Constellation Is a Mother of a Space StoryMove over, sad space dad. Noomi Rapace’s space mom is here to challenge assumptions about the galactic void as a place for self-discovery.
ByRoxana Hadadi
tv
Shōgun Is a Mesmerizing Historical DramaBetween the eye-popping pre-Edo period costumes and a breakout performance from Anna Sawai, you’ll want to pay close attention to this one.
Finally, a Sexy Political Period Piece‘Fellow Travelers’ brings Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey’s glistening muscles — and a whole lot of gay yearning— to our must-watch list.
ByMichel Ghanem
tv review
Mike Flanagan Brings the House DownWith The Fall of the House of Usher, the horror auteur slams the door on his Netflix era with giddy, gory delight.
ByRoxana Hadadi
tv review
Our Flag Means RomanceThe pirate pastiche is on course to becoming a great workplace comedy, if it can avoid the riptide of its central boatmance.
The Decomposition of Rotten TomatoesThe most overrated metric in entertainment is erratic, reductive, and easily hacked — and yet has Hollywood in its grip.
Painkiller Wants This to HurtNetflix’s righteously angry opioid-epidemic miniseries refuses to humanize its villains.
ByRoxana Hadadi
tv review
Twisted Metal Runs on EmptyPeacock’s adaptation of the car-combat video-game series says “yes” to guns, wisecracks, and shit that looks dope, and “no” to thinking too hard.
Universes Collide in American Born ChineseThere’s a tender, vibrant coming-of-age story in Disney+’s new series, if you can find it beneath all the tiresome celestial conflict.
Finally, Some Freaky K-pop WritingEsther Yi’s debut novel, Y/N, is great parody, throwing readers down the hole of obsession in all its fevered absurdity.
Perry Mason Has Solved the Case of Perry MasonSeason two of the HBO revival moves beyond its protagonist’s origin story and into the courtroom, and becomes the show it was meant to be.
With Return to Seoul, a Star Is BornPark Ji-min’s remarkable lead performance elevates this withholding yet moving meditation on identity and culture to a masterwork.
ByAngelica Jade Bastién
classical-music review
Geffen Hall Has Found Its SoundIt’s finally what it ought to have been all along — and it’s so clear, it may be a little too revealing for some conductors.
The White Lotus Retracts Its FangsMike White’s HBO series remains well appointed and well acted in season two, but a creeping timidity undermines its satire.
ByRoxana Hadadi
network tv
Checking In on This Year’s New Network DramasLinear television’s fall freshman class has arrived, and we’re predicting which hour-long series are in it for the long haul, and which will burn out.
