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.