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The 1980s were a fertile ground for detective shows on television. Yet amid the sea of trench coats and car chases, SPENSER: FOR HIRE distinguished itself with a mix of toughness and refinement. Based on Robert B. Parker’s novels, the series followed private investigator Spenser (Robert Urich), a former cop whose fists were as quick as his wit, and who navigated Boston’s underworld with intelligence, honor, and a surprising dose of introspection.

Greg Daniels and Michael Koman’s THE PAPER is not simply a spinoff of THE OFFICE; it’s a spiritual cousin that knows how to respect its roots while finding its own. The premise follows the same documentary crew that made Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch famous, now turning their cameras toward a historic but struggling Midwestern newspaper, the Toledo Truth Teller, and the publisher desperate to keep it alive. It’s a concept that plays perfectly into Daniels’ strengths: ordinary workplaces transformed into observed comedies of human behavior.

There’s an unparalleled restlessness in the summer after graduation, a time caught between childhood and adult responsibility. THE RUNAROUNDS leans into that transitional energy with a mix of humor, heart, and plenty of music. Created by Jonas Pate and David Wilcox, this eight-episode Prime Video series follows a Wilmington, North Carolina band made up of recent grads trying to turn a summer into something more. It’s a story full of mistakes, heartbreak, and hope—the kind of messy ambition that feels authentic to anyone who ever dreamed too big, too soon.

Every prequel runs the risk of telling a story we already know the ending to, but THE TERMINAL LIST: DARK WOLF manages to sidestep that trap by focusing not on what happens but on how it happens. Set before the events of the Chris Pratt-led hit series, this new Prime Video chapter follows Taylor Kitsch’s Ben Edwards through his transformation from Navy SEAL to CIA operative. The result is an espionage thriller that combines high-octane action with a sobering examination of the toll of compromise, loyalty, and ambition.

The second season of ANNE RICE’S MAYFAIR WITCHES wastes no time throwing its characters — and its audience — into a gothic spiral of inheritance, power, and consequence. Picking up after Rowan Fielding (Alexandra Daddario) gave birth to the embodiment of the entity Lasher, the story sharpens its focus on what happens when the supernatural curse of a bloodline grows before our eyes. As Lasher accelerates unnaturally from infancy to adulthood, the Mayfairs face the full weight of their family’s dark pact, and the results are more sinister and volatile than anything hinted at in the first season.

THE TWISTED TALE OF AMANDA KNOX makes it clear from the first episode that it isn’t interested in rehashing myths. Instead, it offers a deliberate and layered examination of a case that consumed headlines for years, reframing Amanda Knox not as the villain many were told she was, but as a young woman caught in the perfect storm of overreach, media sensationalism, and public bias.

Some shows build their appeal on grit and high-stakes peril; WHITSTABLE PEARL does it by balancing cozy mysteries with just enough dramatic bite to keep you leaning forward. The third season returns to the Kent coast with the same blend of scenic beauty, relatable characters, and a mix of cases that stretch from the quirky to the chilling. However, while the tone still leans toward the “comfort watch” category, this season delves deeper into the emotional lives of its leads, raising the stakes in subtle yet meaningful ways.

There’s an ease to slipping back into DARBY AND JOAN that’s hard to find in most contemporary mystery dramas. The pairing of Bryan Brown’s wry, world-weary ex-detective Jack Darby and Greta Scacchi’s inquisitive, warmhearted nurse-turned-sleuth Joan Kirkhope has always been the hook, but Season 2 proves that this show has more in its tank than just chemistry and charm. Picking up a year after their initial run-ins across the Australian outback, the duo is more comfortable in each other’s company but just as entangled in trouble — this time with stakes that are personal, and potentially deadly.

THE RAINMAKER marks the latest chapter in the life of John Grisham’s best-selling legal drama, following its 1997 feature film adaptation with a serialized reimagining for television. Rather than retelling the story beat for beat, the series takes the core setup and expands its scope, using the longer format to develop side characters, parallel investigations, and a more sustained sense of danger.

PLATONIC returns for a second season with the same irreverence, sharpness, and chaotic chemistry that made its debut such a refreshing entry in the “messy adult comedy” genre. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne still lead the charge as Will and Sylvia, two longtime friends navigating adulthood from wildly different angles but often colliding in the same emotional struggles.

After more than a decade off the air, KING OF THE HILL returns with its long-awaited fourteenth season—and somehow, it feels like it never left. From the very first episode, the rebooted series strikes a balance between nostalgia and relevance, honoring the character-driven heart of the original while evolving enough to fit the world as it is now. This isn't just a return to a greatest hits compilation; it's a thoughtful extension of the lives we left behind in Arlen, Texas. And by the end of these ten episodes, it’s clear the show still has something to say.

SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE: A TEENAGE HOLY WAR plays like a mirror to a very specific moment in American pop-religious culture: the height of evangelical youth movements in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The second season of the docuseries, which began with an unflinching look at the Duggar family and the IBLP, now turns its attention to Teen Mania Ministries—once a towering presence in youth ministry and the force behind Acquire the Fire, one of the largest Christian stadium events in U.S. history.

JUSTICE ON TRIAL sets its sights on the courtroom not just as a place where verdicts are handed down, but as the battleground where American ideals are tested—and sometimes fail. Created by Judge Judy Sheindlin, the eight-episode docuseries revisits landmark legal decisions that have shaped the country’s sense of law, order, and fairness. While only the first three episodes were available ahead of the series’ release, even this partial view makes clear that the show isn’t just interested in the cases themselves. It seeks to explore how these decisions reverberate through history, public opinion, and the lives they impact.

SURF GIRLS: INTERNATIONAL rides the wave left behind by SURF GIRLS: HAWAI’I, expanding its view from the shores of Oʻahu to the larger stage of professional surfing. But this isn’t just a bigger playground—it’s a deeper dive. The five-part Prime Video docuseries follows returning standout Ewe Wong and four new competitors—Sophia Medina, Kika Veselko, Jessie Van Niekerk, and Sol Aguirre—as they navigate the grueling Challenger Series circuit. What we explore isn’t merely a travelogue of surf destinations, but a high-stakes portrait of ambition, resilience, and the complicated cost of chasing greatness.

THE TROUBLE WITH TESSA opens with the eerie quiet of a town that looks just a little too polished. A porch, a welcome, and the kind of friendliness that feels rehearsed. That’s what greets Tessa Fowler—a former documentarian whose credibility is in shambles—when she moves to Lowery looking for peace. What she finds is a half-buried history and a chilling sense that the people around her are playing roles in a much older script.

Set across six episodes and soaked in sun, SUSPICIOUS MINDS (LADRONES: LA TIARA DE SANTA ÁGUEDA) SEASON 1 is less concerned with reinventing genre formulas than it is with twisting them around two people whose chemistry is as dangerous as any alarm system. It's a series that thrives on contrasts—glamour versus grit, strategy versus chaos, and a love story entwined within a high-stakes con job.

There’s no shortage of post-apocalyptic stories on screen, but what sets FALLOUT: SEASON ONE apart is how confidently it charges through the wreckage, blowing the dust off its video game roots to build something truly cinematic, dark, hilarious, and emotionally grounded. It’s not just an adaptation—it’s an evolution.

There’s something satisfying about watching a show that knows exactly what it wants to be. SERIES 4 of MY LIFE IS MURDER doesn’t try to reinvent itself—it doesn’t need to. Instead, it doubles down on its strongest assets: intelligent mysteries, warm characters, and the irresistible presence of Lucy Lawless as Alexa Crowe. But this time, it also finds something a little deeper. Beneath the humor and procedural structure, there’s a personal reckoning building in the background, and it gives the season just enough weight to elevate the experience without weighing it down.

Death stops meaning what it used to when the people you’ve mourned walk through the door like nothing happened. That’s the unsettling starting point for a story that doesn't scream its horror but lets it crawl slowly up your spine. What could’ve easily been another reanimated-body horror fest takes a more calculated, character-driven route, where the supernatural is just the backdrop for something more personal.

For those who remember when network sitcoms didn’t take themselves too seriously, THE DREW CAREY SHOW was a glorious beacon of working-class chaos. A staple of ABC’s comedy lineup from 1995 to 2004, the series ran for nine seasons, pushing boundaries while maintaining its core identity. Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment delivers the long-awaited Complete Series collection on DVD. While the phrase “complete” comes with an asterisk, it’s still a solid tribute to one of the quirkiest sitcoms ever aired.

From the outside, Chelsea still looks pristine—clean streets, and old money—but in Season 3 of THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE, the cracks in its polished veneer only deepen. This new run of episodes leans further into its identity as a methodical, character-driven procedural, stripping back any gimmicks in favor of solid police work, grounded personalities, and morally tangled cases. The formula hasn't changed drastically, but the tone has grown more confident, more deliberate. If you’ve been watching from the beginning, this season feels like a reward: a detective series hitting its stride.

Season 4 of THE MADAME BLANC MYSTERIES continues to play to the series’ strengths while shaking up just enough to feel like a new chapter rather than a simple continuation. At this point, the show’s confidence is undeniable. It knows exactly what it’s doing—delivering bite-sized, well-crafted mysteries in a picturesque village, with just enough cheek, charm, and cleverness to keep longtime viewers coming back. What sets this season apart is how much more rooted it feels in character relationships and emotional stakes, while still delivering the cases of mystery that have become its bread and butter.

If THE BETTER SISTER proves anything, it may be that blood is thicker than water, but it also stains deeper. Based on Alafair Burke’s novel, this eight-part limited series is the kind of domestic thriller that wraps you in familiar genre pacing and slips something sharp beneath the surface. It’s a story about guilt, control, and survival—but more than anything, it’s about the complicated connection of sisterhood, where old wounds rarely heal in a straight line.

When the screeners for the first two episodes of the new season of PHINEAS AND FERB landed in my inbox, I realized something embarrassing—I’d never seen a single episode. Not out of disinterest, just one of those pop culture moments that had slipped through the cracks. But if I was going to weigh in on the revival, I figured I’d do it right. So I hit play on season one… and didn’t stop until I binged the original series. All 104 days of summer. All the ridiculous inventions. All the thwarted schemes. Through to the final curtain call. (This was quite the process, but it was a blast!)