Bethonie Butler

The plot can get a bit unwieldy throughout the course of its 10 episodes, and there are some tone issues (forgivable for a series that straddles drama, comedy and thriller), but the show is as timely as its source material in the wake of a so-called racial reckoning that, among other discourse, brought to light the inequities that Black and other employees of color face at predominantly White companies.

Riley’s series is imaginative and fantastical but grounded in the sobering realities of Cootie’s life as a Black man. While “I’m a Virgo” is strikingly cinematic, it also takes on shades of theater and spoken word.

The time jump [from 1976 in the book to the show's 2016] may rankle purists, but it’s hard to imagine that an author as prescient as Butler, who died in 2006, wouldn’t appreciate such an update. ... “Kindred” takes other detours that don’t pay off as well in the first season. ... The series weaves in a thread aligning the 19th-century patrolmen who gleefully round up runaways with modern-day police forces, a comparison Butler explored much more subtly in her book.

“Dead to Me” has never been a perfect show, and the final outing is particularly uneven when it comes to the criminally minded storylines. ... It might not matter to viewers, though. The series, from creator Liz Feldman, excels in its depiction of two dynamic women who become each other’s chosen family. ... The show knows when to close the loop on its unwieldy narrative; the murder mysteries become secondary as the show focuses more on the core friendship at its center.

[Dear White People] elevates its source material into a deeply poignant exploration of where we are now.

The filmmaker brings Whitehead’s alternate history — anchored by a literal underground railroad that clandestinely transports runaway slaves — to vivid and visually stunning life.

The people and places--from the penthouse apartment Debra initially shares with Veronica to the beachside house she impulsively rents to hole up with her new beau--are all there, but the show doesn’t dig any deeper.

How did a story about a depressed, alcoholic horse become one of the most human shows on TV? ... Can BoJack Horseman pull off a fracking story line? You betcha. ... And BoJack Horseman never neglects to expand its rich, Hollywood-parallel universe, which is largely responsible for the show’s sardonic brand of humor.

It is neither good nor deliciously bad. It is a banal three-hour timesuck that manages to feel both rushed and drawn-out.

Despite some genuinely charming moments, Girlboss has a flimsy narrative and gives some of Sophia’s personal relationships only a passing glance.