Kristen Lopez

“The Watcher” may be Ryan Murphy’s best Netflix series, but the Murphy-isms wear thin.

It’s a Google search for people who don’t want to read a lengthy article. That’s fine. But selling it as the multigenerational story of a family with all the horrors of the Marquis de Sade is a bit of a stretch.

Yager isn’t a saint, as the documentary lays out, and viewers are never really given an indication of how the documentarian feels. The audience is left to question Yager’s motives and helping a child go abroad feels like villain territory, no matter the context. But placed against a tearful woman, seen in archival footage, whose own children were kidnapped by Yager, there seems to be more to the story.

For all of the mourning this season, it also carries an assurance as the creative team and actors inhabit their roles and the world they’ve created. The humor may take a backseat, but it’s in service of more complex storytelling. The Reservation Dogs may not know who they are yet, but this show certainly does.

Dark Winds may seem similar to other detective shows but it’s more than that. With well-written and sharply defined characters, plus an invigorating and tightly wound story, it’ll be hard to wait a week for each episode to drop.

The series isn’t content to be a saucy exploration of the Tudor era, but instead a searing examination of the politics of the time. Think of it like “Succession” with French hoods.

If you’re a fan of flashy hilarity than “Angelyne” is for you. The series captures a camp quality and Rossum is utterly captivating. She finds the nuance in a character whose an icon, even if it’s just in her own mind.

The problem is many of the series’ themes are swathed in overt metaphors that have all the grace of a sledgehammer. There are no organic moments, everything connects back to an element from these women’s pasts.

“The Flight Attendant,” like its heroine, reinvents itself in Season 2. The story is streamlined to focus more on Cassie’s own personal development. This might turn off those who enjoyed what Season 1 laid out, but if you’ve enjoyed the characters this far you’ll continue to love Cuoco and company as they try to become adults.

I do wish it had just decided to rip off “Yellowstone.” Brolin’s good and if the series eschewed the sci-fi conceit there’s enough good actors here to at least make it entertaining. But slathering a sci-fi element on top of it and not understanding what tone to strike doesn’t lead to oil, it leads to crap.

“Julia” is the ultimate comfort television that wraps the audience in the joys of cooking, with sweet performances from actors all at the top of their game. Just sit back and enjoy this one with your favorite dessert and wine.

“Bridgerton” Season 2 tries hard to please everyone, but ends up feeling watered down. Gone is the sexiness in favor of a more chaste series that almost everyone can watch together. Simone Ashley is a gem this season, but there’s never enough chemistry between her and Bailey to get a fire started.

In the span of 60 minutes Hawke not only lays the groundwork for how Woodward and Newman fell in love, but how they came to represent the last gasp of a dying era. ... If you’re a classic film fan or just a devotee of cinema make it a point of seeing "The Last Movie Stars."

The first half of “Phoenix Rising” works in peaks and valleys. Wood’s courage shines through, and by focusing on Manson’s alleged abuse, there’s a compelling exploration taking place about power dynamics and relationships in Hollywood.

“The Girl from Plainville” is another standard Hulu true crime series. When it has the opportunity to weave a narrative, away from the confines of a courtroom, it’s impossible to look away. It’s dreamy, disturbing, and impeccably acted by Fanning and Ryan. But it too often falls into the Hulu trap of simply reenacting, presenting the facts and little more.

“From” maintains the audiences’ interest because of Harold Perrineau’s acting. He believes in the character and so does the audience. But like many of the shows it’s inspired/imitating, depending on your view, it spends too much time setting up its world and not pushing the story forward.

“The Girl Before” doesn’t feel like a conventional mystery and that is its strength. It feels akin to a staged performance, with the character predominately relegated to One Folgate Street. Mbatha-Raw and Plummer are powerhouses in a story that sticks with you because it’s a slice of reality.

There’s little to be found in “The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window” that you can’t find in the countless movies that already litter Netflix about women solving crimes. Bell is a strong lead, but if the series wants to be a send-up the humor needs to be more consistent. If it wants to play it straight, eschew humor entirely.

“Pam & Tommy” is funny, emotional, and an incisive look at a story many still believe they know. James and Stan are astounding, with the former completely transforming herself physically and utilizing that to show Anderson as the fully realized person she was never allowed to be.

“As We See It” has the potential to show their autistic cast’s true perspectives, but the writing certainly needs to be more reflective of a neurodivergent POV. Pien, Rutecki, and Glassman are great, as is Bacon, but if you’re at all on the spectrum and/or a disabled viewer, expect a lot of treacle that’s not meant to make you feel seen.

Everett and Hiller are the dominant forces within “Somebody Somewhere,” but the supporting cast is compelling. ... If you’ve ever just driven around with your bestie on a Sunday looking for something to do, and what you did was boring but you two connected, “Somebody Somewhere” captures the singularity of that experience.

“Abbott Elementary” should be everyone’s new comedic obsession, with a cast that’s not only funny but who’ve already formed an honest, connective chemistry. Quinta Brunson’s sitcom always feels heartfelt, even when it’s criticizing a system that’s overworking teachers and letting down students.

“The Cleaning Lady” has good intentions, but is far too derivative to form a compelling series. Yung is a star, as is Millan, but the two women are smothered by the soapy (pun intended) issues of a criminal underworld that feels like Mafia 101.

If you’re a “Harry Potter” superfan, you’ll probably find returning to Hogwarts and seeing your favorite characters reunited pleasant enough. Just don’t expect anything passing for growth.

The situations here aren’t new, but they feel different in Calderón Kellett’s hands. “With Love” is a vibrant and engaging original on par with some of the best network content out there — deliciously captivating and hard to stop watching.

“Anne Boleyn” is a cold retelling of the the English queen’s life that is only given life through Jodie Turner-Smith’s performance. Maybe if this had been a full-length series with more opportunity to expand the world out, there would be more reflection here.

“The Hot Zone: Anthrax” is a formulaic look back at the anthrax scare with little profound or specific to say. Tony Goldwyn gives a flamboyant lesson in fear, but everything else is too much of a slog to get into.

For all the warm fuzzies found within “Harriet the Spy,” the series lacks the rebelliousness Fitzhugh created with her novel. ... Regardless, Beanie Feldstein’s charm certainly helps keep Harriet engaging for fans new and old.