“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.