EDITOR’S NOTE: Sorry for the delay. I thought this had already been published.
NEW SHOWS
Barry – “Starting Now” (A) / season finale
An absolutely perfectly constructed season finale that could also serve as a perfect series finale. Hader once again upped his game as an actor and director to deliver a further descent into darkness.
Evil – “The Demon of Death” (A-) / season premiere
No other show on TV pulls off being this compelling, funny and sexy. All the demons, unexplainable phenomena and human failings are back, and Wallace Shawn shows up as a priest who finds himself joyfully unburdened after a near-death experience.
BINGEING
Search Party – Season 5 (A- average)
About as far away as the show could have gotten from its original premise, yet still retaining its core elements: Dory is lost but constantly needs to be the center of attention, and all four of these Millennials are awful people, whether together or separate. This apocalyptic vision of a Brooklyn besieged by tech bros and false prophets was wildly unexpected, but still delivered the laughs.
Under the Banner of Heaven (A- average)
The best limited series of the year. Andrew Garfield gives another incredible performance as the dutiful Mormon detective who finds his faith shaken when another church member is horribly murdered. While I was less enamored with the historical reenactments of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, I was completely taken by the story of the Lafferty family being ripped apart. Intentionally or not, all the issues the show highlights are even more pronounced today: religious fanaticism, misogyny, easy access to weapons, determining “what the founding fathers would have wanted.” It’s all here.