There are a number of bad wigs and beards on display here, but much of the cast surmounts the costuming problems. The pace and the depth of the story might have been helped by extending this film into a two-night event.

Awkward is adept in some quick cutaways, as in a classroom scene that echoes "Ferris Bueller." Rickards works so hard to emulate "Easy A" star Emma Stone, she just might end up in a full body cast by the end of the season. But with the tide going out on such reality drivel as "Jersey Shore," Awkward is a cagey move for MTV.

Britton plays Debra as if some Botox seeped into her brain. Bana charms while simultaneously simmering.

Crossbones rises and falls on Malkovich’s inspired delivery and is under­cut by the show’s joyless, convoluted plotting, especially in next week’s episode.

The show toggles primarily from 2014 to the present, but some of the twists seem right out of Bad Thriller Handbook, especially the climax of the second night. ... Yet as these players elevate every turn and twist of this dark drama.

You've seen this game before, but not played with this level of desperation. There are moments when the boardroom feeding frenzies might cause you to step away from the table. There's something to be said for escapist TV after all.

The first episode is confusing, introducing a multitude of characters and agendas. Stay with it. The second episode brings several of the characters and the conflicts into focus.

Hardwick might be the most jacked actor working on TV and has some nice moments with Loren as he tries to reconnect with a love that has only grown fonder over the years. But the dialogue, slathered with f-bombs, seems lazy, and there’s not much ur­gency to the plot.

As the Chosen One, Egan is blond and bland. Dale and Head do well playing against type. As the Big Bad of the piece, Gabriel appears for perhaps 40 seconds of the 90-minute premiere and is still the most interesting character here.

The real Grace was released from prison after 30 years of incarceration, reportedly moved to New York and was lost to the tides of history. “Alias Grace,” however, will leave you pondering the mysteries of this woman for a long time to come.

For all the story’s shortcomings, you’ll come back for the acting.

Even at approximately 80 minutes, director/producer Nancy Buirski's work could be tighter, but it's hard to imagine a more appropriate documentary for Valentine's Day.

The Librarians wears its cheesiness on its sleeve like a gratuitous elbow patch, which it also wears on its sleeve. It knows exactly how imitative and low-budget it is, and it doesn’t care if you know

In broadcast TV terms, this is more “Night Gallery” than “Twilight Zone.” ... Weird City is built on one twisted foundation.

Despite the schlocky space adventure, the series just might hook you because of its flawed protagonists.

Gravity’s inability to find a consistent tone may lead to its early demise.

Punk'd seems to have a budget to rival a commercial network show, and the twist of rotating hosts--upcoming stars include "Twilight" actor Kellan Lutz and "Glee's" Heather Morris--whips up a new level of paranoia.

At times, the dialogue stops and unloads for exposition dumps, and a few of the young cast mates could use some more training back in the land of the Muggles.

The dramedy digs deeper, tightening the connections between these seemingly random residents.

In one of the episode introductions, Tatum says he spent 107 hours in the studio dubbing his role, so much time that he ended up hurting his voice. There’s no way to be sure if he’s telling the truth. But if he is, it was time well and weirdly spent.

This admittedly over-produced series has one of the toughest elimination rituals to watch: Each of the three finalists walks to check out a callback list to discover if they are still wanted.

Bunheads has the potential to have that cross-generational appeal. To thrive, the series must find its own tune to dance to.

Flint is an admirable salute to the power of grass-roots activism as well as a laudable public service message.

If the show can cut down on crime and focus more on the squad room silliness, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has a chance of getting past probation.

It's an extended "Law & Order" that never settles on a verdict.

Gaffigan plays a tubby man-child version of himself, and in the classic TV marriage cliche (see “King of Queens,” “According to Jim”), he just happens to be married to an insanely hot woman (Ashley Williams, “How I Met Your Mother”) who is loving and supportive beyond rational means. But Gaffigan has ambition.

After hewing reasonably close to the record, at least for the trial, the film goes off the rails in its postscript.