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.