“Derry” dribbles out character details episode-by-episode through five (of eight) episodes made available for review, routinely connecting seemingly disparate characters. That “Stand by Me”-meets-“Stranger Things” vibe of the first episode returns in episode three, thankfully, since it’s the show’s most potent element.

There are some good twists through the first two episodes that largely focus on Matty and lawyer Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), Matty’s boss.

Unlike 2023’s winning Apple TV+ thriller “Hijack,” “Last Frontier” is another streaming series that should have been a movie.

Tim Robinson returns with another hilarious cringe comedy, but the emphasis is on cringe, which makes “The Chair Company” an acquired taste that not everyone will want to acquire.

“Chad Powers” offers a welcome mix of cringe comedy, raunchy humor and even some sweet, odd couple moments.

This spin-off feels of a piece with “Blue Bloods” – police cases mixed with decent family relationship drama — so it should have similar appeal.

It’s more character-driven than many CBS procedurals, at least in its first episode.

All the gags are telegraphed and obvious. A second episode shows some improvement, but not enough.

“Task” proves engrossing and propulsive throughout, a smart, generally sophisticated crime drama, although there are a few too many moles and turncoats that detract from a story that otherwise feels authentic.

Just as a viewer might suspect the plot will go one direction, Harjo gives the story an unexpected, shocking turn. It’s a potent mix that makes “The Lowdown” a welcome addition to a short list of TV’s best current series.

The first “Paper” episode is amusing but rarely outright funny. The comedy quotient improves in later episodes, particularly episode four, when Esmerelda moves from sabotaging Ned to working alongside him on a scheme.

Steinberg runs with the “Amelie” homage in the first and last episodes, especially, from applauding stuffed animals to a camera that rotates 360 degrees. However, in between, “Twisted Tale” becomes more serious as it explores the injustices that befall all the primary characters, not just Knox, but also the prosecutor, Mignini (Francesco Acquaroli), who sends Knox to prison.

It’s depressingly pedestrian as it tells the story of recent law school grad Rudy Baylor (Milo Callaghan) who fights for the underdog in court against jerky legal lion Leo Drummond (John Slattery, chewing scenery with wild abandon)

That remains true in the revival, which is funny and clever in the way the first episode’s script, by Daniels, Judge and new showrunner Saladin K. Patterson, updates viewers on the characters and what they’ve been up to.

In lesser hands, a series spinoff of the theatrical “Alien” franchise might seem like just another IP play — a money grab. But pair Noah Hawley, the writer behind FX’s “Fargo,” with “Alien,” and you get a show that’s significantly better than that.

For “Trek” aficionados, hewing to canon is important and necessary, but the episode’s A story is something “Trek” fans have seen too many times before. Episodes three and five are episodic away team missions, a welcome return to the show’s roots. .... The best story so far is found in episode four, an offbeat outing directed by Jonathan Frakes.

“Dexter: Resurrection” proves most interesting when Dexter meets an elite collective of serial killers who convene at the home of a wealthy admirer (Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”) and his henchwoman/enforcer (Uma Thurman). It’s the only element of this season that feels like new, semi-unexplored terrain.

Funnier and more of a rom-com, “Too Much” largely isn’t too much in the way “Girls” was, thanks to Dunham leaning into a lighter tone and the likability of star Megan Stalter. ... Stalter is a riveting performer.

Embracing steampunk stylings, “Nautilus” is a serialized, family-friendly adventure with decent special effects.

Overall, the whole endeavor feels overly familiar. McCallany owns the screen anytime he appears, but the story wasn’t original enough to inspire viewing beyond the first two episodes.

Sometimes it feels like not a lot happens in this 1890-set period drama, but thanks to a game cast of mostly Broadway veterans, “Gilded Age” remains an entertaining enough soap.

Through its first three episodes, “Revival” showrunners/writers Aaron B. Koontz and Luke Boyce seem more interested in the impacts of Revival Day — personally, politically and culturally — than the mystery of it all, and that is to the show’s benefit.

An odd but welcome diversion.

Perhaps the funniest streaming comedy since “Hacks,” Amazon Prime Video’s “Overcompansating” presents as a wild, profanity-filled “Animal House”-style bacchanal. But at its heart, the eight-episode series is an endearing coming-of-age story centered on two good people trying to find themselves.

Even as the series depicts period-accurate racism directed at Nina and her Native American colleague, Awan (Asivak Koostachin, a standout for his character’s cheerfully innocent disposition), “Duster” isn’t a super-serious show. It’s as playfully madcap as Holloway’s character.

It’s not as funny as one would hope. But the series improves as it continues, expanding on the characters and their relationships, which become more recognizable, realistic and funny with each episode.

Thanks to Voisin’s charisma, “Carême” entertains consistently through its first three episodes, though it loses some points for its blatant rip-off of “The Good Fight’s” exploding-objects opening credits.

Through its first three episodes, “Étoile” focuses more on the politics behind the scenes (the donors, management, conflict between the business and creative sides) and mines humor from casting a bull in a ballet performance and from a wealthy right-wing donor who drives Jack crazy.