Rob Owen

It’s not just the leads who make a positive impression. “War” benefits from a stacked supporting cast. .... Combine their talents with Kay’s high-stakes, propulsive plotting, and choosing “War” turns out to be one of the best, most engrossing TV options of 2026.

After the bloodletting, “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” flashes back four months, which is where the show gets especially juicy with pulp.

Truth Teller’s parent company boss, Enervate CEO Marv Putnam (Allan Havey), gets more involved in the stories in season two, which is more consistently funny than the show’s first season.

While not quite as thoughtful in its explorations of themes – “Watchmen” centered on race, “Lanterns” is more about fathers and sons, mentors and mentees — “Lanterns” easily outsmarts the average superhero show.

Once the story shifts to England in episode two and the show introduces a raft of new characters on the women’s team, the fourth season of “Ted Lasso” begins to better justify its existence.

Totally trashy but often entertaining, “The Shards” is Ryan Murphy at his Ryan Murphyest.

More semi-comfortable than cozy, at least this mystery series, shot in Alberta, Canada, looks like the place it’s supposed to be set, unlike last year’s USA scripted drama “The Rainmaker.”

At some point, these lighter tangents became the rule rather than the exception, and that continues to be true in season four, which features dinosaurs, No. 1 (Rebecca Romijn) singing “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in Klingon and an episode where the crew gets turned into puppets.

“SFTSTU” is probably funnier if you know the characters from “Big Bang” and the show’s sci-fi-ish high concept may limit its appeal, but fans of “Big Bang” who tune in will be rewarded with entertaining twists on familiar characters.

In keeping with more modern TV sensibilities (and real life), characters are more complex — grayer and more nuanced, less black and white.