First Impressions: Common Side Effects (Adult Swim)
Adult Swim’s trippy conspiracy series is an early 2025 standout.
Author: Randy Dankievitch
Randy is the founder of Processed Media and The Mid-Season Replacements Podcast, and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved TV critic. He's written about TV and culture across the internet since 2010, and also writes a monthly column for UpPortland Magazine.
First Impressions: The Hunting Party (NBC)
Clumsy and undercooked, The Hunting Party’s pilot is another forgettable new NBC drama… or is it?
2025 Rookie Rankings: February 3
2025’s new TV series, ranked (for the first time).
TV Review: Paradise (Hulu)
Hulu’s high-concept political drama is not nearly as ambitious (or surprising) as it thinks.
Second Look: Friends Season 4, Episode 21 – “The One with the Invitation”
The first of Friends’ six clip show episodes is not only its best, but the most unexpectedly revealing.
First Impressions: Watson (CBS)
CBS’s new medical drama takes an unnecessary connection to Sherlock Holmes and turns it into a semi-watchable new series (with a few caveats).
First Impressions: Prime Target (Apple TV+)
Apple TV+’s disappointingly straightforward math conspiracy thriller is full of lifeless characters and toothless mysteries.
TV Review: On Call (Prime Video)
Prime Video’s first police procedural has a few intriguing elements, but is too shallow and inconsistent to be memorable.
Second Look: Friends Season 4 Episode 20 – “The One with All the Wedding Dresses”
Emily orders a wedding dress, and Friends serves up season four’s most confounding episode.
First Impressions: The Pitt (Max)
Max’s Noah Wylie-led drama is the most driven, confident show of its kind in awhile – just don’t call it ER 2.0.