Ed Power

House of the Dragon only really settles into its groove when the watery strife is out of the way and the story switches to, among other things, political manoeuvrings and the day-to-day demands of running a kingdom – such as dealing with uppity woolworkers or starving peasants.

A few fewer X-rated moments might not have gone amiss. .... However, Howard is magnetic as the sassy, sarcastic Byron. Largely through the force of that performance and regardless of the ongoing debate around trans rights, their story has the sprinkled-in-stardust quality of a real-life fairytale.

In Spider-Noir he [Nicolas Cage] is free to be his finest, most absurd self. If only all superhero shows were as serious about being silly.

The finale sticks to what fans loved about the series – in particular, the supernova of luvvydom that is the friendship between its stars, David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

As pretty as a painted marionette, The Doll Factory ultimately lacks the qualities all good telly demands: a heart and a soul.

You have to admire the sheer chutzpah that the producers have displayed in taking a respected sci-fi text and turning it into a sort of George Orwell version of High School Musical – a potentially disastrous gamble carried off with style and assurance.

The story moves at a decent clip, but it ought to feel much more plausible considering its roots in reality. It would seem that all the series’ good ideas have been defused long before it reached the screen.

It’s when it tries to be grown-up and deep that Daredevil is unmasked in all its shallowness. Cox and D’Onofrio have crackling chemistry, but Daredevil is ultimately not daring enough to do justice to their electrifying performances.

Was it a crime against comedy – as the original Saturday Night Live often is nowadays? No – and by any reasonable measure it was off to a flying start.

This gripping show is proof that the Yellowstone universe still has a few more surprises under its 10-gallon hat.