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Season 1 of Abbott Elementary (ABC) has 13 episodes.
Abbott Elementary on ABC is a magic trick performed by creator and star Quinta Brunson. She succeeded in creating a new mockumentary comedy in the vein of The Office about a failing school in Philadelphia that doesn’t feel either cliched or mocking. In addition, she has brought the Twitter cool kids back to network television. In the show, Brunson plays Janine Teagues, a dedicated elementary school teacher whose upbeat, conciliatory demeanor sometimes irks her hardened coworkers. Abbott Elementary’s cast, which includes Brunson, seasoned actors Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lisa Ann Walter, and comic newcomer Janelle James as the scene-stealing DGAF principal Ava, is terrific. A comedy is only as good as its ensemble.
Season 1 of All of Us Are Dead on Netflix has 12 episodes.
All of Us Are Dead capitalized on the current Hallyu wave with its post-apocalyptic high school zombie story featuring a sprawling ensemble cast, teenage drama, and an escape room-like plot as surviving students must flee an outbreak that has swept through their school. It followed Netflix’s other recent Korean horror WebToon/TV series Hellbound. With AOUAD’s tense action in small spaces, mysterious outbreak, plentiful death, occasionally sus CGI, and One Special Kid who might just have the cure to end it all, those who watched 2020’s Sweet Home will find plenty of parallels. But even in the episodes of AOUAD that begin seeming weak, this series stands on its emotional legs.
Season 3 of Atlanta (FX), 10 episodes
Atlanta, a surrealist comedy starring Donald Glover, has finally made a comeback to television after an almost four-year absence. Even with the enormous influx of television content that has occurred while the critically acclaimed FX series has been absent, it continues to be lightyears ahead of most of what is now on. But that doesn’t mean it’s an easy film to enjoy; Brian Tyree is still one of the best TV actors. Half of the season’s episodes focus on Henry’s Paperboi, who has finally “made it,” as they follow the European portion of his tour. The group negotiates racial issues, fans and producers, luxury clothes, and Paperboi’s newfound stardom.
Season 3 of Barry (HBO), 8 episodes
Bill Hader’s masterwork of a showbiz satire about the shadowy corners of humanity has returned in top form following a protracted COVID-related delay. Hader’s portrayal of the titular hitman-turned-actor is scarier than ever thanks to the film’s creator, who leaned into Barry’s desperation after learning that his adored acting coach Mr. Cousineau (Henry Winkler) is aware of Barry’s murderous past. Sally, Barry’s girlfriend (Sarah Goldberg), is running and starring in her TV show based on her experiences with abuse while also trying on the girl boss look. Like the rest of the series, which finds time for sight jokes and Noho Hank-isms amid all the sorrow, her manic episode is simultaneously hysterical and tragic.
Season 6 of Billions (Showtime), 12 episodes
We pondered how Billions would fare without the frantic energy of Damien Lewis’ hedge-fund shark Bobby Axelrod to move things along when the Season 5 conclusion of the Showtime series revealed that Damien Lewis would be leaving. It turns out that Billions can be just as compelling when it is focused on a different billionaire, a benevolent-presenting egomaniac played by Corey Stoll as Michael Thomas Acquinas Prince. This is especially true when the supporting cast, which includes Asia Kate Dillion, Condola Rashad, and Paul Giamatti as usual, deliver dependable performances. Prince’s motivations behind his “do-gooder” persona reveal a side of Billions as he works to get the 2028 Olympics to New York City under the pretense of “revitalizing” the city, which includes an impressive new subway prototype.
Season 3 of The Boys (Amazon), 8 episodes
The third season of The Boys was blunter but no less vicious than the first two. It remained gory, cum-soaked, and on point. This time, the anti-superhero vigilante group The Boys unintentionally release a 1980s hero from a Russian prison that has been frozen in time. Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) believes that Soldier Boy (played with Jensen Ackles’ honey-kissed drawl) may be used as a weapon against Homelander (Antony Starr). Starr continues to deliver one of the most unnerving performances on television as a man with infinite power who suddenly discovers that being an asshole is getting him followers rather than losing them in Homelander’s further descent into Trumpian madness. The rest of the ensemble is equally as impressive, especially Jack.
The Outgoing (Hulu)
It’s understandable to be dubious about the current crop of scripted episodes that are based on frauds taken directly from the news, but The Dropout is much superior to shows like WeCrashed on Apple TV+ and Inventing Anna on Netflix. Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) girl bossed her way to fame and riches without proving that her revolutionary blood-testing innovation truly worked, according to the Hulu series created by New Girl writer Elizabeth Meriwether. It’s possible that The Dropout won’t teach you much new information if you’ve already read, heard, or seen one of the many accounts of Holmes’ decline.
Season 3 of Evil (Paramount+), 10 episodes
Evil continued to be the most delightfully bizarre show on television in its third season. What other shows feature Christine Lahti selling cryptocurrencies with evil powers? Perhaps the evil Animal Crossing? Or a whole show centered around the notion that TikTok might genuinely be the devil’s invention? Or lust demons? A nosy nun, or Andrea Martin? The procedural riddles and absurd overarching plot of the Robert and Michelle King-created series are combined seamlessly, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats throughout each episode. The hour about the demonic highway may be the spookiest thing you’ll see on television all year, according to the Kings, who don’t hold back on the frights.
Season 2 of The Flight Attendant (HBO Max), 8 episodes
After a successful first season, The Flight Attendant received the Big Little Lies treatment (being that it’s based on a self-contained novel and was given the go-ahead for more seasons). However, more episodes with spy escapades would be greatly appreciated because the series is essentially a page-turning airport read in television form. After Cassie’s (the extremely endearing Kaley Cuoco) hectic experience catching a killer, she accepts a covert job with the CIA as a civilian asset. Naturally, her curiosity overpowers her, and she ends up not only witnessing another murder but also being impersonated by a mystery lookalike.
Miniseries The Girl from Plainville (Hulu), 8 episodes
The Girl from Plainville examines a particularly challenging situation. The documentary dares to attempt to comprehend all the complexities of the famed “texting-suicide case,” in which Michelle Carter was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter due to texts she sent to her 18-year-old boyfriend Conrad “Coco” Roy before his suicide. Even though it’s difficult to watch and does drag on with 40-minute episodes, the sympathetic way it dramatizes what Roy was going through, his family’s loss, and Carter’s personal experience—which was rarely discussed in the media—makes it intriguing and nuanced.
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