What's Worth Watching On TV? We Tell You About 'The Lazarus Project' And Offer More Thoughts On 'Primo' And 'With Love'

The world of television and streaming is honestly so vast that it can get quite overwhelming having to sift through it all by yourself. You’ll see billboards for upcoming shows and advertisements all over your social media feeds, and even find them when you’re watching other TV shows. Kinda hard to make sense of all that, right?

But it’s for reasons like these that we want to help you out. Every week on the LAist 89.3 program AirTalk, we dedicate one segment to talk about the latest in television with a couple of television critics, getting their insights into what’s worth checking out. In this shortened week of reviews, we were joined by Cristina Escobar, TV critic and co-founder of LatinaMedia.Co

So I’ll give you a rundown of some shows we talked about, offer some insights into each one, and even draw comparisons that might help you make a decision on what to watch.

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The Lazarus Project

Airing on TNT and streaming on Hulu

A personal tragedy has set George on a collision course with the Lazarus Project.

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Simon Ridgway

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The basics: George’s life takes a massive turn when he discovers he's traveling back in time. In search of answers, he ends up joining a secret organization whose purpose is to prevent cataclysmic events that could lead to society’s extinction.

What it might remind you of: It has time travel elements, with the main fear being that the world could very much end if there isn’t a resolution. It’s like Groundhog Day but it’s unique in that the structure of time in the show isn’t having George relive events — instead, he’s just getting brought back to the same day only when a cataclysmic event isn’t stopped. The show references itself as having the format of a video game, so keep that in mind.

Who's behind it: The writer behind the show is Joe Barton, who’s worked on two recent shows you’ll find on Netflix: There’s the crime drama Giri/Haji and also The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, an adaptation of Sally Green’s Half Bad, which was also quite dramatic, but has more of a fantasy element to it.

There are certainly takeaways from both shows that you’ll find in The Lazarus Project, but it does, however, share a different fate as of now with it already having been renewed for a second season. If this all leaves you curious, I’d say check out Barton and Co.'s efforts on the show.

When and where: Episode 2 airs Sunday, June 11 on TNT and streaming the next day.

Read Cristina’s review for The Lazarus Project by clicking here.

With Love [Season 2]

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Photo of Emeraude Toubia (Lily Diaz) and Desmond Chiam (Nick Zhao) in With Love Season 2

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The basics: A comedic, heartwarming story about family members all trying to find love and affection. The story follows the Diaz family, with siblings Lily and Jorge being the main characters, trying to find romance. Each episode, the story fast-forwards to a different holiday in which we see the progress that’s been made in that time.

What it might remind you of: It’s a romantic comedy that tends to center around holidays, which definitely reminded me of the 2003 film Love Actually, intertwining multiple stories about love in a way that tends to skip around more than a traditional story format.

Who's behind it: The show’s creator is Gloria Calderón Kellett, who was the executive producer for Netflix’s reimagining of the show One Day At A Time and also has a writer & co-producer for the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

When and where: All episodes are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.

Primo

Streaming on Freevee

Photo of the Gonzales family in "Primo."

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The basics: A sitcom following the life of Rafa, a San Antonio teenager who lives with his mom and is often visited by his five uncles. Each uncle brings his own distinctive personality to the table as they try to teach Rafa about life, but in ways that show how humorously headstrong they can all be. There’s of course Rafa’s mother, Drea, who serves as the steadying presence in this family, although she does sometimes have her own lapses (The Cook Out episode being the best example of it).

What it might remind you of: For those who grew up in big households, this very well may remind you of your life. Although my immediate family growing up was just five people, the cast of characters in my family life week-to-week was much greater. Every weekend I was either visiting extended family somewhere in Los Angeles County or they were visiting us. Even though this show’s setting is San Antonio, I saw aspects of my life in full display, not just in the show Latinidad but with how a kid can really take a lot from a roundtable of role models.

The gags in the show are hilarious too, with the running gag in each 30-minute episode never running stale by the end. Just like all great sitcoms, it does have its serious moments, which is a balance that kept me interested all the way through.

Who's behind it: The show is an autobiographical story of Shea Serrano’s life. Prior to working on Primo, he was writing for The Ringer. He’s also a New York Times bestselling author for his books The Rap Yearbook, Basketball and Other Things, and Movies and Other Things. He also developed Primo with showrunner Mike Schur, whose credits include The Office, Parks and Recreation, and The Good Place.

When and where: All eight episodes are streaming now on Amazon's Freevee service.

Read Cristina’s review of Primo here.