Hank Stuever

While the show feints in the direction of Janet Malcolm’s “The Journalist and the Murderer,” it never seriously interrogates the way authors can betray their subjects. Still, it’s a very entertaining watch.

Enjoyably rambunctious (if a tad overblown) period drama. ... Whenever the series starts to drag (and it does do that, with episodes that are often too long and subplots that dawdle around), the show cranks up some other aspect to keep viewers interested — the vivid costumes, the palatial surroundings, the name-that-tune recognition game when a chamber orchestra segues into classically arranged takes on modern hits (Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande).

This adaptation, which starts off succinctly, starts to strain as soon as it has to shoulder the biblical proportions. “The Stand” works better as a study in survivalist pluck than as a theological thunderdome.

Quietly compelling.

[The cast] all struggle with a premise and a script that gives them little guidance on how far to go with “Your Honor’s” resolute dourness.

Reconciling these two stories is a real trick; the four episodes made available for this review (out of eight) certainly achieve the story’s nonstop anxiety level, but one gets the feeling that the whole thing would come apart without Cuoco’s impressive grip on the character: a woman who is out of control, expertly played by an actress who demonstrates such precision.

Too long to be a movie and too short to satisfy as a miniseries, this “Black Narcissus” dabbles in being all of the above, and, alas, doesn’t fully succeed at any of them. But it doesn't deserve a thumbs-down review, either. Thanks to some excellent and at times gripping performances — especially from its lead, Gemma Arterton — “Black Narcissus” remains intriguing while never quite getting to the point of riveting.

All of it combines to bring Coates’s words up off the page with startlingly precise intent. Old news footage transitions to recent outrages; dreams are shattered and reassembled to reflect unflinching truths. There’s as much to look at as there is to hear; the words and images meld almost seamlessly.

Superb and sprawling. ... Where most shows would try to cram everything in, “The Crown” is all about smart choices. We don’t get the full blow-by-blow of Diana’s strange engagement to a difficult and even cruelly neglectful Charles, played terrifically by Josh O’Connor. ... These Charles/Di go-rounds may indeed butter “The Crown’s” bread, but the real news this time is Gillian Anderson’s devastatingly precise portrayal of Margaret Thatcher.

An engaging but thematically thin drama. .. The show’s entanglements and provocations are what manage to pull a viewer in.