Television

With no costumes, no superpowers and no Batman, HBO's The Penguin is less like a comic book series than a crime drama — closer to The Sopranos than to the Batman movie from which it came.

TV Critic David Bianculli reviews the new season of Only Murders In The Building

Stand-up comedian and late-night talk show host Taylor Tomlinson. She hosts CBS' "After Midnight," which bills itself as the smartest show on TV about the dumbest things on the internet.

David Bianculli reviews Wise Guy, a documentary about the landmark HBO series. Plus, we listen back to archival interviews with creator David Chase, and actors Michael Imperioli and Lorraine Bracco.

Donahue, who died Aug. 18, hosted an issue-oriented, afternoon talk show that paved the way for Oprah and others. David Bianculli offers an appreciation, and we listen back to a 1985 interview.

The acclaimed police procedural set in Baltimore will be streaming Peacock. We’ll listen back to interviews with executive producer and writer Tom Fontana and actors Andre Braugher and Clark Johnson.

The 10-part Apple+ show, based on Carl Hiassen’s novel, is loaded with twists, turns and standout performances. Bad Monkey isn’t a great show, but it’s good, Florida fun.

John Powers reviewed the new movie "The Instigators," now streaming on Apple TV+.

The new crime series "Women In Blue" from Apple TV+ is set in Mexico in the 1970s. It's about four women cops, the first ever in Mexico City, who band together to catch a serial killer while battling their male colleagues' belief that women can't do the job. Our critic-at-large John Powers says that it's a story about the battle to shift consciousness.

Guest programmers, including Spike Lee, Olivia Wilde and even Donald Trump, present and discuss two favorite films on this TCM feature. It's yet another way the network celebrates the love of movies.

Paul W. Downs co-created and stars in the HBO Max Series 'Hacks'. The series centers on Deborah Vance (played by Jean Smart), a veteran comedian whose career is waning. In response, Deborah's manager (played by Downs) brings in a Gen-Z comic named Ava (Hannah Einbinder) to help freshen up her act. Along the way, Hacks explores themes of sexism in comedy and the nuances of "cancel culture" — as when some of Deborah's old offensive jokes resurface.

David Bianculli offers an appreciation of the star of Newhart and The Bob Newhart Show, who died July 18. In 1998, Newhart told Terry Gross that his signature stammer was not an affect.

Time really does fly in this fun and charming adventure series, based on Terry Gilliam's 1981 film about a gang of thieves who steal treasures at different points in history.

From tuna to chili peppers to salt, each episode of this new Apple TV+ docuseries focuses on a unique ingredient. But there’s an additional element that runs throughout the show: passion.

Nicholson says when strangers recognize her on the street, they're never quite sure how they know her: "They might think I sold them kittens, or I work in the ice cream shop."

Mull, who died June 27, appeared in the 1970s series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and later starred in Fernwood 2 Night. David Bianculli offers an appreciation, then we revisit a 1995 interview.

The hugely popular Netflix reality show Love is Blind purports to be an experiment where contestants have a chance to fall in love -- sight unseen. But some members have accused the show's production company of exploitation, and two former cast members have formed a group to help connect reality show contestants to legal and mental health resources.

Stand-up comedian, actor and author Michelle Buteau. She stars in the new movie "Babes" alongside her real-life friend, Ilana Glazer. It's a comedy about friends who have grown up together and confide in each other as they take different paths toward motherhood. Michelle Buteau also stars in the semi-autobiographical series "Survival Of The Thickest," which has been picked up for a second season on Netflix.

Though this BBC America/AMC series has provocative things to say about identity, memory, love and loss, it fails to reproduce the best element of the original Orphan Black: the crazy, colorful clones.

Einbinder co-stars with Jean Smart in the HBO Max series Hacks. Her new Max special is Everything Must Go. Einbinder grew up in a comedic household — her mom, Laraine Newman, is an original SNL cast member. Being funny was "the main currency in our home," she says. "It was a love language for sure."