Judging from the first five episodes the cable network provided, the sophomore season looks to be an upgrade from the first, but Shaw proves to be the least interesting person here. That’s not the slam it sounds like. The Brookline native gives her cast juicy material, and they steal the show from her.

This bleak depiction of hospital work locates the show about two degrees south of “St. Elsewhere.” And yet, after I finished the first three episodes, I realized I was hooked; I wanted more.

Lone Star, created and written by Kyle Killen, centers on a con man who lives a double life--with two beautiful women--and is so full of plot holes you could drive a motorcade through it with a parade of elephants behind.

Count on Hit & Miss to find its targets.

The Tick shows its spirit. The half-hour action comedy moves briskly as Arthur struggles to shed that super-suit that comes with awesome powers and responsibilities he so does not want.

All this twee is verging on twaddle.

Louis-Dreyfus won Emmys for both "Seinfeld" and "The New Adventures of Old Chrstine," and seems the best candidate to win another for her work here.

Like Amy’s “Parks and Recreation,” the humor is never mean.

Seduced is many things: a funny road trip, a canny look at Cannes and the industry, a conversation with directors about their epic battles to get their masterpieces on screen. If it had stuck to one idea, it might have made a terrific documentary.

[A] gripping premiere. [28 Oct 2003]

Confirmation, like those hearings, settles nothing. The film’s coda suggests the country has come a long way. That, along with everything else here, will give viewers plenty to talk about.

The overarching premise of the 15-episode season cracks and crumbles under the slightest scrutiny.

A true heir to Serling’s vision of reality taking a sharp detour into the unknown.

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.

Believe the hype: In its third season, Nip/Tuc' finds new ways to be shocking, brazen and gross-out wrenching. [20 Sept 2005, p.37]

Under the Dome is the TV equivalent [of a ham sandwich], with all the fixings: a goofy, sometimes creepy, thriller from horror maestro Stephen King about a town trapped under a large invisible barrier.

Netflix’s new sitcom Love is everything you expect from Judd Apatow --raunchy, rude, crass, bloated with drug jokes and sex gags and maybe more 
f-bombs than any other series­ ever.... Across 10 episodes, Love takes its time bringing its two leads together, which is just fine.

Man in an Orange Shirt aspires to be a both a romantic tearjerker and a heartfelt family drama. It doesn’t quite succeed on either point, but it has merit nonetheless.

This season is more season one True Detective than season two True Detective, with Ali giving a tour de force performance as the show toggles between three time periods. The bad news? The central mystery is more fitting for a CBS crime procedural, and over eight episodes is stretched to its limit.

Creator Byron Balasco’s sense of pacing seems off, as if he’s trying to figure out the direction as he goes along. The dialogue, too, runs in laps. If I had to listen to Grillo bark, “Relax!” one more time, I might punch my own TV. But with actors such as Lauria and Jonas driving the drama, Kingdom may yet rise.

"In this job, there’s no such thing as no such thing," Pete says. Exactly. Warehouse 13 is truly the show where anything can happen.

By now, you’ve grasped Poldark is a soap, a four-letter word by PBS’ standards.

Less perverse than ``I, Claudius,'' more entertaining than ABC's toga twister ``Empire,'' Rome gets off to an uneven start. [25 Aug 2005, p.47]

Gamble and Hoggart are credited as “per­formers” on the show and are also writers­ for the series, and their ability to ad-lib and play with anyone and every­one they come in contact with is a joy to watch, proof you can say almost anything to anyone, no matter how outrageous, so long as you maintain an air of innocence. Or stu­pidity.

A devilishly discerning comedy. [17 Sept 1996, p.39]

The show’s formula--particularly the ease in which the villains track down Chuck--is getting creaky.

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.

Sutherland is impressive as a nice guy exercising his backbone for perhaps the first time in his life. He works hard to get past one of the most iconic roles in television. The idealism is palpable, even if the show seems a bit too idealistic. The supporting cast seems stuck taking predictable positions.

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.

CBS' new island series Survivor is populated with rats...Most of them walk on two legs. [1 June 2000, p.47]

Now this show plays like a cross between any generic CBS crime procedural and the network's "Bones." Human Target needs a course correction.

The weird, creepy comedy about the world of a struggling copy writer from her dog’s perspective. ... Three episodes of this show and I was fantasizing about dropping this flea bag off at a shelter and speeding away. Oh, some of the bipeds here are endearing, when they get their moments.

There may be fewer jump scares, but this could turn out to be the best Horror Story.

Contrary to the title, you can trust the B---- for a good laugh.

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.

There’s so much [music] here, Vinyl runs the risk of turning into “Treme,” which seemed to be a music show with a touch of plot. Vinyl spins back years with copious flashbacks, and they do Cannavale and the show no favors. No matter the year, no matter how his hair is parted, he looks the same, a middle-aged guy. Some things can’t be finessed.

Looking: The Movie is pointless and boring.

Sisto is surprisingly sweet as a befuddled dad. Everyone seems to want the next Emma Stone. Levy isn't there yet, but given time she might grow into a solid comic actress.

The production values are exceedingly high, and you could find worse excuses to stay up past your bedtime. [12 July 2006, p.038]

Carter’s journey is rushed. If the show just pumped the brakes a bit, it might discover a heart worth following.

Legit is the sort of comedy that lets its heart beat once an episode.

Fimmel has an odd charisma as a barbarian who sees nothing wrong with butchering a group of unarmed, cowering men. But much of the supporting cast is problematic--either­ the actors just aren’t up to the work or the characters are underwritten.

If the show can cut down on crime and focus more on the squad room silliness, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has a chance of getting past probation.

The uneven 10-episode series shifts from pedestrian cloak-and-dagger to camp.

When “Catch-22” takes to the skies, it soars. The aerial sequences are some of the best visuals seen in any TV production, beautiful and terrifying.

There were moments when I wanted to give up on Penny Dreadful. Then there is the ending of the second episode--a horrific jolt that changes everything you thought you knew about one character--and, well, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Don't look now, but Falling Skies could be a summer obsession.

The X Factor is "America's Got Talent" with lockjaw, "The Voice" with a smoker's hack and "American Idol" on steroids. It is a garish, crass spectacle, and just might produce America's next superstar.

"The Chronicle" seems to want to have as much fun with its stories as its viewers. [12 Jul 2001]

Wahlberg, a favorite here, needs to avoid David Caruso Syndrome. There's a bit too much posturing with the furrowed brow and hand-on-the-hip that has made a caricature of that "CSI: Miami" star. Moynahan is solid as the assistant district attorney, but her character's lefty politics seem at odds with her occupation and her family.....But Selleck as the bad guy in his own show? It almost makes you want to dial 911.

24 is as much a thrill ride as ever.

Face Off hews so much to the Runway formula, it practically falls over and busts a lip, but at least the pacing is fast.

The freak-show rounds, a staple of Idol’s early weeks, have been reduced to a couple of montages and the random weirdo.... Of the three judges, Connick is the harshest, a Simon Cowell without the snark or the malice.

Saints & Strangers is rich in character and detail and captures how arduous this adventure was for the pilgrims.

The eight-episode season (streaming tomorrow on Netflix) doesn’t always make sense and yet it does enough things right--especially in the depiction of naive, impetuous adolescents--that it casts a convincing spell.

Succession makes it clear that the Roys are not especially nice people. They are also, alas, not especially fascinating. Pink slips for everyone.

It's as though Levinson and Fontana decided to throw everything onscreen that they're not allowed to show on broadcast television. But pushing the boundaries doesn't make Oz better or more realistic than "Homicide." If anything, it infringes on the storytelling. It's one thing to shock viewers for the sake of drama, quite another to frighten them into worrying about what visual affront to their senses will pop up next...If you can get past all that, Oz does tell some intensely interesting tales about life in a modern maximum-security prison, stories vastly different from the ones used in the average prison movie or cop show. [11 July 1997, p.47]

Lodge 49 is different. That alone isn’t enough reason to book a visit.

This adaptation from executive producers Geoff Johns and Greg Berlanti (behind all the CW superhero shows) is just as wonderful and weird as the comic.

Some story points, annoyingly, are dropped between the April 18 and April 25 episodes.... Even with a terrific supporting cast, Maslany is 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.

The unscripted series is surprisingly engrossing and probably more valuable than two years of film school for would-be auteurs.

The story of an intriguing woman who can shoot a gun but can't hit the target is a premise steeped with promise. Let's hope Karen Sisco does not find happiness anytime soon. [1 Oct 2003, p.55]

Push is a David Lynchian view of good and evil, avarice and honor. But it's also a game show. [16 Sept 2002, p.32]

Netflix might be the dominant streaming service player when it comes to original series, but quantity never trumps quality, as Man proves. The detail in imagining New York City as a Nazi stronghold remains extraordinary, from the skyscrapers bearing the flag of the Third Reich down to the swastika ice sculpture dripping at a fancy party.

It’s a macabre dance that only promises to get more intense.

There are no characters to care about in Nip-Tuck. It seems their motivations are purely hollow. We love Tony Soprano - even when he cheats on his wife or whacks an enemy - because he reveals his own vulnerability and tragic flaws. But this Nip-Tuck bunch are vacant louts - "ER" meets "WWE SmackDown!" [22 July 2003, p.39]

Wouldn't be funny even if you were stoned. [7 Aug 2005]

'Real World III' seems to have learned from the past. While there is the requisite amount of conflict, this group seems to be able to deal with it without the angst, the anger or the attitude of its predecessors. These roommates seem - hang on to your flannel shirts - mature. [23 Jun 1994]

Like a lot of reality shows ranging from the silly "Real World" to the loathsome "Jersey Shore," All-American Muslim ends up reinforcing some stereotypes while defying others.

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

The series’ greatest pleasure is seeing Lewis and Giamatti spar with each other, but there just aren’t enough of those moments to make Billions a bargain.

Roseanne’s ability to pivot from silly to somber and back again without ever missing a beat made it unique in prime time. The revival looks to be just as authentic.

Louie differs from his late, unlamented 2006 HBO show "Lucky Louie" in that he dials back the volume. Yet he manages to not only push but also assault the boundaries of what's acceptable for basic cable, even at this late hour.

The Czech Republic location shoots convincingly suggest medieval France, but the episodes run an unwieldy 75 minutes long. Capaldi is terrific and commands the screen as if he’s on an HBO series while everyone else is in a cartoon.

Halt and Catch Fire’s operating system is solid, crafty and cunning. Boot it up.

The six-episode series mixes this type of sharp -humor and dialogue with gory scenes and tense horror.

Many of the scenes with the teens seem staged, especially tonight's climax. Still, the Bruces aren't anything like the delusional couples who populate Bravo's "Housewives" shows. This is a functioning family trying to survive a dysfunctional time.

It's a dull blend, a slow-moving mind-rot creeping on unsuspecting viewers.

Fox’s Human Target is the closest thing on TV to swigging a keg of Red Bull. It’s one hour of pure energy, a blast of fun action and stunts.

Serenity arrives in surprising ways. Whether Mike makes it in this arena or not, Taking on Tyson suggests he's already won his toughest battle.

Despite their [Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak's] experience, the show plays like a blind date gone bad.

Burns’ direction is choppy, except for his closing­ scenes, which are un­expectedly strong. He does know how to end an episode. If only he knew how to begin one.

The most discouraging aspect of the film is the fact that we can never latch onto these characters in any warm, intimate or sympathetic way. They stand as ciphers in the larger steely drama. [10 Sept 1993, p.]

Collette, as always, elevates the material, but there’s no escaping the sad realization that these are profoundly selfish people who deserve each other. Wanderlust is a show that would be markedly improved by cutting each episode by half. There’s entirely too much thrusting and groaning, yes, we get the point, and a lot of people have sex with their clothes on.

While the miniseries is more faithful to the 1941 James M. Cain novel of the same name, Todd Haynes' adaptation (he co-wrote the teleplay, directed and acted as one of the executive producers on this five-part bloated whale) is so draining, it might make you anemic.

In a subtle tip to the original series and its narrator, William Conrad, look for a cameo from "America's Most Wanted" John Walsh, who repeats Conrad's memorable opening to the series. Heavy hand of fate, indeed. [6 Oct 2000, p.S32]

The show cannily plays to teen hopes and dreams--the school, for example, is on the edge of a gorgeous beach (the kids at “90210” never had it this lush)--but there’s story for the adults as well.

Even if you weren't in the practice of watching ABC's 'The Practice,' you might find its spinoff, 'Boston Legal,' habit-forming. [3 Oct 2004]

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 show is polished. The acting is good, and so is the cinematography. But at its core, this is really just a nighttime soap. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Gaffigan plays a tubby man-child version of himself, and in the classic TV marriage cliche (see “King of Queens,” “According to Jim”), he just happens to be married to an insanely hot woman (Ashley Williams, “How I Met Your Mother”) who is loving and supportive beyond rational means. But Gaffigan has ambition.

"Soul Food" the series differs from the film in that it replaces romance with nudity and sex. The actors were good and the premiere episode was believable, but let's leave something to the imagination. [26 Jun 2000]

The series is fun and frothy but also often poignant.

Anderson is charming and sells her sweet character. Sasse’s Xavier comes across as an amalgam of Russell Crowe, Jake Gyllenhaal and the sort I’ve always figured to be an urban­ cannibal.

It's an extended "Law & Order" that never settles on a verdict.

Betas brims with raunch, perhaps in the belief that it is key to hooking younger viewers.­

MTV's documentary series "True Life" has walked this territory before with far more compelling subjects.