Alison Herman

Without the liability of actors whose voices will deepen and heights will shoot up over time, Netflix can continue to exploit this IP as long as its audience desires, looking ever-more-solipsistically inward rather than branching out. I’ll give “Tales From ‘85” this much credit: it’s as creepy and unsettling an idea as this horror-adjacent franchise has produced in years.

Can be a bit all-over-the-place. (As is its prerogative — no one’s coming here for realism.) But its sense of Kevin’s journey from a shy, kept cat to one ready for whatever life hands him is clear, a North Star to guide all the otherwise enjoyable chaos.

The new bosses’ high-class problems are always tertiary to the Josh-Lindsay-Ashley-Austin quadfecta and never stop feeling tacked-on, even when plot contrivances transport the entire ensemble to Seoul for the finale. But they’re just present enough to distract from the core conflict, transforming the season from a group character study into a corporate espionage thriller such that neither half feels fully fleshed-out. It’s a shame, because before they peter out, there are threads worth following.

The series can be unwieldy in scope, slow to unveil its endgame and uneven in its character development. Still, these are minor faults compared to an enjoyably harsh yet perceptive look at the psychology of Silicon Valley elites.

Too often, the air leaves the room when Les, Lindy and Vivienne do. Making my way through the screeners, I kept yearning for focus and concision — a version of the show pared down to its most essential elements. For a story about a shrinking woman, “The Miniature Wife” can’t seem to recognize the virtues of staying small.

“Euphoria” is never not entertaining. Over the years, Levinson has proven capable of crafting an engaging spectacle in his sleep. (Even “The Idol,” his disastrous collaboration with The Weeknd, demanded attention, if not approval.) There’s just a disjointedness to the various elements of Season 3 that this new incarnation of “Euphoria” has yet to overcome.

It’s progressively broadened into a take on the entire American project, a mission creep that’s sometimes been a strain yet allows the home stretch — minus the series finale, which was withheld from critics prior to review — to wield some heft.

“Shadow Lord” can capably move the “Clone Wars” story forward, but it’s not yet ready to serve as a “Star Wars” standard-bearer on its own. It’s a good time for the theatrical release schedule to finally get going again.

Ultimately, I quite liked the show “Something Very Bad” becomes once Boston and her team put their cards on the table. But that show is different enough from the initial presentation, and takes long enough to reveal itself, that I’m not convinced “Something Very Bad” is best served by its chosen format.

Given more room to stretch out and experiment, “Bait” might look a little more like its apparent influences ["Ramy" and "Master of None"] .... “Bait” has glimpses of such potential at its margins. .... But before long, it’s back to the mission at hand: poking at the Bond legend while ultimately, respectfully propping it up.