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Reviews of The Righteous Gemstones S4 (HBO Max), Miss Austen (PBS), Overcompensating (Prime Video), 100 Foot Wave S3 (HBO Max), plus a weekly watchlist

Happy Thursday. Jess is writing to you live from the land of red carpets and way-too-small espresso cups. While Cannes’ Croisette is buzzing with standing ovations, there’s a lot happening on the small screen back home, too. In today’s newsletter: news of new and returning shows—and a warm welcome back to the streaming service formerly known (briefly) as “Max.” After a two-year identity crisis, HBO is once again front and center in HBO Max. Looks like Warner Bros. Discovery decided its brand equity was worth clinging to after all.

In today’s edition:
Weekly Watchlist
The Righteous Gemstones - Season 4 (HBO Max)
Miss Austen (PBS / Passport)
Overcompensating (Prime Video)
100 Foot Wave - Season 3 (HBO Max)

— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen

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Below is a selection of new shows and movies premiering this week on streaming. Our unabridged list of May releases, including 2 movies premiering in theaters and 1 streaming premiere this week, is available for premium subscribers.

• Duster (Season 1) — From J.J. Abrams comes this stylish 1970s crime drama about the FBI’s first Black woman agent, who teams up with a getaway driver (Josh Holloway) to take down a rising crime syndicate in the American Southwest.
  Watch on HBO Max: May 15 (1 of 8 episodes, then weekly)

• Love, Death & Robots (Season 4) — The animated anthology returns with 10 new shorts spanning sci-fi, horror, and dark comedy—this time with a cast that includes John Oliver, Kevin Hart, and Niecy Nash-Betts.
  Watch on Netflix: May 15 (all 10 episodes)

• Overcompensating (Season 1) — Benito Skinner stars in this semi-autobiographical college dramedy as a closeted former football star trying to reinvent himself—armed with flavored vodka, fake IDs, and a friendship with an equally chaotic outsider.
  Watch on Prime Video: May 15 (all 8 episodes)

• Welcome to Wrexham (Season 4) — The Red Dragons are back—and now in League One. Season 4 follows Wrexham AFC’s toughest climb yet as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney face new rivals (including Tom Brady’s Birmingham City), mounting injuries, and rising expectations.
  Watch on Hulu: May 15 (2 of 8 episodes, then weekly)

• Murderbot (Season 1) — Based on the beloved sci-fi series by Martha Wells, this action-comedy stars Alexander Skarsgård as a self-aware cyborg just trying to survive corporate contracts, violent missions, and the unbearable awkwardness of human emotions.
  Watch on Apple TV+: May 16 (2 of 10 episodes, then weekly)

• Tucci in Italy (Season 1) — Stanley Tucci returns with a new five-part series that explores the connection between food, culture, and place across regions like Tuscany and Abruzzo.
  Watch on Disney+: May 18 (2 of 5 episodes, then weekly)

• Motorheads (Season 1) — Set in a Rust Belt town, this YA drama follows teens who bond over street racing while navigating grief, friendship, and first love—with Ryan Phillippe in a key role.
  Watch on Prime Video: May 20 (all 10 episodes)

• Nine Perfect Strangers (Season 2) — Nicole Kidman returns with a new cast—Annie Murphy, Henry Golding, Christine Baranski—for another round of intense therapy and emotional unraveling in a colder, snowier retreat.
  Watch on Hulu: May 21 (2 of 8 episodes, then weekly)

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These popular shows came back with new episodes. Here’s what we thought and where you can watch them.

The Righteous Gemstones - Season 4

Photo: Max

Keywords: slapstick comedy, satire, dark humor
Watch if you like: Vice Principals, Eastbound & Down, Silicon Valley
Jess’s Rating: B+

Since its debut, The Righteous Gemstones has been a reliably chaotic satire of American megachurch culture, following a family of wealthy televangelists whose preaching rarely aligns with their deeply questionable behavior. Think Succession but swap boardrooms for pulpits, suits for sequins, and subtlety for Bible puns.

Season four marks the final chapter for the Gemstones, and though it doesn’t quite recapture the highs of the early seasons, it remains laugh-out-loud funny and unapologetically itself. With the Gemstone siblings no longer fighting over their family’s empire, the stakes are notably lower. The season’s first half, especially, feels aimless without a mystery or narrative hook.

That said, the best part of the series has always been the cast, and they continue to perform at max intensity and absurdity. One particular bright spot here is Megan Mullally—new to the ensemble—and she fits seamlessly into a cast that’s unbeatable when it comes to comedic timing.

Even when the story stalls, the actors never do. So while this is not the most engaging chapter of Gemstones history, it’s a satisfying sendoff for a show that’s always known exactly what it is—sharply incisive and outrageously ridiculous at the same time.

— Jess Spoll

Length: 30-min runtime, 4 seasons / 36 episodes
Watch on: Max

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Our thoughts on brand new streaming content, and where you can watch.

Miss Austen

Photo: PBS

Keywords: limited series, period drama, Jane Austen
Watch if you like: Downton Abbey, Persuasion, Becoming Jane
Jenni’s Rating: B

Based on the bestselling novel by Gill Hornby, Miss Austen explores an intriguing historical mystery: why did Jane Austen's sister Cassandra burn so many of her famous sibling's letters? Told across two timelines, this limited series delves into the sisters' close bond, their complicated family dynamics, and romantic entanglements that map closely to those of the heroines in Austen's own beloved novels.

The four-part series gets off to a bit of a slow start, but if you enjoy Regency-era dramas, I urge you to stick with it. It eventually hits all the classic notes—romantic yearning, familial schemes to secure future prosperity, ill-mannered cousins, and the ache of unspoken love. Keeley Hawes anchors the story with warmth and restraint as Cassandra, and she’s supported by a strong ensemble cast that includes several familiar faces like Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones), Alfred Enoch (How to Get Away With Murder), Synnøve Karlsen (Medici), and Patsy Ferran (Mickey 17).

Miss Austen is a pleasant and heartwarming drama that gently and gradually builds, delivering everything you’d expect from an Austen adaptation without actually being one. It’s also easily accessible, even without a Britbox or Acorn subscription, thanks to PBS and its accompanying streaming service, Passport. At a time when federal funding for public media is under threat, tuning in can help sustain quality programming like this. The first two episodes are available to stream for free, but even a little one-time donation to watch all four is a lovely way to support storytelling that values nuance, history, and heart. (Not sponsored, I’m just a fan, lol).

— Jenni

Length: 50-min runtime, limited series / 4 episodes
Watch on: PBS / Passport

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Overcompensating

Keywords: comedy, college, raunchy
Watch if you like: Pen15, Broad City, Girls