Michael Savio

Unfortunately, Furious can’t manage to translate its righteous sense of indignation into a thriller that rewards its viewers with either pulse-pounding excitement or characters worth caring about.

Lucky sidesteps what could have been something a bit sharper and more original in favor of its tale of familial issues, mobster mentality, and individualistic corruption.

In the latter half of season five, once the customers finally show up and the saucepots and interpersonal conflicts start to really boil over, The Bear reminds us of its own potential for greatness.

It’s not irritating enough to warrant full-throated derision but not funny, endearing, or memorable enough to recommend around the water cooler.

Maslany’s performance can’t overcome the unfinished, hodgepodge quality of how Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed integrates its generic elements with its more substantive ambitions.

Each episode feels at once bloated and unfinished, ultimately dulling the show’s buildup in intensity and, therefore, political relevance. .... Still, these flaws can’t fully undermine the show’s most harrowing moments, including a finale that’s as gripping as it is heartbreaking.

It doesn’t aim for the grandiose allegory or psychological character development that defines so much “elevated horror,” nor does it chasten its sense of humor to appeal to a wide-ranging audience. Instead, like any good vacation spot, it focuses on simply giving its guests a good time.

Half the trouble with these types of reboots lies in how they integrate new characters into a dynamic that had been molded over the original show’s run. .... As a brief but spirited revival, though, Life’s Still Unfair is a worthwhile reunion with one of TV’s most perfectly imperfect families.

There’s plenty of dread-inducing fun to be had in the early episodes, despite their reliance on well-worn genre tropes. But Boston unveils the “very bad” something of the title surprisingly early, and the twist is altogether much sillier—and a bit more contrived—than what the show’s eerie opening stretch suggests.

It’s this uneasy negotiation between celebrating queer resilience and sidestepping the military’s larger role in perpetuating harm—both within its ranks and across the globe—that keeps Boots stuck in the mud.