Defenders rises and falls on what its cast can bring to the mix. The less Finn Jones is onscreen, the better. He might be the most miscast actor in any series ever. Colter brings Luke’s look and nothing else. Now Ritter and Cox, on the other hand, I could binge on a Jones/Murdock spinoff all weekend long.

The good news is the characters created here are so interesting that we want to know more about them. Whedon continues to slay viewers. [19 Sept 2002, p.48]

It’s a shame “The Tudors” is coming to a close. As Hirst has noted, there are generations of stories yet to tell. Count on this series to end on a royally good note

Watch and you'll want to play along, too.

One thing that might improve this office comedy is a few pink slips--upstairs, downstairs and off-camera.

With its frantic pacing, ­vicious masterminds and ­valiant law enforcement agents, Crisis might remind you of Fox’s “24.” Not the best seasons of “24,” but still. There’s a lot to be said for a show that works up a sweat trying to surprise you.

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]

Hell's greatest sin? It's often laugh-out-loud funny.

[A] sweet yet raunchy comedy.

Traffic Light is the kind of sitcom that revs from zero to zero with laughter.

Mob City takes its time to lock and load, but its aim ultimately improves.

The musical numbers are competently staged, even if they often play like filler to underscore character montages. The plots mosey between drama and comedy and never hit their marks.

Cynthia Cidre's smart take on the prime-time soap (1978-1991) pays homage to the past while moving the battle to the next generation.

Satisfaction has the most provocative premise--until about halfway through when it doesn’t just go off the rails, it careens into the ocean, swims for England, sits for afternoon tea and then flings itself into the moon.

If you loved this show for its split-second pop culture spoofs and absurd, sometimes sophomoric humor, then you'll be happy with the new, unimproved 'Guy.' [1 May 2005]

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.

Fox’s The Gifted is everything ABC’s “Marvel’s Inhumans” is not: exciting, suspenseful and brimming with interesting, smart characters.

The shifts from comedy to bloodletting can be unnerving, even if the whole thing is unconvincing.

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.

I loved the pilot, mostly because I could never predict where the story was going, a rarity in prime-time TV.

Picnic at Hanging Rock is lush, gorgeous, Gothic and at times plotted tighter than a corset.

Like "Lost," the show is burdened with flashbacks and divides its time between the present and the prison 50 years earlier.

Underneath the crude humor, there's a sweetness and an honesty to the show. The duo's struggle with weight is believable.

The tone bounces cannily from humor to pathos to suspense. The one knock against “Gently”? So much is going on here, the plot is so dense, this is a show that might be better off binged in a marathon. Just one more thing to look forward to, then.

Telenovela can be fun, if only the show knew the difference between silly and dumb.

[An] uneven cross between “The Office” and “30 Rock.”

There are elements of the "Friday the 13th: The Series" and any J-horror film here, but the frights are few.

Somehow executive producer Greg Daniels (``The Simpsons,'' ``King of the Hill'') and his cast must win over new fans while not pissing off the old fans. [23 Mar 2005, p.42]