It’s occasionally but not frequently funny.

If there’s a reason to watch – and judging by the first three episodes, I’m not convinced there is – it’s for the mystery. But even that seems like it might be predictable.

There are some moments in Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy” that will make viewers take notice one way or another, but early episodes of this limited series are fairly hum-drum when they’re not way over-the-top. Then it improves, becoming more nuanced in later episodes.

More situationally and character-driven funny than jokey funny, “The Afterparty” offers a decent enough blend of humor and mystery.

The low-rent special effects, presumably intentionally cheesy, are fine and even add to the charm that begins with the show’s title, but everything else about the series proves poorly done, from character development to supporting performances.

“Promised Land” proves a much better viewing experience in episode two. All the setup is out of the way and the parallel storylines are less confusing and more engrossing. It’s that rare occasion where it might have been smart to start with a two-episode premiere. As it is, one wonders if viewers will stick around to become invested in this propitious soap in the vein of the original “Dallas” and “Dynasty.”

“The Gilded Age” is easily the best new series of 2022 and sets a high bar for shows that will follow.

Despite the updates, this new series certainly feels like a piece of its predecessor in the style of humor, laugh track and direction (Pamela Fryman, who directed almost every episode of “Mother” returns to helm “Father” episodes). The theme song is the same and there are other Easter eggs of varying size and scope. Duff, formerly married to former Penguins player Mike Comrie, is the standout here.

“Archive 81” starts strong with creepy atmospherics, gets a little confusing in its mythology around episode six but then clears everything up in time for a cliffhanger in the eighth episode.

Big, loud and sorta dumb but often fun.

Series creator/director Abe Forsythe gives “Wolf Like Me” some occasionally funny moments, but it’s mostly a somber downer, careening from one traumatic event to another.

This one’s a winner thanks to an incredibly likable lead character, skate-boarding, comic book-loving Naomi (a winning Kaci Walfall).

Eliza Coupe, Ginnifer Goodwin and Maggie Q star in this series with occasionally funny moments.

[Her boss] strangely does not immediately kill her when she gives him guff.

“Good Sam” offers both medical-case-of-the-week and soapy storylines along with the who-needs-who more back-and-forth between father and daughter. This one’s more middling OK than good.

This NBC comedy has potential thanks largely to the presence of Echo Kellum (“You’re the Worst”) and Nicole Byer (“Nailed It!”). Even so, the writing for Byer needs to be as sharp as she is – which in the two episodes made available for review, it’s not.

Funny and fast-paced, this single-camera comedy is worth a test drive.

Viewers who can make it past this bumpy beginning, this new chapter starts to settle into its changes in the second episode.

Sure, some of the characters are stereotypes – painfully woke, white teacher Jacob (Chris Perfetti); ziti-making Melissa “I know a guy” Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter, another scene-stealer) – but they’re all uniformly funny.

As much a love story between Susan and Chris as it is a true-crime caper, viewers expecting a straightforward tale may be baffled by what “Landscapers” delivers, which is sometimes interesting and different, other times overwrought and pretentious.

“Hawkeye” features plenty of Marvel-standard action, but it’s the comedy and Christmas setting that make this entry stand out.

It is meat-and-potatoes storytelling served as a tiny portion on an oversized platter. As in real life, the story peters out with an unsatisfying conclusion.

Episode four suggests this new threat might be an allegory for Earth’s response to covid-19, but more concerning for fans will be how the show handles a beloved character’s growth.

“Wheel of Time” is very self-serious, which makes it easy to mock, particularly if you’re apt to make comparisons to other fantasy franchises: One screechy villain has Voldemort’s nose; an Army of horned beasts are this show’s version of Orcs. It’s all slathered on thick with an over-reliance on special effects-heavy battle scenes.

The live-action “Bebop” is at its best in episodes three through eight where the bounty-of-the-week stories build camaraderie among the Bebop crew and their adopted Corgi, Ein.

An engrossing, character-driven thriller.

Though the performances are uniformly terrific – Ferrell has to walk the highest tightrope, making Marty believable but not too pathetic — “The Shrink Next Door” is Exhibit A in streaming series bloat. There’s not enough story to justify eight episodes.

“Kingstown,” written by Sheridan, is another muscular soap that’s long on characters talking in indecipherable lingo and short on clarity.

Whether “Dexter: New Blood” offers a decent ending that the original run lacked remains to be seen, but for “Dexter” fans there will be comfort in the familiarity of this new iteration.

It’s essentially the same type of courtroom show, albeit with more episodes focused on a single case than the two cases per episode as was traditional on “Judge Judy.”

“Prodigy” grows “Trek”-ier in episode two once the teens steal the Protostar and get to know their hologram adviser, Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew, voicing the character she created on “Star Trek: Voyager”). Janeway means nothing to this show’s target audience but her presence might make some parents smile.

Focus on the characters brings to the fore the show’s dark humor. There are more laughs to be had watching “Succession” than most TV comedies, a testament to the show’s writers who imbue the Roy children with specific foibles and a general lack of self-awareness.

Even if some elements of “Dopesick” feel too pat, the story as a whole is a worthwhile indictment of a government regulation system that allowed Purdue to operate for years with impunity, ruining the lives of thousands of Americans.

Making Jake gay, a reflection of openly gay “Child’s Play” creator and “Chucky” writer/director Don Mancini, offers an admirably different perspective for a horror franchise – but viewers will need to buy into the teen drama to appreciate this iteration of “Chucky.”

Written with an exacting knowledge of the ride by Bill Baretta, Kelly Younger and director Kirk Thatcher, “Muppet Haunted Mansion” is the first Disney+ Muppets show to do right by the Muppets.

Overall “Maid” is a quality series with a pro-social message that brings to mind Netflix’s 2019 limited series “Unbelievable,” another worthwhile story of a woman’s empowerment and recovery from difficult circumstances.

The ghosts begin as well-drawn archetypes (Viking, Scout troop leader, Prohibition-era singer, Wall Street bro) and the comedy is broad but often quite funny.

Did you like the original 2000-15 “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”? Then you’ll probably enjoy this sequel series.

Both nostalgic and a painful reminder of the violence visited upon Black Americans, this “Wonder Years” capably walks a narrative tightrope in its premiere.

By the end of the first hour the characters come into better focus as the pilot sets up what could be a soapy, fun, ongoing series.

Instead of warding off Sleestaks, they run from CGI wolves. Back in L.A., bureaucrats appear to know more about the sinkhole than they let on to the public.

Joe Morton devours the scenery with gusto. Storytelling competency improves a little in episode two but not enough to recommend.

New team, same stories investigating crimes involving military personnel.

It’s heady, highbrow horror that, though talky, grows more engrossing the longer you stick with it.

"The Big Leap" delivers engaging dance numbers and characters that grow in the show’s second episode.

Where “Lone Star” was cold, “Ordinary Joe” is warm. ... It’s too soon to know if the show’s writers can sustain this premise but the pilot episode is a winner.

Viewers who can suspend their disbelief about that setup may be able to enjoy this conspiracy thriller that feels, frustratingly, like a wild goose chase.

This is one fun – and sometimes bonkers — show.

One thing all five episodes have in common: They’re smart, thought-provoking and worth watching.

While too many first episodes go overboard on exposition, “Rust” is often needlessly opaque.

Once the show moves past its been-there, watched-that dystopian, scene-setting premiere episode with too many similarities to FX’s “The Strain,” “Y: The Last Man” (Monday on FX on Hulu) becomes a compulsively watchable series.

“Impeachment” is not subtle but it can be entertaining. The real-world scandal, driven by gossip and people constitutionally incapable of keeping their mouths shut, was equal parts salacious, delicious, infuriating and just plain sad, which is true of “Impeachment,” too. The series thankfully allows space to be hilarious.

It’s a cute, novel trifle that could have used some punching up but worth watching for its comedy legend stars.

“The Other Two” remains frequently screamingly funny, but it’s the rare TV comedy that also allows itself to show some heart, particularly when it comes to the relationships among the core family.

“The Chair” has a lot it wants to address — gender dynamics in academia, cross-cultural adoption, grief and self-destruction, white privilege, wokeness and cancel culture — and it’s probably too much for a six-episode, half-hour show that’s also a romantic comedy. ... To its credit, “The Chair” offers no easy answers. It’s more interested in exploring the complexities of transgression and the multitude of reactions than in villainizing or lionizing the individuals involved.

While there is a sameness to all three of Kidman’s most recent TV/streaming projects, there’s no denying they’re addictive soaps. “Nine Perfect Strangers” benefits tremendously from Hall playing against type and the presence of McCarthy, who is so good in dramatic roles that she ought to consider passing on more of the blah comedies she’s starred in of late.

Light and escapist, the new “Fantasy Island” is as unessential as TV viewing gets but for viewers seeking an anthology with close-ended, weekly stories, it’s not bad.

The show is not a downer but a welcome look at an under-represented culture through Waititi’s and Harjo’s cracked lens. It’s a series full of oddball characters with a likeable quartet at its center.

“Small Town News” does have some heart as Vern chokes up discussing his questionably advisable dream to expand the station’s coverage to Vegas. But by the end the series feels both overly long and unsatisfying, wrapping up without a conclusion for whether Vern’s big Vegas bet pays off.

Disney fans who have consumed unofficial books, blogs, podcasts and YouTube videos may find themselves bored and not learning anything new. More casual Disney aficionados will likely fare better overall.

Season two goes deeper as it explores the characters’ insecurities and strengths. “Ted Lasso” remains funny and focused on kindness. A wealth of compassion for its characters courses through the show’s writing.

More deadpan than laugh-out-loud funny, “Wellington” will require some American viewers to turn on closed captions, as the New Zealand accents pose a significant barrier to entry/comprehension.

“The White Lotus” plods through its first episode — a cringe-worthy luau of misery — but the longer viewers sit with the show, the better and more engrossing it becomes.

Yes, this is a sexier, more drug-fueled and risqué “Gossip Girl,” but only by a matter of degrees. It’s not all debauchery and the conflict generally comes from character and not gender (so far, no cat fights).

Patinkin is always fun to watch but through the first four episodes his arc as a disruptor to the judicial system is more entertaining than driving a dramatic storyline with stakes, something “The Good Fight” seems to be having some difficulty finding in a post-Trump environment.

“Evil” is the rare show that’s both frequently scary — one jump-scare was enough that my reaction scared my dog sitting next to me on the couch — but in a generally sophisticated way. ... Episodes three and four of “Evil’s” second season, particularly three, are less commendable, splitting up the lead trio for too long and sending characters on paths that lack clear motivation.

Sure, there are tangents for “Kevin Can…” to explore, including a clean-cut guy (Raymond Lee) Allison knew in high school who’s returned to town. There are also hints of her attraction to a bad boy mechanic. But the main story feels limited and quickly stretched beyond a point where the concept ceases to be novel.

The overall vibe of “Loki” is, like “WandaVision,” more off the beaten Marvel path. Both the MCU as a whole and this individual series are the better for it.

It’s dumbfounding how much the show elides fertile territory for dramatic story in favor of the usual, predictable CW-patented relationship drama.

“Friends: The Reunion” is at its best when the camera captures the cast in more candid moments — seeing the set rebuilt for the first time, playing a trivia game.

According to folklore, vampires can't enter your domain unless you invite them in. By the middle of the new four-hour version of Stephen King's "Salem's Lot," , I was ready to invite them in -- in hopes they could end my suffering.

It’s effortlessly entertaining and frequently funny; an easy, breezy eight-episode binge.

HBO Max’s best series since “The Flight Attendant” and easily the funniest new TV/streaming comedy of the year.

“Pose” seems to be sprinting through story — the seven-episode season begins in 1994 and ends in 1998 — to fit everything in in its final season. It’s a little all over the place but entertaining enough in the soapy way “Pose” always is.

“Rutherford Falls” has the building blocks to become a smart comedy hit. It just needs more time to build its characters’ relationships.

The show piles on enough mysteries to make it intriguing and then answers some questions fast enough to be satisfying.

It’s a sweet, sunny series if not as endearing as Disney+’s “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.”

The series gets off to a somewhat sluggish start but by the end of the first hour, “Mare of Easttown” gets its hooks into viewers, building tension around the murder investigation that engulfs Mare’s life. Episode two ratchets up the mystery further as multiple suspects come into focus.

True’s penchant for fisticuffs, reminiscent of the leads of every past Whedon show, ensures action aplenty as “The Nevers” develops characters alongside an engrossing, deepening mythology.

“Rebel” is an OK broadcast network soap thanks to snappy dialogue and dramatic scenes that should earn the show the nickname “10 Ways to Get Disbarred.”

Representation matters, so the existence of an almost all-Asian cast on a broadcast network series is a welcome development even as the show’s format and themes feel overly familiar.

“Chad” is sure to gain a cult following but it’s too niche to steal the thunder of the grand poobah of uncomfortable comedy, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

“Atlantic Crossing” proves itself a decent soap (think: a lower budget “The Crown”), albeit one that suffers from some plots holes.

There’s a refreshing sweetness to both the guys and their friendship that’s more pronounced than in some other Lorre sitcoms on CBS. Whether there’s enough story to draw from culture clashes and Al’s wide-eyed innocence (a little too wide-eyed at times) remains to be seen but the likability of the characters is never in question.

Because it’s a series, “Game Changers” has more layers than a film. While Alex initially insists they just play for fun, by the end of episode two Evan says losing every game isn’t fun, ensuring this series will have some smarts to accompany its big heart.

The musical moments are fantastic — as is Erivo, who evinces no sign of a British accent — but what comes between the musical numbers is a bit of a slog.

“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” is a bit of a come down from “WandaVision.” “Falcon” isn’t bad, just more familiar.

“Genera+ion” will likely prove insufferable to plenty of adults while ringing true to at least some adolescents. ... “Genera+ion” is more grounded and relatable in other scenes, particularly those featuring Chester and Sam or the longing for friendship, acceptance and love as evinced by Greta.

“Delilah” doesn’t break new ground but it’s a decent legal drama.

Filmmaker Michael Paul Stephenson not only scores points on style but also substance, revealing the character of a state scientist and citizen scientists as well as the impact of greed on scientific research that comes in a last-act twist.

The pilot episode is eerie and surprising at times but it also has that will-any-of-this-get-resolved? vibe hanging over it. There’s also a love-will-heal resolution that’s fairly cheesy as well as a frustrating opaqueness.

The original series showed some restraint, keeping Punky’s mom, who abandoned her, off-screen for the show’s four-season run. Having exhausted all there is to say about 40-something Punky in its premiere, the revival grasps for something new and in so doing suggests restraint may be off the table.

It’s hard to judge from the pilot and a second episode what the balance of superheroics/teen troubles will be on a weekly basis, but if The CW insists on making more superhero shows at least this mashup of past Superman TV shows gets off to a rousing enough start.

“It’s a Sin” offers one of the most honest, moving takes on the AIDS crisis and in its final episode delivers a searing critique of the shame that ensured the disease’s spread.

There’s a too-crazy-to-be-true quality to Johnson’s real-life story that plays well in a TV comedy but it’s wisely leavened with more grounded, vulnerable moments, particularly the warts-and-all portrayal of Johnson’s father (Joseph Lee Anderson), and the complicated relationship Johnson had with his dad.

There’s some humor to be mined in flashbacks illustrating how Kenan and his wife met on the set of a sitcom – she was only three years older than him but played his character’s mother on the TV show – but the present-day stuff is pretty unfunny, marking this series as a dud on arrival.

Perhaps this third episode bodes well for continued improvement, but in the early going, “Clarice” is meh-see TV. It’s fine but surely there are better TV dramas to pair with fava beans and a nice Chianti.

It’s a high-quality cast of actors but they have little to do beyond dole out exposition that pushes the plot forward while supporting Robyn’s efforts to aid the helpless.