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.