All articles tagged with #tv review
Disney+'s four-episode Malcolm in the Middle revival Life's Still Unfair reunites most of the original cast but largely fails to justify a revival, delivering clunky jokes and nostalgia rather than fresh storytelling, though Cranston and Kaczmarek deliver pitch-perfect moments and the finale offers a small, heartfelt payoff.
The Hulu four-episode revival Life’s Still Unfair picks up 20 years after the original, reuniting the cast under Linwood Boomer’s direction but leaning hard into a dark, unsettling look at intergenerational trauma rather than nostalgia; while Cranston and Kaczmarek deliver strong, balanced performances and Leah’s arc adds weight, the tonal shift largely lands as sad rather than funny, with some cast dynamics feeling strained and casual fan-service moments offset by a potential for future spin-offs if it finds its footing.
Hacks’ final season doubles down on defending free speech and industry critique, reuniting Deb and Ava for a comeback while skewering power and media consolidation, delivering its satire with a warmer, more earnest self-celebration that mirrors its critical acclaim.
Tina Fey anchors Saturday Night Live UK's premiere on Sky One with a steady, straight-forward hosting approach that lends credibility to the UK spin-off. The episode introduces a capable ensemble (George Fouracres, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi, Hammed Animashaun, Celeste Dring) and delivers several funny moments, but also displays familiar SNL DNA and uneven sketches. Still, Fey’s involvement boosts optimism for the series as it expands to Peacock in the U.S. for next-day viewing.
Variety’s review argues SNL U.K. lands best when it leans into British humor—darker, surreal and dry—rather than copying the American format; with a strong cast and live-sketch energy, it could carve out a distinct UK identity, otherwise it risks feeling too American.
Season 2 of Jury Duty moves from a jury room to a company retreat, but the discovery-driven thrill of the original is largely lost as the protagonist Anthony is too benign and the staff’s conflict is minimized, yielding a saccharine, less engaging arc despite a strong cast; the reviewer grades it a C and notes the change in setting dampens the show’s edge.
Vulture surveys The Comeback’s third season as a shaggy, despairing yet funny take on Hollywood’s pivot from reality TV to prestige drama, with Valerie Cherish navigating the industry’s ‘Hollywood apocalypse’ under Lisa Kudrow’s sharp, self-aware performance.
Deadline’s review praises Michelle Pfeiffer’s resonant turn in Taylor Sheridan’s six-episode Paramount+ drama The Madison, a somber, landscape-rich fusion of soap and saga set in Montana that follows a grieving, wealthy matriarch and her fractured family; the ensemble grounds a harrowing meditation on loss and resilience, with the first three episodes dropping March 14 and the finale trio on March 21.
Ryan Gosling hosts SNL, delivering his signature giggles through a night that features sharp pre-tapes and standout ads, but also some weaker sketches; Padilla shines, Gosling struggles to stay straight in a few bits, and the episode earns a B-minus, with Harry Styles next week.
Variety’s review of HBO’s Rooster condemns it as dated and uninspired, with recycled jokes and a predictable midlife-crisis premise that fails to offer fresh insights into a father–daughter dynamic despite its star power.
Variety’s review argues Netflix’s Vladimir has chemistry between Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall, but the eight-episode campus-sex comedy falters in translating the novel’s provocative subjectivity to TV, with uneven pacing and underdeveloped supporting characters despite Weisz’s magnetic performance.
The Hollywood Reporter’s review of ABC’s RJ Decker (Rob Doherty’s Tampa-set adaptation of Carl Hiaasen) notes a breezy Florida mood and a strong supporting presence from Wish, but criticizes Scott Speedman’s lead as not convincingly matching the tone; the premiere overfills exposition, though the second episode offers twisty potential, leaving open the possibility the series could improve as it progresses.
HBO’s limited series DTF St. Louis, created and directed by Steven Conrad, uses a bland Midwestern backdrop and deadpan humor to spin an erotic thriller into a sly, character-driven mystery. Jason Bateman plays a blandly sinister on-air weatherman, David Harbour is a bashful friend, and Linda Cardellini grounds the trio as an opaque wife, with nonlinear flashbacks and frank talk about sex driving the humor. While the premise may be a tough sell for some, the precise tone, strong cast, and a murder-mystery framework suggest the show could reach a wider HBO audience, premiering March 1 with episodes airing Sundays.
SNL returns amid US-Iran tensions with a last-minute rewritten cold open and Connor Storrie’s debut; the night features scattered sketches that skew uneven, though Sherman and Storrie deliver notable physical bits, and Mumford & Sons with Hozier perform as the episode closes; Weekend Update touches on current headlines before an uneven wrap, resulting in a mostly unfocused, but occasionally sharp, outing.
The Hollywood Reporter’s review of Marshals (CBS’s Yellowstone spinoff) commends the cast and premise but argues the show is too beholden to Yellowstone lore, with Kayce Dutton’s arc defined by his family’s shadow rather than a distinct, standalone path in the first three episodes.