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.