The Mercury News' Scores

  • TV
For 243 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 79% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 19% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 10.5 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average TV Show review score: 78
Highest review score: 100 Half Man
Lowest review score: 37 Hello Tomorrow!: Season 1
Score distribution:
  1. Mixed: 0 out of 228
  2. Negative: 0 out of 228
228 tv reviews
  1. As terrific they [Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen] are, the script and the direction match their talents and challenge them. Just be prepared to binge all three episodes and be eagerly await more to come.
  2. Each episode runs less than 25 minutes and is instantly bingeable. It’s a well-made entry, better than some of the live-action films.
  3. Nothing here could exactly be called a critical revelation (perhaps Frey’s interview comes close). So after viewing this very watchable, thankfully un-sensational series composed of video clips and interviews with investigators and reporters and so on, you’ll likely be left with one impression:that justice was indeed served.
  4. “Carême” is the hottest thing to hit streaming services in a long time, and it’s sinfully fun even as it gets more and more preposterous. Seconds, please!
  5. This edgy and sensual period piece slowly reveals what led to that pile of bloodied corpses.
  6. The “Swingers” star [Vince Vaughn] is a perfect match to play former Miami detective Andrew Yancy. .... “Bad Monkey” is indeed bananas, in the best ways possible.
  7. More than a meticulous procedural as it exposes a legacy of layered coverups while exploring the emotional frailties of these two unlike but smart characters. Both Jumbo and Capaldi give extraordinary performances in a series that digs deep into the complicated home lives of both. “Criminal Record” deserves to become a hit and here’s hoping for a second season.
  8. Unlike some series, the extended length of this one benefits the decades-spanning story arc, with each episode cycling us through Russian history and showing how the changing political winds whisked away some in power leaving the powerless to find strength, love and greater meaning.
  9. The creepy production values are top-notch and the scares are not only frightening but disturbing. .... One of the best series Netflix has ever produced.
  10. Henry and Moura play off each other well with Henry’s multi-layered performance — he stays true to the survivor spirit inherent in his character throughout — worthy of awards consideration. He and Moura nail the details in a production that nails gritty visual details about what the hard edges of Philly and a few of its tattered by the opioid crisis ‘burbs look and feel like.
  11. “Boots” improves as it goes along and the plot veers into the odyssey of closeted servicemen who have to hide their love and live in fear of being revealed.
  12. “Fallout” never lags for one second and dangles from one cliffhanger to the next. The cast makes it all engaging — Goggins, in particular, rips into the show’s juiciest part and does wonders with it. This’ll be a major hit, and it deserves to be.
  13. All of it’s handled well and Hahn is terrific, resulting in “Things” being one of Reese Witherspoon’s best Hello Sunshine productions yet.
  14. This eight-episode spinoff of Amazon Prime’s R-rated superhero series “The Boys” is better than it has any right to be. That’s because it cribs from the best elements of “The Boys” — outrageous behavior, shocking violence and, of course, an irreverent attitude.
  15. Aan absorbing, eerie brain twister that delivers a shocking denouement. (I’m sworn to secrecy). For mystery lovers, it doesn’t get much better than this.
  16. Two theatrical films (both received poor reviews and not the blessing of Riordan) preceded this impressive eight-episode spectacle, which wields a Riordan-approved (he executive produced) Midas touch that’ll appeal to kids and Bullfinch-loving adults.
  17. The snappy screenplay, acute observations on what it is like to be an Asian American teen in a mostly white school and martial arts action — Berkeley’s Daniel Wu has a great time as the Monkey King — contribute in making this a fast-paced, addictive show.
  18. What makes season 2 stand out is that showrunner Dario Scardapane’s hard-boiled superhero thriller refuses to pluck at the same dramatics notes strummed in season 1. Instead it arrives, to a story destination that challenges and upends expectations while showing how revenge can have its limits.
  19. Yes, it has a rough spots (a bit involving Hsu singing in a car goes on way too long) but it rights itself every time because of the comedic and dramatic chops of Hsu and others in this talented cast.
  20. Never staid and often kinky, “Mary & George” stumbles halfway through but remains chew-up-the-scenery entertainment, a spicy affair that gets more outlandish and wicked with each episode. It helps that Moore and Galitzine are so good at forming this chess-like alliance and that a trio of top-notch directors — Oliver Hermanus, Alex Winckler and Florian Cossen — never let the high drama topple over into outright camp.
  21. The actors enlisted to play the lengthy list of suspects are a treat. “Moonflower Murders” is pure comfort food for the mystery lover, and holds true to the Christie spirit.
  22. Each of the seven episodes speed by, but the final one let me hoping that Prime renews this one pronto to tie up its many threads.
  23. “Fight Night” is funny and violent and not only touches on the blatant racism of that time but has an assured grasp of ’70s styles (the feathered locks of Terence Howard — who plays a member of the mob — are a sight to behold). But it really punches above its weight when Cheadle, Hart, Jackson and Henson are onscreen.
  24. Explosive series, which successfully juggles numerous storylines and fills in the juicy and meaty details while constantly entertaining us.
  25. Benny is overcompensating so much that he’s denying who he truly is, and he’s not alone. And that’s the beauty of a series that reminds you of one of Oscar Wilde’s best sayings: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
  26. While “Masters of the Air” will get compared to HBO’s “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” it stands on its own, even if it doesn’t as often reach the same dramatic heights. Regardless, it’s a polished and well-crafted epic that earns its wings as well as your respect, and undoubtedly will leave you with a big lump in your throat.
  27. It makes for a breezy and tart eight-episode romp even though it encounters a few pacing bumps along the road for both Morgan and executive producer J.J. Abrams.
  28. The series doesn’t need to warble on for as long as it does, but what compels you to watch is Rivera.
  29. True to Knight’s style, it boasts tremendous production values, and is energetic, racy and above all else irresistible.
  30. The new streaming series starring Eddie Redmayne as an illusive assassin known as the Jackal is not as good as the original 1973 movies but makes for fun viewing.

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