Simmons, as you might expect, is equally convincing as each Howard Silk, but he's only getting revved up for the many twists and turns taken in this 10-episode thrill ride. ... Still, no matter how convoluted things get, you keep coming back to the two Howards, and, because of Simmons, you want to.

Although the pace is at times too deliberate and many of the story elements seem familiar (earning the dubious raised eyebrow Mr. Spock put to such good use), it’s not difficult getting to the end of this third episode. For one thing, the series looks terrific. For another, you’re in great company all the way. The cast is marvelous, starting with Stewart, the finest actor ever to wear a Starfleet uniform. His aging and conflicted Picard is an endlessly intriguing revival of the character. He not only keeps you involved but also (to borrow the captain’s trademark phrase) engaged.

[These] episodes find the celebrated series running true to form. That means an occasional misstep, to be sure – too much time inexplicably spent with one of the blander characters or a less-than-intriguing subplot. But, for the most part, it means elegant storytelling that richly blends social commentary, comedy, soap opera, romance, intrigue, tragedy, melodrama and razor-sharp satire.

Great fun. Leave your brain in neutral and enjoy the zany ride. When the twisting and turning are over, the briskly paced and visually intriguing Alias glides home as solid escapist fare. Don't ask questions. If logic gets in the way, this material will start unraveling like the proverbial cheap suit. Yet, while comic-bookish and derivative, Alias emerges as a winner because it shrewdly assembles bits and pieces of "La Femme Nikita" and other espionage thrillers. There's even a little "X-Files" trust-no-one paranoia thrown in for good measure. [29 Sept 2001, p.6]

There is a razor-sharp focus, as well as a renewed sense of purpose, in the six new episodes Netflix made available to critics in advance of the fourth-season premiere.

While the political dynamics have changed greatly, House of Cards remains an addictive mixture of over-the-top soap opera, wicked dark comedy and sly melodrama.

Once this crime thriller lures you in and really gets going, it's an off-to-the-races ride that never forgets to delve deeply into the dark sides of the central characters. Derivative? Yes, but in endlessly sly and fascinating ways.

There are lots of reasons to like visiting Smallville. Welling scores high on the hunk-o-meter, and he and the rest of the young cast are fine actors. Schneider and O'Toole are hipper, younger Kents, and they ooze the love for Clark that's needed from their characters. The writing and production values are first-rate...But, just as Clark runs really, really fast but doesn't yet know how to fly, Smallville never soars up, up and away. [16 Oct 2001, p.E5]

Weighed down by an uncertain design, the rookie series certainly is off to a rocky start. [5 Oct 1999, p.2E]

Godless manages to come across as both familiar and fresh. Plot lines are recognizable without becoming trite. Characters are taken to predictable extremes without sliding into caricatures.

Sharply scripted, well acted and crisply directed by James Burrows, it makes comedy its main agenda, and reaches it with an authentic, matter-of-fact tone. [21 Sep 1998]

Although the promising drama has its self-conscious moments when the offbeat stuff seems a trifle forced, Laurie delivers a consistently fascinating performance as the abrasive diagnostician. Even with the labored interludes, the series stands as, to borrow an old rock lyric, “a very, very, very fine” House. [16 Nov 2004, p.E4]

Not all of the plots work at a high level. Still, even when things go wrong, you know the grand performances will save the Downton day. You're always in good company with this series.

While Pugh, Skarsgard and Shannon hit vastly different emotional notes, each finds the shadings and conflicts that make these characters more and more compelling as the plot gets thicker, the players dig deeper and the stakes get higher. It is, Pugh, however, who makes the grandest impression in what is both a star and star-making turn. You might find yourself quibbling with some of Park’s direction, but never with Pugh’s performance.

If not a triumphant return to form, Big Little Lies is the best new Kelley series in quite a while. It contains all of his considerable strengths (sharp and clever dialogue) and some his weaknesses (precious and labored moments). It is nothing less than fun, if never much more than that. But that's more than enough to keep you engaged and keep you watching.

The pilot episode for CBS' Supergirl does manage to get off the ground, yet it never really soars to the heights of the supercharged "Gotham" and "The Flash." Nor is it as immediately intriguing as those two DC-inspired shows.

Six Feet Under is as artificial as the AstroTurf funeral directors place around a grave site. [3 June 2001, p.91]

Might be the fall's funniest and most satisfying show. ... Smartly written and well cast, it sparkles with characters, situations and dialogue that owe more to real life than TV contrivances. [12 Sep 1996]

The writers do take the occasional misstep along the trail. The series has it didactic moments, to be sure, as well as the occasional cartoonish character (usually among those chasing the runaways). But these drawbacks are more than offset by the riveting narrative, the outstanding lead cast and a seamless weaving of the greater historical context into the ongoing story.

An engaging and promising debut, despite some overcooked acting and the fact that legal complexities sometimes take a back seat to emotional stand-offs. [4 Mar 1997]

This show manages to give us the hilarious, horrific and heroic... and it has brains.

Indeed, it is, at times, quite thrilling. It's also, at times, tedious. It is a mixed bag of impressive strengths and frustrating shortcomings, which, of course, is precisely what Wright is telling us about the intelligence community before 9/11.

It may not be the Second Coming, which is how hard-core fans have awaited it, but it's a lavish and inventive spectacle that lives up to "Star Trek" tradition and shows why the franchise has flourished. [7 Jan 1993]

And yet, given how derivative it is, (say it with me now), Humans turns out far better than you'd think possible. The performances, pacing and direction are that compellingly good, at least in the first two episodes made available to critics.

There are many incredibly suspenseful and deeply fascinating stretches. The problem is that fascination is wrapped around frustration in this second "American Crime Story," which is wearisomely lighter on details and slower of pace.

The ingredients aren't always in proper proportion, yet enough of the magic works in this series to keep you under its spell, episode after episode. The acting styles can be all over the place as well, and still, due to the strong cast, it doesn't undo the spell.

If you have a strong enough stomach to get through the yuck-and-yikes surgical procedures, the dramatic rewards are great. If you prefer shows with an edge and an attitude, make your appointment with Miami partners Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon)...And if you like your television served up with wit, intelligence and a bit of daring, you won't have much to say if someone asks, "Tell me what you don't like about Nip/Tuck. "[22 June 2004, p.E1]

It stands as King's best and most effective TV project to date. Best of all is the human dimension of the drama. Where some King minis have built to fantastic payoffs so preposterous as to be laughable, this one uses his bag of tricks and special effects to pose a moral dilemma. The absorbing climax finds its ultimate horror not in a monster, but in the ethical choices of average people. [13 Feb 1999, p.1E]