The discussion of vampire politics seems toothless at times, but True excels at setting up episode-ending cliffhangers. The episode pacing is superb.

Happy! captures the tone “Marvel’s the Punisher” should have aspired to: grisly, gross and nutty without abandon.

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

While there are elements that might remind you of Armisen’s beloved--and so missed--“Portlandia,” “Forever” isn’t a sketch show. It takes some fanciful risks, but it remains grounded in Oscar and June’s journey, together and apart.

McBride is convincing, not surprisingly. He has a special knack for inhabiting the skin of imbeciles, and I mean that in a good way. Goggins proves he is one of the finest character actors working in television.

Forgive the salacious hook for a show that is not so much titillating as it is gripping, surprising, at times humorous and even a bit thought-provoking when it comes to exploring how sex is just as valuable as money or power.

The sets may at times look fake (is that Afghanistan or Vancouver?) and savvy viewers will spot the traitor in Mike's story line early on, but Traffic deftly puts tiny human faces on global problems. [23 Jan 2004]

The good part involves just about any scene focusing on Angie Harmon ("Law & Order") as Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli. The flip side? Just about every scene that isn't centered on her, especially those involving Jane's best friend, medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander).

The cartoon is often laugh-out-loud funny, pulling off ridiculously zany sight gags, such as when Mondo decides to impress a girl by surfing and, instead, inadvertently beheads a bird, among other things.

Safe is one of those series, like HBO’s “Big Little Lies,” that focuses on the lives of the beautiful and the well-to-do. It doesn’t suggest the rich are just like us. It suggests they are even more miserable, and in the case of Safe, probably quite monstrous. That’s a story that translates just about everywhere, apparently.

The humans in Animals are idiots. But the critters often have funny things to share about how we all need our packs to survive and thrive.

Disenchantment casts a demented spell.

You want to see the robots turn on their masters. Canny series creators Jonathan Nolan (co-writer of “The Dark Knight”) and Lisa Joy know it, and they cleverly string you along with some disturbing questions about human nature.

[A] sweet yet raunchy comedy.

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

The story is a little too Dark Phoenix, and the series’ pacing can be maddening. But you have to love an action-packed finale that rips from a kid’s birthday party at a bowling alley (little Kenny is never getting over that one) to a concert hall on the cusp of the apocalypse. The climax is an ending and a beginning. Umbrella Academy is just getting started.

The characters have emotional issues without huge labels or teachable moments. The lack of stigma is refreshing for television.

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

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

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]

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.

Ricci serves as an executive producer and delivers the best work of her career. ... Z is helped by an unusual format--the drama unfolds in 10 half-hour episodes, making it especially binge-worthy. More providers should try half-hour dramas. They don’t feel like endurance challenges, as many one-hour shows do.

The sense of loss, shock and mourning is still artfully conveyed. American TV rarely depicts the emotional fallout after a murder, preferring to focus on the investigation. Here, both elements are equally important. But Tennant seems tired, and you can understand why. He’s been all over this shore before.

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

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.

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.

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

With the suspenseful Eye Candy, we have a pretty good show, especially for teens who get a thrill out of being creeped out.