Possibly the best comic-book-to-TV-series ever made. It is a show that respects its source material without exaggerating the visceral bombast. It's a show that will entertain you in a single bound. [16 Oct 2001, p.44]

The good news is the characters created here are so interesting that we want to know more about them. Whedon continues to slay viewers. [19 Sept 2002, p.48]

Comer’s performance--as a 26-year-old stunted as a 13-year-old--is beautiful. She can be endearing, mystifying and aggravating, sometimes in the same moment. She’ll keep you coming back to a mystery that grows darker with every revelation.

The destination to this journey doesn’t sound all that compelling, but Better boasts a caliber of actors other shows can only dream about.

A loopy, likable new NBC comedy.

The premiere drops enough intriguing hints about the players' pasts without distracting from the main plot. You can't have a team without conflict, and every character seems to carry a quirk that rubs the others the wrong way.

In this truncated season (only eight episodes as opposed to the usual 13), Wright remains outstanding. But “House” suffers from the same problem as HBO’s “Veep.” Both started as daring satires of the highest office in our land and both have been surpassed by our current reality in which every day brings a new tweet storm of chaos.

Lifetime's latest ripped-from-the-headlines biopic, about alleged wife-killer Drew Peterson, is salacious, sinister and downright sleazy. It's also as irresistible as a piping hot box of Dunkin' Donuts munchkins.

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

Bell, who started out as a child actor, has matured into a compelling leading man and he seems capable of conveying Abraham’s troubling journey into the underbelly of the war effort.

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]

If this truly is the last season of The X-Files--and star Gillian Anderson has said it is, at least for her--the Fox sci-fi conspiracy thriller is going out giving what fans want. Mostly. In this, its 11th season, the show brings back familiar faces, opens some new mysteries, solves others and gives plenty of reasons to ship FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson)’s quirky relationship to the stars and back.

Their characters--Welfare Queen, Fortune Cookie and the Old Biddies, to name a few--are wildly over the top, borderline offensive and true to the era. The crowd has no choice and falls in love. It’s no tilt-a-whirl crossbody, but GLOW gets close.

Hudgens is delightful as a young woman determined to show she can make a difference in the world even without superpowers. Pierson is only listed as recurring, and she needs to be upgraded pronto for her heroic, hilarious meanness. Pudi can do great things — he proved that on “Community”--one can only hope the scripts will give him a chance to soar.

Born spends a lot of time following the group as they socialize but is at its most compelling when it tracks the compli­cated bonds tethering these young people to their parents.

But this is certainly a flat beginning, appropriately titled ``Scattered,'' with its multiple plotlines stretched awfully thin. [15 July 2005, p.e24]

The Beat resonates with a quirky, dark pulse. [21 March 2000]

Not much is different for the fourth season of FX’s most popular comedy, except possibly an uptick in the production budget and guests.

The worse things get--and they get very bad--Lopez gets much better, withdrawing into herself, growing ever more still, as her character must spin lie after lie to stay ahead, to stay alive. Academy Award-winner Barry Levinson directed the first two episodes, and they are unusually taut. De Matteo makes a welcome return to series TV, but her character’s escalating marital woes seem a distraction.

New Edition paved the way for New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men and *NSYNC. At the very least, this miniseries will get a new generation of fans grooving to their timeless music.

Series creator and writer Chris Lunt’s plots are more comfort food than cutting-edge, but not since Helen Mirren’s epic run in “Prime Suspect” has there been such a flawed, compelling female detective.

Once you get deep into the premiere, which with its incessant voiceovers plays more like a talking Viewmaster reel than an hour of television, you may find yourself hooked--and recognize some wry observations about human behavior at the root of this thriller.

With her understated, monotone delivery no matter the situation, Kelly just might be the comedic find of the season. Galifianakis delivers a finely tuned grump as Chip and an over-the-top shrew as Dale. Under co-creator, executive producer and director Jonathan Krisel’s sensitive care, Baskets is a funny show about sad people.

If the concept is captivating, the execution, at least in the pilot, leaves something to be desired. [12 July 2004, p.e37]

You can keep “The Alienist” at arm’s length because it is set more than 100 years in the past. No such luck with “Bellevue.” The brutality, shock and outrage ring all too true.

No one expects "The Good Wife," but if the show is aiming for balance, it needs to step up its court game.

Resurrection does something few dramas do today — it gives its characters breathing room to absorb and react to the fantastic in their lives, rather than forcing them to run from one plot point to another. Some will find this pace too leisurely.

There doesn’t seem to be any trickery here, no video sleight-of-hand. Goodwin is upfront in his methods.

It makes for good TV. [21 Feb 2003, p.S35]

[A] gripping premiere. [28 Oct 2003]

Fans of the original “Dynasty” know Fallon’s nastiness is just a warm-up.

Hopefully the pilot will move beyond weight and get to what really is intriguing about this show. Not since “Roseanne” has there been a prime-time comedy so poised to poke fun at economic class.

The show's concept is clever, and the pilot displays a blend of humor and drama with a bit of melancholy hanging over it. Shalhoub is excellent as the twitchy, mild-mannered Monk. But Monk can be an annoying character, and at times you may find yourself wanting to yell, "Snap out of it!" at the television screen. [12 July 2002, p.S36]

More accessible than “V” or “FlashForward,” “Happy Town” shows a sure hand with pacing and knows how to end an hour with a powerful cliffhanger.

The dialogue is as arch as Desperate in its heyday.

In the opener, “My Struggle,” Carter plays to fan expectations on all fronts as he suggests only the most sinister conspiracy ever, one that manages to shake the typically unflappable Mulder and could up-end the premise of the entire series. It’s just that juicy.... [The second episode is] a perfectly serviceable monster-of-the-week tale. It also features some dopey reveries about Scully and Mulder’s lost son William.

A momentary lapse could lead to weeks of thought-provoking drama. The Slap echoes.

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.

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

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.

Extant plays with genres, mixing sci-fi, conspiracy thriller and scenes from a struggling marriage. It also asks some daring questions about the collision of machine and humanity.

There's something bizarrely addictive about The Hasselhoffs.

The casting directors have found edgier contestants (one admits he’s only there because he has a gambling problem). Host Dolph Lund­gren alternately rags on the contestants or riffs.

The cast mines genuine heartache in the mysterious.

The new Netflix drama is burdened with so much annoying voice-over narration, the series at times falls somewhere between an audiobook and one of the more grittier Investigation Discovery crime shows. This dramatization of the rise of Pablo Escobar into the most notorious and lethal drug kingpin of South America is nonetheless compelling, and the story moves briskly, making it a great bingeworthy treat.

The performances are solid and ingratiating. ... The miniseries’ resolution is particularly satisfying and even surprising for a story that originated in the 19th century. In Seres’ confident telling, The Woman in White is as relevant as the Time’s Up movement.

HBO made the first six episodes available for review, and they’re all entertaining.

Arquette is a cool presence onscreen and brings understated conviction to a character whose powers­ of observation border on superhuman.

McShane might be the best part of this production, bringing life to the role of a man harboring dark regrets. ... Oh, yes, the period costumes and the locations are top-notch. After a jaunt around Greshambury, even the Crawleys would be feeling house-poor.

This show is a bit too easy, given that its source material has become a parody of itself. For those who have grown sick of the Bravo formula squabbling, these antics may be a tonic.

The Walking Dead in its sixth season premiere wants you to remember the nightmare started here, and this show owns it.

“I Kissed a Girl” pop star Katy Perry, country superstar Luke Bryan and music legend Lionel Richie form a panel that doesn’t so much practice tough love as dole out “Chicken Soup for the Soul” critiques.

If you loved this show for its split-second pop culture spoofs and absurd, sometimes sophomoric humor, then you'll be happy with the new, unimproved 'Guy.' [1 May 2005]

Many of his tricks here are explained, and the means of execution may only increase your appreciation for his genius. Less convincing is the miniseries’ speculation that the British intelligence agency MI-5 recruited him to act as a spy in the run-up to World War I.

The longer you stick with this nine-episode season, the more the players reveal themselves. It’s a big part of how Britannia,”written and co-created by Jez Butterworth (“Black Mass,” “Edge of Tomorrow”), transcends its genre roots.

The first episode teases an exciting dynamic, with the possibility of forcing viewers to root for one monster over another.

It’s funny, sad, invasive and unhinged.

This "Cheers" spinoff has a winking cleverness about it. The writing is snappy and Kelsey Grammer, who plays a radio shrink, is unexpectedly charming. If I was in major couch-potato mode after "Seinfeld," I wouldn't turn it off. [17 Sept 1993, p.47]

Twin Peaks: The Return was creepy, surreal, bizarre, and often unintelligible. Just like its predecessor.

Not every skit landed, but more did than any on any 90-minute “Saturday Night Live.” I’m still not sure if Maya and Marty have comedic chemistry--maybe these crazy kids just need to get to know each other better--but I’m definitely going to be tuning in this summer to find out.

What separates this cast from just about every other real-ity show is that these people are chasing something larger than themselves, more vital to them than fame or money--that brief moment of perfection onstage, achieved after years of study and practice.

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.

More a cotton candy bouquet than a documentary, It’s Me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise introduces you to a man who has made millions of people happy--and would like nothing more than a chance to do it again.

Mob City takes its time to lock and load, but its aim ultimately improves.

While White Famous proves he [Jay Pharoah] can lead a series, it doesn’t give him many opportunities to show how funny he is. It does make a great argument that everyone in Hollywood is criminally unhinged.

There’s much about Chance that makes no sense, but the perfor­mances are terrific.

Later episodes suggest Brockmire will try to become a better person. That’s a bad call. The fun is watching him spin out of control like a drunk pitcher’s fastball.

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]

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.

The stories aren’t quite as goofy as they could be. The series is clearly a labor of love for the creators. Still, the show has its wonderfully silly moments.

The rapid-fire editing suggests the producers are people who find MTV’s pace too slow. But Better is devilishly clever about dropping teasers about its destinations to get you as excited as its travelers about the journey. This is a Travel Channel spectacular with 10 times the budget and 100 times the star power.

If the queen of England isn’t enough drama for you, then something is amiss. Victoria gets close to the gold crown and then backs off.

Once the story finds its pulse, Coma is fun, but there are a few hiccups.

The Crossing has its moments, but if you look too closely at its story, it melts away like ice cream cake left out in the sun. ABC is promising flashbacks to fill in the visitors’ stories, another “Lost” tic.

The insanely intense action drama opens its final season tonight. Scenes of quiet only serve to bridge action sequences.

Game of Thrones starts less like an epic and more like a session of "Medieval Sims."

You may laugh, but you'll hate yourself afterward.

Tethered by Morse’s violent portrayal, Outsiders spins its story on a pace unlike most other prime-time shows.

Unlike other period dramas, notably AMC's "Mad Men" and Starz's "Magic City," Vegas doesn't cram the hour with topical references. Here, they're more subtle and jarring.

The premise and the bloodletting, however, might be too much for some viewers. Santa Clarita Diet is an acquired taste.

Episodes has funny moments, [but] like "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the satire is an acquired taste and seems to be too inside showbiz to find a mass audience.

Gods has its own dark humor--as when the erratic widow of Shadow’s best friend tries to have sex with him in a cemetery. “I’m trying to get my dignity back here,” she says. Gods takes delight in magnifying images hundredfold--a match being struck, a tile being cleaned. This can get a bit precious.

It’s a sporadically funny opening to an inconsistently comical season. A couple of episodes are slapstick hits--such as when the gang enlists Dee to spy on a Chinese fish factory. Others are just creepy. But it’s a mix that has fueled the sitcom’s success for nearly a decade.

Perry proves to be adept at both the mirth and misery required by the role. Viewers, however, may be put off by a series that seems stuck like its patients in a gray zone between laughing and mourning.

Delany can be both captivating and infuriating as the know-it-all medical examiner, but she always holds the screen.

In the first three episodes at least, the series features some surprisingly tense adult moments and some language that was bleeped out. Along the way, there are some cutting observations about the pageant scene.

This is a series with no redemptive value. It barely qualifies as entertainment, but sexy summer trash will always find an audience. That's the inescapable truth at the heart of Pretty Little Liars.

In true "Grey's" fashion, each newbie is challenged with a case that dredges up the personal issues that brought them to this isolated spot, where, according to Ben, it's like practicing medicine in 1952 in a Third World country

Touch needs more work grounding its reality before any of these fantasies take flight.

Photographer and filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders accessorizes his picture with some vintage clips, but his Face could do with fewer mouths.

Underwood’s Ironside rolls over everyone in his life, figuratively and literally.... As flashbacks show, Ironside was shot in the back two years ago while pursuing a suspect. His ex-partner Gary (Brent Sexton) has never recovered emotionally from what happened that night.... Their prickly relationship now is the most daring part of the show.

While the premise is slight, smart casting gives Ben and Kate a comedic edge.

While the two play for the cameras, it feels forced. Tallman rolls his eyes so often, they just might tumble out and roll away like loose marbles. His off-the-cuff remarks about his customers won't help his business.

If you dwell on time-travel paradoxes too much, you’ll go mad, and that advice holds for this show: Come for the ride, enjoy the appealing cast and the sheer adventure.

Underneath the crude humor, there's a sweetness and an honesty to the show. The duo's struggle with weight is believable.

Sons doesn’t shine yet, but it could if the writers embrace their loony wild childs. Even at its worst, Sons is better than a third Seth MacFarlane cartoon

Bergen still rattles off her lines as if she’s in a hurry to get to lunch, but the cast has chemistry to spare.

There’s a method to this madness, and it cribs from Gillian Flynn’s (“Gone Girl”) stylebook in that you can’t trust anyone’s narrative. The accumulation of details leads to startling, horrific realizations.