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Two things stand out most. First, the animation style, which looks like a cute combination of various multi-textured elements like online avatar profiles, claymation, and origami and construction paper cutouts. Second is the voiceovers, which sound very candid and raw as if the creators had prioritized bullet points, and had visual elements and script polishing come in later. The pseudo-documentary approach and “rough” production feel exciting and fresh, and truly tie all the individual parts together. This could've just as well been a silly live action concept, but its serene nature and aesthetic stand out perfectly as an animated series.

Genre: Animation, Kids

Actor: August Nuñez, Blue Chapman, Honor Calderon, Kirikou S'hai Muldrow, Michael Ren

Rating: TV-Y7

Centaurworld’s humor itself helps us navigate the absurdity of it all. Very quickly, you can tell you’re watching a tight show, where very little feels like a weak link or out of place—the music, the lyrics, the connecting worlds, the character motivations—all of it pulls its weight to make this colorful show come alive. After you get a feel for the heartfelt songs and psychedelic animation style, the show can feel like a modernized or at least a different kind of Disney. But the trippy/colorful assault vibes are pretty evident from the get-go, so you’ll know right away if this is meant for your soul or not.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Jessie Mueller, Josh Radnor, Kimiko Glenn, Megan Hilty, Parvesh Cheena

Rating: TV-Y7

Its greatest asset is arguably its gorgeous pastel aesthetic, like the Dixit Stella board game come to life. Music constantly plays throughout the show like a chill video game. Dialogue is weird and disjointed, not even in a bad way, just in a way that you can’t ignore. Come to think of it, there’s a lot on this show that you can’t ignore even if you wanted to, not with characters who talk like that. I can see a lot of people being overwhelmed by disjointed cuteness if you watch for long enough, but I can also see a lot more people falling in love with it instantly, no questions asked.

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Allyn Rachel

Rating: TV-14

Alexa and Katie greets us with vintage Nickelodeon sitcom acting, which is far from the most inspiring. But the same can’t be said about this show’s premise and execution, which is incredibly heartfelt and commendable. Characters are supportive and mature where it counts, though it’s structured to feel like any other kids’ sitcom—which is to say that the intrinsic heaviness is handled well, and in line with Alexa’s desire that people not treat her any differently. The show is vulnerable and sweet, packaged in a familiar and comforting way for younger audiences learning to be brave with Alexa.

Genre: Comedy

Actor: Eddie Shin, Emery Kelly, Finn Carr, Isabel May, Jolie Jenkins, Paris Berelc, Tiffani Thiessen

Rating: TV-Y7

An underrated sign of a good TV show (especially a reality show) is if you start imagining yourself in its world, wanting to explore, wanting to feel what its people are feeling. Watching this series is like going on a fun, over-the-top immersive activity with friends. Its participants are pleasant and capable, saving you the headaches and scream-fests with your TV. Sometimes, puzzle-solving leaves them in the dark for quite a while and we just have to ride out the confusion, but frankly this show’s down periods are more interesting and stressful than most other reality shows at their peak.

Genre: Reality

Actor: John Park, Karina, Kim Do-hoon, Lee Eun-ji, Lee Hye-ri, Lee Yong-jin

Director: Choi Yoon-hee, Jeong Jong-yeon, Kim Ah-ra, Kim Seo-goo, 채송이

There’s something strangely nostalgic about the show. From the bright and timeless youth fashion, to the atmospheric soundtrack (kicked off wonderfully by The Feminine Urge in episode 01), to the charming dialogue that keeps things simple—a lot of this show feels current and young, but inexplicably feels like a distant childhood adventure, as well. Its lead storyline (the current time) is seamlessly interspersed with visions of the cold case, but it still makes that distant timeline feel within reach. In terms of balancing the necessary danger of a crime series and the periodic comfort people crave, this show strikes gold.

Genre: Crime, Mystery

Actor: Anna Maxwell Martin, Asha Banks, Carla Woodcock, Emma Myers, Gary Beadle, Henry Ashton, Jackson Bews, Jude Morgan-Collie, Mathew Baynton, Raiko Gohara, Yali Topol Margalith, Yasmin Al-Khudhairi, Zain Iqbal

Rating: TV-MA

It’s cool that more and more people are drawing attention to the cleanup after the cinematic explosions — much more kaiju explosions. This series is balls to the wall action, giving us the monsters and the raining down of blood and guts right away. The details are graphic and satisfying like a perverse cooking show or a horror film. When it’s not about that, we’re looking at hardworking, disciplined laborers in this absurd setting. Like many kaiju films, it’s a pretty easy show to get into, shining with its punchy animations, high octane action, ever-present danger, and a surprisingly adorable factor.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Asami Seto, Fairouz Ai, Keisuke Komoto, Kengo Kawanishi, Masaya Fukunishi, Sayaka Senbongi, Shunsuke Takeuchi, Wataru Katoh, Yuuki Shin

Rating: TV-14

This series is proof that no matter how silly or brutal things get, pro wrestling can always serve as someone’s sanctuary. Though they sprinkle in pixie dust to make the industry as sketchy, barbaric, and ambiguous as possible, there’s a sparkle to the show’s energy that makes it feel like you’re watching a sweet cinematic drama, or rather a dreamy depiction of the monstrous world of ‘80s joshi wrestling. Ultimately, they do a stellar job conveying intimacy in interpersonal drama and portrayal of combat (even when combat amounts to stabbing someone's head with a fork), and taken as a whole, makes for such a breezy and mesmerizing pro wrestling drama.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Ayame Goriki, Ayame Gouriki, Daisuke Kuroda, Erika Karata, Haruka Imou, Jun Murakami, Nobuko Sendo, Ryoka Neya, Takuma Otoo, Takumi Saitoh, Yuriyan Retriever

Rating: TV-MA

Perhaps the best thing to be said about this series is that isn’t dripping with sensationalism. Then again, most works in the genre don’t get the survivors’ side of the story, as it pulls off in an excellent first episode. Sadly, that’s not the case for all episodes, but all the same it still feels a lot safer than most true crime. It gets to the heart of the matter quickly with intimate and honest interviews, and its barebones approach to its elements is another fantastic green flag. Of course, it’s still true crime though. If you don’t like that, you won’t suddenly like this series.

Genre: Crime, Documentary

Rating: TV-MA

There’s a faint mystery vibe to this that serves as a surprising hook. The atmosphere-setting is top notch, with the small county, the deteriorating cabin, and the acoustic soundtrack. It throws you off scene for a bit, washing the cheese off a meet cute, but the safety of the show reveals itself soon enough. The narratives that eventually unfold always leave room for intrigue, but the pace it goes at is not the best in the early going. The most interesting part of this whole ordeal is the power dynamic when Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) tries to assert herself to Doc Mullins (Tim Matheson), but the soap opera tropes — abandoned babies, cheesy flashbacks, et al — are predictably what the show chooses to focus on.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Alexandra Breckenridge, Annette O'Toole, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Colin Lawrence, Jenny Cooper, Lauren Hammersley, Martin Henderson, Tim Matheson

Rating: TV-14

This series is fascinating and incredibly easy to root for. The premise itself comes from a well-intentioned place, and is an idea that can even justify filming as a TV show. The presentation packs a layer of dissonance between its often, dare I say, adorable tone and the gravity of the situation that these people are potentially in. It's not something that I'd say adds to or takes away from the show, but it is something that's always in the back of your mind when the interview bits get a little too dumb and funny. The idea of prisoners governing themselves reads like a recipe for disaster, so the tension is always there. But when you see a good chunk of them taking it seriously, it's all you need to want to see the show through.

Genre: Reality

Actor: Eric Higgins

Rating: TV-MA

It’s a great concept because the influence of the media does create a lot of complications and sensationalism with regard to trials. It’s hard to say whether people and court cases are exploited by the media, or if it’s the reverse. Of course, the law is the law, but stupid TV is stupid. The series does a great job presenting a spectrum of truth, as the power of influence — of mass branding and storytelling — has to count for something. This is a parade of high profile cases where the court of public opinion has set people free, for better or for worse, in stories where the good guys and bad guys oscillate and merge.

Genre: Crime, Documentary

Rating: TV-MA