Scott Von Doviak

It’s not going to challenge your expectations, but it will fulfill them in a mostly satisfying way.

If you’ve stuck with the show all this time, however, this is your reward: a conclusion that’s thematically rich, often exciting, and as satisfying a wrap-up to the series as one could hope for under the circumstances.

City On A Hill is watchable enough, with strong production values and some great location work, and it’s possible that the show will find its footing after a shaky start, as Billions, its predecessor in this Showtime slot, did. In its first three episodes, however, it’s far too dependent on what has come before.

The Brave is refreshingly free of obligatory domestic baggage. Its thrills are generic, but at least it stays focused on the mission.

Although it boasts more star power and a slightly higher grade of production value than The Brave, it also saddles its characters with the sort of personal travails that are meant to humanize them but generally only function as over-familiar padding.

Get Shorty isn’t in much danger of challenging Justified as the best TV adaptation of Leonard’s work, but as comfort viewing in the dog days of August, it gets the job done.

An attempt at fusing those two approaches, the 10-part hybrid series American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story weaves archival footage, new interviews, and dramatic re-enactments into a shoddy tapestry.

By the end of the fourth hour, Six already feels like a feature film that’s been padded to meet an eight-episode order. It’s diverting at times, but nothing you haven’t seen before.

The air leaks out as the season approaches its conclusion, with the final few hours consisting mostly of repetitive showdowns and reversals.

Without giving anything away, the series has subtly tweaked King’s ending while still delivering on its emotional impact. 11.22.63 is sometimes a bumpy ride, but the destination is ultimately worth the journey.