<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Now that we’re halfway through the calendar year, and another set of Emmy nominations will soon be upon us, it’s time to take stock of which television shows have so far emerged from the pack to remain front of mind. The shows that have stuck with Variety’s chief TV critics Daniel D’Addario and Caroline Framke include some new entries into the awards conversation, including ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and Hulu’s “The Dropout,” and some returning series that made the case for their greatness in novel ways, like HBO’s “Barry” and Netflix’s “Russian Doll.” They also include shows that deserve a second look — both from awards voters and from TV fans who may have missed them amid the ongoing glut of content.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>It’s those shows — ones that haven’t, yet, gotten their moment in the sun, but that sit on streaming services waiting for their ideal viewer to stumble in — that may well provide critics with the most to say. The documentary series “The Andy Warhol Diaries,” for instance, may well be the single most accomplished piece of art to emerge from Ryan Murphy’s deal with Netflix, while HBO’s “Irma Vep” is a sharp, crisp appraisal of the film world by a master director with a keen eye for absurdity. “Ms. Marvel” brought pep and youthful sprightliness to the Disney+ superhero colossus, while HBO’s “Rothaniel” infused the standup-special genre with Jerrod Carmichael’s insight and heart.</div><div><br></div><div>In all, the first half of the year has provided TV fans with a feast worthy of the upstart restaurant on FX’s “The Bear” — one of the fifteen series that our critics singled out as among the year’s very best. Consider this a road map for the next six months of catching up on what you’d missed.</div><div><br></div><div>Abbott Elementary (ABC)</div><div><br></div><div>Every year, someone tries to declare the death of broadcast network television; every year, there’s at least one new broadcast show that begs to differ. This year’s network comedies presented several candidates — including CBS’ hit Britcom remake “Ghosts” and NBC’s engaging hangout sitcom “Grand Crew” — but Quinta Brunson’s “Abbott Elementary” remains the undeniable cultural breakout. With smart jokes and a cast locked into the show’s tone from the beginning, it’s easy to imagine this show defying the ratings odds for years to come. — Caroline Framke</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>The Andy Warhol Diaries (Netflix)</div><div><br></div><div>Exhaustive but sharp and crisp, this six-episode documentary assays the pop artist using his own words. It’s especially thoughtful and intriguing on the subject of his rivalry with the younger art-world star Jean-Michel Basquiat, bringing out the insecure person behind the silk-screens. — Daniel D’Addario</div><div><br></div><div>Barry (HBO)</div><div><br></div><div>A series whose frankness about its own ambition makes it undeniable. In its third season, “Barry” is at once a dissection of contemporary Hollywood in the streaming era and (more crucially, though not every character might see it this way) an examination of whether redemption is possible. The show’s parallel tracks — the culture industry and the murder business — intersect more thrillingly than ever as the stakes in both ratchet up. — D.D.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Bear (FX)</div><div><br></div><div>Dropping all at once on Hulu somewhat unceremoniously, the eight-episode season of Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo’s “The Bear” is nonetheless as confident as it gets. Following the daily stresses of a talented young chef (“Shameless” star Jeremy Allen White), his equally talented sous chef (Ayo Edebiri in a meaty role worthy of her skill), and loudmouth cousin (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they try to keep a Chicago sandwich shop afloat, “The Bear” is a stark, nuanced reminder of just what it takes to make it in a cutthroat kitchen and beyond. — C.F.</div><div><br></div><div>The Dropout (Hulu)</div><div><br></div><div>There have been so many scripted adaptations of true crime stories that at some point, we frankly gave up on trying to keep count. But as a few entries on this list detail, there have been some standouts — and “The Dropout” was exactly that, right off the bat. With an undeniable performance from Amanda Seyfried at its center, Elizabeth Meriweather’s study of how unsettling Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes rose and fell made for some of the year’s sharpest and most compellingly watchable television. — C.F.</div><div><br></div><div>Euphoria (HBO)</div><div><br></div><div>Sam Levinson’s fervid onscreen nightmare of high school life returned for a second season, with heightened drama and deeper commitment to its wild vision. A device by which the students of Euphoria High saw their lives exposed onstage in an autofictional school play provided a compelling mirror, forcing characters to confront themselves, or to collide with one another. — D.D.</div><div><br></div><div>Hacks (HBO Max)</div><div><br></div><div>It would’ve been understandable if “Hacks” had run out of some steam after its first runaway success of a season. Instead, Season 2 of Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky’s comedy dug deeper into the psyches of iconic comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart, sure to be a deserved perennial Emmy winner for this role) and the jaded writer (Hannah Einbinder, equally important) who, despite her every initial instinct, has grown to love the take-no-shit boss she once dismissed as hopelessly toxic. — C.F.</div><div><br></div><div>Irma Vep (HBO)</div><div><br></div><div>Director Olivier Assayas’ adaptation of his own 1996 film brings big-screen “Irma Vep’s” concerns with the state of the film industry into the present day. Assayas is a cunning commentor on the world of entertainment, and while his film, centered around the drama of a French movie set, spoke in whispers about the deadening effect of franchise fare on an actress (played then by Maggie Cheung), his new version (in the same milieu, but with an able Alicia Vikander at its center) practically shouts it. — D.D.</div><div><br></div><div>The Girl From Plainville (Hulu)</div><div><br></div><div>Elle Fanning is outright Emmy-worthy in this drama about the baleful real-life case of Michelle Carter, convicted of involuntary manslaughter for texts seen as encouraging her late boyfriend Conrad Roy to die by suicide. As Carter, Fanning toggles endlessly between ways of being — both in her real life, dull and earthbound, and in the wildly emotional life she constructs for herself and Roy in cyberspace. — D.D.</div><div><br></div><div>Ms. Marvel (Disney+)</div><div><br></div><div>With the caveat that there are three episodes left to go, the first half of the series has been a delight. While most every Marvel Studios television show has proved to ultimately exist to set up a future film (and “Ms. Marvel” undoubtedly will do the same by its finale), Bisha K. Ali’s version tells the origin story of 16 year-old Kamala Khan (newcomer Iman Vellani) with earnest verve, and irresistibly fun visuals to match. — C.F.</div><div><br></div><div>The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans (Paramount+)</div><div><br></div><div>The seven castmates of the 2000 “Real World” season on MTV can legitimately be said to have changed culture: Coming on the air for a rising and politically engaged generation, they discussed race, religion, and sexuality with admirable frankness. Twenty-two years later, the group reconvened to discuss how the culture changed them — with many cast members generating real insight and at least one seemingly lost in the ongoing quest for fame. — D.D.</div><div><br></div><div>Rothaniel (HBO)</div><div><br></div><div>It’s clear while watching “Rothaniel” that making it was one of the hardest, most cathartic things Jerrod Carmichael could do. In one thoughtful, painful, yet hilarious hour of material, Carmichael and director Bo Burnham steer the audience through the comedian’s coming-out process with such skill that it’s simply a treat to be invited at all. — C.F.</div><div><br></div><div>Russian Doll (Netflix)</div><div><br></div><div>Matching the highs of “Russian Doll” Season 1, which was as perfect a close-ended story as could be, was a near impossible task. So it’s to Season 2’s credit that co-creator, star, and director Natasha Lyonne found another way into her character’s story — namely, by going back in time to where it all began. Even when the season feels a bit shaggier than the last, the show remained as challenging, insightful, and wonderfully weird as always. Simply put: more shows could stand to swing for the fences as hard as this one. — C.F.</div><div><br></div><div>Severance (Apple TV+)</div><div><br></div><div>One of the year’s slowest burns turned out to be one of its most disturbing and unforgettable. With eerie production design, a clearly established world, and the likes of Adam Scott, John Turturro, and Patricia Arquette playing employees of a secretive corporation that gets more sinister by the day, “Severance” quickly earned its viewers’ fascination. — C.F.</div><div><br></div><div>WeCrashed (Apple TV+)</div><div><br></div><div>The action of this show kicks into gear when we start spending serious time with Rebekah Neumann (Anne Hathaway). The wife of the founder (Jared Leto) of poorly planned office-space startup WeWork is an unlikely focus point, and yet the show’s real drama — about how it feels to have what one feels are one’s natural gifts overlooked — hinges on Hathaway’s breathtaking performance of insecurity and need. — D.D. -variety</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/TR</div><div><br></div>