While each night delivers some terrifically tense scenes, series creator Neil Cross’ scripts for nights three and four suffer from some flimsy foreshadowing and serve up slight characterizations of Luther’s antagonists.

Simm is very much the thinking man here, an academic thriving on his wits. Leung is affecting as a young woman whose quest rocks the core of her identity and her own chance for love. ... The miniseries almost sticks its landing. Its final scene can’t resist a bit of mawkish sentimentality to wrap the story. It’s not earned or needed.

At a time when substance abuse of all sorts is roiling the nation, Loudermik, forgive the pun, is a sobering comedy, in every sense.

This is a packed episode that sets up the dynamic for a season long rivalry that New Directions will be hard-pressed to overcome.

It's never a good sign when the main character is the least interesting player on the block. Fortunately, Empire's cast is rich enough for you to overlook that flaw.

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

Of the two series [Web Therapy and Episodes], Episodes is the most consistent and polished. It's also the one show that finds a groove and is happy to patter around its middling course.

There’s much intrigue and backbiting going on in the small domestic household of the Dowager Countess, but that, too, ultimately goes nowhere. Fellowes hints at drama and pulls his punches.

New Edition paved the way for New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men and *NSYNC. At the very least, this miniseries will get a new generation of fans grooving to their timeless music.

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.

Alias is one of those rare action dramas where all the elements - plot, characters, production design, costumes, soundtrack and performances - come together to form one perfect hour of television. [30 Sept 2001, p.56]

With the Under­woods at war, House of Cards opens the doors on its most diabolical season yet.

Chenoweth works her campy magic, but the energy from the show is different. A running gag involving the town’s attitude toward female drivers is hilarious and the kind of off-kilter humor Trial & Error excelled at in its first season. There’s not enough of that.

Moura’s performance anchors this show.

There's pleasure in seeing such talented actresses bounce off each other. Woodard could probably recite Google search links and would still turn in an Emmy-caliber performance. But these flowers never fully bloom.

There are some genuine scares in here but some heartfelt beats, too, along the way to the bloody climax.

Maniac’s backstories are fascinating, with Owen’s family coming off especially twisted. ... With so many film stars turning to TV to star in TV shows, they can start to feel like vanity projects. That’s not the case with Maniac.

How far can Frank accommodate her when his own power base is splintering? That will be the most tantalizing plot to follow this season.

Preacher is a black comedy, a horror funhouse, a mild meditation on belief and a wicked good time. There’s nothing left to say but: Amen.

This hourlong drama is peopled with actors who have long deserved a rich showcase for their talents, and each rises spectacularly to the occasion. [4 Nov 2004, p.77]

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.

Season four is definitely a turning point for these characters, as we watch them reach for some semblance of adulthood, but this newfound maturity is shaky at best.

Possibly the best comic-book-to-TV-series ever made. It is a show that respects its source material without exaggerating the visceral bombast. It's a show that will entertain you in a single bound. [16 Oct 2001, p.44]

Every character has a voice-over, info dumps for back story that are either irksome or unnecessary.

A serial killer, a state execution, slapstick involving a baby--Fox's new Raising Hope is deliciously demented and easily the funniest new show of fall.

While Boss has delusions of Shakespeare, it's not even in the same league as the TNT revival of "Dallas."

For fans of quality TV, The Knick will evoke memories of the South Boston-set “St. Elsewhere.” That show needed more than a season to work out its kinks. The Knick is already off to a robust start.

The premise is nonsensical, the characters little more substantial than fog and the central season long mystery is less a whodunit and more a why-bother.