On Television
Sterling K. Brown’s Upstanding Archetype
In Hulu’s soapy “Washington Black,” about an early-nineteenth-century slave who escapes to Halifax, Brown rises above the material.
The Trophy Abs and Soul Ties of “Love Island USA”
The Peacock reality show, filmed in Fiji, offers a parallel America in which nearly naked contestants attempt to pair up and the audience votes on the winning couple.
“Too Much” Remixes the Rom-Com
In her new Netflix show, Lena Dunham revitalizes the genre by delving into her characters’ pre-meet-cute pasts—and all the attendant emotional baggage.
“Your Friends and Neighbors” and the Perils of the Rich-People-Suck Genre
The Apple TV+ series, starring Jon Hamm as a hedge funder turned thief, serves up luxury porn in the guise of social critique.
The Second Season of “Wolf Hall” Surpasses Its Acclaimed Predecessor
In the culmination of the Hilary Mantel adaptation, Mark Rylance’s Thomas Cromwell becomes a more poignant figure, weighed down by regrets.
“The White Lotus” Overstays Its Welcome
In the third season of Mike White’s HBO satire of the rich and terrible, a now familiar formula yields diminishing returns.
Fifty Weird Years of “Saturday Night Live”
“SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” delves into cast auditions, “More Cowbell,” and a fateful season in which Lorne Michaels almost lost the show with new experiments.
Tom Brady, Armchair Quarterback
In his new gig, the former player turned “N.F.L. on Fox” commentator is back to work, but is he any good?
The New Season of “Severance” Is All Work and No Play
The sci-fi series was hailed as a dark, timely satire of office life—but its return is bogged down by abstract ethical conundrums and rote emotional ones.
“Black Doves” Offers a Sentimental Spin on the Spy Genre
The Keira Knightley- and Ben Whishaw-led Netflix series eventually snares its protagonists in a traditional espionage plot—but it’s most interested in their friendship.