There is some cool-as-hell history in the Civil War-set series The Gray House, the kind that bears further geeking out over post-watch. However, as compelling as TGH aspires to be, and often is, it can’t seem to decide what aspect of its storytelling to emphasize, instead leaving it all in there, resulting in eight episodes of television that feel as overstuffed as a 19th century socialite’s skirt.  

Sure, it’s fine when a character gets their teeth knocked out on the school playground in a YA book, but when a young couple has to contend with premature ejaculation in their story, some people get all mad. At least that’s what Judy Blume came to realize when her 1975 teen romance novel Forever… stoked controversy upon its release and spent years on banned-books lists.

Some people think of Ted Lasso as kicking off an era of television where kindness is king, the sort in which a Kansan with a folksy drawl can hand out some books, tape up a “Believe” sign, and bring a rag-tag team together. But as a showrunner, Michael Schur has been at this game from the jump, concocting series after series that sweetly investigates the human condition.

Sure, this lanky redhead has spent the bulk of his career talking to people from behind a desk, beginning with Late Night With Conan O’Brien in 1993 and continuing now with his podcast Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, but his remotes have remained some of the most lasting bits from his run (thanks in part to the popularity of his YouTube channel).

Since its debut in 2021, Abbott Elementary has managed to tackle issues related to class, race, and even the complexity of charter schools’ influence on education—and all without sacrificing its commitment to character development and ability to find humor in the public-school system.

Those of us who felt compelled to rewatch beloved shows during the more locked-down days of the pandemic may have noticed a certain “ruckus” was missing from the earlier seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

The groundbreaking Marvel Spotlight miniseries Echo, which debuted earlier this month on Disney+ and Hulu, centers around Maya Lopez, a Deaf Choctaw superhero. However, as many fans know, this series isn’t the first time Marvel has introduced a Deaf or disabled character.

Thanksgiving gets totally bulldozed by Christmas, doesn’t it? There are certainly far fewer shows and movies to watch to get in the spirit of the thing. Sure, we’ve got some Thanksgiving episodes and a handful of films explicitly or tangentially about the holiday, including the beloved-but-dated classic Planes, Trains And Automobiles, as well as a new slasher. 

In my little family, we love a good seasonal watch—but some we abandon. Just last year, I asked my kids as they opted to squirm and joke rather than pay attention to Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas, “Do we like this anymore?” And just like that, a seven-year tradition of ours ended.

The characters on Reservation Dogs love to sing—and we’re not just talking about the ones played by real musicians. (On the show, Sten Joddi portrays fictional rapper Punkin Lusty, Bear’s dad, and Lil Mike and Funny Bone take on Mose and Mekko, two rappers who bike and take their tunes around the neighborhood.)

It’s difficult not to indulge the urge to just list quotes right now. (And plenty of fans may do that in the comments; definitely have at it.) After a critically acclaimed first two seasons, which racked up WGA Award wins in 2020 and 2022 as well as two Emmy noms last year, I Think You Should Leave has returned to us. (All episodes drop May 30 on Netflix.) Are the installments this time around longer? They are not. They average around 15 minutes in length. Are there more of them? Also no—there are, once again, six—but this ends up working: Many fans have found that rewatches are even more rewarding than the initial binge, and these short runtimes, and a general quality-over-quantity approach to the writing, make it easy to find and replay your favorite sketches. It works in the show’s favor, so they have stuck to the formula. As season three character The Driving Crooner would say, “It’s just too good!”

For a show mostly about girls in the woods—and a not insignificant amount about eating people—music plays a major role in seasons one and two of Yellowjackets. We’ve got the trippy original theme song (covered recently by Alanis Morisette), those tracks Florence + the Machine did for the show, and plenty of unforgettable, character-selected jams, like Misty’s show tunes and the rage anthems Jeff blasts alone in the car. Music nods show up in dialogue, too, as when Van eulogizes poor son of a bitch Rachel plane-side, saying, had she not died in the crash, “she was going to see Oasis at the Meadowlands the next month—now she’s never going to hear ‘Wonderwall’ again.” They’re all over the characters’ respective wardrobes, too: Van reportedly lives in Sleater-Kinney tour shirts; we see Shauna rock a “Yo La Tengo for President” tee; and Nat reps The Pixies. While the songs in Yellowjackets are each thoughtfully placed, we decided to toast the season-two finale on May 26 by ranking the 10 best-used cuts (so far).

The actor: Stephen Root has been in just about every kind of thing you can think of—from his hefty voiceover resumé and guest spots on Seinfeld and Veep to recurring characters on NewsRadio and The West Wing, and his iconic role as quiet-voiced loose cannon Milton Waddums in Office Space. (There’s even a Funko Pop toy of that last fellow.)

Apple TV+ has its own Nashville-based singing show now, and it’s actually pretty good. My Kind Of Country, which premieres March 24, aims to set itself apart from other music competition shows with the diversity of talent represented on its stages: people from various backgrounds and countries all over the world, none of whom neatly fit into the mold of Modern Country Star.

From the trailer, it’s clear The Makanai: Cooking For The Maiko House is a heart-warmer. And if you’re familiar with the work of Japanese writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda at all—even just his gorgeous Shoplifters (2018)—you know this will be something special, even if certain biases initially turn you off to the groups of smiling women and plucky theme music that greet you.