It by no means sugarcoats how bloody that war got, and though it isn’t as narratively daring as “Shogun,” it is on the same playing field as that Emmy winner when it comes to the pure spectacle of it all and the level of exacting attention it pays to cultural detail.

An extra-cozy mystery series that once again begs for another season.

Director/executive producer Todd Harris emphasizes the action and does it with style to spare for each of these exciting, briskly told tales united by the actions of a secret Wakanda group called the Hatut Zaraze.

There’s a lot of family background and drama to set up, which explains the need for the first episode to clock in at nearly 80 minutes. But the episode never lags, as it creates indelible characters, peppers in a few spicy moments and revels in the period details of the time, all richly brought to life.

The violent series once again is breathlessly plotted, and the production details all but make you smell the stench of the mangy streets.

Is it better than “Bridgerton”? Oh no, dearest readers. But it’s still a lot of kooky fun.

With a killer soundtrack and an unpredictable storyline, Rapman’s series is one of the best streaming surprises of the summer.

This is a cerebral thriller of the highest order, and that’s reflected in the writing, acting — Danes, Rhys and Snow are all deserving of accolades — and the direction.

While the show’s languid pace in the first few episodes might test your patience, prepare to get drawn in as this hot-potato case reflects the tenor and the racism of the times, and is far more gnarly than originally thought.

While it fails to approach the same comedy and writing heights of those aforementioned series [“Only Murders in the Building” and “Schitt’s Creek”], creators Michael Hoffman and Bob Bob Martin’s champagne-bubbly sendup of the stage world earns positive notices mostly due to its cast.

It’s fun. It’s smart. And it has something potent to say.

“Apple Cider Vinegar” doubles as both a searing and entertaining — albeit shocking — character study of an out-of-control narcissist (portrayed with sociopathic guile by a stellar Kaitlyn Dever) and as an example of the profusion of so-called wellness experts flooding social media channels.

There’s much more in play here than simple entertainment as “Murderbot” explores the value of free will and our inherent need to roam and explore so we can enrich our soul.

“Monsieur Spade” is rich in period details and is really the equivalent of a jigsaw puzzle, one with numerous pieces that might seem all but impossible to connect before Spade sweeps in and fits them into place with just the right amount of aplomb and snark. Get ready to give those brain cells a workout and witness Alfre Woodard steal the show in its final episode.

“Renegade Nell” gallops ahead of other Disney+ offerings by telling a new story tremendously well, and giving us a young woman who defies the ruling class to gain not only justice but freedom.

“Girlfriend” is hardly high art, but it is an outright gas.

Director Justin Chadwick keeps it all running at a fast clip while the Hughes/Boyle odd-couple pairing clicks. And the historical elements punch up a convoluted mystery that has surprising ties to actual events.

“Disclaimer” is tremendously acted and directed and designed with painstaking detail.

Series TV doesn’t get much better than this.

Undeniably a great detective series and is just as sharp and engrossing as “Slow Horses.

Toss in an invitation to engage in a threesome, and this racier season, which, of course, is resplendent with gorgeous costumes, period details and classical-contemporary music, is just as much of a great escape from wretched reality as, says, a corker of a romance novel.

Yes, it threatens to go overboard, and sometimes does, but keeping it afloat are its two terrific leads. They anchor this warts-and-all romance.

“Daredevil: Born Again” is easily one of the best series the Disney+ has offered and is also one of the best shows of 2025. It journeys into dark spaces with its contemporary power struggle and grazes, but doesn’t surrender to, the morally blurry lines set forth in “The Joker” and “The Batman.

Each outlandish episode is filled with wicked wit and even busts out with a bit of song and dance. A revolving team of guest voices descend to these fiery pits of what will likely turn into a cult sensation.

Season 2 finds love and lust commingling for Molly (the episode with her exhaling at a blissed-out retreat with Benjamin Bratt is the season’s high point) as well as for her crew.

Season 2 rebounds and embraces its kitschy self and is all the better for it. Burnett finally gets her chance to shine (and speak — first season she was mum).

The series’ main plot conceit is indeed a mirage, a fake-out trick that crumbles upon closer inspection and isn’t developed enough. It’s hard to get behind this show and equally difficult to get beyond it.

Director Jessica Palud loosens up the buttons on this whole affair and never lets things lag in creator Jean-Baptiste Delafon’s bad people behaving badly period piece with a take-command performance from Vartolomei.