NEW SHOWS
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “Coral Palms, Part 2” (A)
The show at its absolute best. The entire cast is phenomenal, including guest stars Ken Marino as the new laissez-faire captain, Maya Rudolph as a horny U.S. marshal and Jim O’Heir as an adorable but incompetent (and bigoted) sheriff. All the jokes at Florida’s expense are just icing on the cake.
CURRENT SHOWS
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “Coral Palms, Part 1” (A-) / season premiere
The strength of the writing and the chemistry between the actors shows how elastic this show can be. This episode features none of the working 9-9, as Holt and Peralta are stuck in Witness Protection in Florida, riding ATVs and power-walking. Even without the winning ensemble, this is still an insanely funny episode that gets in digs at trashy Southern people, terrible bosses and even Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Designated Survivor – Pilot episode (B) / series premiere
A sturdy pilot with a killer premise: a well-educated but un-elected Secretary of Housing and Urban Development becomes president when a terrorist blows up Congress during the State of the Union address. Unfortunately, this is still a network drama, so the acting’s not as good, the effects aren’t as good and the writing spells out every single thing. But hopefully there’s more intrigue and tighter scripts as the show goes on.
Fleabag
“Episode 1” (A-) / series premiere
“Episode 2” (B+)
A daring, hilarious and brutal new series, Fleabag takes the tropes of prestige TV (antihero protagonist, fourth-wall breaks) and deploys them effectively. Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a force to be reckoned with as she makes your sides hurt and your heart ache.