New and returning shows for your escapist pleasure

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

There’s been a lot to absorb in the real world over the past few weeks, and many of us may be looking for some escape. There are lots of healthy ways to do that: exercise, pursuing a hobby, reconnecting with old friends, reading an actual book. But let’s be honest, the pull of the boob tube is strong. Don’t feel bad if you can’t resist it. Luckily, a number of series have either recently premiered on various streaming services or returned with new seasons in recent weeks. Here’s a brief rundown of a couple of shows that have caught my eye:

Fallout Season 2

This post-apocalyptic horror-comedy-drama again delivers on stellar world building, set design and production value, and pitch-perfect performances. We’re still following Vault-dweller Lucy on her quest to find her dad. This time, though, she’s not trying to save him — she wants to bring him to justice, since it turned out that he was one of the top villains of the wasteland all along. Scene-stealing radiation zombie The Ghoul is also back, as well as our favorite knight of the Brotherhood of Steel, who has gotten himself in far too deep with the religio-fascist-techno cult that he once wished so much to join. With a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.3/10 on IMDb and currently ranked No. 1 on Amazon, tune in every Wednesday to see what all the fuss is about.

Primal

This bizarre series has stolen my heart. Fans of adult animation and high-concept fantasy will also fall in love with grunting caveman Spear and his trusty T. rex sidekick Fang as they barrel through an imaginary world filled with terrifying danger and nonstop ultra-violence in a far-distant past. Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, it’s a splendorous production that manages to be thrilling and affecting at the same time — all with hardly any dialogue (and what there is of it is barely articulate and/or in an unsubtitled “primitive” language). Now in its third season, we encounter Spear following a resurrection that has left him in a revenant state and with about a quarter of his skull missing. It’s hard to tell where it’s all going at this point, but I can’t wait to find out. New episodes on Sundays on HBO. 

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

The latest addition to the Star Trek franchise premiered with two episodes on Jan. 15, focused on the first class of cadets in Starfleet since it was destroyed by a mysterious disaster more than a century before. Well-informed Trekkies know that Starfleet Academy is a follow-up to Star Trek: Discovery, which ended in 2024. Set in the 32nd century, things are perilous on the final frontier, with civilizations, empires and factions fractured by the collapse of the Federation, whose remnants seem to have become far more militaristic than in the old days. Rebuilding the academy — and thus the Federation — will be hard work, and the young adults at the center of the story are going to have to do the heavy lifting with the guidance of their academy chancellor and captain, Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter). Trump Chief of Staff Stephen Miller hates it for being too “woke,” which is all the recommendation I need to keep tuning in. Episodes are Thursdays on Paramount+.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

This much-anticipated spinoff prequel of Game of Thrones aired its first episode on Jan. 18 on HBO, and has so far been a bigger hit with critics than audiences (95% vs. 72%, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes). Based on the novella The Hedge Knight by GoTauthor George R.R. Martin, AKotSK takes place about 100 years before the dragons-and-white walkers showdown of the original series and centers on dimwitted but good-natured and lovable Ser Duncan the Tall and his plucky little bald-headed squire Egg. With only one episode as of press time, all I can say is it’s a pleasure to look at and entertaining enough, but totally lacking in the sweep, drama, grandeur and stakes of GoT or its other spinoff House of theDragon (the latter which was a dud). Overall, it feels awfully generic, but we’ve only just begun to see what Dunc and Egg get up to. New episodes on Sundays.