Underrated/Overrated

UNDERRATED

Anders Parker: The singer-songwriter’s mid-’00s solo albums “Tell It to the Dust” and “The Wounded Astronaut” were hidden gems with a mix of dusty Americana and jagged, Crazy Horse guitars. Hopefully, Parker’s work on “New Multitudes,” a diverse and dusty new collection of unrecorded Woody Guthrie lyrics with Son Volt’s Jay Farrar, Centro-Matic’s Will Johnson and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, will bring him closer to the surface.

‘Travels to the Edge With Art Wolfe’: In an age where anyone with a phone can live their own Diane Arbus fantasies, there’s still no substitute for a professional. Though this series lasted only 25 episodes a few years back, its constant rotation on PBS means you can check in with Wolfe and his awe-inspiring eye and equipment as he takes better pictures than you in the Grand Canyon, Patagonia and other picture-perfect spots. You might even learn something.

OVERRATED

The Beach Boys reunion: Every generation has its era-defining band, and these sunny sons of Hawthorne certainly would qualify as one of them. And while after 50 years and an impossibly influential body of work they deserve the curtain call, it’s tough getting any more excited about this than the next, inevitable reconvening of the Rolling Stones and what’s left of the Who. You can bring back the band and trot out the hits, but nobody can bring back the time.

HGTV’s ‘My Yard Goes Disney’: Maybe there’s a similar level of commitment among some fans of “The Simpsons” and Snoopy, but there’s something about the Mouse that leads true believers to princess-themed weddings and stays “on property” that remain unique to Disney-philes. This home makeover show takes the immersion to a new level in offering a fully branded backyard, but doesn’t that just amount to in-home corporate sponsorship?

— Chris Barton