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.

Written by Dan Fogelman, Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, the new musical miniseries on ABC has so many clever bits and witty songs you’ll think someone wrote a sequel to “Spamalot.”

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.

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

Dull, sluggish and frequently lost, Walken had none of the spark you’d expect from the “swiniest swine in the world.”... Allison William’s Peter Pan was more successful but only because she took a very straightforward approach to a role that should have been bubbling with life.

It slips into a world you probably never knew (or cared about) and finds a way to make you utterly invested.

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

Writer Jane Anderson, cherry-picked four chapters and crafted them into a telling character study that covers 25 years of story.

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

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

It’s a fascinating documentary that’ll make you want to devour it all, no matter where you start.

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.

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 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.

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

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

By the time the first episode ends, “The Leftovers” has planted enough interest to make you want to stick around. By the time the third installment unfolds, the action really heats up.

Consider how well-crafted they are, you might want to pace yourself and savor every precious moment.

While Vicious plots don’t stick, they do entertain.

Like Behind the Candelabra, its action isn’t measured in car chases and explosions. It’s charted in the lives it touches.

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

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.

Because Louis C.K. does everything but hand-deliver the series to the network (and maybe he does that, too), it’s entirely his vision. That’s something few hyphenates get a chance to reveal. Here, though, it resonates.

[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 not about a “bad” teacher, just a slightly irreverent one.

It’s violent in ways you wouldn’t think; daring in areas you couldn’t imagine. It’s not your mother’s Fargo. But it does have the characteristics you’ve come to cherish.

Sunday’s premiere provides the border and key pieces to the oh-so-attractive world that is Mad Men.

Silicon Valley is good. But “Silicon Valley 2.0” is going to be even better.