TV Talk: Shonda Rhimes invents another winner: ‘Inventing Anna;’ ‘Book of Boba Fett’ closes a chapter

With “Inventing Anna,” writer/uber-producer Shonda Rhimes once again proves why she’s one of the most successful TV writers working today. Rhimes innately understands what viewers want — a juicy story — and happily serves it up on a cafeteria tray.

Rhimes isn’t a showrunner who puts out meditative (re: boring), highbrow fare. Rhimes’ goal is to suck viewers in and leave them wanting more. That’s just what she does in early episodes of “Inventing Anna,” now streaming on Netflix.

Although Rhimes has executive produced other shows of late, most notably the Netflix Shondaland hit “Bridgerton,” “Inventing Anna” is the first series she’s actually created and written portions of in a while (since “Scandal,” as far as I can tell).

Inspired by the New York Magazine article “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People” by Jessica Pressler, the series follows complicated journalist Vivian Kent (a winning Anna Chlumsky, “Veep”) as she tries to untangle the web of lies perpetrated by supposed German heiress Anna Delvey (Julia Garner, “Ozark”), who speaks in the most bizarre mish-mosh of an accent. But all credit to Garner for keeping this strange accent consistent. Thoroughly entertaining thanks to a wealth of Manhattan elites who fell for Delvey’s schtick, “Inventing Anna” proves an addictive, who-is-she? riff on the whodunit.

Each episode tells a portion of Anna’s story from the POV of someone she comes in contact with: her exercise trainer (Laverne Cox, “Orange is the New Black”), a writer (Katie Lowes, “Scandal”), a philanthropist (Kate Burton, “Scandal”) and a hotel concierge clerk (Carnegie Mellon University musical theater grad Alexis Floyd, “The Bold Type”).

As much as the focus is on Anna and her blunt, rude, running commentary (“What are you wearing? You look poor!”), “Inventing Anna” also focuses on Vivian and her efforts to nail down Anna’s story, often entailing visits to Anna in jail, which occasionally give off a “Silence of the Lambs” vibe with Vivian as Clarice Starling and the manipulative Anna in the Dr. Hannibal Lecter role.

“Inventing Anna” marks Rhimes’ first limited series based on a true story, although the show tries to have it both ways with a disclaimer at the start of each episode that reads, “This whole story is completely true, except for the parts that are totally made up.” (Having read the New York story — it includes major spoilers if you plan to watch this show — most of the Anna plot in the Netflix series seems true-to-life, so my guess is Vivian’s story is the more fictitious part of the series.)

The show’s can’t-look-away pull is strongest in early episodes. Like too many Netflix series, including the Shondaland show “Bridgerton,” “Inventing Anna” has enough story for six or seven taut episodes that get stretched out over nine.

The ninth episode, Anna’s trial, proves particularly perplexing. Suddenly Vivian and her magazine colleagues are cheering for Anna to be found not guilty after spending the preceding eight episodes trying to substantiate her crimes. Other than one tossed-off line about how Anna’s up for a longer sentence than male Wall Street fraudsters, this turn isn’t grounded in much beyond a few flashbacks in preceding episodes to Anna’s youth that seek (but mostly fail) to explain why Anna is the way she is.

Typical Netflix series bloat disappointments aside, “Inventing Anna” is a pretty engrossing ride largely due to Chlumsky’s relatability and Garner’s bonkers accent.

‘The Book of Boba Fett’

Spoilers for the “The Book of Boba Fett” season ahead:

While the fan service in Disney+’s “The Book of Boba Fett” was fun, writers Jon Favreau and Mt. Lebanon native Dave Filoni (“The Mandalorian”) took a baffling approach with their latest “Star Wars” series.

Why name a show after Boba Fett and then have the character absent for almost the entirety of two episodes, turning the series into “The Book of Everyone but Boba Fett”?

Sure, it was a blast to spend time with Mando, Luke Skywalker, Grogu, R2-D2 and Ahsoka, but what are they doing taking up 33% of Boba Fett’s book? Did the writers come up with a concept and then get studio notes saying, “Well, we need to see Mando and Grogu, which means Luke has to make an appearance, too?”

Or was “Book of Boba Fett” always intended as a stopgap measure, a bridge to the third season of “The Mandalorian” and not, despite the title, a book in its own right? That’s what the “Boba Fett” finale suggests.

Disney+’s next “Star Wars” series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” will premiere on the streaming service May 25 with Ewan McGregor reprising his role as the title character.

Kept/canceled/revived

As expected, Paramount Network renewed the hit “Yellowstone” for a fifth season.

HBO renewed “Somebody Somewhere” for a second season and “Euphoria” for a third.

Disney+ will bring back “Doogie Kamealoha,” created by University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University grad Kourtney Kang, for season two.

“The L Word: Generation Q” was renewed for its third season on Showtime.

Disney Channel renewed “Secrets of Sulphur Springs” for a third season.

Adult Swim renewed “Birdgirl” and “Smiling Friends” for second seasons.

Within days of its first-season premiere, Amazon renewed “Reacher,” which features shout-outs to Pittsburgh-created Zagunt and Clark Bars, for a second season.

HBO renewed “How To with John Wilson” for a third season; HBO Max did the same for “South Side.”

Hulu’s “Love, Victor” will end after its third season, debuting June 15.

Hulu ordered a 20-episode revival of the animated comedy “Futurama” to debut in 2023.

Channel surfing

Hulu delayed season three of “The Orville” yet again, bumping the premiere from March to June 2. … Niecy Nash (“Claws”) will guest star in two episodes of ABC’s “The Rookie” that will serve as planted pilot episodes for a potential spin-off series featuring Nash as the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy. … NBC’s “Transplant” returns at 10 p.m. March 6. … Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated “West Side Story” remake becomes available on Disney+ March 2. … New episodes of “Reno 911!” stream on Roku Channel Feb. 25. … Variety reports Wendy Williams will not return to her eponymous daytime talk show this season. … The final season of AMC’s “Better Call Saul” will roll out in two batches with seven episodes debuting weekly beginning at 9 p.m. April 18 and the final six airing weekly beginning July 11.