Catch ‘Brilliant Minds’ on NBC, stream ‘Landman’ on Paramount+ and try ‘Anne+’ on Roku
Hey, TV watchers! My name is Michel Ghanem, and I’m a freelance television critic and writer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Some of you may know me as tvscholar, my moniker on Instagram, or from my Substack newsletter for television lovers.
I watch approximately 160 seasons of TV a year and am grateful every day that I get to live and breathe a medium I love so much. I’m thrilled you’re here to embark on this journey with me with Trust Me, I Watch Everything. Every two weeks, I’ll share the shows worth your TV time and tell you how to tune in.
Fall television is in full swing, with solid weekly shows finding their groove into November. Don’t sleep on NBC’s Brilliant Minds — a consistent medical procedural led by an always-great Zachary Quinto. Over on streaming, Pluribus is an addictive high-concept sci-fi drama from the creator of Breaking Bad, and it’s one that will definitely have you spinning theories into winter. Finally, catch Anne+ for free on Tubi or Roku, a charming queer coming-of-age story for the 20-somethings in those tender postcollege years. And there’s much more where that came from. Let’s dive in.
⏰ Tune in
My recommendation: Brilliant Minds
Why you should watch it: Having watched every episode of ER, Grey’s Anatomy and Nurse Jackie, I frequently wonder if there is anything truly new to explore in the medical genre. Brilliant Minds has proven me wrong, to my delight.
The series abandons the oppressively bright and shiny cinematography typical of hospital dramas for a more understated look, and brings in the very capable Zachary Quinto to star as Dr. Oliver Wolf, a physician inspired by the late neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks. He works with his best friend of 20 years, Dr. Carol Pierce (Tamberla Perry), at Bronx General Hospital.
The twist here is that Oliver is a doctor with prosopagnosia, a condition that causes the inability to recognize faces. His disorder forces him to rely on other metrics to remember his patients, meaning he usually goes the extra mile for their care — seeing each individual as a fully dimensional human rather than simply a patient.
The show, now in its second season, finds a great balance between being light on its feet and smart without falling into too many doctor show clichés — although I would appreciate it if Brilliant Minds breathed more life into the nurse characters that fill these scenes, something shows like The Pitt and ER excel at.
It is also worth noting that Brilliant Minds is the only network series with a gay protagonist currently on air. A recent GLAAD study found that nearly half of television’s LGBTQ characters will not be returning in the 2025-26 television season. I personally like to see myself represented, so I will be watching Brilliant Minds carefully. It’s a bonus that it’s such a solid medical show.
How to watch: New episodes of Brilliant Minds air on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC and stream the next day on Peacock.
My bonus recommendation: The American Revolution
Why you should watch it: There’s a reason why Ken Burns has such a devoted following. His iconic documentaries have won award upon award for being carefully researched and brilliantly edited, and unpacking crucial histories of the United States.
He returns with The American Revolution, a six-episode series that explores the founding of the United States and the eight-year war for independence. In classic Burns fashion, the voice cast is stacked, including Tom Hanks, Claire Danes, Matthew Rhys, Maya Hawke and Laura Linney, who help bring these stories to life.
The documentary was shot in nearly 100 different locations, and it’s clear from the first few minutes of the first episode that this project is densely researched. It’s something of a commitment to watch, though: Each episode is two hours long, and the languid style likely won’t convert anyone whose attention span has dwindled to the length of a TikTok.
For those days when you’re craving a juicy history lesson with multifaceted perspectives, The American Revolution will hit the spot.
How to watch: Episodes of The American Revolution air daily on PBS from Nov. 16 through Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. ET. The full series is available to stream at PBS.org and on the PBS app.
📺 Stream it
My recommendation: Landman
Why you should watch it: Taylor Sheridan has built quite the television empire since his monster hit Yellowstone, and Landman delivers on similar fronts. The grumpy no-nonsense Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) is the landman of a rural town in West Texas. His son, Cooper (Jacob Lofland), is starting a new career in the oil fields, and Tommy is trying to rebuild his relationship with his ex-wife, Angela (Ali Larter).
Like Yellowstone, Landman can be uneven at times. The thread of the plot is frequently lost or convoluted, and Sheridan’s tendency to sexualize Norris’s 17-year-old daughter here is uncomfortable to watch. Thankfully, the show balances that out with other entertaining scenes and plotlines — like Angela bringing the residents of a nursing home to a strip club to cheer them up.
What makes the show work is that it turns up the intensity when it needs to, especially with the addition of an out-of-town pit bull liability lawyer. Rebecca (Kayla Wallace) makes easy work of her legal opposition while investigating an oil pump explosion, and ends up being the perfect foil for Tommy, who initially underestimates her abilities.
Sheridan’s tendency to cast highly capable actors helps elevate it all. With Season 2 premiering, Jon Hamm won’t be returning as Tommy’s boss, Monty Miller, but Demi Moore, who plays his wife, Cami, gets more material to work with this time around.
How to watch: New episodes of Landman stream on Sundays on Paramount+.
My bonus recommendation: Pluribus
Why you should watch it: The creator of Breaking Bad releasing a mystery box alien-adjacent drama reminiscent of Invasion of the Body Snatchers was not on my bingo card for 2025. Luckily, that unique blend of elements has created one of the strongest shows of the year.
Pluribus stars Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul) as Carol, a fantasy romance fiction writer who’s not the happiest in her life, dragging her feet through her latest book tour with her partner and manager (Miriam Shor). Meanwhile, researchers receive a signal from space that they realize is a sequence of genetic code. While testing it out, a leak turns into a ground zero event, and this DNA virus spreads rapidly throughout the globe.
The virus in question isn’t so nefarious: It connects all human beings to one hive mind. The hive mind humans seem quite happy, actually. There is no longer war or crime, and they don’t even kill animals. Carol is mysteriously immune, leaving it up to her to figure out what is happening and what she can do to reverse it — if that’s even what would serve humankind, in the end.
It’s not quite an alien show but not quite a pandemic apocalypse either — it’s something in between. One thing is for sure: It’s damn captivating and likely one of the best new dramas to premiere this year, with another great performance by Seehorn, and enough mystery to linger in your mind for days after you watch an episode. The first episode will knock your socks off.
How to watch: New episodes of Pluribus stream on Fridays on Apple TV.
But that’s not all …
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The Beast in Me: An acclaimed author (Claire Danes) finds a new muse in her neighbor (Matthew Rhys), who’s been accused of killing his ex-wife, in this propulsive cat-and-mouse thriller with fantastic lead performances and a satisfying conclusion. I could barely stop binge-watching my screeners. All eight episodes of The Beast in Me are now streaming on Netflix.
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Surviving Mormonism: Real Housewives star Heather Gay has made a name for herself beyond the Bravo series by calling out the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its strict doctrines and rhetoric, as well as the way she was treated by the church after her divorce. In this brief docuseries, she sits down with former members who say they have experienced abuse at the hands of the church. All three episodes of Surviving Mormonism are now streaming on Peacock.
💎 Hidden gems
My recommendation: Anne+
Why you should watch it: One of my favorite genres on television is the coming-of-age story. Navigating those tender years following college, when you’re thrust into a harsh world and have to figure out your career and relationships, can be both confusing and rewarding. Anne+, a Dutch-language dramedy with an indie vibe, is one of the best recent entries to this canon.
We follow the titular 24-year-old Anne (Hanna van Vliet) as she moves into her first solo apartment in Amsterdam. The “+” in question refers to the romantic partners she picks up along the way, with each episode structured around them. These include an ex-girlfriend she’s known since high school, her boss with whom she has an affair while interning at a publishing firm and a woman who’s only just discovering her sexuality.
It’s a brilliant structure for the episodic format and one that expands in the second season to include other couples in Anne’s circle of friends. What begins to form is a show about a community of queer friends who support each other through the highs and lows of young adulthood.
If it were up to me, Anne+ would have run for 10 seasons with multiple international iterations. The series was originally crowdfunded before being picked up for two seasons on Dutch networks in 2018, but it received a boost when Netflix commissioned its creators for an original 2021 film, which serves as a series finale of sorts.
How to watch: Both seasons of Anne+ can be streamed for free on Tubi, Roku or Hoopla. The finale film, also titled Anne+, is streaming on Netflix.
That’s the end of this week’s episode, but there will always be more TV to watch. Tune in again with me on Dec. 1 for more recommendations.
Think there’s something missing that deserves my TV time? Let me know what else I should have on my radar in the comments below!
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