The Real O’Neals is funny, offbeat and sweet in its depiction of a loving family whose members are sometimes their own worst enemies.

Tambor gives a nuanced, career-defining performance here.

Bright Lights shows both women knew that fame was just a distraction. The only thing that mattered was each other.

Peregrym fits as the quintessential Wolf heroine: Broody, brunette, powering through her angst, which in typical Wolf fashion is considerable and grows exponentially. The drama’s explosions are harrowing, and the score adds an appropriate amount of dread to the grim investigation.

The triangle--quadrangle?--becomes more twisted by episode's end. It leads to shocking violence against outsiders that deepens the tragedy and the mythology at the core of the show. "Game on" just might be the two most chilling words uttered this season.

Season four is definitely a turning point for these characters, as we watch them reach for some semblance of adulthood, but this newfound maturity is shaky at best.

Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous is a clever riff on the fanaticism and cynicism inspired by the network’s own reality slate, including “Teen Mom,” “16 and Pregnant” and “Buckwild.

The Royals wouldn’t be watchable at all except for Queen Helena, played to the hilt by Elizabeth Hurley.

Game of Thrones plays by its own rules--and remains irresistible.

Castle Rock shows a tremendous investment of time and creativity. It’s worth your walk on the dark side.

It’s like attempting to empty the ocean with a bucket. But this season of“American Crime makes the case if you aren’t trying, you’re the problem.

Emmy winner Amy Sherman-Palladino, the series creator, writer and director, has imbued Maisel with more genuine humor and warmth than any of her other previous work. This cast is ready to impress.

Additional time would have made Verite more convincing. At 90 minutes, it runs short, especially as the family copes with its newfound notoriety

While each night delivers some terrifically tense scenes, series creator Neil Cross’ scripts for nights three and four suffer from some flimsy foreshadowing and serve up slight characterizations of Luther’s antagonists.

Cross The Bridge at your own peril. You just might get stranded in the summer’s best mystery.

It’s a dizzying, bewildering, wonderful joy to watch their communal moments.

A dramedy poised to be the breakout show of fall — if it can only overcome the trying symptoms of treacle.

It brims with nice, talented people making impossibly crazy beautiful things. It’s charming and sweet and might just inspire you to make something.

Fresh Off the Boat is the funniest, most charming show of the season.

Maniac’s backstories are fascinating, with Owen’s family coming off especially twisted. ... With so many film stars turning to TV to star in TV shows, they can start to feel like vanity projects. That’s not the case with Maniac.

The best new sitcom of fall, CBS' 2 Broke Girls is rich in laughs and snappy performances.

Wilson, who writes and serves as co-­executive producer, brings a sense of innocence to the sometimes ribald shenanigans.

It’s smart writing for smart characters. Six seasons in and Danes and the writers keep Carrie a complicated character who sometimes does the wrong thing.

Newcomers can enjoy the film on its own — it features a few flashbacks to catch viewers up to speed — but it’s best savored after a series-binge. This film can stand as a series finale and, just as strongly, as a springboard for more episodes.

Nashville is the snarky showbiz drama NBC's "Smash" can only dream of becoming.

Ellis is a good choice as the season’s biggest anti-hero, deftly playing sarcasm as well as the occasional pathos. As it gets rolling, Lucifer poses some theology-class-worthy questions about the nature of redemption, damnation and duty.

What separates “Tara” from “Jackie,” of course, is that Tara’s family is aware of Tara’s problems and supports her. In creator/writer Diablo Cody’s world, even the most damaged among us can lead healthy lives if they are loved for themselves. That’s a comforting message.

There were moments during the first two episodes in which I wondered if the series was doddering along like a blindfolded Miss Marple. Have faith. Each episode swings in unexpected directions.

The pace and the performances carry the film.

The script is deliciously witty, but it never lets you forget some nice people are coming to perfectly horrible ends.

The documentary, filmed over several years, takes a nonlinear approach to White’s career and skips over things like her first two marriages. Just go with it--it’s worth the ride and ultimately leaves you wanting a week’s worth of clips.

Engrossing.... Haggis, who directed all six hours, and Simon have walked this material before.

In this, the last 10 episodes, the drama detonates long-standing alliances and brings to the fore grudges with lethal consequences. ... The premiere Sunday features three set pieces that are brilliant and terrifying.

The Pillars of the Earth, a six-part, eight-hour miniseries debuting Friday with a two-hour punch, delivers enough surprises to enthrall any thriller buff.

Aaron Sorkin can write crackling dialogue. Believable characters, not so much.

It’s a shame “The Tudors” is coming to a close. As Hirst has noted, there are generations of stories yet to tell. Count on this series to end on a royally good note

The series is so funny, it reeks of a setup.

Fox’s The Gifted is everything ABC’s “Marvel’s Inhumans” is not: exciting, suspenseful and brimming with interesting, smart characters.

iZombie is superbly cast and displays wit and surprises you don’t often find in the comics-to-TV genre.

Holmes is obviously meant as a temptation for Ray, but the mismatch between her and star Liev Schreiber is not worth dwelling on. Ray Donovan remains a potent mix of pathos and dark comedy.

“This place, umm, has a vibe,” Earn says at one point. The same might be said about “Atlanta.” Once visited, it cannot be forgotten.

Feud edges at times to camp but always veers back into meatier fare.

The characters carry themselves with the kind of decency, maturity and occasional playfulness that is virtually unseen on prime time.

On "Grey's Anatomy," particularly in the first two years, Rhimes proved herself skilled at crafting gripping love stories. She's outdone herself here.

Once Upon a Time gets off to a bewitching start.

The six-part “Years and Years,” an often funny, often bleak, deeply unsettling look at our near future, follows the fortunes of the Lyons, a Manchester, England, family as they are rocked by the political and technological changes shaping the world. Imagine “This Is Us” crossed with “Black Mirror,” only with a slightly lower body count than the NBC sobfest.

This eight-episode installment available Thursday just might be my favorite of the series. It has more heart and far more willingness to address the messiness that comes with adolescence. It also features several genuinely creepy moments that have everything to do with something not of this world.

The latest comic book adaptation to hit TV, NBC’s Constantine is a nifty spookfest with dark humor and some genuine chills.

Those who long for a replacement for “How I Met Your Mother” (back when that show was good) might find a good match here.

This is dark material, yet Faris balances it with a genuine winsomeness, able to wring laughs out of the most innocuous lines.

Arrow has so much going for it, it doesn't need to linger on the past.

Godless might remind you of HBO’s still lamented “Deadwood” in its expert plotting.

Glover has created a show that is difficult to pigeonhole and supremely addictive.

The remake of "Hawaii Five-0" is the best kind of throwback--to the buddy cop films of the 1980s. Think "Lethal Weapon" with a tropical twist.

Documentary Now! is smart TV.

Series creator and writer Julian Fellowes has a habit of using dialogue to telegraph the obvious.

Series creator/writer Neil Cross continues to spin dark strands that stray unexpectedly into unsettling territory.

Ringer at times straddles camp--Bridget stays briefly in the "Double Nickel Motel," a wink that the two women truly are flip sides of the same scarred coin --but never succumbs to it, thanks to Gellar's muted performances.

Not nearly as bright as “Supergirl,” as angst-ridden as “Arrow” or as campy as “The Flash,” “Black Lightning” lights its own path--by being a story about the debt we owe to our community and the importance of inspiration.

The humor is more subversive than ever. [13 Aug 2007]

There’s something hilarious and twisted about outcasts running a school and turning out to be as much idiots as the typically popular kids. Faking It is the real deal.

Ultimately, Sherlock doesn't play fair, but the game is so enjoyable, you'll be happy you joined in.

Cybill is bawdy, rowdy and fun. Indeed, it's a comedy for the over-the-hill gang to look at - and laugh ruefully along with all the wrinkle, cellulite, bad date, bad sex, bad marriage jokes. [11 Jan 1995]

The series gets off to a strong start as a black satire of not only D.C. but how politicians and journalists can leech off one another.

The 75-minute “super-sized” premiere might leave you feeling a bit bloated, but Top Chef is still a satisfying treat.

Suspense, surprises 
and crackling dialogue: True Blood is pumping strong again.

[Caviezel] and Emerson make for one of fall's most formidable odd couples.

If the first two episodes are any indication, this season of Homeland will be about Carrie not only recovering her balance but finding a measure of redemption. That's a trip worth taking.

The sequel to Netflix’s surprise hit seems as satisfying as its premiere season.

Sunny is now in its ninth season, but is not showing its age.

Cynthia Cidre's smart take on the prime-time soap (1978-1991) pays homage to the past while moving the battle to the next generation.

Leary is perfectly cast as the middle-aged wastrel with a modicum of talent and an ego the size of the Trump Tower.... Much of the show can’t be quoted. Many of the jokes you can see coming at you from the Zakim Bridge. They’re still funny.

Rest easy: The premiere is good; next week’s episode is flat-out superb.

A new day is approaching, and Don seems unprepared for what lies ahead.

Copper spins somber stories of gold.

As with every good soap, there’s a bit of cathartic pleasure in seeing rich, gorgeous people suffer like the rest of us mere mortals. Whatever word you choose to describe “Big Little Lies,” the new season looks to be just as addictive as the first.

As a hangdog hitman and a long-suffering auteur, O’Dowd and Romano complement each other. Is Hollywood more cutthroat than a drug empire? This series might have something to say about that. Epix’s Get Shorty is worth having.

Last season, Elliot was trying to save the world; now he’s trying to save himself. That battle promises to have lots of casualties.

What emerges is scary, graphic, unnerving and not for those easily vexed by nightmares.

You can see all the jokes coming because they crawl down the road and wave their little hands before arriving. ... But in the hands of such masters, especially Arkin, who proves to be a thoroughly grumpy treasure, familiarity can be delightful.

For those impatient for the return of "Mad Men," The Hour fills that void and then some.

For fans of quality TV, The Knick will evoke memories of the South Boston-set “St. Elsewhere.” That show needed more than a season to work out its kinks. The Knick is already off to a robust start.

Her voice seems to roam all over the vocal register, but she is compelling.... West will make you forget he’s acting.

BBC America's Being Human (the original, not to be confused with the pallid Syfy remake) takes a stab at re-inventing itself--and magically pulls off the feat.

Bishop is just so authentic as a widow finding her way that she deserves an Emmy. Some things, of course, will never change, and fans wouldn’t have it any other way. Sherman-Palladino’s dialogue still races, stuffed with pop culture references.

Expanse’s look is typical Syfy. The lighting is used to bathe the sets in shadows to hide the lack of money in the budget. The cast and the sheer complexity and depth of story, however, are worthy of premium cable.

The first new network show of fall is a supernatural adventure that manages to drop a few good scares.

With scenes of brutality inflicted on slaves and the casual use of the “n” word, Underground can be difficult to watch. But there’s nothing gratuitous about this story. The series is enhanced by contemporary music from the likes of Legend, Kanye West and The Weeknd.

On Veterans Day, Wartorn is a somber reminder of the price that many pay when they serve their country and a wake-up call to the rest of us about the debt we owe them.

Smart, slick and sexy.

The almost 90-minute pilot, directed by Luhrmann, takes stylistic leaps unlike any other series. Without Luhrmann’s hands-on approach, the subsequent five episodes available Friday lose a bit of their pep, but none of their appeal, as the story tunnels down into the lives of these young people.

In its second season, The Walking Dead remains the most suspenseful show on any TV network.

Community is still kicking, with more gas and laughs than just about any other NBC sitcom.

Moura’s performance anchors this show.

A few jokes from the BBC-produced series won’t translate to this side of the pond, unless you’re familiar with British pop culture. ... Don’t like a skit? Another one will be along in a minute or two, and Ullman just might sing and dance, two more of her talents.

This spy spoof hits a bull’s-eye with risque snark and one of the best vocal casts assembled for any animated series.

Veep manages to curse almost as creatively as HBO’s beloved cult series “Deadwood,” and, with its raging boss and conniving sycophants, is the heir to NBC’s “The Office” we didn’t know we needed.

The #MeToo movement would seem impossible to riff on, yet Veep’s gloriously inappropriate writers have found a way.