1. Paradise Season 2 Ep. 4
90/100 – Hulu – Next Ep. March 9, 12 AM*
In Episode 4 of Season 2 we return back to the outside world with Xavier and Annie deepening their bond as he recovers, deciding to begin their journey to find Xavier’s wife and return to the bunker. Much of the episode is a return to the first episode’s emotion and high standard, with Annie giving birth to her child, Xavier finding humans to help with the birth, and the eventual emotional scene of the death of Annie. Episode 4 is extremely emotional, while setting up the future with the father of Annie’s child, perhaps being someone that is much more dangerous to the bunker than once thought. It’s a spectacular end to the first half of the season, leaving room for a massively successful future for the show.
2. Fire Force Season 3 Ep. 21
90/100 – Crunchyroll – Next Ep. March 13 – 10 AM*
Season 3 of Fire Force has begun to come to a pinnacle with the animation of one of the manga’s most famous fights in Arthur vs Dragon. It’s a fight that is as critical to the storyline as it is beautiful to the eye, as Dragon is one of the strongest antagonists left in the story, a stone wall between the Fire Force and the stopping of the great cataclysm. It’s a rematch from earlier in the series where Arthur loses horribly, but not this time. The animation here, as they fight on the moon, is stunning and one of the best sequences put to screen this year. Despite the choreography of the fight being slightly shorter than I would have liked, Fire Force turns in one of its highest rated episodes of all time with its famed final fight between the Knight and the Dragon.
3. Hell's Paradise Season 2 Ep. 9
89/100 – Crunchyroll – Next Ep. March 15 – 7:45 AM*
The battle between the now conjoined Tensen and the four characters from our main squad, Chobel, Toma, Gantetsusai, and Fushi comes to an end as the protagonists win through the plan and battling of Chobel. It’s a fight that covers almost all of Episode 9, but rightfully so as the animation and fight are the highlight of the season so far. It’s an electric episode that feels like the first time a fight this season is a culmination and climax, and not just being prolonged to a later time. Episode 9 is the beginning of what should be a great end to Season 2 of Hell’s Paradise.
4. Shrinking Season 3 Ep. 6
89/100 – Apple TV+ – Next Ep. March 10 – 9 PM*
After a week that was a tremendous step down for Shrinking Season 2 last week, Episode 6 returns as one of the best of the series bringing the correct emotion all the way back. The show is at its best when the main characters all rally around one going through a hardship and this time it is Derek’s surgery. The episode rights many of the previous episodes wrongs in the first 15 minutes and then transitions into a bouncing of father-son, mother-son, father-daughter , and mother-daughter moments that are all touching and in-line with the therapeutic concept of the show. It’s a brilliant return to form that I hope continues through the rest of the season.
5. Survivor Season 50 Ep. 2
86/100 – Hulu/Paramount+ – Next Ep. March 11 – 8 PM*
The second episode of the largest Survivor season possibly ever continues the huge momentum picked up from the show’s 3-hour premiere. From funny moments of the best returning characters to characters like Aubrey receiving advantages, the show continues to pick up steam as the cast interacts better than any cast really has in recent years. The eventual booting of the most recent winner of the series is a tough pill to swallow for fans including me, but in the cross hairs of another Cirie swing and some Deven’s shenanigans, the second episode continues to prove season 50 is set up to be a five-star season.
6. The Pitt Season 2 Ep. 9
86/100 – HBO MAX – Next Ep. March 12 – 9 PM*
Episode nine of The Pitt feels like a climax episode of sorts in that many of the main issues presented in the series come to a point. With Doctor Robbie continuing to show concerns of mental health problems, with his kindness to Whitaker with his house, not only are the patients becoming more numerous they are becoming more serious. The Pitt is truly a show that cannot miss with the framework it has set up for itself, and episodes like this one excel at that simplicity laid out.
7. Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Ep. 9
85/100 – Crunchyroll – Next Ep. March 12 – 8:26 AM*
After a fairly down episode last week, the fight between Higuruma and Itadori begins, with Yuji having to navigate not only the battle but the crimes of his past in Shibuya thanks to Sukuna. The episode does take a step up again back to where it should be, but leaves still more to be desired in the animation and battle scenes. With the hype surrounding the Season, Episode 9 seemed to lack the high-end 5-star experience of action the fans expect and is why an episode that was heavily anticipated sits at an 85 for me, when many may hold it higher.
8. Sentenced to Be a Hero Ep. 9
85/100 – Crunchyroll – Next Ep. March 12 – 6:30 AM*
Continuing the momentum of the most unexpected show of this anime season, Sentenced to Be a Hero continues to be a great example of how entertaining a well-animated medieval show can be. The premise of adding demons into the kingdom the show is now primarily set in, is as cool as it is brilliant, in adding a face to the antagonist side of the story. Episode 9 is the kicker for what will be a great final battle between the 4 established demons and the slew of main characters Xylo has picked up on his journey. The show is continuing to go in the best direction it can, improving on its lore every episode.
9. Ted Season 2
84/100 – Peacock – Next Ep. Season Complete
Season 2 of the Ted series is absolutely brilliant in its comedy, and quickly has become one of the best new comedy series on streaming right now. A show that capitalizes off of the IP of its films, had a solid first season that did enough to earn it a second but not much more than that. However, with an updated budget and notes to rework the series to have 8 creative singular story episodes with clear narrative surrounding its comedy, the show returned and elevated to a level nobody could expect. With no plans for a third season as of now, the series may be coming to an end, which would be a shame as the framework and laughs established in Season 2 are brilliant in every way and is exactly what a series like this should present to its audience.
10. Frieren Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Ep. 7
84/100 – Crunchyroll – Next Ep. March 13 – 7 AM*
Episode 7 of Frieren presents what is mostly a set up episode as Fern and Frieren are pursued by two new and seemingly very powerful demons. The season has been a letdown so far, but this episode briefly recaptures what the show does best: meticulous aesthetic animation that blends fluid bursts of action with a relaxed slice‑of‑life rhythm. While the narrative did not pick up drastically or change much, it is clear Episode 7 has a direction the show desperately needed as Frieren seems to go into teacher-mode as Fern and her begin to fight the demons. As the episode closes, it tees up an even more intriguing clash between Stark and the four‑sword demon, whose striking character design is easily the standout of this second season so far.
11. Rooster Ep. 1
84/100 – HBO MAX – Next Ep. March 15 – 10:00 PM*
Rooster is the new Steve Carrell show from HBO MAX that joins the Sunday night time slot in place of the Game of Thrones series and it has a great comedic start to its run. An older divorced writer has to deal with his life as an author around campus, as his daughter deals with her own martial troubles, in a show that seems to balance drama and comedy quite well for its first 30 minutes. While nothing felt particularly new about the series so far, which does worry me a bit, the premiere is a true and clear great technical and comedic start to what has the opportunity to be one of HBO’s best new shows.
12. DTF St. Louis Ep. 2
83/100 – HBO MAX – Next Ep. March 15 – 9:00 PM*
DTF St. Louis has leaped into the spotlight of HBO MAX’s headline series slot, and had a really interesting first episode that didn’t quite sell me on what it was supposed to be. Episode 2 really solidifies the type of show we have here, a dry humor crime show mixed with some mystery that is as much a comedy commentary as it is its own story. It’s an episode that gives the show groundwork, that is interesting, unique and something audiences will definitely be coming back to, a step-up from its premiere.
13. Abbott Elementary Season 5 Ep. 14
83/100 – Hulu – Next Ep. March 11 – 8:30 PM*
Episode 14 of the new season of Abbott returns after a break with an episode to introduce two characters who have already been in the show but return to what may be a bigger role than before with Jacob’s brother as the PE Teacher and Ashley as Janine’s new teacher’s aid. It’s a solid entry with some fun comedy, although it does feel like more of a reintroduction after the 3-week break than anything else. It is difficult for Abbott to put together a sub-par episode and this one is no different, while it is not a stand out, it is certainly one of the best things to dedicate 20 minutes of your time to this week.
14. Monarch Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Ep. 2
82/100 – Apple TV+ – Next Ep. March 12 – 10 PM*
After a premiere that is a clear step up from its previous season in the presence of more monsters and conjoined stories, Episode 2 continues those concepts with a new problem arising, both huge and tiny. As the researchers pursue the new, and larger-than-ever monster that escaped the rift, they come to a halt when the beast turns towards their direction in pursuit of a much smaller and manageable monster they have discovered on the ship. It’s an episode that is not spectacular in any way but sets up the season from such extremely high moments that leave the audience in anticipation every week.
15. My Hero Vigilantes Season 2 Ep. 8
81/100 – Crunchyroll – Next Ep. March 9 – 5 AM*
After a hiatus of the backstory of Eraserhead we return to the main storyline as our group of vigilantes not only are gaining notice from the heroes, but are getting much stronger and effective. Sensoji gets a much needed depth boost to his character making the show feel much more valuable than just its main character Koichi. I am worried the show is going to slowly slip back down in quality, but with the enticing villain it’s building upon, Season 2 seems set to be a better season overall than the first.
16. Hijack Season 2 Ep. 7
81/100 – Apple TV+ – Next Ep. Season Complete
The finale of the second season of Hijack was a step up in quality and action than the majority of the back half of the season, yet nothing extraordinary to elevate the show past just a solid thriller that may or may not return. We see Sam finally succeed in both getting the passengers off the train he has hijacked and fight it out in a final battle with the blackmailing terrorists forcing him to do it. Additionally we see the end to the chase of Martha, Sam’s wife as she successfully smokes out her hunters into the police’s lights, confirming both her safety and Sam’s by the end of the season. It’s a serviceable finale, but not a spectacular one, leading to the season overall as being the same.
17. Young Sherlock
79/100 – Prime Video – Next Ep. Season Complete
Young Sherlock is Guy Ritchie’s new action mystery prequel of sorts to the typical Sherlock Holmes story. The show is a mixed bag of cheesy delivery and hinting to later season conflict, and fun fast-paced mystery dialogue between two known characters. What starts off as a friendship mystery with Holmes and Moriarty, turns quickly into an action-war family drama that feels much more in line with what Ritchie wants in a show than what the IP does. The show is undeniably entertaining and will certainly succeed for many audiences, it just does not excel past a surface level mystery show with a lack of nuance.
18. The Dinosaurs
78/100 – Netflix – Next Ep. Season Complete
The next CGI documentary mini series from Netflix has been released and this time it’s the 165 million year reign of The Dinosaurs narrated by the great Morgan Freeman. The company has gotten very good at pumping out these fairly well made cgi animation shows that tell a history, that while fairly accurate, certainly provide details for entertainment over education. It’s successful in that it is likely what many audiences will turn on in the background of events however there is still nothing that fully captures your attention beyond that. Netflix is undeniably good at these mini- series documentaries, but they need much more here to elevate beyond their current ratings.
19. Beastars Finale Season Part 2
75/100 – Netflix – Next Ep. Season Complete
The end of perhaps the most polarizing anime produced by Netflix has finally been released and Beastars finished just how it began, an interesting take on predator and prey relationships in an odd combination of action, drama, and romance. I can’t say this show is meant for me, or that its writing is nuanced enough to transcend someone’s interests, but it sure has its cult following that will enjoy the clean and fairly well made wrap up to the 4-season show.
20. Vladimir
74/100 – Netflix – Next Ep. Season Complete
Vladimir is the newest and next provocative novel adaptation to hit Netflix in the form of a limited series, and it certainly does not reinvent the wheel. It’s led by the masterful Rachel Weisz, in a performance I can’t say is one of her best, but perhaps her most erotic as she fantasizes a sexual relationship with her younger coworker, while her husband stands review for relations with his student. The show is as crazy as the premise sounds, and with Weisz playing an unreliable narrator it captures all the tropes you would expect, but jumbles a lot of the plot points because of it. At times its good to not know what is real or fake in this type of show, but this time around the pieces of the story that are revealed and concealed seemed to not be chosen correctly making it more messy than nuanced. Nevertheless, the way this show wants to make you feel is exactly what it succeeds at, and will find its audience that attaches to the provocative premise.
