David Bianculli

HBO's new 8-part miniseries stars Matthew Rhys in the title role. The show is full of delightful surprises, including its portrayal of Mason as a gumshoe — not an iconic defense attorney.

Critic David Bianculli recommends the BBC Shakespeare plays, now available on Britbox. He's also been previewing HBO Max, a new streaming service, and the PBS documentary, An Accidental Studio.

A new, 10-part miniseries follows the exploits of the Russian empress who rose to power in a coup against her own husband. The Great is shrewdly entertaining — if not exactly historically accurate.