NEW SHOWS
The Simpsons – “Treehouse of Horror XXIX” (B+)
Follows the typical set up – two mildly amusing stories and one dud – yet I found myself a lot more weak to its charms. It’s not great, but very funny. All three shorts parody popular movies, plus the weird and wonderful opening bit, where Homer defeats Cthulu in an eating contest.
This Is Us – “Toby” (B+)
An episode called “Toby” should probably focus more on him and less on the other two subplots, plus an extended flashback. Still, it featured typically exceptional work from Chris Sullivan (my pick for Supporting Actor in a Drama Series last year), and all the Pearson kids seemed to be reasonable for once!
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – “Charlie’s Home Alone” (B)
Funnier in its first half, which is almost beat-for-beat Home Alone. Though its second half, which comes close to parodying The Revenant, earns more points for being unrelentingly gross.
The Good Place – “The Ballad of Donkey Doug” (B+)
The perfect combination of stupid and sweet. Donkey Doug (aka Jason’s dad) sacrificing himself so Jason can escape the cops is so beautiful, especially for a show that walks such a fine line between smart and stupid.