Season 2 is bolder, stronger, and more audacious because now, actions have consequences.... For a TV show, the stakes don’t get much higher and Soloway nails it all with ease.

With Full Frontal, TBS truly has a comedy show that’s sure to become part of the cultural conversation and possibly fill the void felt by Jon Stewart‘s departure. There’s so much scathing, insightful, intelligent funny packed into Full Frontal and Bee’s ability to land a joke is beyond impressive.

The acting is delightful, the visuals are sumptuous, the stories couldn't be more surprising.

Writer and executive producer Noah Hawley upped the game with a sharp, well-developed story involving multiple moving parts. It’s smart, thought out and full of watchable characters with convincing enough motives to create the perfect amount of viewer sympathy. The end result isn’t just a “Fargo” 2.0 (or 3.0 depending on your love of film), but an evolved story that takes television to a whole new level.

This is a television show at the very peak of its powers, confident and controlled. The cast and crew have done their part--your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is simply to tune in. You won’t regret it.

The FX limited-run series is every bit as watchable as the insanely watchable trial.

Few shows are so grounded. And, if you have a little patience, few shows are so worth watching.

Jay Roach‘s smart direction and the brilliant script by Robert Schenkkan (adapted from his Tony-winning play) are essential to capturing the dynamics of an era and its principal players. Likewise, Bill Corso’s impressive make-up is indispensable to getting these historical characterizations just right. But the acting’s the thing, and there’s not a disappointing performance in this stellar ensemble cast.

Louie is television's best half-hour drama. It's also one of the best comedies, when it still wants to be, which isn't all that often.

My complaints about the new season revolve around that 1 percent [that is unrealistic]. The show is better as a human drama than a political procedural, thank God.

You don't need to pay attention to the authentic background characters, or the glorious music, or the exquisite clothes, or even the textured dialogue to appreciation the majesty of Boardwalk. In fact, you can strip away the majesty--which the show loves to do--and still have a killer drama.

Tambor anchors the show with his sad eyes, but Landecker, Duplass and Hoffmann also turn in strong performances as the addled children.... Episodes might break your heart, but you'll keep coming back for more.

There's a looser feel after so much anger and grief; jazzy instrumental music underscores the twisting and turning action. It's top notch TV by directors at the height of their game.

A compulsively compelling series that grows richer and more emotionally nuanced as it gains momentum, The Man in the High Castle milks its provocative what-if premise for plenty of smart suspense and subtle shading.

It’s a unique blend with four very distinct but compelling stories, proving there’s plenty of drama to be mined from real life. It doesn’t hurt that each of the actors is perfectly cast in his or her role, driving home the beautifully written scenes that often pose pertinent and universally relatable questions.

The production is exceedingly well put together and boasts a fine cast that also includes Ann Dowd (pivotal figure in HBO's melancholy post-Rapture series “The Leftovers”) and “Breaking Bad” co-star Jesse Plemons. McDormand is nothing less than extraordinary in the title role.

Few current shows on TV approach The Leftovers level of contemplation and as a result, the show stays with you long after an episode ends. Though it’s sobering to watch, it’s also very moving and beautifully acted.

That we never really know the people whom we love is a powerful, popular theme that fits snugly into the thriller and horror genres (think of “Rosemary’s Baby” and all those early ’90s erotic thrillers) but to see it rendered so artfully and crisply and unsentimentally as a weekly drama is to understand why we are so often informed that we live in a golden age of TV.

The show’s centerpiece remains Malek’s mesmerizing turn as Elliot, as well as his chemistry with Slater‘s Mr. Robot. Excavating that much emotion from deadpan narration is a tough gig, but Malek continues to find new shades of neutral both in voiceover and in his scenes.

The brilliance of Showtime’s Ray Donovan expresses itself not only through the impactful intelligence of star Liev Schreiber, but through nuanced moments in its literary-quality storytelling--written and visual.

In season three, it’s clear the complex web of relationships will deepen and tangle even further. The show’s writers continue to craft the story with expert care, giving each character moments to shine. Masters of Sex continues to be a Sunday TV must.

Silicon Valley often has the watch-it-all-come-together plotlines that make those shows [“Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiam”] such delightful comic puzzles.

Nic Pizzolatto’s script and Cary Fukunaga’s direction slowly, methodically earn every big moment. And when those moments arrive in the third episode, they’re legitimately terrifying.

Orange Is the New Black is as scatological as ever in the second season and leans awfully heavily on lesbian sex to the point of repetition. But where it shines most is when it shows the sense of dislocation inmates can have from being shuffled around with little explanation. Prisoners come and go, and they all seem to have a story.

From one episode to the next, it’s always a bit of a surprise which character will become the story’s central figure, the writers seemingly able to make any of its dramatic players utterly gripping.

Mad Men is getting better as it goes on.

It’s hard to hit pause on Making a Murderer once it’s rolling through the queue.

Master of None is more articulate than any other show at putting under a microscope that generation’s neuroses, desires, and ambivalence. The series also happens to be sexy, hilarious, and very moving, a tribute to Ansari’s observational powers and ability to pinpoint the zeitgeist.