It’s fitting that Ruth Wilson’s Sarah Trafford is an art restorer in the stylish and involving Apple TV series “Down Cemetery Road,” the new drama from the creators of “Slow Horses.” Just as Sarah searches for tiny tears and flaking and other flaws in mostly pristine and engrossing paintings, if we look too closely at the plot machinations in this conspiracy thriller, we’ll find a host of convenient coincidences, plausibility-stretching developments, and familiar tropes of the genre. But if we’re willing to take a step back and just go with it and not get bogged down in the details, this is powerfully entertaining stuff, filled with satisfying twists and turns.

Also great: we have Emma Thompson as the detective Zoë Boehm, who has spiky hair and an even spikier personality, and carries herself as if she had fronted a killer punk-rock band in the 1980s and is still looking for a fight at every turn. What superb and natural work, as if we’d expect anything less. Whether Thompson as Zoë is cracking wise, butting heads with people who think they’re a step ahead of her (they’re not), or letting her guard down for just a moment, it’s a performance to be marveled at and treasured.

Wilson does lovely and nuanced work as Trafford, who pedals her bicycle around Oxford and the surrounding suburbs, including her daily commute back and forth to that job as an art restorer (cue “Every Time the Sun Comes Up” by Sharon Van Etten on the soundtrack as she zips around). Sarah enjoys a comfortable life with her husband, Mark (Tom Riley), a hedge-fund manager who clearly puts his career ahead of Sarah, but we can see the restlessness and anxiety in Sarah even before the shite hits the fan and all hell breaks loose in her life.

The Traffords are hosting a small dinner party attended by a snooty and wealthy potential client of Mark’s named Gerard Inchon (Tom Goodman-Hill); Gerard’s wife Paula (Aiysha Hart); and Sarah’s bohemian friends Denise aka Wigwam (Sinead Matthews) and her partner Rufus (Ken Nwosu), when an explosion literally down (the fictional) Cemetery Road leaves a 5-year-old girl named Dinah (Ivy Malaika Quoi) injured and orphaned. When Sarah tries to deliver a handmade “Get Well” card from one of Wigwam’s children to Dinah in the hospital, she’s quickly ushered out and bumps into Gerard, the wealthy investor, who seems an odd coincidence.

After Dinah goes missing, Sarah becomes obsessed with finding her, even though she’s never met the little girl, enlisting the services of the downscale, husband-and-wife private eye team of the sardonic Zoë Boehm (Emma Thompson) and her affable if slightly daffy husband, Joe (Adam Godley). They usually take on low-profile and slightly seedy cases, e.g., tailing husbands who are cheating on their wives, but soon find themselves embroiled in a high-stakes mystery. (“Maybe this case could go all the way to the top,” says Zoë. She’s being sarcastic, but she might not be wrong.)

Off we go. Was it really a gas main explosion in that house, or something more sinister? Who was the mysterious man Sarah spotted lurking near the site? Why are the police stonewalling Sarah’s attempts to get answers? With crisp editing that moves the multi-faceted story along at a brisk pace, and a striking use of locales including the cathedral city of Bristol, the county of Somerset, and the fishing village of Polperro, “Down Cemetery Road” becomes a two-hander, with Zoë reluctantly teaming up with Sarah to find Dinah. Then it expands into a much larger conspiracy mystery, as the body count begins to pile up. At times, the almost comedic misadventures of Zoë and Sarah don’t mesh seamlessly with a storyline reminiscent of series such as “The Terminal List” and “Special Ops: Lioness,” and it’s a bit of a task to keep up with the various storylines.

Nathan Stewart-Jarrett is a formidable presence as Michael Downey, a former soldier struggling with the aftereffects of his service. Darren Boyd is a darkly funny yet chilling presence as the dapper, utterly soulless “C,” who runs a shadowy government department. In perhaps the most electric performance outside of the leads, Fehinti Balogun plays Amos Crane, one of the most terrifying guns-for-hire this side of Anton Chigurh; this man ends lives as casually as if he’s tying his shoes, and has the cold relentlessness of a shark in bloody waters. (In a misstep of script, the outstanding actor Adeel Akhtar is saddled with playing a comic-relief middle-management government operative who is mostly irritating and gets too much screen time.)

“Down Cemetery Road” is chock full of sharp one-liners, but also some impressively staged action scenes, highlighted by an extended sequence on a train where Zoë engages in some clever and at times desperate measures to elude a dogged pursuer. I also liked how Wilson’s Sarah doesn’t suddenly become an action hero capable of scaling barbed wire fences and handling a gun with the ease of a professional. She is a lost and troubled soul who will do anything to find a little girl, and while she’s in over her head and constantly placing herself in harm’s way, there’s a sense of freedom she feels in finally finding a sense of purpose in her life.

All eight episodes were screened for review. Episodes run Wednesdays on Apple TV.

It’s easy, watching the first episode of Apple TV+’s new action thriller “The Last Frontier,” to get your hopes up. At least off the back of its action sequences, anyways, and the tawdry fun of its premise: A Con Air-like passenger transport crash-lands spectacularly in the Alaskan forest, letting loose dozens of dangerous criminals who will kill and scheme for their last shot at freedom, and the only guy who can stop them is the dogged small-town sheriff with surprising combat chops. But as the ten-episode season drags on, the pulpy thrills of its action sequences give way to the kind of tedious bloat you can expect from, well, your average Apple TV+ show.

It’s a shame, really, considering the show comes partially courtesy of the kind of hands you’d want to place this kind of thriller in: “Extraction” director Sam Hargrave (a steady hand with ambitious action sequences) and “The Blacklist” creator Jon Bokenkamp (who co-created this show with Richard D’Ovidio). Problem is, it’s a work of network schlock with prestige clothing, and the big-budget dressing paradoxically gets in the way of how silly the show wants to be.

Hargrave, who directs the pilot, sets the table with clockwork efficiency. After the stunning plane crash sequence, a feat of fight choreography amid a flaming, crashing passenger liner, we zoom down to the small town those baddies are about to beset. We meet our aforementioned sheriff, Marshal Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke), a family man trying to put his life together with his wife (Simone Kessell) and son (Tait Blum), after big-city life traumatized them in ways that, when seen in flashback, read as exploitative and deeply clashing with the tone of the rest of the show. They’re looking to slow down and start over, an apple cart which this plane crash naturally upsets. Now Remnick is back in the fight, tracking down one escaped convict after another with the help of a disgraced CIA flack named Scofield (Haley Bennett), who has a personal stake in recovering these prisoners.

From there, “The Last Frontier” flits between two distinct modes, one entertaining and one frustrating: The former is a prisoner-of-the-week procedural, as one colorful escapee after another (Johnny Knoxville, Damian Young are particular standouts) wreaks havoc on the town, and the latter a broader conspiracy involving the plane’s most valued prisoner, a former CIA asset named Havlock (Dominic Cooper), who may be the reason the plane crashed in the first place. He’s got plans within plans, and the season follows the cat-and-mouse game between Remnick/Scofield and Havlock and the unsuing government conspiracy that entails.

Sounds suitably “Blacklist,” right, with Cooper’s Havlock exchanging taunting conversations with Clarke’s Remnick in a snide manner not unlike James Spader’s “Red” Reddington? But “The Last Frontier”‘s biggest liability is that it’s on Apple TV+, which means hour-long runtimes and a bloasted budget/cast list that strains the limitations of the premise. Nearly every episode is a punishing sixty minutes, which means that for every one-take melee with tactical gunplay and creative use of everything from axes to fire extinguishers, we have to sit through tepid melodrama involving Clarke’s history and family, or extended flashbacks detailing Scofield’s surprising past with Havlock. What’s more, every few episodes throws a new crazy twist meant to upset the apple cart, but mostly leaves you scratching your head wondering where this is all going.

The show’s large cast also means it has to waste time giving everyone Something to Do, which is often not as appealing as, say, watching Clarke and Cooper throw hands in a mobile arctic research truck dangling over a snowy cliffside. Alfre Woodard and John Slattery show up occasionally, bickering over inter-agency politics for most of the season, which feels like a waste of both their talents; other side characters, like Remnick’s acerbic partner (played by Native actor Dallas Goldtooth), get so little to do one wonders why they rate inclusion in the show’s hyperactive main titles.

When a show this unabashedly stupid fires on all cylinders, it can be entertaining. And don’t get me wrong, the moments when “Last Frontier”‘s characters decide to stop spitting out airport-thriller dialogue and get down to bloody business, it’s a hoot. There’s just a lot of standing around in interrogation rooms and giving briefings around chalkboards that surround it, and the characters themselves aren’t three-dimensional enough to give their corresponding melodrama any heft. (To say nothing of the broader conspiracy the show unravels, which amounts to “Get this, the government is watching all of us!” Yes, and?)

“The Last Frontier” is the kind of series that will open with a weepy flashback about a child getting gunned down senselessly in a car with her father holding her dying body, then ten minutes later give us a giant, nude, roided-out escapee throwing cops around a warehouse to “Dancing in the Moonlight” before getting electrocuted by a puddle. Unless you’re something like “9-1-1,” those read as two different shows. And this thing takes itself just a bit too seriously to let those conflicting punches land.

Whole season screened for review. New episodes air Fridays on Apple TV+.

Apple TV+’s “The Sisters Grimm,” based on the same-named Michael Buckley books, intends to act as an entry point for viewers too young for “Harry Potter” and “The Chronicles of Narnia” who still yearn for a serialized fantasy. Its premise of two sisters who are descendants of the Brothers Grimm and live in a sleepy town full of magical fairy tale characters is reminiscent of that of the ABC series Once Upon a Time—at least before it leaned into the Disney brand synergy for ratings—for a younger crowd. Naturally, it works as a fine diversion for its target audience. Still, given its cramped six-episode structure, “The Sisters Grimm” speaks to the larger issue plaguing family animation and the medium of streaming-era storytelling. 

The first season, which is adapted from the first novel, “The Fairy-tale Detectives,” opens with orphans—because you can’t have children’s fantasy without them—angsty 11-year-old Sabrina (Ariel Winter) and her innocent 7-year-old sister Daphne (Leah Newman) on a train from NYC to Ferryport Landing to live with their estranged grandmother Relda (Laraine Newman).  A year prior, their parents suddenly disappeared. Leaving her and Daphne orphans, the only trace of their parents is a red handprint on their car’s dashboard found at the side of the road. By the time they arrive at Relda’s residence, they’ve been to six foster homes, one of which gave them cat food for snacks. 

Sabrina, instantly apprehensive upon meeting her, is still traumatized by her previous homes and insists on leaving immediately. But they learn the hard way that their new home is among fairytale creatures, dubbed “Everafters.” Soon after, Relda attempts to provide the kids with information about the town and their parents. However, right as Relda conducts an investigation, she’s kidnapped by a giant.

The Grimm sisters set out to rescue their grandmother, all on their own. To do so, they must uncover the mystery behind their lineage and the secrets of the town and navigate the Everafters who inhabit it.

On their very own, the Grimm sisters set out on a rescue mission to save their grandma. To do so, they need to uncover the mystery behind their lineage and the town’s secrets. Many of these are harbored by the suspicious mayor, Prince Charming (Abubakar Salim). They soon find allies in some Everafter beings in Jack the Giant Slayer (Dylan Llewellyn), their house’s magic mirror (Harry Trevaldwyn), and Puck (Billy Harris), a rambunctious 12-year-old fairy from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream who crushes on Sabrina. 

Whereas much children’s television programming today seems hyperactive, “The Sisters Grimm” is a relaxed diversion whose magic stems from its straightforward fantastical tone. Showrunner Amy Higgins and her writing team maintain a consistent, mysterious ambiance, along with steady character development, for its younger demographic, without ever appearing pandering. The primary driving force is the loving, healthy bond between its central leads: Sabrina serves as Daphne’s caregiver, but they are also sisters who provide mutual support and affection, rarely ever arguing. 

Although “Sisters Grimm” is not an educational program and sometimes takes a darker tone, its appeal is reminiscent of the now-defunct PBS Kids GO programming block that I grew up with. It would’ve made itself right at home alongside “WordGirl,” “Wild Kratts,” and “Cyberchase,” offering well-scoped, sophisticated adventures with subtle themes that are both thought-provoking and socially relevant. Additionally, “Sister’s Grimm” has an autumnal illustrative aesthetic that is nicely matched by the muted-color backgrounds. This compensates for the same average animation quality as other programs produced by Titmouse on Apple TV+, such as “Harriet the Spy” and “Frog & Toad.”

Laid-back tone be darned, “Sisters Grimm” falls under the same frustrating spell as so many other animated shows. Its short episode count makes the story rush, acting like a hare when it should be a tortoise. This is particularly true in the season’s second half, which introduces intriguing conflicts and narrative twists regarding the citizens of Ferryport Landing. Considering how much is spent on the mystery at hand, there’s not much earned weight to it, given the story’s limited scope by that point. It’s aggravating to see the standard norms of streaming clip the wings of animated shows that have so much potential and charm. Given that this is the first of many novel adaptations, one can a follow-up season allows it to fully realize its magical realm.

As it stands, “The Sisters Grimm” is charming children’s entertainment. Although it may not be enough to appeal to parents, it is a solid diversion for families seeking a new all-ages show for the fall.

Whole series screened for review. Premieres October 3rd on Apple TV+.

Over the course of three seasons spread over six years, the star-studded, glossy, addictively entertaining albeit extravagantly logic-bending Apple TV+ prestige vehicle “The Morning Show” has been mostly successful in ping-ponging between substantive commentary on real-world issues and events such as the #MeToo movement, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Roe v. Wade overturn and the January 6th attack on the Capitol—and sudsy melodrama about rules-breaking journalists who become the news far too often. As someone who has co-anchored a morning TV show in Chicago and has spent more than a few years as a contributor to other news/information programs (not to mention a certain movie review show), I’ve been thoroughly entertained by the juicy performances and the glam settings and the cliffhanger plot developments. Even when there are times when the series is no more realistic about network television than “WKRP in Cincinnati” was about local Top 40 rock radio.

Season 4 of “The Morning Show” sees a couple of Oscar winners (Jeremy Irons and Marion Cotillard) joining an enormously talented, if sometimes overcrowded, cast, led by linchpins Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, and Billy Crudup. As always, it’s a visually arresting show, with great-looking characters forever stepping out on wraparound balconies with breathtaking views of Manhattan, and expensive-looking set pieces involving a large-scale protest on the streets of New York City, as well as some exquisitely choreographed cloak-and-dagger stuff transpiring during a Puccini opera recital. Alas, by the time we get to that latter sequence, “TMS” has taken so many ludicrous and often ham-handed turns that the entire vehicle has flown off a cliff. It’s only a matter of time before the whole thing comes crashing down in a heap of self-important nonsense.

The problems for Season 4 begin with the way Season 3 ended, effectively sending the three main characters and one major guest star in separate directions. When we last saw Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson, she was about to come clean with the feds about covering up her brother’s assault on a police officer during the Capitol riots. Crudup’s Cory Ellison was seeing his time as UBA network’s CEO come to an end. At the same time, Aniston’s Alex Levy had double-crossed her billionaire tech boyfriend, Paul Marks (Jon Hamm), by engineering a deal where UBA would merge with rival network NBN. Cut to two years later, and all four have indeed gone their separate ways—so how do we get Bradley, Alex, Cory, and even Paul back in each other’s lives? Through a series of hastily developed plot machinations that feel utterly contrived. (They also found a way to have Mark Duplass’ passionate producer Chip Black return to the action. Duplass is once again electric as the closest thing to a moral compass in this ethical shark tank.)

Season 4 is set in late spring/early summer of 2024. The upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris are an early focal point, with UBA pinning its financial hopes on its coverage of the Games, which will include a major AI component. (Timely!) It’s another example of “The Morning Show” tapping into real-world events as dramatic source material—but curiously enough, there is almost zero mention of the 2024 presidential election, which, of course, was the story of that summer. The premiere episode centers on an international incident in which Alex once again finds herself on the other side of the news—but that story thread is pushed to the side in subsequent chapters, which focus on quandaries in which various characters make some truly dubious choices when it comes to steamy hookups and long-term affairs, bend journalistic ethics, and break the law. (“Do I need to recuse myself from [a particular story]?” Bradley asks Alex at one point, and I all but screamed, “YES, BRADLEY. YES YOU DO.”)

The sublime Marion Cotillard is all withering glances and backroom dealings as one Celine Dumont (sounds like a Marx Brothers foil), a scion of a prominent European family dynasty who has become president of the UBA board and is scheming for even more power. To its credit, “TMS” shines a spotlight on the unique difficulties faced by a number of female minority characters, including Greta Lee’s Stella Bak, president of the UBA News Division; Karen Pittman’s Mia Jordan, the producer who keeps bumping up against the glass ceiling; and Nicole Beharie’s Christina Hunter, the former Olympic gold medalist turned rising star anchor. (All three actors are outstanding, knocking it out of the park in their respective showcase moments.“The Morning Show” is BIG on emotionally charged, often confessional monologues.)

In a subplot that seems designed primarily to provide material for Emmy reels, the great Irons parachutes in as Alex’s estranged father, an esteemed law school lecturer who has never bothered to hide his disappointment in her career choices. This does lead to one magnificent scene where she has it out with her father, though it has little to do with the pressing matters at hand.

Then there’s Boyd Holbrook’s Brodie “Bro” Harman, a hugely popular podcaster/live streamer who is part of the UBA-UBN merger, much to Alex’s dismay. He’s a writer’s room combo/platter of Joe Rogan and Alex Jones, e.g., “The American sperm count’s dropping faster than Biden’s poll numbers. That’s why you need to head over to my website and order a tub of Bro Greens. My own personal daily supplement to get those T levels on track, to get you back in the sack.” Time and again, when “Bro” says something outrageous, Alex stomps her feet and curses him out. Ooooh, he’s the worst! This guy might have been an edgy character…in 2015.

Crudup continues to shine in a career-highlight role as Cory, arguably the most complex and interesting character on the series. Aniston and Witherspoon are excellent actors, but it almost comes across as if they share our feeling that Alex and Bradley are no longer particularly fresh and challenging roles, and have possibly been played out. Just prior to the premiere episode of Season 4, Apple TV+ announced that “The Morning Show” will be renewed for a fifth season, and I’m all for that. Here’s hoping everybody regroups, takes one big last swing, and figures out a way to sunset the series on an uptick.

Season 4 of “The Morning Show” premieres September 17th on Apple TV+. Nine of 10 episodes were made available for review.

If Seth Rogen wants to dial the Meta Meter to 11, maybe we’ll see Rogen’s character of Will from “Platonic” crossing over to appear on an episode of “The Studio,” where he can host a premiere party at a brewery in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles for a new movie from Continental Studios, with Rogen’s character of Matt hosting. It’ll be the greatest pairing of its kind since Lisa Kudrow’s Ursula Buffay from “Mad About You” appeared with Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay, Ursula’s twin sister, on “Friends!”

Or maybe not.

For decades, Rogen has crafted an image of the ultimate laid-back pothead hipster who often projects an “I could give two s*****” attitude, but the dude has always worked hard as an actor/writer/director/producer. He’s riding one of the most prolific and productive streaks of his career in recent years, as an executive producer on Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” and Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy,” and a hyphenate force on the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ comedy hit “The Studio,” which tied the comedy record with 23 Emmy nominations in its first year, and “Platonic,” which also has its share of eeeesh moments but is a kinder and gentler brand comedy. Rogen and the invaluable Rose Byrne create a natural and easy chemistry as best friends who are always there for one another—except when they’re not, because they got into another big fight, or one of them has screwed up the other one’s life in epic and horrific (and hilarious) fashion.

The first season of “Platonic” ran from May to July 2023, ending with multiple notes of closure after Byrne’s Sylvia and Rogen’s Will had reconnected in early mid-life after an extended period of estrangement and become best friends again. There were no major cliffhangers and, frankly, there was no compelling reason for a second season; in fact, the show was originally intended as a one-off limited series. Still, thanks to the creative vision of showrunners and real-life married couple Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco (who also has a recurring role on the series as Diane, the real estate agent), the casually lived-in, best-friends rapport of Rogen and Byrne, and an outstanding supporting cast, Season 2 is classic 21st century comfort viewing. With this outing, “Ted Lasso,” “Shrinking,” “Loot,” “Palm Royale,” “Acapulco,” and the recently released “Stick,” Apple TV+ has become the industry leader in warm-hearted, feel-good comedies punctuated by the occasional dramatic beat.

Rogen and Byrne were terrific as a married couple in the Stoller-directed “Neighbors”(2014) and “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” (2016), but it’s refreshing to see them play truly platonic pals here; although Will and Sylvia are great together, they’re smart enough to know they’d be disastrous together-together; there’s never even a hint of a “When Harry Met Sally…” will they/won’t they dynamic.

Season 2 picks up with each of them ensconced in the next chapter of their lives. Will is now working as an exec for the Johnny 66 chain of gastropubs, which has unironically rebranded itself as J-6 after its founder was ousted, and he’s engaged to his boss, Jenna (Rachel Rosenbloom). This dovetails nicely with Sylvia’s nascent career as a party planner; naturally, she’s in charge of putting together all the attendant events for the nuptials. Of course, things aren’t exactly going swimmingly for either of them; if they were, we wouldn’t have a Season 2. Will is having serious misgivings about spending the rest of his life with Jenna, while Sylvia’s business is struggling, and her good-guy lawyer husband Charlie (Luke MacFarlane) is going through a mid-life crisis that has him contemplating leaving the firm and pursuing his dream of becoming the next Scott Turow.

With episode lengths ranging from 24 to 40 minutes, “Platonic” settles into an effortless single-camera comedy rhythm. Byrne and Rogen do most of the heavy lifting, but the supporting cast has game as well. MacFarlane has some superb showcase moments as Charlie, who is obsessed with “Jeopardy!” and dreams of landing a spot on the show, while Carla Gallo kills as Sylvia’s friend Katie, who has a “Boss Mama” podcast where she speaks with “vocal fry,” and sells merchandise “to raise awareness.” (When Sylvia says, “Raise awareness for what?”, Katie deadpans, “You name it.”) Andrew Lopez is a hoot as Will’s business partner Reggie, while “SNL” alums Aidy Bryant, Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney all have memorable guest star turns.

There’s a steady diet of pop culture references, from “Fatal Attraction” to a well-deserved shot at Russell Brand to “Avatar” to Dr. Melfi from “The Sopranos,” but the name- and title-drops never feel forced or overwritten. I also love the attention to detail, from Will’s thrift-store hipster wardrobe choices (he dresses like a 13-year-old’s idea of what a cool 43-year-old would wear), to little moments expressing Sylvia’s family dynamic, e.g., when she takes her three kids to school, and only the youngest one gives her an unprompted hug goodbye, because she’s still at that age of not being self-conscious about Mom. “Platonic” is sweet and light and makes for perfect late summer viewing.

All 10 episodes of Season Two were screened for review. The first two episodes of “Platonic” Season 2 premiere on Apple TV+ on August 6th, with a new episode each week after that.