While Blanchett waltzes through the miniseries like Eleanor Parker, she doesn’t quite get the hardscrabble woman who tilted at the ERA windmill. She’s too patrician for those of us who remember her. ... Martindale and Ullman have done their homework, but it’s Elizabeth Banks as Jill Ruckelshaus and Byrne who impress. They capture the movement’s urgency and help us understand their place in it. ... “Mrs. America” might have benefitted from an additional episode to explain how many of [Schlafly's] disciples went on to win seats in the House and the Senate.

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.

The performances were solid and the in-your-face direction was what something like this needed. ... While Fox’s “RENT” was a bit too sanitized for its own good, it had the right people in the key roles, particularly Jordan Fisher, who, as Mark, served as the tour guide through the past, the heartache and, most of all, the brilliance of writer Jonathan Larson.

“Adults” is very adult and may take some time to warm to, particularly since it’s impossible to get a bead on Samir, Billie, Paul Baker, Issa and Anton.

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.

While “Dinner with the Parents” doesn’t seem like it will last 10 years, it could surprise in ways we haven’t imagined. As long as the entrée is good, you can serve it every time guests come over.

Little by little, Hello Ladies grows on you.

While it’s too early to determine where this is going (even they admit “we’ve been very lucky with people dying in our building”), it could unravel in interesting ways.

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.

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.

Very 1980s in his approach to storytelling. .... O’Malley has a bunch of balls in the air (we still can’t figure out why the washer/dryer combo is in the kitchen) and a nimble cast to juggle them. Spencer is the real surprise, able to volley jokes just as well as Faison and Cryer. The kids are pretty sharp, too.

The Jim Gaffigan Show works best when it’s housebound and forced to deal with a man who lives in boxer shorts and never seems too far from an all-you-can-eat home buffet.

While it isn’t as much of a surprise as the first Sharknado, this one manages to up the ante and take advantage of its pop culture standing.

Jonah from Tonga, a new miniseries from the talented Chris Lilley that doesn’t have enough heft in each episode to prompt weekly return visits. If the episodes were shown in bulk, the whole would have an amazing impact.

While Kemper’s mood can grate, she’s working from a very logical base. There’s the Elizabeth Smart innocence that suggests this does have legs. How long they can maintain the guise is anyone’s guess.

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.

“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.

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.

Winters hits the bases but doesn’t necessarily come all the way home. In “Showbiz Kids” there are enough storylines to fill a stadium.

The eight-episode series stretches its mystery to nearly unbearable lengths. ... It’s not as dense as Vallee’s “Big Little Lies,” but it does give its female cast meaty roles to savor. Clarkson gets the biggest slab, but Adams, Perkins, Scanlen and Lillis make the most of theirs. For them, it’s an acting banquet. Cut thinner, it might have been prime time prime.

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.

“It’s so surreal,” Underwood says of the process. True, but there have been worse opening nights. ... While the new bachelor is described as “better looking than Brad Pitt,” he is more personable than some of the recent titleholders.

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.

“Black-ish” has found a great way of talking about current events without sounding like “Meet the Press.” The Carmichael Show will get there, too, once it lets its very good supporting cast get out and do more.

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.

This is a dandy companion piece – for hardcore fans. The idea that Disney would do similar documentaries on other animated features is overkill. Sometimes there’s more magic in not knowing how the sausage is made.

While “On Pointe” forgets some characters from episode to episode, it details the shared experience nicely. Ballet is not easy, we learn.

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.

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.

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.

Olson does a great job as the title character, willing to go for anything if it lands a laugh. (Most times it does.)

It’s an interesting premise that shows just how intense high school can be. ... While the series doesn’t give full back stories, it does let you know what happened to the students and how theater affected their lives.

While the parallels between this high school musical and the other one aren’t hard to spot, it does have a more adult vibe and a snarkiness factor that should pull in a non-Disney crowd.

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.

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.

This one doesn’t bother teaching any great lessons. It looks for the laughs, makes its points and gets out.

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.

What surprises are the women who populate “Uncoupled.” Tisha Campbell – as a fellow real estate agent – is a gem, commenting better than Kim Cattrall at a martini party. ... Harris is too strong to play the pitiable bachelor. ([Tuc] Watkins would be a better choice). ... In the sixth episode, Harris finds a groove that’s better fitted for long-term success. It leans into the Campbell/Harden/Harris triangle and actually brings laughs.

While Here and Now isn’t as engaging as “Six Feet Under,” it has an intriguing quality that invites you to snoop around.

Or, “My Dad’s a Serial Killer.”

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

Astronaut Wives moves as fast as a beach novel, covers more territory than a history book. But it’s history channeled through a distinct lens. The first episode was slow to launch, but the series could take off once we figure out who’s McSteamy and who’s McDreamy.

All very simple, “Leanne’ puts into play what Morgan describes on stage. The anecdotes wear well with others sharing the comedy but, too often, the star is left to reflect others’ glory.

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 Grammer slips into the role like its an expensive pair of loafers, he’s surrounded by a closet full of sneakers. They’ll need some breaking in.

“The Thing About Pam” is entertaining. Zellweger, Duhamel and Judy Greer (as the Lincoln County prosecutor) land their laughs and make you wonder how stuff like this happens. ... But it takes on a different feel when you see Betsy’s children and husband caught up in the big gulp world of Pam Hupp. While your eyes widen, your heart also sinks.

The variety--particularly if you watch them consecutively--shines through. Because it’s such a confined space, directors like Smith have to focus on the acting. The episodes are like little workshops. ... It's like any motel--hit and miss.

Director Kimmy Gatewood makes sure the first episodes have force and takes full advantage of the spackling Martindale can do. Fewer bromides might make this a better series but it takes the Hallmark model and turns it ever so slightly so newcomers can find a handle. Like “Desperate Housewives,” “Chicken Sisters” delights in its ability to shock and thaw.

It's a hit-and-miss proposition that works every time Kerri Kenney-Silver is on screen.

"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.

Straley, Holmes and Scott bear watching. But Feig and Bicks might want to make some changes before rolling out the welcome mat. In “Welcome to Flatch,” it’s often difficult to focus.

Cute, initially, the bull-in-a-china-shop premise wears a little thin until you realize there are others in the family capable of embarrassing dad, too.

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

Moments in the first episode suggest Defiance could be filled with the kind of minutiae "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" fans love. But its plot is so thin it could float away.

Part Greek tragedy, part “Silence of the Lambs” offspring, The Following has an intriguing premise that almost rises above its layered plotting.

Frequently, the mixed signals cross and Rogue seems unhinged. Stick with it, though, and you'll be rewarded with some nice moments that justify an unwieldy script.

Because this series doesn't tell us anything about the character we didn't know (a Mr. G spinoff might have been much better), it's often like spending time in purgatory. The laughs are there. Ja'mie's just not easy to take.

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.

The sharpness of Season One gives way to the moodiness of Season Two. And, thus far (three episodes were made available), it’s hard to get a bead on where this is headed.

Rise isn’t as heartbreaking as “Friday Night Lights” or as complex as “Parenthood” but it’s in an embryonic stage and has the potential to become the next big must-see entry on NBC’s schedule. Gillespie and Cravalho hold our interest, but it’s Perez who bears watching.

Once director Vanessa Caswill boils away the innocence, Little Women becomes a more substantial drama. ... While the four roles could have been played by stronger actresses, they’re fairly well-matched. Watson and Lansbury are left to carry the subtlety. Both do it well, making us long for “Older Women,” a version that views the high-strung March girls from another perspective.

It has to discharge a few clichés and run the brotherhood thing through a few more paces. But the pilot shows there’s worth and, yes, maybe even a pat on the head.

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.

Many of the opening episodes blend, particularly when the cases hover in the same ball park. When it strays, we learn a bit more about the relationships established before Warren stepped in. That interests. The cases? Not so much.

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.

Far more formulaic than you’d expect from Executive Producer Ryan Murphy, 9-1-1 sparks to life when it’s dealing with the oddest cases.

While Brunson has the format for a good series, she doesn’t have all the elements. Sometimes, the comedy is forced. ... This is a start but it's like Brunson's character -- a little naive. To be the show we need, "Abbott Elementary" needs to do more than dance around the obvious.

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.

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.

Reiner keeps the interest level high but The Affair requires much more buy-in than the pilot cares to offer.

Too traditional for its own good, it needs to mix things up on a grand scale.

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.

It’s watchable but it’s not unforgettable and, oddly, it could be.

[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.

It’s cute. But “Monsters at Work” might need a little more retooling on the scripts. They’re a laugh-a-10 minutes.

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.

Directed by Steve Shill, Dracula intrigues but it may not have staying power. It doesn’t look as elegant as it should; it isn’t necessarily cast with an eye toward immortality.

“Million Dollar Beach House,” an airy addition to the summer schedule, doesn’t really have the drama of “Million Dollar Listings” or “Selling Sunset,” but there is enough here to savor. ... Had the producers shown us more of the Hamptons in the process, “MDBH” might have set itself apart from other, similar shows.

Pre-pandemic, this might have been a juicy potboiler. Now, it’s just a slap away from being dated. ... Unlike the 1994 one, there’s not enough of the snide humor that made it so deliciously evil. Kruger gives it a Sharon Stone vibe, but she isn’t given enough lines that would make her seem smarter than others in the room.

While the first episodes are fun to watch – particularly with all of the devices the production designers have created – it’s never clear where it’s headed. ... “Hello Tomorrow” takes a while to show its hand and, then, it’s likely bluffing. With Crudup at the helm, this could go anywhere.

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.

[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.

It’s a noble drama, but it’s not all that original. Smits’ accent is a eye-opener.

It’s the kind of premise Andy Griffith might have considered years ago, but it’s not quite in tune with NBC’s other comedies.

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.

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.

Showing how [Houdini] got the bug, learned his craft and went from sideshow oddity to world-wide celebrity, the film holds interest and makes you want to know more. Then, it pulls back the curtain and shows the locks, keys and stunts he uses to open all those seemingly inescapable devices. It’s a bit like knowing a gift before you unwrap it.

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

Williams, who’s a great actor, should be used more, offering up reactions we haven’t seen. He's a keeper. At times, "Wonder Years 2.0" is, too.

The attempt to make this a story about two men grates. It’s as if someone wanted to elevate Oswald in order to humanize Kennedy. It doesn’t work--nor does the Oswald funeral scene.

The sets and costumes are great. Now, the mysteries need to rise to the occasion.

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

When the second bananas nudge the top ones, The Comedians has laughs. When it leaves the two to play out a tired game of “The Sunshine Boys,” they vanish.

Switching back and forth in time, “Impeachment” doesn’t light often enough to give us anything really substantial. ... Paulson and Feldstein are spectacular when they’re together. But when this splits them apart, it loses its intention.

[Johnny Carson is] such a presence, it’s hard to concentrate on what happens to those in his employ. Had Reiser and Green made him less vital to the story (even to the point of eliminating the clips), “There’s Johnny” might be a better look at those who worked so hard to win his favor. Now it’s just another journey down “42nd Street” and all the potholes it has to offer.

How this will ultimately play out depends on “The Swarm’s” ability to embrace a disaster film vibe. So far, it’s a lot of seeking, but little to destroy.

An uneven peek at the men and women who make headliners look good night after night after night.

The fish-out-of-water aspect intrigues but it also frustrates.