Lessons in Chemistry Is Maddeningly InertApple TV+’s handsome adaptation of Bonnie Garmus’s best-selling novel is carefully considered and completely uninterested in challenging its audience.
Reinventing the Wheel of TimeFor the series’ breakout second season, showrunner Rafe Judkins followed a different kind of fantasy.
BySean T. Collins
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The Other Black Girl Reads Better OnscreenWith a few key changes to Zakiya Dalila Harris’s story, the TV adaptation is able to address some of the novel’s missed opportunities.
ByIle-Ife Okantah
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The Cool Girl Gets Lost in WildernessWith its own version of the famous Gone Girl monologue, Prime Video’s scorned-woman survival thriller undermines its attempt at empowerment.
ByRoxana Hadadi
(un)endings
Foundation Has Immortality IssuesSeason two pushes up against the edge of how long characters can hang around without breaking the stakes.
A Map to One Piece’s Many TreasuresWhat newcomers should know before coming aboard Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the sprawling manga and anime series.
Universes Collide in American Born ChineseThere’s a tender, vibrant coming-of-age story in Disney+’s new series, if you can find it beneath all the tiresome celestial conflict.
The Last of Us Is Faithful to the EndThe season finale’s climax effectively streamlines its source material but illuminates the show’s narrowing adaptational ambition.
House of the Dragon’s Biggest Book OmissionsSeven Fire & Blood details that could’ve made these characters’ bonds more tangible, their romances more sensual, and their losses more tragic.