David Bianculli

Billy Crudup plays a traveling salesman, hawking new homes on the moon in this Apple TV+ series. Hello Tomorrow! is a colorful fantasy world, populated with characters real enough to care about.

Oliver rarely has guests, so the HBO show relies on him to sell both the jokes and the facts — which he does, always counter-punching with a punchline whenever things start getting too serious.

An ill-informed TV correspondent travels the world — with hilarious results — in Netflix's new oddball show. Diane Morgan's delivery is deliciously dry, and her improv skills are formidable.

Jason Segel and Harrison Ford play therapists who're sometimes too honest with their patients — and not honest enough with themselves — in this winning new Apple TV+ comedy series.

Lyonne plays a cocktail waitress with an odd psychic power: She can sense when people aren't telling the truth, which makes her a great (accidental) detective in this delightful new Peacock series.

There was a lot of great television this year, but the winning moment came from HBO's special, The Howard Stern Interview: Bruce Springsteen, an extended two-plus hour conversation between two icons.

The look and tone are perfect — and the characters, settings and subplots are just what you hoped they'd be — in this new Netflix series starring former Disney Channel star Jenna Ortega.

There was a time when stars like Kevin Costner and Sylvester Stallone wouldn't stoop to appear on TV. But the landscape has changed, and now it's where they're finding some of their career-best roles.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is the most entertaining musical biography satire since Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Don't expect much truth in the telling here — but do expect some over-the-top fun.

The special effects are a lot more special than the stories in the Oscar-winning director's new Netflix anthology series. Still, most of the shows in this first, eight-episode run are worth watching.

Now in its fourth season, this anthology series claims the middle ground between a short SNL sketch and a full-length film. Its clever parodies include My Monkey Grifter, a riff on My Octopus Teacher.

The new four-hour Paramount+ documentary is told mostly through cellphone videos and police body cams. It is surprisingly not gruesome — the visuals are selected and edited very judiciously.

Hulu's new comedy series is about the rebirth of an old comedy series — one that never existed. Reboot is the funniest sitcom about making a sitcom since the Showtime series Episodes.

Burns' new six-hour series brings World War II history to life — and reminds us that our life, right now, is indeed history in the making.

Amazon's Lord of the Rings and HBO's Game of Thrones prequels should please fans of the original works. Time will tell how well the shows set up, and are faithful to, the stories they're expanding.

Steve Carell stars as a therapist who is abducted by a murderer. By the time The Patient is over, nearly everyone in this drama series reflects upon past actions and decisions — or dies trying.

For faithful viewers the finale was one treat after another. There were unexpected returns from old characters and breathtaking surprises. Up until the end, the show defied expectations.

The Jan. 6 hearings have been packaged like TV shows: Each episode has a plot, and some special guest stars, announced in advance. As a miniseries, the verdict is in: This particular show is a hit.

A new six-part documentary, directed by Ethan Hawke, pulls from interviews with the couple as well as with their Hollywood friends to provide an unvarnished view of their careers and lengthy marriage.

Part comedy, part drama, Nathan Fielder's new show is a social experiment of sorts, where people work within elaborate sets to try to figure out ways to resolve complicated real-life situations.