Dunst takes risks and they pay big dividends. ... Emmy worthy. [Theodore Pellerin as Cody] is one of the best performances of the year. It makes you want to discover what drives him and where he’ll finally wind up. Others, though, are equally compelling. ... “On Becoming a God in Central Florida” is one of the best new shows of the year.

Creators Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault get plenty of laughs this time around, but it’s often because the actors have crafted such full Christopher Guest-like characters. These suspects have layers and they’re infinitely worth peeling away.

While the supernatural can take this in directions you probably don’t want to go, the researchers (played by Mike Colter, Katja Herbers and Aasif Mandvi) do get moments of clarity. The show’s best bet is Michael Emerson as a pot stirrer who uses technology to cause problems.

While Patricia Highsmith’s novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” and the film it spawned were engrossing, “Ripley” takes the skill to a different level. .... A technicolor Italy is certainly attractive, but a black-and-white one demands attention. Zaillian doesn’t waste the conceit. He gets high drama from crashing waves and a performance from Scott that embraces more than 50 shades of gray.

Highly addictive, it quickly makes you want to find out what happens to Lavinia Peck-Foster, the first lady of East Peck and her legal team.

The Duffers captured the vibe quite nicely, tell a story that doesn’t seem watered down and emerge with a series that could be the summer’s equivalent of a large popcorn with plenty of butter and a kidney-busting keg of Coke.

The new season has plenty of surprises (couples aren’t who you think they are), a reality check for Marnie and a nice showcase for Rannells.

In the third season, she [creator Amy Sherman-Palladino] dreams even bigger and gives us a USO tour, Las Vegas and Miami Beach. ... Swirl it all together with some of the best production design found in a sitcom and this season of “Mrs. Maisel” is pretty, well, marvelous. ... Brosnahan and company continue to impress and Zegen, the beleaguered man in the back, finally gets the attention he deserves.

Downton Abbey seems just as fresh as it did five years ago.

Running just seven episodes, “Run” makes a strong case for short-term series. Stopping when it should, not when producers think it can’t be squeezed anymore, the half-hour series rarely lags, even when some twists seem forced. Waller-Bridge created the template for something like this. Now, Jones borrows the playbook and two extremely talented actors make it worth the risk.

The show is smart--smarter than most on network television--and it has life.

Sure, the show’s live sound was spotty in parts (too many lines were inaudible) but its energy was right where it needed to be, particularly in the big dance numbers.

[Biderman’s writing and Schreiber’s acting are] a one-two punch that haven’t scored a knockout in the first round, but there’s still time.

Considering the money that must have been spent on it, “Bridgerton” should be better. It has all the trappings of a 1980s network miniseries but none of its sizzle. More humor -- and an appearance by Andrews -- would help immensely.

It’s a funny special, but it’s also a brutally honest one.

A simple check of Google could tell you how this all turns out but it’s fascinating to see how McNamara bends the narrative to fit the message.

This is a very quirky, specific world that could repel the very people who might love it. It's a slow go but if you're not in a hurry, it might be worth dropping by.

“TF&TWS” feels right now, even though it was originally scheduled to come before “WandaVision.” After that ground-breaking series cleansed the palate, it’s good to have something this lavish popping on home screens. Mackie and Stan deserve the attention. We saw that in earlier films when they got to banter. Now, they’re in the drivers’ seats.

First Day of Camp’s success depends on your love for the original film and your willingness to sit through some comedic dry spells before you hit a gusher. It isn’t Old Faithful. It’s just a chance to rekindle old times.

While the past few TV seasons have had more than a few robot shows, this one bears watching, largely because it doesn’t insist there’s a “robots are good” or “robots are bad” way of thinking.

Because it’s so great at reclaiming an era we almost forgot, The Assassination of Gianni Versace easily stands as first must-see offering of 2018. It checks all the boxes needed for the perfect winter miniseries and there’s not an inch of it that isn’t stylish.

Thanks to some inspired choreography by Christopher Gattelli, “Schmigadoon!” is as excitable as its exclamation point and just as worthy.

“The Boys” is a refreshing look at the ever-expanding world of men and women in tights. It gives Urban one of his best roles in years and keeps our interest much longer than we ever thought possible.

The Netflix documentary is so horrifically addicting you’ll be like a cat at feeding time. Never mind some of the seven-part series’ editing or focus. The production pulls you in because the characters are so unabashedly brazen. They don’t just talk about their hatred. They openly demonstrate it, helping you understand a layer of society you never knew existed.

When it achieves its loftier goals, it’s usually quiet. Hunnam, in fact, is best when he doesn’t speak. He can convey plenty with looks, simple gestures. Katey Sagal is potent, too, as Jax’s mom and the queen of the SOA.

In Hollywood, it may be business as usual. But in Episodes, it’s fodder for great comedy.

Linney and company are masterful (Basso is a revelation); the final episode's writing is solid.

Because it looks at the selling of a superhero (come on, there’s even a class in branding), “Gen V” is pulling out a different rug than “The Boys.” Both are fairly subversive (and violent) but this one has an easier way in.

In addition to some of the stars of the original “High School Musical,” this year’s farewell brings back characters from three previous seasons. Much of the show’s fun is seeing how they work their way in.

While the season takes time (and some close listening) to take off, it’s in play by episode two and ripe with possibilities for spin-off series, should “Ted Lasso” end its run after this season.

The costumes, sets, choreography and makeup were incredible. And newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy? Outstanding. The only problem? The show was so packed with commercials the actors barely sang a song and it was time to cut to five or six ads. As a result, the story (what little there was) was impossible to track.

Smulders would have been a great lead in one of Steven Bochco’s series. Here, she has to provide that vibe with lesser scripts.

Based on Gene Luen Yang’s award-winning graphic novel, “ABC” expands his concept and uses its panels as storyboards for something much greater. It works.

In a sea of formulaic comedies, this stands out as a lifeboat worth clinging to.

It's probably one of the most original ideas television has produced in years. The reason? It's so quirky, it zags where others would zig. It also has that loopy sensibility that comes from a vivid imagination.

Go into "The Bear" with the right mindset and you'll discover it's the best drama on television.

Masters of Sex is highly watchable, not fact. If you understand that, you’re going to enjoy it much more.

While newcomers may wonder why so much is made of so little, they can’t deny the delicious one-liners Fellowes has written. Coupled with a driving score, Downton Abbey moves--in ways you never thought possible. It's good to see it back.

Rather than produce a compelling documentary, they felt the need to insert themselves in a story that didn't require it.

Directed by Brian Volk-Weiss, the often irreverent documentary moves as quickly as a roller coaster and excites twice as much.

“SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” is a fascinating dissection of the series’ later years. .... “More Cowbell” makes a little too much out of the sketch (particularly when there are others that deserve the micro-surgery) but it shows how that defining moment can be the difference between success and failure.

Smart, funny and utterly intriguing, it sucks us in better than any procedural with an four-letter acronym.

Ominous, creepy and utterly engaging, The Strain is like the perfect drive-in movie.

The key to making this work (even though 10 episodes are more than plenty) is Josh Rivera as Hernandez.

The two [Applegate and Cardellini] are great together even when “Dead to Me” doesn’t give them the scenes they deserve. Because they’re so linked, the second season episodes should be binged. Alone, they lack context; together, they’re like a tray of appetizers – easy to slide down.

Eager to please, Colbert did a few comic bits at the outset (two product placement pieces fell flat) and got plenty of mileage out of Donald Trump. But his best moments were planned ones.... Too often, though, Colbert seemed like a dad trying to be hip with his kids’ friends.

“Will Trent” borrows plenty from the past (the Carpenters, for example) and dabbles in the present (the pronoun debate) before settling in a world so remote from Cabot Cove you couldn’t classify the series as similar. ... The series could erupt.

Andy Samberg may not be in Christopher Guest’s league--yet--but his latest mockumentary, Tour De Pharmacy, has plenty of moments that will make you snicker.

An absorbing, intelligent new drama that gives the Batman mythology one more layer of depth.

Like “A Different World,” the “Cosby Show” spin-off, “grown-ish” moves to its own beat. While it, too, tries to be socially conscious, it doesn’t force its message.

The concept is interesting, but it would have been more fun to show Valerie in a less high-stakes setting.

By the time You, Me and the Apocalypse” starts making sense, you’ve either abandoned it or forgotten to watch it.

Interestingly, Dexter settled into a groove that suggested it could go on for years.... If Dexter regains its eerie footing (and it appears it will), look for it to explode in the final weeks. Sunday's edition says the surprises have just begun.

Clever asides here and there suggest this is a more PBS version of the romance novel; scant bedroom scenes confirm it. Season Two gets its heat from Anthony’s no-nonsense way of going about his matrimonial business. ... Bailey plays this oh-so-smoothly and raises the bar on “Bridgerton’s” elegance.

Logan has the skills to make it anything but cheap. With a respectful eye on some of the public domain classics, he’s primed for a convention of forces that do more than just go bump in the night.

The retro feel of ABC comedies is wearing thin; the kids, though, are cute.

“Harts” lets you have a helping of the lifestyle you loved in “King of the Hill.”

This “League” is like someone took the original concept and found a new playbook. It works, but it’s also more adult than you could imagine. ... Because there are so many players to consider, they’re often reduced to their personality traits or positions. They all get playing time. Some, however, are more prominent than others.

Filled with outrageous supporting characters and a quirkiness that befits the subjects, “Pam & Tommy” thrives on the performances of its two leads.

[Director] Cassar juggles plenty of balls in that first hour, uses some new techniques at his disposal and gives Rajskub her best scenes yet. But there’s something very retro about the formula--something that doesn’t quite seem ready for revival.

In comparison to [FX's Trust], “Succession” doesn’t hold up. It doesn’t have the same production values or theatricality. This is “Dynasty” without the costumes, “Arrested Development” without the overt comedy.

Shephard (and others) muddy the waters with detail that isn’t necessary. Gladstone gets her own family disconnects and has a tie to Reena that makes the case important. But Godfrey’s approach doesn’t always emerge as acceptable. To fully understand what’s at play, “Under the Bridge” needed footnotes that didn’t require whole episodes of backstory.

This “Feud” is like a phone tree, adding strength as it pushes out. Hollander knows how to get under Capote's skin. He just never makes him likable enough to justify the women’s attention even in the good days. Where “Feud” succeeds is in recreating the world they inhabited.

Of the recent reboots, Roseanne fares better than most because it has allowed its characters to change. The political discussion jars a bit (was the series always this pointed?) but the family bonding holds no matter who’s in crisis mode. ... Executive Producer Bruce Helford (who was fired from the original at one point) has done his homework and found a way to make this stand on its own and pay tribute to the past.

"Etoile" (which means "star" in French) wants to be more high-brow than it should. The dances are beautiful, but the characters shouldn't have to walk in others' toe shoes. We've seen the petulance, the bickering, the histrionics before. .... And the cast? It's too large for something that's already unwieldy. Eliminating the side stories (did we need Jack's sister in this?) could put the focus where it needs to be: creating art in a bankrupt society.

Witherspoon, who practically owns the franchise on uptight white women, gives this one an even bigger nudge. At times, “Little Fires” looks like a Marc Cherry potboiler. Washington, meanwhile, reacts like she’s in something more significant. That pull adds to the story’s allure and pushes our sympathies to others. ... “Little Fires Everywhere” doesn’t have the heft of “Pretty Little Lies,” but it should spark discussions about privilege, race and expectations.

While parts of this are too broad, it’s crafted in such a way it can’t be ignored. Just when you think you’re ready to move away, Henson pulls you back in and Empire becomes the new song you can’t get out of your head.

There’s a supernatural feel to it, but the series also has a serialized format that makes you wonder who can hang in longer – the network or the viewers.

The mystery serves as rope, pulling us through the reunions and confessions. Mooney is pretty stiff in the pilot; Nicola Correia-Damude could be the oracle as Hanley’s would-be friend. The most refreshing aspect of Truth is its open embrace of Canada.

It’s mainstream fantasy, blessed with sumptuous costumes, compelling settings and those “Avatar”-like swooping dragons. Dragons, in fact, turn up just when the plot needs them most. When the house seems like it’s going to fall, they’re there to shore it up. ... It’s good; it still has time to be great.

Because it antes in so many pots, this “Fargo” is like a thick novel – frequently unwieldy. Schwartzman and Buckley get lost (just when you need them the most); Timothy Olyphant and Jack Huston show up as lawmen when you’re not quite ready for them.

The drama that surrounds them is fairly familiar and hardly religion-specific. Greenleaf World Ministries needs more of the details that would make this more than just another soap opera.

Like a YouTube channel, “Muppets Now” needs to figure out what it does best and proceed. This isn’t “America’s Funniest Muppet Videos.” It’s “The Miss Piggy Show” with a few distracting bits thrown in for surprise.

Spread over eight episodes, this “Perry Mason” deserves the time you give it. It lets supporting characters have their moments and it gives Rhys yet another opportunity to display just how fertile his imagination is. If there’s a second season – and that’s quite likely – it’d be nice to see cases closed after two or three episodes.

While the series finds its own rhythm, it’s not the one you’re expecting. It’s a lesson – but from a class you didn’t consider taking.

Family Ties is the heir apparent to All in the Family. Equally relevant, it captures '80s home life better than anything else on television. [24 Sep 1982, p.B3]

In light of “The Good Place,” “Upload” seems light on humor and connections we can embrace. Amell and Allo are good partners. They’re just caught in a situation that’s too raw for viewers who now are in the middle of a pandemic.

“She-Hulk,” in fact, is probably the most network-like series Marvel has produced. It goes for the quick laughs, embraces a cavalcade of bizarre guest stars and lets Maslany play both sides of her Priscilla Presley hairdo.

“The Righteous Gemstones” clicks along for a couple of episodes, then hits high gear when Walton Goggins shows up as Baby Billy Freeman, Eli’s late wife’s brother. ... Tossing him – a propane tank of emotions – into a volatile mix like this enhances what already was a comic firestorm.

It’s just another sitcom set at a television show.

While I Am Cait appears determined to be a noble endeavor, its producers shouldn’t feel obligated to teach every time out.

Corden isn’t as facile as Fallon, but he also isn’t as fawning. Instead of bringing guests out one at a time, he bunched them (a good move) but didn’t have enough experience to pull both into all conversations.

Yes, the series has humor (Applegate is too nuanced to let that go), but it’s not the laughfest you expect from something labeled “sitcom.” This is more ironic.

“The Jinx” constantly surprised. Trial & Error seems like it’s just going through the motions.

Mara and Robinson are good leads – you can see him wilt as the years go by – but they also don’t provide enough of the why.

While “Mid-Century Modern” has plenty of laughs (and takes you away from contemporary troubles), there’s something a bit off with a series this specific. Finding that relevance (as “Will & Grace” did) may take time, even if that clock is barely ticking.

Cute conceptually, the comedy falls short when director Jake Szymanski searches for ways to fill the time. Dumb on-court antics (including sex with two streakers) don’t really live up to the Christopher Guest ambitions of the rest of the film.

The Wizard of Lies doesn’t have the pop of “The Wolf of Wall Street” or “The Big Short” but it does its best to give viewers a look at a man who still seems like an enigma. Complexity aside, it gives De Niro one more notch on his belt of highly detailed, award-winning characters.

Like an unexpected present, “Modern Love” contains plenty of reasons to smile.

There’s a germ of something here. It’s never quite clear what it could be.

Leaning into the community (what are Oregon’s strengths, for example) and showing Joyce out in it, would give “St. Denis” the specificity it needs. It’s a fun half-hour. It just needs to uncover situations everyone can identify.

Gleeson, meanwhile, would work well in any iteration of a newspaper story. He exudes sincerity and isn’t afraid to pitch in and report. He’s a keeper. Some of the others just need a little more time.

It’s very much another desperate man in a desperate situation. Whether he’ll emerge better than Walter White is anyone’s guess. Dubuque, however, makes the journey just as intriguing.

Castle Rock rewards King fans in ways they wouldn’t think possible. Others will have to find their way in through the dribs and drabs that leak out.

This Bates Motel requires more than just a one-night stay. Once you slip in you may not want to check out.

In the second season of The Newsroom, much of the posturing and preaching has given way to storytelling--a good thing. The bad? There's still way too much attention placed on the importance of the jobs being done in a cable newsroom.

The seventh season--subtitled “Cult”--is among the most smartly written and addictive.

Ben Platt (Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hansen”) goes all Tracy Flick in this comedy. ... This is one of the year’s best.