Love Life’s New Season Is a CharmerThe HBO Max rom-com levels up in its second season thanks in large part to William Jackson Harper’s leading-man charisma.
Invasion Made Me Root for the AliensIn the Apple TV+ series, characters across the globe bumble around in their own misery, resentful that aliens keep interrupting their tragic lives.
ByKathryn VanArendonk
tv review
You Is the Best It’s Ever BeenSeason three of Netflix’s dark, stalker-narrated murder drama shifts into an exciting new gear.
ByKathryn VanArendonk
tv review
Dopesick’s Ambitious Scope Dulls Its ImpactThe Hulu limited series about the how and why of America’s opioid crisis is frequently moving but bites off more than it can reasonably chew.
Squid Game’s Apocalypse Is NowThe blockbuster South Korean series is at its best when it’s at its bleakest — which says a lot about its current global cultural dominance.
Documenting Britney SpearsThree timely documentaries are capitalizing on the #FreeBritney interest, but is it appropriate to dig for more dirt at such a fraught turning point?
The Handsome Tragedies of Y: The Last ManThe FX on Hulu show poses spiky questions about gender, family, and human nature in the midst of trauma. Does it have the skill to answer them?
ByAngelica Jade Bastién
tv review
The Emmys Need to Watch More TVIn a television landscape undergoing explosive growth, the TV Academy isn’t looking far or wide enough.
Please Pay Attention to The Other TwoThe overlooked entertainment-industry satire is back on HBO Max with a second season that deserves the sort of recognition its protagonists crave.
ByJen Chaney
tv review
Add The Chair to Your ScheduleNetflix’s satire of contemporary academia is a gem that features an excellent performance by Sandra Oh.
Heels Can Be Clunky But Also WinningThe new Starz wrestling drama about brothers-in-well-toned-arms is a show that knows itself but doesn’t trust its audience to figure it out.
The White Lotus Is No VacationMike White’s new HBO series set at an upscale Hawaiian resort is an arresting satire of entitlement that cuts like a knife.
Conan Gives a Qualified FarewellThe finale of his TBS show was low-key evidence that O’Brien has always stayed true to himself — and will continue to do so with whatever’s next.
Loki Is a Litmus Test for Marvel TVThe MCU’s third Disney+ series makes its debut as a playful storytelling variant, but can it sustain the fun?
ByKathryn VanArendonk
tv review
We Are Lady Parts Rocks Outside the BoxThis absolutely delightful new musical-comedy series about an all-female Muslim punk band is a stereotype-shattering blast.
ByJen Chaney
endings
Mare of Easttown Kept It All in the FamilyThe HBO miniseries’ dual fixation on crime-solving and family drama makes for a finale reveal that is startling but also immediately right.
Halston, An Unwitting Cautionary TaleA Ryan Murphy-produced series about a creator whose brand gets diluted to the point it no longer carries a guarantee of his signature style. Hm.
Mythic Quest Returns, Imperfect But Easy to LoveSeason two of the Apple TV+ comedy sets a high creative bar for itself, and even when it doesn’t quite clear it, it’s fun just to watch the attempt.
ByKathryn VanArendonk
tv review
Shrill Doesn’t Need ClosureThe low-key yet insightful closing episodes of the Hulu comedy eschew resolution in favor of continued evolution.
