicts with the neighboring Tillersons — you know they’re bad news because they ride ATVs and the Abbotts ride horses – feels overly familiar, credit series creator/writer Brian Watkins with building to shocks at the end of the first two episodes that leave viewers eager to learn what will happen next.

It’s a cynical and often predictable look at the seamy side of the entertainment industry.

HBO Max’s “Tokyo Vice” looks gritty and authentic, marinating in its setting physically and culturally. But it’s also a little slow-paced.

The writing and plotting by series creator Mark Gross (“Man with a Plan”) is as pedestrian as one would fear going into this bland multi-cam sitcom.

“Julia” is by no means a must-see series but it will be a want-to-see show for a segment of the audience that’s historically been undervalued by ad-supported TV networks.

As soaps go, one can certainly do worse than “Bridgerton,” but season two, streaming Friday, feels like a bland mimeograph of season one. ... Happily, the new season gives scene-stealers Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) more to do.

Where this all goes and whether the balance tips more toward character and story or more toward video game-like battle scenes is unclear, but if the first two episodes are any indication, character stories will win out. As long as that remains the case, I’ll gladly go along for this sci-fi ride.

“Flatch” could stand to be a little funnier at times, but the characters are goofily likable enough to make this another broadcast comedy worth watching.

“Joe vs. Carole” is competently made and entertaining enough but having already sat through the first season of Netflix’s bloated “Tiger King,” “Joe vs. Carole” can’t help but feel like a rerun of something I already saw.

So far season two feels more promising now that character introductions are largely out of the way and the whole team shares a goal.

Perhaps what is most notable and welcome about “Winning Time” is its sheer sense of fun. ... While too many dramas today take viewers for granted with self-indulgent, drawn-out storytelling, through its first four episodes, “Winning Time” smartly builds each episode to a cliffhanger crescendo that, even with full, one-hour running times, leaves viewers wanting more.

In “Our Flag Means Death,” the farcical humor is more of the subtle, knowing variety than it is playing for big belly laughs.