Evil
Now in its third season, Evil manages to combine the slick production values of what still feels like a network show (it started on CBS but moved to Paramount+) with surprisingly complex characters (the excellent cast includes Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Michael Emerson, and Christine Lahti), a storyline that blends monster-of-the-week procedurals (the main characters investigate paranormal phenomena for the Catholic Church) with ongoing arcs and dramas, and the utter fearlessness to just… get as bizarre and shocking as it damn well pleases. Season two’s nearly dialogue-free episode, “S Is for Silence,” was a creative standout for any series, much less one that regularly that deals with horny monsters and Satanic conspiracies and possessed children. This season’s ongoing theme is “Demons” (with episodes so far titled “The Demon of Memes,” “The Demon of Sex,” etc.), but Evil is so committed to its freaky-yet-somehow-also-classy storytelling that it barely feels like a gimmick at this point. – Cheryl Eddy
