‘WandaVision’ finale: Michael Phillips and Nina Metz share their opinions

"Search Party," which follows four friends trying to find a missing woman who went to college with them, is at its best when it's poking fun at Millennial narcissism. The recently released fourth season has a darker tone than past seasons as it explores the consequences of the friends' actions. (HBO Max) — Tracy Swartz

When Alex Trebek died in November, it was tough to imagine "Jeopardy!" without him. But Ken Jennings has been masterful as a guest host, and there's optimism that future guest hosts, including Mayim Bialik and Katie Couric, will add their own special touches. Chicagoans may want to tune out Aaron Rodgers's run as guest host, though. Watching him control another game may be too much to bear. (WLS-Ch. 7) — Tracy Swartz

Michaela Coel's "I May Destroy You" was one of the best new television series in 2020. And yet the critically acclaimed show — created, written, co-directed, executive produced and starring Coel — was snubbed by the Golden Globes. The HBO drama series follows British 20-something writer Arabella Essiedu (Coel), an overnight success following her debut novel. She decides to take a break and meet up with friends in London as she struggles to meet the deadline for her second book. When she wakes up the next morning, she can't remember any events from the night before because her drink was spiked, but it's clear she was date-raped. The sexual assault pushes Arabella to question her friends, career and her life. (HBO Max) — Hannah Herrera Greenspan

It's a singular experience, watching Chloé Zhao's film "Nomadland" — a drama about a woman rerouting her life in far-flung directions, in the wake of the 2008 economic meltdown — from the vantage point of our own crises today. It's a fine and bittersweet beauty in any case. Frances McDormand plays a woman living off the grid, as one of the American West's nomadic travelers, following the jobs, making friends where she can, getting a little closer to herself. Zhao's previous film, "The Rider," is amazing; by contrast, "Nomadland" has its moments of dramatic convenience and contrivance, but very few, and its sense of landscape and character is rare indeed. (Theaters, Hulu) — Michael Phillips

As an admitted food illiterate, I was always drawn to Anthony Bourdain's punk take on cultures of the world as told through cuisine. The food was rarely something I would eat, but the lives built around it were always fascinating. Stanley Tucci brings a more sophisticated take to his new CNN series (broadcast Sundays and on demand), which was recently renewed for a second season. Granted, Italy is a more familiar place in both its food and its culture, and Tucci's clothes and basic Italian speech gives him more of an insider's look than was often the case with Bourdain. It all works — and makes me want to travel and eat there when this pandemic is finally behind us. (CNN) — Scott L. Powers

"The Equalizer" is one of those shows that if you've lived long enough, you've seen all the iterations. I am one such person who has seen the 1985 drama with the late Edward Woodward, the movies with Denzel Washington (directed by Antoine Fuqua), and now the CBS version with Queen Latifah in the lead. Granted, I didn't want to be skeptical, because it's the Queen, amiright? But I was. After two episodes, I'm skeptical no more. With Adam Goldberg as the tech guy helping Queen's Robyn McCall — a mom who is juggling saving the world with family life — I'm all in. McCall is a savior without the complex who is battling her own demons. What's not to like? She is every Black woman I've ever known. Needless to say, I can't stop watching. (CBS) — Darcel Rockett

What am I watching? Well, how about I tell you what I'm re-watching when I get the chance: "Judas and the Black Messiah." It's a Chicago story few know well, and very few know about the FBI informant William O'Neal who, in 1968 and 1969, infiltrated the Illinois Black Panther Party, ingratiated himself with chairman Fred Hampton — and ended up aiding law enforcement officials prepare a so-called "raid" that was, underneath, by definition and conspiracy, a mission to assassinate Hampton. Director and co-writer Shaka King's bracing, vividly acted drama splits the narrative difference between Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) and O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield). A bit wobbly in its final third, but well worth seeing. And re-seeing. (In theaters, HBO Max) — Michael Phillips

The docuseries explores the death of Cecil Hotel guest Elisa Lam, who was discovered in a rooftop water tank at the notorious Los Angeles hotel in 2013. The four-hour project provides new insight into Lam's death, but only after devoting too much time to wild conspiracy theories. (Netflix) — Tracy Swartz

Attention fans: "The Muppet Show" has finally made it to Disney+! All five seasons of the original show of our favorite felt friends — Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and so many more — are now streaming. I was not lucky enough to grow up during a time when I could watch these puppets every Friday night along with a new guest star, like Julie Andrews or Vincent Price. Instead I grew up with ritual viewings of "The Muppets Christmas Carol" and singing along with Tim Curry and the motley crew of "Muppets Treasure Island." After having to endure the atrocious "Muppets Most Wanted" and bland "Muppets Now" shorts, I am happy to devote my time to the original Muppets — entertaining, funny and nostalgic. — Lauren Hill

Pandemic documentaries aside, "The Social Dilemma" is one of the most frightening films you can watch. We can debate the use of dramatic license clouding the disturbing message in this 94-minute film. But this remains the story of how Facebook, Twitter and other social media, including news media sites, take our participation and use it to over-amplify our beliefs, accelerate the "us vs. them" stratification of the culture, and at worst, destroy the line between truth and lies. The strengths of this 2020 documentary are the interviews with the Facebook, Twitter and Google executives who brought us here, and wish they hadn't. All of this begs the question "The Social Dilemma" doesn't deal with in any satisfying way: "So, now what?" There's not enough of that, and turning off your phones and computers just isn't enough in 2021. (Netflix) — Scott L. Powers

The premise: An alien crashes on Earth and hides in the Colorado mountain town of Patience by assuming the identity of the town doctor. The otherworldly being is up to no good (think extinction event), but even as he pulls wool over the eyes of everyone in the town, one kid can see him for who he is. Blame it on my penchant for the quirky, (yes, I was a fan of "Eureka," "Warehouse 13" and "Lost Girl"), but watching Alan Tudyk, doing what he does best embodying the unusual and making it memorable, is always worth the time and energy. Add to that Corey Reynolds from "The Closer" doing comedy (he plays the sheriff), I can't look away. (Syfy) — Darcel Rockett

Don Johnson returns to television Feb. 16 co-starring on the NBC sitcom "Kenan" (with "SNL's" Kenan Thompson in the title role). While I have so many concerns about cop shows in general, I was inspired to go back and watch "Miami Vice," the show that made Johnson famous, starting with the 1984 pilot. The show lives in my memory as a very intense primetime crime drama, but the pilot is funnier than I expected — especially the underrated Phillip Michael Thomas. A lot was made at the time about the show's clothing and music, and really, the look and sound of the show is half the fun. The series became increasingly darker as the seasons progressed, but the two-hour pilot (titled "Brother's Keeper") is such a well-made episode of television that works as a stand-alone movie all its own. (p.s. Sonny has a pet alligator named Elvis that he keeps chained up on his boat and it's meant to be comic relief? I have no memory of this and I hate it.) (NBC/Hulu/Starz/Amazon) — Nina Metz

Last week it was announced the current season of the CBS sitcom "Mom" would be its last. I'm not sure "Mom" has ever received the acclaim it deserved. It wasn't until the show's second season that it really found its footing and became centered primarily on the push-pull dynamic between a mother (Allison Janney's brazenly unfiltered Bonnie) and her adult daughter (Anna Faris's put-on Christy), both of whom are picking up the pieces of their lives after years of substance abuse. Faris left the show this year for unspecified reasons and though the supporting cast (a group of women who attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings together) has always been strong, without that central tension between Bonnie and Christy, the show feels a bit lost without their odd couple energy. So if you've never had the pleasure, may I recommend going back and starting with Season 2 and watching through Season 6 or so (Christy's children vanished without a trace in Season 7; it was weird). Money is often tight — a theme often left untouched on other sitcoms — and relapses are treated with far more realism than the Very Special Episodes of old. These are legitimately messy people, but they feel real and fully developed. (CBS All Access/Paramount+) — Nina Metz

You probably never heard of Ramy Youssef or his hit show "Ramy" before he won the 2020 Golden Globe for best actor in a television series. This comedy-drama series chronicles first-generation Egyptian American Muslim Ramy Hassan (portrayed by Youssef) as he navigates the awkwardness of being an American millennial and his cultural expectations. Unlike his Muslim friends, Hassan breaks all the rules with porn and premarital sex. The series has been renewed for a third season, so now is a great time to get caught up. (Hulu) — Hannah Herrera Greenspan