Dear White People (2017)

Up 'til now, it's been a serious show that happened to be funny. In Season 3, the formula flips: Dear White People is a very funny show with serious stories to tell, and it's more enjoyable than ever.

“Dear White People” Season 3 builds very well on its core goodness — if you enjoyed past seasons, you’ll continue to enjoy this one. The developing relationships are surprising and honest; the dialogue is sharp; the direction is inventive. The gripes to be had with the new episodes are only in comparison to what’s come before, which are near-perfect seasons of TV.

A scattershot approach that includes the return of the secret society revealed at the end of season two, a potential T.A. strike, and even a character inspired by Tyler Perry, among many other plot threads, will frustrate some viewers in terms of storytelling. ... It’s a show that has become so confident in terms of voice and character, that I don’t mind that the story feels like it treads water this year because I’m down with just spending time with these people.

Some subplots and characters get lost along the way, but here, too, there are gems of dialogue and performance and a breakout performance by a new cast member, Griffin Michaels, who plays D’unte. ... This might be a train wreck of a season in some ways, but it’s a glorious one, spilling food for thought everywhere.

These episodes offer a boggle of slightly underdeveloped narrative arcs. Although they comprise a varying and empathetic portrait of millennial anxiety, season three falls short of the show’s benchmark for narrative tension.

In the balance, Dear White People continues to be a show well worth seeking out and that's especially true if you haven't even started it. But the third season still stands as a minor disappointment.