Gore-hounds will find a couple of visual shots fascinating, but there’s little here for anyone to justify the hour investment.

The unscripted series is surprisingly engrossing and probably more valuable than two years of film school for would-be auteurs.

Boardwalk shows no signs of losing its identity. All signs point to a bloody proper finish.

Many of his tricks here are explained, and the means of execution may only increase your appreciation for his genius. Less convincing is the miniseries’ speculation that the British intelligence agency MI-5 recruited him to act as a spy in the run-up to World War I.

The outlook for his head and neck here is much better; Legends, though, is on wobbly legs.

Once the show tones down the voice-overs, Balfe is quite good in the part of a time-tossed lassie.... Heughan swaggers in his kilt about as well as “The Simpsons’” Groundskeeper Willie (that is not a dis), but he and Balfe generate about as much heat as two piles of wet peat.

The story of an intriguing woman who can shoot a gun but can't hit the target is a premise steeped with promise. Let's hope Karen Sisco does not find happiness anytime soon. [1 Oct 2003, p.55]

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.

Their escapist capers make for pretty but mindless TV. [5 Oct 2003, p.47]

Depending on your memories of high school, ABC's new drama... is either one of the most honest or most troubling small-screen depictions of teen angst. [7 Oct 2004]

Because this is a Bravo reality show, every hour has to end with a manufactured epiphany.

USA should toss this series into the clinker. [23 Jul 2000]

The show is so far removed from the standard set by "The Sopranos." It just doesn't get off the ground. [4 Apr 2000]

"The Chronicle" seems to want to have as much fun with its stories as its viewers. [12 Jul 2001]

For all its reptilian quirkiness, there is some maximum enjoyment here. [4 Aug 1998, p.34]

Grammer throws himself into the material, but Lawrence seems deflated. Perhaps he recognizes these scripts seem like somebody’s first drafts. Partners doesn’t make much of a case.

The editing is kind to most of the contestants, who come off as earnest, intelligent folks looking to engage their inner heroes.... Alas, The Quest’s elimination challenge is unimaginative and the vote deliberations almost as petty as anything on “Big Brother.”

Sharknado 2 doesn’t need any jokes about jumping the shark. It knows you’re going to make one and it beats you to it, literally.

The first episode spends much of the time establishing the series, and it's not particularly edge-of-the-seat scary. But the paranormal special effects are good and the acting holds up. How the action unfolds is questionable - the constant touching, gasping and seeing visions could get old. [16 June 2002, p.A07]

If The Lottery can keep up the promise of its premiere, it will punch a winning ticket.

It's an appealing premise that quickly bores with bad writing. [28 Nov 2002]

This show is a bit too easy, given that its source material has become a parody of itself. For those who have grown sick of the Bravo formula squabbling, these antics may be a tonic.

Ellis has one great, understated moment, when Sarah (Odette Annable), the love of his life, confronts him about his failings, and you can see Rush realizes the gulf between the man he is and the man he’d like to be is a chasm he’ll never be able to breach. The show needs more of this. But no, it backs away from the edge.

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.

The show’s humor is more often graceless and crass.

Like Amy’s “Parks and Recreation,” the humor is never mean.

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.

Carter’s journey is rushed. If the show just pumped the brakes a bit, it might discover a heart worth following.