Saloni Gajjar

The show offsets the absurdity with heart.

Despite strong performances, though, the series takes an important story and loses it in unnecessarily complex time-jumping storytelling.

United States Of Al keeps its titular figure in a mold. It does take a couple more steps forward than TBBT in this case, by showing slightly more empathy to Al’s freakout over the shorts than just dreary innuendos. ... But for touting itself for its representation, the show offers this tenderness mostly to its white characters, though even jokes that don’t involve Al simply fall flat.

The screaming and cursing from season one, however grating, are still present in season two, but the show has found a way to deftly balance it with more heartfelt storytelling and some interesting curveballs for this family. Breeders finally anchors Paul and Ally, who seem more comfortable in their shoes, just as Freeman and Haggard do while playing them.

The younger Barnz helps lend authenticity to the series, but Genera+ion tends to get lost in gimmicky storytelling devices. It already has the comedy, but it needs to dwell more on real, heartfelt character developments to really shine.

The biggest issue remains the same: The main trio somehow still make the same glaringly stupid decisions they did when they were rookie criminals. ... What hasn’t slowed down this season, though, are the performances. Hendricks, Whitman, Lillard, and Hill have all perfected their characters.

Ultimately, it’s an intriguing docuseries that will interest those invested in the case to reexamine it through the lens of four compelling, often uncomfortable episodes.

The Luminaries doesn’t dig deep enough into its many possibilities—including any lore of the country it is set in—but Hewson’s soulful performance carries the show forward until its end.

Yearly Departed doesn’t necessarily strike comedy gold, but it makes the process of complaining about and bidding goodbye to a particularly tough year a little more tolerable.

The dialogue is primarily in Hebrew and Persian languages, but to paraphrase one of Bong Joon-ho’s speeches during his Oscar win, overcoming the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles leads one to a lot more valuable art. Tehran is a solid example of that.

Ben’s self-indulgent and cynical without warmth or thoughtfulness. The rest of the main cast do their best—and their best Kentucky accents—but the series lacks a vision of where it wants its characters to go or the message it sends, a quality that’s set shows like BoJack Horseman and Big Mouth apart from other animated offerings. To mix sport metaphors, Hoops is like a racehorse with blinders on.

As engrossing the show is in its demonstration of how little the public knows about the extent it’s being surveilled, the final explanation of the crime as it arrives in episode five, titled “A Pilgrim Of Justice,” feels quite contrived. ... Grainger’s work as Rachel gets better with every episode, but the season belongs to Callum Turner. He churns out an evocative, admirable performance as Shaun

Despite a couple of misses in the middle, season two is a remarkable experience that retains Ramy’s charming storytelling and comedic nuances.

The result is a series of heartfelt stories, as uplifting as they are tearjerking. And, though it’s early, the opening credits are among the most fun and inspired of the year.