Good Shows to Watch: The Latest (Page 22)

Dark and almost too realistic, Wentworth is the women’s prison drama that I’ve been waiting for. This Australian show might have the same set-up as Orange is the New Black — following a recently incarcerated woman as she discovers a new world — but the two series couldn’t be more different. Wentworth is more Breaking […]

It’s hard not to compare Dirty Pop with Quiet on the Set, a documentary that also recently exposed the dirty machinations that went into creating teen stars. But where Quiet on the Set was compelling and revelatory, Dirty Pop is just frustrating. It stretches its story so that you’re not really sure, up until the […]

Fans of Dan Harmon, the brain behind beloved shows like Community and Rick and Morty, will notice his signature touch in Krapopolis. The jokes are thought-provoking, the characters are lovably flawed, and most importantly, the premise is bonkers—but if you’re used to Harmon’s world, perhaps not bonkers enough. Maybe this is because of its 20-minute […]

Phoebe Waller-Bridge became famous for her hit show Fleabag, but few people know about Crashing which she has also created and stars in, and which deserves just as much attention. She plays a girl who moves to London to be with her childhood friend, who’s already in a relationship and living with his partner and […]

To appreciate The Inbetweeners, you’d have to understand that it was a product of its time. The British R-rated show was created in the late 2000s, back when being gay and male harassment were treated as mere jokes, as opposed to serious matters. So in that way, it can feel a bit dated. But in […]

Stilted and awkward from the beginning, the first two episodes of Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale that were watched for this review promise a rough start for a series that just doesn’t have enough of its own personality. Characters and conflict are introduced in ham-fisted fashion, with this fantasy world never given enough shape to make […]

From the same showrunner as Happy Valley, the amazing thriller-drama also streaming on Netflix, comes this quiet romance-drama set in the British countryside. But it’s not a coming-of-age story, the opposite. Last Tango is a later-in-life romance. Alan and Celia were neighbors and were attracted to each other when they were younger but never voiced […]

Children’s TV doesn’t always require a great story, nor does it need to break free from a repetitive pattern to be good. But there’s still a difference between an episodic kids’ show that places its focus on learning and good morals first, and one that’s blatantly designed to generate interest in purchasing physical toys. It […]

Samantha Who isn’t revolutionary TV, and if you’re that kind of viewer, you’ll find many narrative holes to poke in the pilot alone. But Samantha Who stands the test of time: years after it first premiered in 2007, it’s still funny and endearing, all thanks to a deceptively smart script and an incredible cast. Apart […]

The selling point of the series Alphonse, apart from raunch and romance, is that it gets its talented lead Jean Dujardin to transform into a different character each time he meets with a different client. Sometimes, he’s a World War II soldier, other times, he’s part of the academic elite. Always, he’s the object of […]

It’s hard not to be struck by the inspiring stories of the six soldier-athletes we follow in Heart of Invictus. Many have lost limbs, most suffer from PTSD, and even others, like Ukrainian medic Yulia Paievska, are still active-duty and on the frontlines of war. They recall stories from their troubled past and uplifting present, […]

The idea of claiming territory like on a board game makes for an interesting premise for a game show, but unfortunately The Floor fails to do anything with its format that would allow its players to make use of any meaningful strategy whatsoever. It only takes watching one “duel” to realize how tedious this show […]

Likes for Sale, or Compro Likes in Portuguese, is as quirky and lighthearted as you’d expect from a half-hour sitcom. Its main premise, that of creating a fake persona in the age of online disinformation, also poses interesting questions. How ethical is it to buy likes to boost your career? And if you’re as desperate […]

Hailey (Lola Kirke) is a struggling musician that has dedicated her life to the oboe. As the New York Symphony Orchestra reluctantly welcomes its new conductor, the controversial Rodrigo de Souza (Gael García Bernal), Hailey gives her all and tries to join the orchestra. But getting to play with some of the world’s best musicians […]

Five delinquents are stuck together in juvenile detention. The kids are bored, and they are all doing their best to be as rude as possible to each other and their supervisor. One afternoon there’s a big storm and they all get struck by lightening. The next day they wake up with the realization that they […]

There are few surprises to be had in The Manny, and its more dramatic moments feel more like obligatory interruptions to its romcom formula rather than elements to organically ground the story in something more substantial. Still, the characters are charming because of how imperfect they are: the kids are naive but well-meaning and sweet; […]

This five-part BBC drama is a seemingly simple story of a woman who suspects her husband of infidelity. But, being crafted by a playwright, Mike Bartlett, the straightforward premise is falsely disarming and is quickly exploited into a much more complicated and dark story. The lead character, Gemma, is played to jaw-dropping perfection by Broadcasting […]

 As the drama’s dysfunctionally in-love leads, Coleman and Jackson-Cohen are compelling. Whether the scene demands rage or romance, they’re able to effectively dial it from a subtle one to an all-out ten. Sadly, the material they’re working with fails to match their energy. Lackluster direction makes their arguments more of a weak tug than an […]

There are two sides to Gamera Rebirth that don’t mix all that well yet in the first two episodes watched for this review, but still complement each other in intriguing ways. There is, of course, the part of the show concerned with monsters fighting monsters—classic kaiju spectacle that makes good use of the series’ jagged […]

Based on a PlayStation game of the same name, Twisted Metal has a lot of the bullet-heavy, high-speed action of the original but with a lot more characters and backstory thrown in the mix. It certainly scratches a nostalgic itch for those who played the game growing up, especially once big names like Anthony Mackie, […]

Imagine a travel show hosted by someone with zero interest in travel. It can go either of two ways: you can hate the guy for his ignorance or love him for trying anyway. Thankfully, veteran comedian Eugene Levy falls in the latter category in the aptly titled series The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy. Here, […]

Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis (Homeland) star opposite each other as a prosecutor and a billionaire suspect in this well-crafted drama. Axe is a venture-capitalist who lost his business partners in 9/11 and who is widely appreciated in the public eye for his charity work. He comes under scrutiny from a ruthless and unusual public […]

Steven Soderbergh’s second TV show of 2023 — which was only announced a few days before its release — is a hopeful dystopian one. Command Z, which comprises eight short episodes totaling 90 minutes, is so named for Apple’s “undo” shortcut because that’s exactly the purpose of the show’s time-travel mission. In 2053, a tech […]

The first thing we learn about Dolores Roach is that she is a person of sensation and scandal, a masseuse who, as the newspaper clippings reveal, turned out to be a murderous cannibal serving human flesh to unwitting customers at a local eatery, a la Sweeney Todd. But the series is less about the horrors […]

This colossal-budget show ($90 million for the first season alone) never caught a break. Somehow it didn’t make it to the big audience it deserved. It tells the grand story of Marco Polo the explorer, and the years he spent with the Mongols, going back forth in their ranks between prisoner and leader. It was […]

In the sea of adult animation, Captain Fall floats in on a crime-packed cruise ship under the charge of the most unqualified man, Jonathan Fall. Although there are unsavory characters, the show never goes into the childish crass humor employed by many of its contemporaries. It also doesn’t shy away from grotesque violence and pokes […]

Why is Erin Carter, a British temp teacher in Barcelona, always on edge and stabbing people with random objects? Well, it seems that hiding in a Spanish-speaking country is the modus operandi for many a protagonist on the run (looking at you, The Chosen One), and yet they can’t help but look suspicious in easily […]

Neon’s story of young millennials hustling to make their dreams come true can feel familiar, and it might approach some of its conflicts too lightly for its own good (at least in the first couple episodes watched for this review). But even if it isn’t exactly raucously funny yet, it’s got a cool, confident foundation […]

Here’s something for all the goth lovers out there. With a title alluding to the cheap sensational fiction that was circulated in mid-Victorian Britain, this show is all about monsters, demons, and some of literature’s most iconic creatures haunting Victorian London, including Dorian Gray, Count Dracula, and Dr. Frankenstein. It utilizes all these characters to […]

Heist movies and TV shows as of late have been trying to experiment with form more than substance. In the case of the Italian series Everybody Loves Diamonds, we’re shown the actual heist right from the beginning, as the show then moves back and forth through time to track the investigators right on the thieves’ […]

There’s an entire category of children’s television that essentially functions as little more than white noise that parents can use to distract their kids with—which many Little Baby Bum videos wind up being. This Netflix spin-off, however, has just a little more to it: noticeably improved animation, and creative takes on nursery rhymes and other […]

There’s a laidback quality to It’s Great to Be Here that makes the three-episode stand-up series a good introduction to Michelle Wolf’s brand of comedy, but it also means there isn’t anything particularly groundbreaking or powerful here. The miniseries format also doesn’t do the show many favors, with each episode trailing off abruptly—when a single, […]

Spy Ops is informative, and at least in the beginning, quite engaging. But the allure of insider access and first-hand knowledge quickly gives way to boredom. You can only insert so many archival clips, reenact so many events, and dramatize so much of the music before it becomes obvious how scant the material actually is. […]

Wilt Chamberlain’s story is inherently fascinating. An athletic wonder who rose to fame in the South during the Jim Crow era, Chamberlain had to pave the way for other Black athletes who followed in his footsteps. It wasn’t enough that he was good, or that he had the height to end all heights; Chamberlain had […]

Whether or not its intentionally messy, erratically paced style resonates with you, there’s something undeniably special about having a show like Rain Dogs in our current television landscape. Almost aggressively opposed to the idea of comfort viewing and easily marketable drama, the series deals with characters who are at rock bottom for all eight episodes. […]

In its two-episode premiere, Praise Petey uses a lot of straightforward dialogue, on-the-nose jokes, and visual gags that work in its favor as “it girl” Petey becomes more acquainted with her inherited cult. Everything still feels at arm’s length for Petey even though we, the audience, are aware of the nefarious activities behind the scenes. […]

Based on the first three episodes watched for this review, Club Hooligans (titled onscreen as Barrabrava) is at its best when it illustrates how disorganized the gang at the center of the narrative really is, especially when their leader’s position is threatened. This inherent lack of loyalty and structure contrasts nicely with the stricter culture […]

Ted Danson, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Schwartzman, and many others star in this three-season comedy that aired between 2009 and 2011. Jonathan is a bored and lonely writer in New York, his girlfriend having recently left him for smoking too much pot (he would quit but “quitting cold turkey is dangerous”. To fight the boredom, Jonathan […]

A coming-of-age comedy about David, a 20 year old assistant tennis pro at a country club in 1985’s New Jersey. As with most people his age, David (Craig Roberts) struggles with making important life choices; his parents want him to pursue a career he’s not interested in, he starts falling in love with a girl […]

While the identity of the post-Daniel Craig James Bond hangs in limbo, the franchise is branching out into TV with this mid-octane game show, which riffs on tried-and-tested reality TV competitions: its multiple choice questions and climb-the-ladder approach to prize money are evidently borrowed from Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, while its globetrotting recalls […]