Rob Owen

Most of the laughs come later in the [premiere] episode. Subsequent episodes prove funnier still.

If you have been on board already, season three proves as addictive as season two, albeit slightly more heightened because the technology of this timeline’s 1990s is advanced beyond space-faring technology then or now.

Proves itself a pretty good queer soap if you can tolerate how self-absorbed, narcissistic and generally unlikeable most of the characters are.

“First Kill” is a dull, predictable “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” knock-off (if Buffy was a lesbian).

“Dark Winds” is at its best when focusing on aspects of Navajo culture that give “Dark Winds” a unique flavor and at its most TV-unreal when officers wander into dangerous situations without calling for backup.

The title character is a welcome departure, but the plotting is patented CW fare.

There’s loads of great music on the soundtrack that’s representative of the era (not just by The Sex Pistols) that’s matched by Boyle’s shooting style that embraces the period in an off-kilter, slightly chaotic manner.

When it’s not rehashing plot elements of past seasons, “Stranger Things 4” foregoes the Amblin-esque, ‘80s movie joy of previous seasons in favor of a more gruesome, horror-tinged story. True believers may not care about this tonal shift but more casual viewers – and those who value not having a TV show waste their time with needlessly over-long episodes – probably will.

“Hacks” remains in top form. ... “Hacks” finds a way to restore the frenemies dynamic between the two lead characters without ignoring the progress made in their relationship in season one.

The show, written by David E. Kelley (“Big Sky”), still feels fairly broadcast network-y, albeit slightly elevated.

Delivers a welcome fairytale with a “Pushing Daisies” vibe, but with such a tight initial focus on just these two characters, one wonders if it can go the distance.

“Strange New Worlds” is at its best in its fifth episode, which delivers more cheeky fun and short bursts of character development with economy that are more meaningful than the paragraphs of breathless character exposition found in the first four episodes.

Unlike plenty of past Netflix shows in this genre (think: “Tiger King”), “Meltdown” is relatively right-sized with only the fourth, 45-minute episode feeling somewhat repetitive.

When the focus is on Pyre, interrogations and the investigation, “Under the Banner of Heaven” can be a harrowing deep dive. But flashbacks that depict how tenets of the faith were rooted in the church’s history, while relevant to the characters’ motivations, leads to some plodding pacing.

Unfortunately, the resulting product is frequently too on-the-nose. If there’s any reason to watch, it’s for the performance of actor Matthew Goode as legendary Paramount executive Robert Evans.

The show approaches these themes [what it means when companies commodify and exploit employees’ personal stories and Joanna’s stunted-by-childhood-cancer inner life] with a deft subtlety but it’s enough to ground it and make the cringe comedy more palatable.

The show eventually gets to Billy (Tom Blyth) in his outlaw years, but it’s such a predictable and lackadaisical journey, only the heartiest of Western fans will bother to go along for the entire ride.

Roberts’ all-in performance and those of her co-stars, especially Allison Tolman (“Downward Dog”) as a sympathetic reporter and Shea Whigham as an accurately unhinged G. Gordon Liddy, are a delight, and the whole endeavor is entertaining enough to recommend.

Serious and sobering, the six-episode limited series “We Own This City” delivers a worthy and worthwhile follow-up to “The Wire.”

While the first episode takes a bit of time to get going, once it does it’s clear there’s some “Servant”-like dark fun to be had watching this “Baby.”

What’s great about “The Flight Attendant” is that it’s airy fun but it’s also well-plotted with an eye toward satisfying viewers. Many characters from season one pop in, often in the most unexpected moments, and it’s a delight.

Through the first two episodes made available for review, “Better Call Saul” remains a well-plotted masterpiece, similar to “Breaking Bad” for which “Saul” is a prequel, complete with unexpected twists and action sequences that a viewer might expect to go right but end up going left.

While the family story and conflicts with the neighboring Tillersons — you know they’re bad news because they ride ATVs and the Abbotts ride horses – feels overly familiar, credit series creator/writer Brian Watkins with building to shocks at the end of the first two episodes that leave viewers eager to learn what will happen next.

It’s a cynical and often predictable look at the seamy side of the entertainment industry.

HBO Max’s “Tokyo Vice” looks gritty and authentic, marinating in its setting physically and culturally. But it’s also a little slow-paced.

The writing and plotting by series creator Mark Gross (“Man with a Plan”) is as pedestrian as one would fear going into this bland multi-cam sitcom.

Although I'm wise enough not to cross Jordan, I don't really want to watch more of this formula-driven show. [24 Sep 2001]

“Julia” is by no means a must-see series but it will be a want-to-see show for a segment of the audience that’s historically been undervalued by ad-supported TV networks.