Both Binoche and Mendelsohn handle their larger-than-life characters with grace, never slipping into caricature mode. Mendelsohn, in particular, gives a tender, calibrated performance, one that’s particularly strong in early scenes involving his attempt to find his sister Catherine (Maisie Williams) during the occupation.

Award-winning series creator Abi Morgan (“The Split”) and director Lucy Forbes (“This Is Going to Hurt”) bring their knack for authentic, ambidextrous storytelling to the table. The period details couldn’t be better, and the final episode weaves the many elements together with effortless poignancy.

A promising start of what could well find John Creasy (Abdul-Mateen) reprising his role as the PTSDing loner.

It’s ghoulish fun to see it all play out, but “Welcome to Derry’s” ambition sometimes outstrips its execution. The special effects can look corny and the story overloads us with too many characters. But each are given King-sized personalities.

“Smoke” is well-made and tremendously acted, and while the plot does go up in — ahem — smoke late in the game, the actors always keep us invested.

“Butterfly” interjects a wee bit of dark humor that works and features some risky moves in its final episode. If it embraces that dark side more, it would give the series more edge and would give it more kick. As is, it’s a middling watch with a good performance from Kim.

Billy Crudup does a lot of heavy lifting in this, but it’s a wasted effort; I didn’t buy into much of “Hello Tomorrow!” except I was sold on its knockout production details.

Series creator Rachel Bennette keeps it pithy, but it really comes to life whenever Rhys appears on the scene; his character is far more interesting than any other and reminds us of what a tragedy it was that “Perry Mason” received the ax from HBO.

It’s their interplay and the two actors’ natural charisma that draw us in. The writing is as nimble and spirited as the leads — not a shock since the screenplay is by playwright David Ireland (“Cyprus Avenue”), who ditches the schmaltz in favor of tart, edgy interplay.

That Oscar winner [Martin McDonagh] juggles humor and tragedy expertly, while this Higher Grounds Production (the Obamas production company) drops the ball occasionally on both. You won’t care since it’s the three central characters and the actors who portray them that pick them up and put them back up in the air and keep us engaged.

Their back-and-forth gives the series the pluck it lacks elsewhere. Should there should be a second season of “Seven Dials, it would be best to dial up more of that Bundle-Battle repartee and formulate a better, more convincing mystery that’s not overly reliant on coincidences and preposterous.

Berg throws dirty, cold water onto any romantic notion about the Wild West and that might put some off. If you’re one of them, stick with “Yellowstone” instead. But if you were a fan of “The Revenant” (Smith wrote it), this addictive series needs to make it way into your queue.

“Hotel Costeira” balances the beauty of the Amalfi Coast with often humorous but compelling plots and subplots — a dreamy mix indeed.

The cast is good but it’s the shock-a-minute story that makes this hard to shake off.

Not having a strong central character sets the series adrift with nothing for the audience to cling to. “Palm Royale” never comes together, and that’s a shame, given the tone-rich performances by Burnett and Martin.

“Ironheart” points MCU in an intriguing direction and gives us characters we’d like to see more of in the future.

“Mr. Throwback” isn’t always smooth, and gets off to a bit of an awkward start in the first episode, but turns into an irreverent meta comedy that scores more three-pointers than bricks.

It’s awfully tempting to sum up this addictive, funny and scary Irish six-episode series as “Scream” set on a cruise liner. But that sells it short. ... The plot and the execution make you want to sail right through all episodes.

Showrunner Jordon Nardino’s chipper but not just skin-deep show gives singer/YouTube sensation Miss Benny and Cattrall juicy roles to sink their teeth into, but all the characters are written and played well.

“The Regime” hammers on and on at the same note until it becomes more of a chore to watch instead of the clever takedown of vile and vain leaders it wants to be.

Coleman and Jackson-Cohen give compelling performances, but they can’t overcome the listless plotting of “Wilderness,” which curiously steamrolls right through its final pivotal 10 minutes.

True, “Extrapolations” has its heart in the right place but its pedantic volume rises just like the sea level and all but overwhelms the characters and the drama itself, spinning the whole enterprise sadly right off its storytelling axis.

Amazon Prime fantasy/steampunk series’ second outing is on fire, an improvement over Season 1, which was decent but plodded at times. The pacing issues are gone and the metaphors from Season 1 remain; in fact they’re even more pointed.

Even though it telegraphs its “surprises” way too often, it’s always entertaining — even as it gets tied up into plot knots by its end. As a bonus, Martha Plimpton co-stars and Stephen Rea appears in a smaller role. They get to chew a bit of the scenery, and it’s a welcome addition to this passable thriller that’s elevated by its lead star.

The plot gets so dense you practically need a road map to follow its many paths, but that is part of the fun of a mystery-thriller that hits you with surprise after surprise.

As far as guilty pleasures go, Prime Video’s cockamamie but sexy mystery series serves its purpose. So good on that. But be ready to titter away at its unbelievable twists and turns. They’re ridiculous but fun.

Even though it is overstuffed, it consistently and intelligently weighs in on hot-button issues and avoids traditional black-and-white commenting or resolutions. .... Overall the show bristles with sharp writing and acting; Aniston anchors the entire production and gives a career-high performance this season.

“The Waterfront” is a keeper because of the outrageous behavior of its morally compromised characters — with Grace leading [t]he way.