As we approach the Emmy consideration deadline, with the Network season over, the tide of new series is slowing a bit. Still, we got a couple interesting new additions to the TV landscape, and you might be wondering what is worth your time to check out. Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new series this Spring. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Wednesdays:
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Streaming Wednesdays on Apple TV (Premiered May 20)
About: This new series focuses on a mother, Paula (Tatiana Maslany), who is trying to balance the demands of work and being a co-parent. She’s gone through a messy divorce, and her ex-husband Karl (Jake Johnson), is always trying to push to take more away. So, when she connects with a cam boy, gets scammed, and gets pulled into a murder, it’s not a great look. She pleads with the local detective (Dolly De Leon) to help find the real killer. But she also employs her co-workers in the fact checking department (Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg and Charlie Hall) to try and get to the truth on her own. It doesn’t go as planned. This series is a strong new offering from creator David Rosen (Sugar, Citadel). It has a lot of twists and turns, and a lot of fun performances, blending comedy, drama, and mystery. It’s a 10-episode season, most hewing right around a half an hour, though the pilot runs a bit longer. I love Maslany in the lead role, and I enjoyed the supporting cast. I blew through the season on screener, and it’s worth the commitment. The first two episodes dropped Wednesday, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly through July.
Pilot Grade: A-
Second Episode: B+

Streaming Series:
The Boroughs, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered May 21)
About: This new drama series feels a bit like Stranger Things for the retired set. It makes sense that it’s another project produced by the Dufer Brothers, this one created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). The series is set at a remote retirement community, The Boroughs, which seems like an idyllic place to spend your golden years. But it’s not where Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) wants to be. He starts to soften thanks to his neighbor Jack (Bill Pullman), but when Jack turns up dead, Sam is convinced something more sinister is going on. He teams up with his neighbors (Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Geena Davis, and Clarke Peters) to discover what’s happening, diving deep into a mystery that threatens the whole community. This is an engaging mystery series. It’s got an incredible cast, including cameos and supporting parts from Jena Malone, Jane Kaczmarek, Dee Wallace, and Mary McDonnell, among others. But it’s the mystery, and the blend of humor and drama that helps it all go down easy. The series is just eight episodes, each between 55 and 40 minutes. (The pilot is the longest episode). It’s a breezy watch that makes for an ideal binge, as I did over the weekend. And it’s worth the payoff to see how the journey winds to a conclusion.
Pilot Grade: B
Second Episode: B

Mating Season, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered May 22)
About: This is the latest adult animated series. It comes from Jennifer Flackett, Andrew Goldberg, and Nick Kroll, who also voices one of the leads opposite Zach Woods. The rest of the voice cast is solid, including June Diane Raphael and Sabrina Jalees, among others. It focuses on a group of animals who awake in the spring to mating season. It puts a lot of pressure on them to couple up and to procreate, but it’s a tough dating scene out in the woods. That’s especially true for Josh (Woods), a bear who overslept and finds his mate having moved on. He best friend Ray (Kroll), a horny raccoon, tries to help him move forward. Along with their other friends, they get into all kinds of shenanigans as they try to enjoy mating season. Kroll had another over-the-top, adult animated series on Netflix in Big Mouth. This feels very much in that spirit, but just focused on woodland creatures as the primary heroes. If that’s your jam, this will be for you. If you’re looking for something a little more sophisticated, this will be a disappointment.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.