Plotting is not Fellowes' strength, but Downton's appeal is visual.

The Newsroom manages to be both precious and irritating at the same time, and Sorkin’s characters still have that habit of talking over each other, which might be realistic, but makes it hard for viewers to understand what the heck they’re sparring about.

The show, like so many unscripted series, can be repetitive. ... But in taking a light to an alley few dare to tread, Remini may have given some viewers out there more than a hope and a prayer.

Deschanel is utterly con-vincing as this off-kilter gal, and of the supporting cast, Wayans sparks the most as Coach.

By now, you’ve grasped Poldark is a soap, a four-letter word by PBS’ standards.

Even offering a slightest knock of this show feels about as kind as, say, throwing a rock at a Haitian orphan. This viewer, however, is not convinced there’s a one-hour series here.

What I kept looking for in Queer As Folk was a transcendent story line or sex-neutral message to lift this drama higher than the sum of its body parts. I couldn't find that deep thread of meaning...There are shreds of stories but, basically, it all comes back around to men bumping like bunnies - or wanting to bump like bunnies, or talking about bumping like bunnies.[30 Nov 2000, p.47]

While some of the best dramas can dovetail a character's work and personal lives, Prime Suspect might be better off, at least in the beginning, focusing on solving the weekly case.

When it comes to One Day at a Time, it’s best to go moment to moment. You might get hooked.

So long as the dinos roam, Terra Nova has a future.

Judd, who serves as series co-executive producer, makes for a surprisingly convincing action hero. It's when she stops to emote in full mommy mode that the show drags.

The miniseries, allegedly based in fact, is one great big advertorial for the company, not that it doesn’t have its pleasures, chief among them some thrilling road contests that suggest the chariot races of “Ben-Hur.”

Hate touches a comic nerve, the war of independence between teenage girls and their moms, but invariably settles for a hug when a few more slammed doors might be funnier.

Go beyond the in-your-face, outrageous title here, and you'll find a somewhat sweet show struggling to create some real laughs.

It’s a treat being able to enjoy their black comedies back-to-back Monday nights, but “Nurse” shows symptoms of a serious malady: serial recidivism. We’ve seen all this before. It’s time for Jackie’s world to come crashing down, the sooner, the bigger the laughs.

Detroit's on-location shooting aids its authenticity, but the show goes awry when it goes for a joke. For example, medical examiner Abbey Ward (Erin Cummings, "Mad Men") carries bruises from her after-hours avocation: roller derby. Detroit 1-8-7 is one of those shows that is going to need some time to finds its destination.

There are moments when Innocent Man plays like one of those popular true crime podcasts. Its storytelling can be pokey and features a dizzying array of supporting characters--the pistol-packing preacher is a highlight--and a few, granted, become stunningly significant as the narrative continues.

Boy is often silly, but this cast is just so likable.

Some things do [change]. Homeland deepens its story for its fifth season, and this journey might be Carrie’s most treacherous.

In its personal vignettes, Weight illuminates, but too often the segments are a numbing array of statistics from well-meaning talking heads.

On its last call, Rescue Me has saved a few treats in its fire truck.

Just at the moment when you’re getting tired of the “Groundhog Day” antics and thinking Nadia’s rerun rumpus is a trip to anywhere, Russian Doll drops a twist in its third episode that changes everything.

It’s not the end of an era. It’s the end of a good, occasionally great show that overstayed its welcome.

Skins feels raw and gritty. The characters' pain is often palpable. Only the show's target audience will know how true its portrayal of adolescence is, but it should make many parents pay closer attention to what's going on in their teenagers' lives.

After watching the first five episodes, I don’t recommend watching “Now Apocalypse” every week. I do suggest waiting to the end of the season and downloading the series in one sitting. Now Apocalypse plays like the kind of show that can only benefit from a decadent binge.

It's a shame--but not a surprise, perhaps--that directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato don't delve deeper.

[Wayans] shouldn’t have to work this hard, but that’s the funny thing about comedy. When the material’s this light, somebody has to do some heavy lifting.

Mad doesn't stray far from "Mother's" formula