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

The show appears to be an uneven hour that hesitates at going either for the full-throttle laugh or an authentic dramatic beat.

Although 'Dad' also was created by [Family Guy's Seth] MacFarlane and has even more outlandish characters - a gay alien, a randy German goldfish - it feels like the more conventional (read: less funny) sitcom. [1 May 2005]

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]

Sunday's premiere episode is one of the most cleverly outrageous half-hours of TV I've seen in a while. [28 Jan 1999]

'The Closer' may be the first TV series to mimic ['Desperate Housewives''] ability to present women with textured, complicated lives. [12 Jun 2005]

Griffiths does her best to hold the show together as a scattered woman coming into her own.

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

The constant bickering would quickly wear thin in a (gulp!) "Curb Your Enthusiasm" marathon, but over the course of a half-hour or two, it's amusing to watch him play a human matchstick and light a fuse wherever he goes. [4 Jan 2004]

The title is the only thing that's obscure about this hilarious in-your-face comedy. [12 Sep 2002]

Imagine "Seinfeld" distilled to its cynical essence. [12 Oct 2000]

Possibly the least funny thing on TV. [23 Jul 2003]

'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]

The glimmers of truthfulness in the family nucleus offset the chilly crime elements. ... The office environment is less compelling as the coterie of feds... perform their unpleasant tasks with little personality. [23 Jan 2005]

Biderman’s work here is inexplicably lazy: South Boston natives are haunted or broken; L.A. natives are narcissistic airheads. Voight doesn’t so much chew the scenery as gnaw it.

Say what you want about WB's late teen soap "Dawson's Creek," but even the worst episode was infinitely better than the network's dreadful One Tree Hill. [23 Sept 2003, p.46]

The cast around Mulgrew is excellent. ... Mulgrew, however, drags it all down. Starfleet commanders are not supposed to be this dull, stiff and joyless. As a woman, she's all cardboard and mannish. [16 Jan 1995]

This collection of characters - with all their quirks, quarks and nose jobs - is a winner. The women are strong. The men are sensitive. The life forms are testy. [5 Jan 1993]

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]

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.

TV's best fashion reality show continues to reveal what made the first season so rich. This time around, there's more legitimate design talent, a more relaxed Heidi Klum and plus-size egos galore. [7 Dec 2005]

There are several hearty laughs in "Home Improvement" - the best you can ask of any TV comedy. [12 Sep 1991]

The dialogue is as arch as Desperate in its heyday.

Just be grateful to be back in the neighborhood. [26 Sep 2005]

Funnier than all of the new sitcoms combined, featuring the strongest ensemble of dramatic actresses around and able to leap genre cliches in a single jump cut, 'Desperate Housewives' is the superwoman of the new fall season and is easily the most delightful and intriguing hour to come along on ABC in years. [1 Oct 2004]

'Big Brother' ... is such a demeaning, depressing exercise that everyone involved ought to be lashed to one of the Pentagon's defective 'Star Wars' missiles and rocketed out over the Pacific, never to be heard from again, except by the sharks. [2 Aug 2000]

Jay Baruchel is fabulous as the geeky Steven Karp whose dad (Wainwright) is hipper. [25 Sept 2001, p.48]

The show everybody will be talking about around the water cooler. [20 Jun 2002]

The new crew is an intriguing bunch. [9 Jan 2005]

[A] gripping premiere. [28 Oct 2003]

'24'... has matured beyond sheer novelty while retaining its relentless excitement. [28 Oct 2002]

'24' is exciting and intriguing. The cast is appealing. Using a split-screen technique to further propel the interlocking story lines, the drama has an edgy, hip style, enveloping you in suspense and danger. [6 Nov 2001]

The soul of the show is 30-something daughter Lydia (Heather Paige Kent), who dumps her loutish, lay-about fiance and decides to go to college. Written by waitress-turned-screenwriter Diane Ruggiero and based on her own life. The supporting cast, which includes Paul Sorvino, Kevin Dillon, Debi Mazar and Ellen Burstyn, is a standout. [1 Oct 2000, p.6]

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]

Cross the Web with "Blair Witch" 's jittery camera and what do you get? A good reason to shut off your computer AND your TV. [6 Oct 2000, p.S32]

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

TNT’s latest crime drama reeks of stale TV crime procedurals from the ’70s and ’80s.

The CGI stuff is cool; if only the acting were half as realistic.

Sinbad sets out to find his destiny on the sea, encountering menaces that would make Ray Harry­hausen proud.

Ed is swell, as Ed might say. Not quite a strike but a satisfying spare. [5 Oct 2000, p.48]

The TV mom has changed - from out-of-touch authority figure to giggling girlfriend. This WB series attempts to depict a thoroughly modern single parent-child relationship. Yet, there's a sense this type of chumminess could only happen on TV. [5 Oct 2000, p.48]

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.

Sit through TNT’s “The Hero” and 72 Hours and REELZ’s “Race to the Scene” back-to-back, you realize how much the genre lives on the tired bone marrow of “Survivor” and "The Amazing Race."

Sit through TNT’s The Hero and “72 Hours” and REELZ’s “Race to the Scene” back-to-back, you realize how much the genre lives on the tired bone marrow of “Survivor” and "The Amazing Race."

Sunjata is talented and charismatic.... He deserves a show that will cement his status as a leading man. This isn’t it. Tveit buckles under the script shifts, in one scene a dweeb, in the next, a canny agent.

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.

The acting ranges from adequate to awful. Milano and George have zero chemistry, and George’s sexy stud act, which has bankrolled his career, reaches its expiration point here.... It’s not nearly enough sizzle for summer.

What a dazzling bunch of jerks. Yet, somehow, they are family and you can't help but laugh at them. Arrested Development is so dopey - but slick dopey. [2 Nov 2003, p.39]

If the script can at times seem slight, Douglas and Damon are 
superb.

No one deserves to lose their job in a mess like this--except the person who created this dreck.

Somehow executive producer Greg Daniels (``The Simpsons,'' ``King of the Hill'') and his cast must win over new fans while not pissing off the old fans. [23 Mar 2005, p.42]

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]

Homicide is the best new television drama of the season. That's particularly surprising, considering it's yet another cop show. And even more surprising in that it's NBC - the loser network - which has come up with a winner teeming with unique characters, steaming with atmosphere and featuring writing as sharp as a stiletto. [31 Jan 1993, p.30]

Why did executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("Remember the Titans") populate his CBS series with such revolting characters? With the exception of Marg Helgenberger's harried but compassionate investigator, this is a crew teeming with bullies and psychos. [6 Oct 2000, p.S32]

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

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.

First, the dreck: The best thing that can be said about the unscripted series The Show With Vinny, starring “Jersey” castoff Vinny Guadagnino, is that the half-hour bumbles along like Sunday dinner with your most annoying relatives.

[The] clunky scenes work thanks to the exceptional cast. These actors can sell anything. Almost.

The Big C doesn’t traffic in miracles, but it does deliver small pleasures worth pondering and savoring.

This nebulous look at the blurry line between crime and the law is already being done better on FX's "The Shield." That series...is instantly more approachable and arresting. In The Wire, the characters' hazy morality is so ill-defined and sketchy that it's hard to care about them. West is a compelling lead, but his purpose and motivation aren't clear. He's a tough sell as the show's main protagonist. [1 June 2002, p.23]

Alan Ball, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "American Beauty," has done something wonderfully unusual. He has written a tremendously life-affirming drama about death. [3 June 2001, p.43]

The show’s pacing, particularly in the first hour, could trigger a nap.

Series creator, director and writer David S. Goyer (scribe for Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy) twists the already amazing life of the 15th century artist and inventor into something fantastical--but not altogether convincing.

Mad Men is back with another ridiculously addictive season.

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

ABC’s midseason replacement How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) is dumb and crass. That would be fine if it were at all funny.

The sets and costuming are top-notch. The musical score is brash, if redundant. The personal dramas range from silly to 
diverting.

The settings never seem authentic for the Big Apple, and accents veer like partygoers after last call.... Still, Maslany shows skill in her many alternate guises, and the show has a dark sense of humor.

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

The Shield gives viewers so much Chiklis, it should be called "The Commish 2." The pilot opens with the unlikely scenario of the portly Chiklis chasing down a teenage drug dealer. It only gets worse...There may be rogue cops out there, but do they really announce to their precinct captains that they can't be controlled? It's hard to watch a show that stars such an unlikable character. [12 Mar 2002, p.41]

Boomtown stumbles when it adopts an occasional sanctimonious tone. And, like most cop shows, it contains liberal doses of violence and the ubiquitous sexually depraved perp. But Boomtown also is an impressive accomplishment in editing that will keep you hanging on until the final scene. [29 Sept 2002, p.55]

A&E reboots the legend of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” but Bates Motel plays like a slow-burning riff on David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” sparked by some fascinating, nuanced performances.

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

Written well and delicately plotted, this new WB drama has staying power. You will want to know what happens to our heroine with the Botticelli visage. [29 Sept 1998, p.45]

Alias is one of those rare action dramas where all the elements - plot, characters, production design, costumes, soundtrack and performances - come together to form one perfect hour of television. [30 Sept 2001, p.56]

There probably hasn’t been so much talk about sex crammed into one hour since MTV’s “Loveline.” Much of it cannot be repeated here. Instead of being titillating, it’s tedious, the equivalent of three cold showers.

Red Widow might leave you feeling blue over the waste of time and talent.

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.

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]

A series with substance and heart that doesn’t insult the city or pander to stereotypes.

In its best moments, the drama has the grit of something more likely to be found on cable channel TNT.

Unlike most movie-inspired TV series - in which the TV version is usually a soggier incarnation of its movie original - this Buffy, created by Joss Whedon, an Oscar nominee for his "Toy Story" script, fulfills some of the promise sorely lacking in the 1992 big-screen version. [10 Mar 1997, p.32]

Can we please have a moratorium on voice-over narration? This lazy device is being overused to convey what simple dialogue should. In John Doe, the title character's innermost thoughts won't stop. [19 Sept 2002, p.48]

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]

Meloni is smirky, Hargitay whiny, and transferred-from-"Homicide" detective John Munch (Richard Belzer) seems out of place. But Wolf has proved an expert at integrating cast changes on "L & O," and we have to believe he'll iron all this out. [20 Sept 1999, p.36]

A familiar premise with fresh faces and equal doses of humor and pathos might be the right prescription for fans of the genre. [27 March 2005, p.039]

This is not an easy show to watch, not because of its ambition, but because it’s just so pointlessly mysterious.

We've all been there. Which is why Freaks and Geeks works so well. Cloaked in grunginess, it's a totally unpretentious slice of high school life, a decidedly unmelodramatic drama devoid of "Dawson's Creek"-speak and sticky self-analysis. No one is wearing designer duds and the closing scene at the high school homecoming dance reveals that not one student possesses a shred of rhythm. [25 Sept 1999, p.25]

Abrams and co-creator Damon Lindelof infuse the opener with horror, poignancy, mystery and pitch-perfect humor...If Abrams and company can sustain the pace and intrigue of the pilot, then Lost will be a great place for viewers to lose themselves every week. [22 Sept 2004, p.EDGE 47]

This is “The Da Vinci Code” crossed with “Indiana Jones” with dialogue courtesy of a Magic 8 Ball.

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

You’ll be able to spot the front-runner and eventual winner probably 10 minutes into the show.

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

The musical numbers are competently staged, even if they often play like filler to underscore character montages. The plots mosey between drama and comedy and never hit their marks.

Kelley is known for cre­ating wonderfully mem­orable, sometimes deliriously neurotic characters. Judging from the writing here, it’s as if he’s been medicated into a stupor. Diagnosis: Waste of time.

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.

Do No Harm, a modern spin on Robert Louis Stevenson's "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde," sounds lame. Yet it is so fast-paced and slickly produced, it could just be your new guilty pleasure.

Russell and Rhys seem adept at the disguises and stunts. But their characters are practically flipped from pilot to second episode, and some of the black humor here is awkwardly executed.