Alison Herman

I wasn’t totally convinced a narrative so dependent on the passage of time was an organic fit for the screen. (Pugh gets aged up with cosmetics, but Abbott looks as boyish as ever while Adam attempts to act as patriarch.) Still, the endeavor feels worth it for Pugh and Lee’s standout efforts, which etch their characters deep into one’s memory.

“Brothers” has eyes for only one central relationship, and every second spent on satellite pairings sags with infectious boredom.

The AI Wilder isn’t the only instance of the contemporary and the retro colliding in unpleasantly discordant ways. Challenges are introduced with “Fallout”-style, ‘50s-esque videos that are aesthetically out of place. .... The device [AI Wilder] grows especially chilling when tasked with delivering jokes, or rather, humor-scented snippets of dialogue that lack a human’s je ne sais quoi.

Drab is drab. Whatever the justifications, the 76th Emmys were a far less dynamic and more stilted watch than the January show.

While Sten performs capably in the (sporadic, perfunctory) action scenes, her taciturn protagonist declaring that “I don’t have trauma” can’t reverse psychology the viewer into genuine curiosity. That’s because Neagley is a collection of hard-surface, soft-heart tropes that never achieve independent momentum.

If “The Drop” can get its plot to the level of its immersive production, it’ll be something to see.

Many new comedies these days suffer from a compressed run that offers little room to riff and experiment. By keeping a tight focus on its nuclear unit, “Dang!” avoids this issue with a compact concept that never feels too big for its vessel.

Conflicts are too far from the broader human experience to engender much sympathy, yet too petty to take on a sheen of aspirational glamor. Nor are they negotiated with any Housewife-ian flair for drama. The Earles often sound like wooden actors reading from a prefabricated script, possibly because they are.

“Adults” finally has its own momentum, largely generated by a cast whose rapport obviates the need for any sweeping statements about their generation.

Not only is the show overt about its influences to the point where it can’t transcend them; it’s also a mix of shoe-leather investigation and glowing green lasers that never stops clashing. .... At least there’s never long to wait until Chandler and Pierre are once again trading barbs, the place where “Lanterns” is most palpably in its preferred groove.