Ben Travers

Netflix’s “Man on Fire” tries to cop the movie’s scorched-earth attitude without justifying where it stems from. In doing so, it wastes its lead’s talents, and snuffs out its I.P.’s brightest embers. Any future remakes won’t be drawing from this fire.

As soon as the series confirms the haunt is real (and spook-tacular), it kicks off a stellar run of episodes that expand the town lore and sharpen its characters in rapid, imaginative succession.

“Tales from ’85” illustrates a good idea that’s still hamstrung by a devotion to the show’s preexisting lore.

Not only does “Half Man” end without attaining the same level of lived complexity as Gadd’s past work, but its conclusion also ensures the only way to read their story is as an allegory. They’re half-men who add up to even less.

The most beautiful moments of Lee’s epic tale appear at times when all the noise has been stripped away, and each character has to face a truth they’ve been fighting so hard to ignore. When they face them together, when they share their experience instead of putting up walls, it’s all the more powerful. .... Alas, their beef is too big to squash. But this “Beef” is better for it.

It’s just funny. And sweet. And honest. And it works really hard to be funny and sweet and honest, which makes it all the more endearing when it succeeds at all three.

Season 5 leaves no doubt that “Hacks” belongs among the greats.

Scaling back would solve a lot of issues. After all, there’s no law saying modern comedies have to be six different shows at once. But they do have to be funny and they do have to make sense, and this genre-bending original may simply be too broken to salvage.

“The Boys” was always made for adults. It’s good to see it going out with them top of mind.

“Euphoria” always skewed nihilistic, so none of these ideas are out of place in what may be its last season. But Levinson’s series was never this spiritually hollow.