What to watch and why
Recommendations from THR’s chief TV critic
'TV's Top 5': The Best (and Worst) Shows of 2023
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TV
‘Such Brave Girls’ Review: Kat Sadler’s Hulu Series Puts a Fresh Spin on British Trauma Comedy
The show looks at a dysfunctional family of three women connected through their shared emotional damage.
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TV
Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the Best TV Shows of 2023
An emotional zombie drama, a superior true-crime docuseries, a sidesplitting anti-capitalist satire and two fantastic series finales were among picks from THR's TV critics.
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Critic’s Appreciation: Andre Braugher Was an Intensely Dramatic, Intensely Funny Actor’s Actor
From 'Homicide: Life on the Street' to 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine,' the unexpected arc of Braugher's career was a testament to the rare breadth of his talent.
‘Fargo’ Review: Jon Hamm, Juno Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh Sink Their Teeth Into a Juicy Season 5
Noah Hawley's FX anthology series goes back to 2019 for another tale of kidnapping, murder and funny regional accents.
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‘Uncropped’ Review: James Hamilton Doc Doubles as a Compelling Elegy for Photojournalism and Alt-Weeklies
Executive produced by Wes Anderson, D.W. Young's film puts Village Voice photographer James Hamilton in the spotlight.
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‘TV’s Top 5’: The Strikes Are Over. What Happens Next? With ‘Beacon 23’ Showrunner Glen Mazzara
Welcome to the 237th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast. Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as […]
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‘Colin From Accounts’ Review: Paramount+’s Aussie Import Hits the Rom-Com Sweet Spot
Series creators Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer star as two single people who meet in a lighthearted animal-endangerment situation.
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‘The Curse’ Review: Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder Play Married HGTV Stars in Showtime’s Exhilarating, Exhausting Cringe Comedy
Benny Safdie is co-creator of the dark satire, which follows the stars and creator of a home-renovation series.
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‘TV’s Top 5’: Inside the Sprawling (Adult) World of ‘Blue Eye Samurai’
Welcome to the 236th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast. Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as […]
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‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ Review: A Commanding David Oyelowo Can’t Mask the Blandness of Paramount+’s History Lesson
The legendary U.S. Marshal gets heroic biopic treatment in this limited series from the Taylor Sheridan stable, with guest stars including Shea Whigham, Dennis Quaid, Donald Sutherland, Garrett Hedlund and Barry Pepper.
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Critic’s Appreciation: Matthew Perry Masterfully Walked the Line Between Mirth and Melancholy
Perry, who died this weekend at 54, was an expert at making viewers care for characters who used humor to mask insecurity, sadness and pain.
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‘Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story’ Review: Doc Brings a Remarkable Creative Powerhouse Into Intimate, Tightly Controlled Focus
Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz's documentary feature, set to premiere on Amazon, explores the origins of the multihyphenate's artistic and corporate empire.
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‘TV’s Top 5’: The Latest on the Actors Strike, Plus What’s Next for Jon Stewart?
Welcome to the 235th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast. Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as […]
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‘Albert Brooks: Defending My Life’ Review: Rob Reiner’s Delightful HBO Doc Tribute Leaves You Wanting More
The director sits down with his friend and high school classmate for an intimate documentary tracing Brooks' career from alternative comic to filmmaking legend.
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‘Everyone Else Burns’ Review: The CW’s British Comedy Laces Doomsday Cringe With Sweetness as Well as Snark
Simon Bird and Kate O'Flynn lead the cast of a transplanted Channel 4 series about a Manchester family devoted to a fundamentalist Christian sect.
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‘Fellow Travelers’ Review: A Superbly Paired Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey Give Showtime’s Sometimes Stodgy Miniseries Its Spark
The actors play lovers whose relationship stretches from the Red Scare of the 1950s into the early years of the AIDS epidemic under Ronald Reagan.
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‘Bodies’ Review: Netflix’s Sharply Acted Time-Travel Series Does Justice to Its Wild Premise
Four London detectives in four different time periods stumble upon the same mysterious body in a limited series starring Shira Haas ('Unorthodox').
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‘The American Buffalo’ Review: Even Not-Peak Ken Burns Is Still Worth a Watch
Burns' new four-hour PBS doc studies the species' symbolism, its brutal near-extinction and the complicated and sometimes heroic struggle to bring the buffalo back.
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‘TV’s Top 5’: Actors Strike at an Impasse, Marvel TV at a Crossroads
Welcome to the 234th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast. Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as […]
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