12 Monkeys won't hook those who aren't already fans of the genre. The characters are mostly two-dimensional. The philosophical conundrums are secondary to the action. The dialogue is terribly earnest.

Kelsey Grammer gives his pompous-windbag act another whirl, this time opposite Martin Lawrence on the predictably old-school comedy Partners.

The show will rise or fall on the chemistry of Lennon and Perry. Watching the two of them trade fastidious/sloppy, healthnut/unhealthy barbs is fun for a while. But that's the highlight. The scenes tend to stall when the boys aren't sparring, with the exception of Yvette Nicole Brown who pops as Oscar's put-upon assistant.

Anger Management is a perfectly acceptable, standard-issue sitcom.

When the programming strategy is more compelling than the drama itself, that's a bad sign. [4 Apr 2000]

Byrne is trapped in a mediocre effort he created with Rob Long of "Cheers" that's best forgotten.

Other than the unspooling of the ghost of policework past, Golden Boy is so formulaic as to be instantly forgettable.

Plays to an older crowd with its by-the-numbers approach. [29 Sept 2003, p.F01]

A gross-out cartoon. Fans of "Archer" likely won't sit still for the more juvenile antics of Unsupervised.

The lack of a coherent storyline, even in a piece dedicated to exploring the lack of coherence in the world, makes The Leftovers a frustrating challenge.

The combo platter of drama, crime, family and lots of food porn doesn’t quite gel. Everything feels predictable, the downbeat tone spreads across the plate to infect performances and, ultimately, the audience.

"Grey's" keeps the high-school analogy to itself. Emily Owens M.D. never stops making the too-obvious comparisons out loud.

The crew-cut and heavy black glasses are more memorable than the series. [13 Sep 1995]

Zero Hour wants to be as brilliant as "Lost" but, sorry to say, feels more akin to the misfire "FlashForward."

Judging by the first two hours, Deception is not as seductive as "Revenge" and contains even more clunky acting and just as much melodramatic music.

Footage from the actual races is compelling. But race footage accounts for a minimal portion of the otherwise dragged-out show, edited for suspenseful teases, sexual tension, dramatic reaction shots and maximum personality clashes.

It will leave viewers alternately amazed at being allowed into the private universe of uncommitted male sex and disappointed from a dramatic standpoint. Handsome flesh and cinematography, but is that all there is? [3 Dec 2000, p.I-01]

Think “Game of Thrones” for broadcast TV, minus dragons, with over-the-top melodrama, as much skin as broadcast TV will allow and bad dialog.

Viewers won't feel entertained so much as dismayed by the oddity. [5 Oct 2000, p.E-03]

The first time I watched the pilot episode of FX’s Married, I found it to be crass, sad and pessimistic, a not-funny comedy about the tribulations of marriage. The second time I watched, just to make sure, I found it less appealing.

Now the novelty is wearing off, and the hour is edging toward vapidity. ... The story is too rooted in convention to be truly outrageous, too melodramatic to make it plausible as anything but goofy comedy. How long do we need to play along? [13 Oct 2005]

The pilot only feels like it's three hours long. [17 Sept 1995, p.E01]

Sadly, the story is mystifyingly botched, failing as it tries too hard to be an action-packed mystery of secret societies and Dan Brown-esque intrigue with a strange penchant for geek humor.

Insulting, derivative and neither credible nor fanciful.

If the script by Liz Feldman (“Two Broke Girls”) were less tedious, if the acting by Cuthbert were bearable, if the whole enterprise were based on more than one joke... it might’ve worked.

This one is excruciatingly unfunny, despite the good-natured young talent at the center. The show feels thrown together, the story so choppy you’d think scenes were scrambled in the editing room.

Not funny enough to be campy, not smart enough to be serious, NBC's Dracula is an incomprehensible mishmash in period costumes.