The Buccaneers Season 1

• Creator: Katherine Jakeways
• Starring: Kristine Frøseth, Alisha Boe, Imogen Waterhouse, Aubri Ibrag, Josie Totah, Guy Remmers, Matthew Broome, Mia Threapleton, Josh Dylan, Christina Hendricks
• Eight episode season, three episodes watched for review

Grade: B

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: women in Victorian England had little-to-no agency over their lives. Whether it’s arranged marriages in order to climb the social hierarchy, the lack of job prospects outside the home, or the inability to claim their own sexuality, it was a dour time for the fairer sex. Which is why the recent surge in films and television to give a sort of revisionist history to the period has been both refreshing and a little repetitive. By the time you finish the first three episodes of AppleTV+’s newest series The Buccaneers, you’ve likely seen everything it’s depicting in one way or another, whether it be in shows like Bridgerton or films like Emma. and Emily. However, don’t let that stop you from checking The Buccaneers out, because it’s full of care and compassion that isn’t easy to come by.

Invincible Season 2

• Creator: Robert Kirkman
• Starring: Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, JK Simmons, Zazie Beetz, Walton Goggins, Gillian Jacobs, Andrew Rannells, Zachary Quinto, Jason Mantzoukas
• Four episode season, four episodes watched for review

Grade: A-

While sitting down to watch the newest installment of Invincible, I was trying to figure out what it is that makes the adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s landmark graphic novel series stand out from similar superhero properties. The show doesn’t entirely lean away from the genre’s tropes, but it does distinguish itself in many noticeable ways to make it feel refreshing. It’s clear that Kirkman has a great affinity for comic books of old and the epic struggles of heroes, but he finds ways to subvert expectations at nearly every turn.

Loki Season 2

• Creator: Michael Waldron
• Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jonathan Majors, Ke Huy Quan, Eugene Cordero
• Six episode season, four episodes watched for review

Grade: B

As 2023 continues to drag along, superhero fatigue continues to drag our collective tolerance for the comic book genre with it. With the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 and yours truly’s favorite Harley Quinn cartoon, virtually every superhero-based piece of content, across TV and film, has been an underwhelming mess. Nevertheless, Marvel continues chugging along with its current phase, and with it one of its most highly acclaimed properties for a first-of-its-kind second season. When Loki premiered in 2021, the MCU was still in the early days of its foray into television, still riding high off the near-universal success of WandaVision and still harboring some Endgame-related goodwill in theaters. But the Disney+ series have tapered off, to put it mildly, since then, so Marvel is surely hoping some favorable memories are still carried over for its newest spectacle.

Harley Quinn Season 4

• Creators: Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey
• Starring: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Alan Tudyk, James Adomian, Ron Funches, JB Smoove, Rachel Dratch, Andy Daly, Giancarlo Esposito
• Ten episode season, six episodes watched for review

Grade: B+

Starting over can really suck; whether it’s a new job, or wading back into the dating pool, or moving to a new city. It can be even worse when you’re trying your hand at something brand new, something you haven’t technically mastered yet, and doubly so when the people surrounding you aren’t totally on board yet. Just ask Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), who, at the end of season three of Harley Quinn, set out on different, diametrically opposed, career paths. Harley forsook her life of crime and villainy to become a hero and work with the “Bat family”, aka Nightwing (Harvey Guillen), Robin (Jacob Tremblay), and Batgirl (Briana Cuoco). And Ivy took a new job as head honcho at the Legion of Doom, alongside Lex Luthor (Giancarlo Esposito).