TV is now a year-round endeavor, but maybe I have residual “Fall TV” DNA in me, because I felt the need to finally watch premiere episodes of shows buzzed about throughout 2026. Here are my first-episode impressions of six new shows, with “Furious” in particular being a nice appetizer for the lights-out series to come October such as “Carrie,” “Crystal Lake” and “Below.”
“Furious” (eight episodes, Hulu, July-August)
Following the likes of “Presumed Innocent,” “Black Widow” is the latest 1980s movie to be expanded into a miniseries. If you’re in the mood for a grimdark “catch a killer” tale, this one is typical but well-made, tying in the modern issue of underage sex trafficking. Via noble FBI agents like ex-police detective Alice Black (Emmy Rossum, entering the bedraggled cop phase of her career), the show has something to say about the frustrations of a justice system that’s both too regimented among the grunts and too corrupt at the top to stop the trafficking. The highlight is the against-gender-norms killer (Lola Petticrew), who cuts her own swath through the villains; the hook is seeing the various ways she uses the system to her advantage. This earns more episodes from me, especially when I want to watch something in the dark.
4 stars
“Lanterns” (eight episodes, HBO Max, August-October)
The James Gunn-overseen DC Universe continues its knack for making all-powerful superheroes interesting, exploring the loneliness of Hal Jordan (“Friday Night Lights’ ” Kyle Chandler) and his Green Lantern successor-in-training John (Aaron Pierre). Damon Lindeloff (TV’s “Watchmen”) and two other showrunners do an appealing slow build wherein we enjoy soaking up the Nebraska-ness. Through one episode, we don’t know why an alien incursion is happening there (beyond “vengeance,” the alien says). But the grizzled-yet-boyish Chandler is a blast, particularly in the interrogation scene that includes a Cornhusker trivia and pop-culture knowledge test for the suspected alien. The story is thin, but the characters and setting are enough for now.
4 stars
“Tommy & Tuppence” (six episodes, BritBox, September)
This is a pleasant surprise – both a modernization of Agatha Christie’s sweetheart sleuths and also (as was not clear from the promotional materials) adaptations of her stories. In the case of the first episode, it’s “Finessing the King,” which will lead into “The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper” for episode two – and thus the use of Christie’s name is earned. Josh Dylan and Antonia Thomas have good chemistry as the London friends who don’t realize they are romantically destined, although it’s obvious to the audience, like in a scene where they wordlessly share breakfast. Instead of flailing for jobs like in the books, he is a mystery author and she is an actress, but those jobs fit with T&T’s propensity for sleuthing via the methods of fiction and improvising. One unnecessary aspect is the “Only Murders”-style voiceover narration from Imelda Staunton as Tommy’s retired-detective aunt (a replacement for his government-spy uncle from previous incarnations). “T&T” is stylized but faithful in spirit, and it earns a second episode from me.
4 stars
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” (eight episodes, Apple Plus, April-May)
David E. Kelley shepherds a modern but timeless look at a college student (Elle Fanning) whose path gets altered by a surprise baby that will make her life both wonderful and horrible. Michelle Pfieffer plays Margo’s mom, and Nick Offerman will later come in as the dad. Here he’s just a retired wrestler in old videos, so this is a rare pilot episode that does not spell out the full premise. As of now we don’t know how Margo (who rejects the participation of the professor who fathered the child) is going to tackle the expenses, although we can presume she’ll tap into her genetic gift for showmanship and the streamlined audience acquisition offered by the internet (in other words: OnlyFans). Good potential here for comedy and emotions if Margo’s troubles interest you, but it’s not my cup of tea.
3.5 stars
“I Will Find You” (eight episodes, Netflix, June)
Outside of the circles of critics and TV nerds, Harlan Coben’s miniseries adaptations are quietly loved by the masses; Netflix factory-produces his novels into shows. Again we have a mystery where the solution will either be 1, an ingenious and logical conspiracy or 2, illogical absurdity; unfortunately we can’t know for sure at first. This one has an unusually good cast. Sam Worthington’s David is framed for the murder of his son (DNA identifies a brutalized corpse) and imprisoned; his sister-in-law (“Severance’s” Britt Lower) sees a photo showing the kid is alive. Milo Ventimiglia also stars, but he’s not in the premiere. The first question that likely has no logical answer: Why didn’t the bad guys just kill David (who was sleeping) along with the kid? Wouldn’t that be easier than the frame job? I’m not confident the answers won’t require bad writing.
3 stars
“Lucky” (seven episodes, Apple Plus, July-August)
Driven by a star and style (Vegas lights, a car-interior fight lit by a flare) more so than original storytelling, the show follows the titular sympathetic criminal (“The Queen’s Gambit’s” Anya Taylor-Joy) who is dealt a rare bad break: Her husband leaves her at a casino hotel and takes the $20 million they stole together (vaguely, from taxpayers). If only the FBI cared this much about the billions the government loses and wastes. As we gradually learn that Lucky is doing this at the bidding of others – maybe her father (Timothy Olyphant) or a crime boss (Annette Bening) – she gets away via uninteresting luck, lies, smarts and script conveniences. Even with ATJ, I don’t care enough.
2.5 stars