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There’s something about this series, in all its minimalist and intimate glory, that makes it feel like there’s an otherworldly method for making Pixar/Disney level animations. It feels warm and encouraging, as delicate music and matching film footage plays through the guide, and the artist periodically shares their unique drawing journey. Even if you don’t watch it for the art guide, it’s just as pleasant listening to them talk about their life stories and what they’re passionate about. Each episode is generally as open and warm as the person talking, and the format perhaps isn’t the most engaging for most kids, but like the best Pixar films, it’ll feel like a little hug.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Andrew McAllister, Jason Sterman, Leanne Dare

Dead Boy Detectives is as light fun as it sounds, but breezy it is not. Its case of the episode formula has fun, at times absurd premises that leads to satisfying conclusions, which makes it feel like a vibrant teen cartoon series. But so much of an episode is banter in the form of bloated dialogue that can go in one ear and quickly out the other. It's colorful, cute, and quirky at times, and it's easy to root for its energetic bits and seamless tying of threads; but all in all, watching one episode after another, it can feel unnecessarily dragged out for the kind of light mystery show that it is.

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Briana Cuoco, George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri, Jenn Lyon, Kassius Nelson, Lukas Gage, Ruth Connell, Yuyu Kitamura

Rating: TV-MA

If you're a fan of dialogue-driven, single-setting shows, this series is perfect for you. It revolves entirely around suspect interrogations and dynamics between detectives, which lead to 3 "storylines" per episode: (1) whether the suspect is guilty or not, (2) the characterization of the suspects, and, (3) the characterization of the detectives. The third storyline might be necessary to push the series up an extra notch, but it's easily the least interesting part of the series. The show creates tension layer by layer, and it has a way of keeping its premise fresh each time; I'm not sure that this is a format you want to binge. But it's also 3-4 episodes a season, so you might as well?

Genre: Crime, Drama

Actor: Clare-Hope Ashitey, David Tennant, Hayley Atwell, Isabella Laughland, Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Nicholas Pinnock, Rochenda Sandall, Shubham Saraf, Youssef Kerkour

Rating: TV-MA

Big City Greens is simultaneously loud and laid-back, perfectly in line with its premise. At the heart of it is a healthy family dynamic (the father-son relationship in particular stands out), but it has enough organic tension to invest in beyond the laughs. On that end, its self-aware jokes can be universally funny for kids and grown-ups, and their timing of punchlines is pretty on point. Of course, some episodes have more to them than others; but all things considered, it’s not some empty-headed cartoon, it’s got satisfying resolutions, and the songs are always a welcome treat. Ultimately, a great direction for kids’ comedy adventures to take.

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family

Actor: Artemis Pebdani, Bob Joles, Chris Houghton, Marieve Herington, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zeno Robinson

Rating: TV-Y7

The series can feel unnecessary, the way jumping out of a plane to feel alive is unnecessary. Add to that the layer of it spotlighting a Hollywood A-lister and the stress he experiences, and you may wonder why the show is as successful and acclaimed as it is. But the more time you spend on it, the more it registers as an ode to stress management, in general.  Ultimately, the fun of it is in seeing and learning from the crazy experiences us normal folk don’t have access to, and the fact that it’s Chris Hemsworth. Episodes can feel a little long and indulgent, but it handled its ambition with enough care to at least be taken seriously.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Documentary

Actor: Chris Hemsworth

Rating: TV-14

The show has an easy to follow format with the curated version of events, especially with the premise always guiding the experience. The sudden changes in footage quality and music both service the atmosphere by turning the mundane uncomfortable and chilling (though I am generally ambivalent to films with a lot of gimmicks). Still, the show seems more interesting as a whole than in its tiny details. It’s effective at high tension developments and confrontations, utilizing the drama from various power dynamics, but it’s also passable in other regards. In the grand scheme of things, it can be a tedious, overwhelming watch.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Actor: Anahí Allue, Bárbara López, Belinda, Costanza Andrade, Diego Boneta, Fernando Cuautle, Jorge Zárate, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Roberto Duarte, Zuria Vega

Director: Humberto Hinojosa

It wants to be a big sleek show. It gives you lots of backstories to explain how things work and set up precedents, and a lot of its runtime is allotted to the process. There are tense and cathartic bits you may not expect, but once you realize it's essentially a heist show albeit more refreshing and gritty than others, what more do you really expect? Character dynamics can feel like a bonus to what you're really here for if you like the heist show format, so unless the hope for a grand ending is enough, it might be a tough sell to see it through the end.

Genre: Crime, Drama

Actor: Eiko Koike, Etsushi Toyokawa, Go Ayano, Izumi Matsuoka, Kazuki Kitamura, Kōji Yamamoto, Pierre Taki, Shota Sometani, Takayuki Yamada

Rating: TV-MA

Many in this docuseries acknowledge that the developments to this case feel very much “like a movie.” Maybe that’s why the filmmakers leaned into that presentation style with the twists, phone conversation voiceovers, and jumping timelines. It’s a decent storytelling choice, but it also feels like the shock factor and media hullabaloo is the focus of the film sometimes. Much of the runtime is dedicated to the role of the media, which served as a tremendously unhelpful distraction to the investigation; thus giving the series a sense of focus on the one hand, but also weighing the series down with too much details and fluff cinema.

Genre: Crime, Documentary

Actor: Massimo Bossetti

Rating: TV-MA