Contributing Editor
Too Close and The Underground Railroad provide wildly different experiences.
A tale of heartbreak and tenacity in post-Reconstruction Mississippi.
A mother goes to extreme lengths to try to prove her son’s still alive.
An experiment to see if nurture could overcome nature did not end well.
AMC+ thriller takes viewers to paranoid, dangerous '60s Berlin.
If you miss Lovecraft Country, Amazon has an alternative.
New ABC show wastes Katey Sagal’s massive talents.
Also: Cancel culture knives are out for The United States of Al. It doesn’t deserve them.
Documentary series Q: Into the Storm delves into the Trump-era conspiracy.
What we know about Holiday’s mistreatment is compelling enough without muddling her history.
Import mystery thriller part of new AMC+ streaming service.
Oh look, two mismatched government agents investigating alien technology.
Can the Man of Steel have it all?
Kenan, meanwhile, is a stale as sitcoms get.
CBS drama explores the heroine’s trauma and the envy of her FBI peers.
HBO Max’s murder thriller miniseries is all over the map—in a good way.
British import on Amazon Prime won’t exactly fill you with the warm fuzzies.
Meanwhile, a reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger inexplicably exists.
Say ‘meh’ to these two midseason also-rans.
The spiritual successor of 30 Rock keeps its edge.
Ranking the best entertainment in the worst year
Need an antidote to sickly sweet holiday stories?
If you’re looking for a coherent, compelling version of Stephen King’s pandemic opus, keep on walking.
A documentary describes a drug-fueled countercultural romance.
Now out of The Big Bang’s orbit, she’s ready to shine.
David E. Kelley orchestrates another excellent drama.
HBO docuseries a devastating look at a family’s secret dysfunctions.
Meanwhile on CBS, B Positive offers laughs about...kidney transplants.
Premium cable has led to a quality transformation in David E. Kelley’s storytelling.
PBS documentary recounts life of America’s pioneer of tawdry fame coverage.
Clive Barker’s anthologies of horror short stories have been adapted for streaming.
Not even “McDreamy” can make this financial thriller cash in.
Killer AI and bayou monsters all run amok
Chris Rock heads cast of mobsters in 1950s Kansas City.
Also, Neil deGrasse Tyson is back to condescend to us all some more.
At least television networks have COVID-19 to blame for the dire state of shows this year.
No drawing room mysteries to see in this off-beat, hard-boiled cop show.
Wit, both broad and sharp, gets a show about racism further than tirades would.
Two mediocre movies highlight what little there is to look forward to.
Pandemics and political fearmongering got you down? Netflix offers a diversion.
But do the metaphors hold up?
Cops vs. criminals with psychosexual undertones
Coroner and Hitmen are only new to us Yanks.
The fairy-tale foundation never materializes, but the show will rattle your bones.
Helter Skelter: An American Myth doesn’t shed new light, but it’s excellent journalism.
The Australian series shows it’s not all about Trump.