The Mercury News' Scores

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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. Positive: 228 out of 228
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 228
  3. Negative: 0 out of 228
228 tv reviews
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  1. Happy Valley: Season 3
    One of the best mystery/thriller series going delivers the intensity in its third and final season. Unfortunately, it stumbles near the finale, speeding through and forsaking the resolution of a new murder so it can get to the chewy stuff. ... Given this is the final season, it’s not that big of a deal-breaker. ... I just wish there would have been one more episode to wrap up that other crime.
  2. Andor: Season 2
    An example of multifaceted worldbuilding that stresses the importance of complex character arcs and terrific writing. It’s layered with intrigue and full of intricate rebellious acts and is relevant to today’s turmoil and troubling times.
  3. Adolescence
    All told, this is a heartbreaking look at a devastating tragedy that leaves a community and a family grappling with the heartbreak and wondering if they played a part in what happened. It’s powerful and finds Graham being a force in front of and behind the camera.
  4. Severance: Season 2
    Apple TV+’s ingenious mind-blower of a series returns and it’s just as brilliant as in its first season.
  5. Pachinko: Season 2
    There are many other developments in the lives of secondary characters’ in a transcendent series that so precisely evokes two different eras and illustrates the painful decisions and sacrifices that loved ones make that can haunt them through life. It remains one of the most meticulously crafted series running.
  6. Alien: Earth: Season 1
    It is Hawley’s astute attention to detail and desire to construct an intricate story that distinguish and make “Alien: Earth” a big step up in quality for the “Alien” series overall. It’s certainly one of the best series I’ve seen this year, and better than the majority of studio blockbusters this summer in theaters.
  7. Slow Horses: Season 3
    You’ll gobble down all six episodes and crave even more.
  8. Slow Horses: Season 4
    Season 4 maintains the high quality of previous seasons.
  9. I'm A Virgo: Season 1
    Another bold brushstroke of originality that is also set in Oakland and shakes it head at out-of-control greed.
  10. Shogun (2024): Season 1
    “Shōgun” is a stirring and meaty historical series that matches its spectacle and scale with its emotion and intelligence as it ponders deep philosophical discussions about life, sacrifice, valor and death. It’s epic, in the very best way.
  11. Bait: Season 1
    Riz Ahmed’s maverick Prime series oscillates from boldness to hilarity — sometimes in the same instance — throughout all six of its under-25-minute episodes. It’s that potent balance that makes it one of the smartest and best streaming shows you’ll watch this year.
  12. Dark Winds: Season 3
    Season 3 maintains the same high standards from before and presents a twisty mystery and goes to darker moral places. It’s creepier too.
  13. The Last of Us: Season 1
    With impressive special effects and some sharp storytelling instincts, “Last of Us” ups the playing field for not only streaming services but movie blockbusters.
  14. Poker Face (2023): Season 1
    Rian Johnson’s appreciation for serialized stories where the villains get their comeuppance in the end is well-served in this irresistible Peacock series that’s as funny as it is sharp.
  15. Forever (2025): Season 1
    “Forever” keeps in step with Blume’s style by not seeming like it comes from an adult perspective. That comes through in the conversations (topics include a hit manga series and popular music). The leads also are painfully real.
  16. Dark Winds: Season 2
    While it might seem awfully bleak, there’s humor too, including a four-legged troublemaker locked up at the jail. It’s a series that’s hard to resist.
  17. Mr. Scorsese
    Miller is an expert interviewer and has given cinephiles a real gift as a candid Scorsese talks about his battles with drugs and his connection to faith.
  18. Lord of the Flies
    Sometimes it goes a little overboard with its aesthetics. So be it. Director Marc Munden’s hour-long episodes do become more disturbing (just like the book) and he draws impressive performances from a young cast.
  19. English Teacher: Season 1
    Breezy, sunny series (each episode is just under 30 minutes). .... You have the right fixings for a comedy that we can only hope will graduate to a sophomore season.
  20. Dying for Sex
    All of these encounters are funny, raw and real, in line with the series itself. But what makes “Dying for Sex” more than just a collections of scenes involving sex is the foundational friendship between Molly and Nikki. It’s compassionate and believable.
  21. Invincible (2021): Season 2
    This turns out to be even better than Season 1, with stronger animation, storytelling risks, dollops of humor and another dynamite soundtrack.
  22. Bargain: Season 1
    Everything about “Bargain” is skillfully unhinged, with developments unfolding like new video game levels. Director/writer Jeon Woo-Sung’s expansion on a short film delivers on numerous counts, packing in more nonstop action and plot surprises than anything I’ve seen this year.
  23. Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn: Season 1
    Remarkable for its even-handed but “let’s-ask-the-tough questions” approach, “Wanted” unfolds like an unbelievable, pulpy financial thriller filled with decadent lifestyles, global corporate in-fighting, daring escape plans, shady financial moves and intriguing characters. .... Brilliant docuseries.
  24. Platonic: Season 2
    The primary reasons to tune into the sophomore season of Apple TV+’s thoroughly enjoyable but risk-adverse series about the exploits of the likable but L.A. neurotic besties Syliva (Rose Byrne) and Will (Seth Rogen) are: 1. Byrne. 2. Rogen. 3. Luke MacFarlane.
  25. The Last of Us: Season 2
    Rest assured, your expectations will get met in Season 2. So just let it unfold naturally and savor how it stands out from the pack of dystopian fiction by so depicting how actions have moral consequences and have the power to change us forever.
  26. Hal & Harper: Season 1
    But it is the luminescent performance from Reinhart as the binding agent that calms Hal’s boyish ways that sticks with you the most.
  27. Happiness: Season 1
    The half-hour musical comedy has been favorably compared to “Schitt’s Creek” and “Glee.” Those are apt comparisons for this warm-hearted confection.
  28. True Detective: Season 4
    A return to form for “True Detective” in a season that’s as bold and original as the first one with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey.
  29. Say Nothing: Season 1
    Author Patrick Radden Keefe’s award-winning dive into the nefarious activities of a handful of IRA rebels as well as the abduction of a 38-year-old Northern Ireland mom from her home in 1972 gets turned into a top-notch, tragic nine-episode FX series.
  30. The Studio: Season 1
    “The Studio” breezes along through 20-minute-plus episodes but isn’t an empty-headed lark and does make some zinging points about an industry in dire crisis.
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