Variety.com

Even by the standards of network television, NBC’s “The Village” wears its inspiration boldly and openly: It’s “This Is Us.”

Generally, “The Act” nails what it’s going for — a grotty, nasty, poisonous fable.

This is a series that very much wants to be “Pretty Little Liars: All Grown Up.”

The Hulu comedy centers on a woman who might otherwise be relegated to quirky best friend status — or worse still, a sad punchline.

The Broadway “Be More Chill” feels more even and flows more smoothly than it did Off Broadway.

Ivo van Hove’s stage adaptation fine-tunes its feminism for our own sexist age — image-obsessed, anti-aging, the time of Time’s Up.

Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano star as battling brothers in a disappointing Broadway revival of Sam Shepard’s classic.

Jeff Daniels takes on the towering figure of Atticus Finch in Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway adaptation of Harper Lee’s famous novel.

Juice Wrld’s “Death Race for Love” features some distractingly bad bars, and yet, the skilled and quick-witted freestyler still shines.

Solange’s “When I Get Home” is a challenging yet satisfying follow-up to the critically revered “A Seat at the Table.”

On “Harverd Dropout,” Lil Pump sometimes plays dumb, but his catchy choruses and on-message rapping show he’s no dummy.

Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” finds an artist enduring hardship in the public eye, and making one of the best pop albums of the year.

“Devil May Cry 5” shakes off the rust and reminds us why we liked these games, but you have to work to ignore its outdated feel.

Even if you put aside the potential for a console hard crash, “Anthem” is a disjointed and clunky experience.

“Crackdown 3” works by doing the minimum. And these days, the minimum feels like a reprieve.

“New Dawn’s” evolving world makes it easy to see why creators see the appeal, but it’s also a story that overstays its welcome.