‘Adolescence’

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This harrowing drama consisted of four episodes, all shot in a single take. It told the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller (the debut role for Owen Cooper, who deservedly won an Emmy for his faultless performance), who is accused of murdering a schoolmate, and the aftermath of that accusation for his family. “Adolescence” was the perfect blend of style and substance; you could marvel at the “balletic production processes that must have been involved,” as our reviewer noted, even while squirming in your seat at the painfully raw performances of the excellent ensemble cast. “It may be one of the most upsetting shows released this year,” our review concluded, “but it is also a remarkable work of art.”

‘Severance’ S2

Apple’s absorbing sci-fi comedy-drama expanded its universe in season two, as Mark S (Adam Scott) and his team of data refiners dealt with the fallout from their successful, if brief, escape from their ‘severed’ floor — where work and out-of-work memories and personalities are controlled and delineated by a chip embedded in their brains — at Lumon, during which they tried to alert the outside world to the cruelties of their working conditions. “Creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller waste no time in rediscovering the subtle blend of tangible oddness and sinister dystopian creepiness that made the first season such an uncomfortable joy,” our reviewer wrote.