TV Reviews

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title character in the Showtime miniseries Patrick Melrose, which begins on Saturday.

Arts

Cumberbatch Is A Riveting 'Patrick Melrose,' An Aristocrat Haunted By His Past

3:18pm May 10, 2018

by David Bianculli

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the Showtime miniseries, based on novels by Edward St. Aubyn. Critic David Bianculli finds the show wickedly funny, searingly dramatic and unforgettably gripping.

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Mishel Prada plays the returning daughter Emma in Starz' half-hour drama Vida.

Arts

'Vida' Brings Two Sisters Back To Their Old Neighborhood

8:46am May 07, 2018

by Linda Holmes

The new Starz half-hour drama tells the story of two young women who learn a lot about their mother when they go home to deal with the consequences of her death.

William Zabka and Ralph Macchio star in Cobra Kai, which revisits Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso more than 30 years after The Karate Kid.

Arts

A Crane Kick Of Nostalgia Right To The Throat: 'Cobra Kai'

12:35pm May 02, 2018

by Linda Holmes

Johnny and Daniel are still at it in Cobra Kai, a surprisingly interesting look at what happens later to people who peak — or crash — in high school.

John Mulaney returns to Netflix in Kid Gorgeous.

John Mulaney Returns With 'Kid Gorgeous'

5:00am May 01, 2018

by Linda Holmes

Netflix is churning out comedy specials almost as fast as you can watch them — maybe faster. In the latest, John Mulaney tries to wrap his head around the state of the world.

Ma Anand Sheela, seen here in archival footage, is the star of the Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country.

Arts

On One Hand, And On The Other Hand, Too: 'Wild Wild Country'

9:32am April 30, 2018

by Linda Holmes

The Netflix documentary series about the Oregon Rajneeshi community that clashed with local and state government suggests there's no real answer to who was right that's entirely satisfactory.

Ann Dowd plays Aunt Lydia, one of the tormentors of June, played by Elisabeth Moss, in Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale.

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Arts

Fear, But Forever, As 'The Handmaid's Tale' Returns

5:00am April 25, 2018

by Linda Holmes

The second season of Hulu's Emmy-winning series returns on Wednesday, more consumed than ever with the effects of not only living with violence, but anticipating it unendingly.

Evan Rachel Wood stars in HBO's Westworld.

'Westworld' Returns With More Plot, Less Philosophy

5:00am April 23, 2018

by Eric Deggans

HBO's sci-fi-infused drama takes place in the world's trippiest theme park. Season one was a complex meditation on consciousness and memory — and season two is a lot more straightforward.

Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope on Scandal, which aired its series finale Thursday night.

Arts

The 'Scandal' Finale: Last Shocks, Loose Ends And Lots Of Lust

4:12pm April 20, 2018

by Linda Holmes

After seven seasons, Shonda Rhimes' roller-coaster of a drama screeches to a final halt as Olivia and the team try to get out of one last scrape and Olivia tries to make it to Vermont.

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Arts

'Westworld' And 'The Handmaid's Tale' Make Impressive Season 2 Returns

2:03pm April 19, 2018

by David Bianculli

Both shows are set in a dystopian near-future where things have gone terribly wrong — and both expand their established environments considerably in their sophomore seasons.

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Wyatt Cenac's new show tackles American policing.

Wyatt Cenac Wants To Talk About Policing

9:44am April 19, 2018

by Linda Holmes

Cenac's new HBO show, Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas, is a 10-part comedy-documentary focused on American policing and its considerable challenges.