Self-indulgent but packed with great cameos and kitschy production numbers, the whole affair could have been a tight 90 minutes. Instead it's flamboyantly self-referential and clocks in at four hours.

The series has great potential. The question is whether Empire should stick to being a good family drama in a vibrant contemporary setting with a topical issue woven into the story, or whether it can measure up to the pretensions to great literature.

The 10-episode dramatic comedy, dropping Tuesday on Amazon Prime, is romantic, funny and fresh--ripe for binge-viewing.

[Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas is] clever enough for adults, sweet enough for young kids and musically inventive enough to please the worst Scrooge.

The film doesn't reinvent the Biblical fiction format but it is interesting enough to move you to read Diamant's take on ancient sisterhood.

She [Allison Williams as Peter Pan] pulled it off, but the whole was slick rather than enchanting, well rehearsed rather than goosebump-y.

If the tone of this miniseries lays it on thick, the subject is universal, the information is solid, the photography brilliant and the whole effort a sumptuous departure for NatGeo.

The thrill of the chase comes through in the film.

The best comedy you're not watching.... Laurie Metcalf ("Roseanne"), Alex Borstein ("Family Guy") and Niecy Nash ("Reno 911") simply kill it as an ensemble, doing justice to the sharp writing of Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer.

These four transporting hours tell a touching, funny, heartbreaking story that underscores how complex life is, how fragile human interactions are.

As the mystery unspools, Darcy withdraws from Elizabeth, and their relationship falters. Suspicions are raised, and Elizabeth must sort out the truth. Expect a dramatic trial and a surprising new suspect before it's all over. Of course, the joy isn't in reaching an answer. It's in the journey.

The film glosses over the turbulent aspects of Brown's personal life (domestic-abuse charges and an arrest record are mentioned in passing), and it isn't comprehensive (there's nothing about his four wives, six children, drug addiction or his death in 2006). But the tuneful feature-length film is packed with great vintage clips.

The series sometimes meanders, but only because Grohl's goals are lofty.

As was the case with the controversial "In Treatment," those with no patience for self-analysis or a psychologically minded view of relationships may find The Affair slow going. But the mystery element should keep even impatient viewers guessing.

The series has some work to do to extricate its characters from the hole it dug in season 3.

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.

What follows is a rich, funny, touching exploration not just of transgender life, but of family, identity and sexuality in general. Tambor's genius in the role is in creating a very particular female character well beyond makeup and wardrobe, seemingly on the cellular level.

By trying to make her politically neutral, they threaten to defang the drama.

The adaptation fails spectacularly.

What could be a trite pitch for togetherness is probed for deeper meaning in an hour that has a big heart behind its hip stance.

The entire 14-hour, seven-night experience of Burns' latest opus is an engaging and at times surprising marathon.

It's tough work that may help the viewer appreciate the miracle that occurs any time an indie movie actually makes sense, let alone transports audiences.

[A] cleverly plotted, visually absorbing tale.

It's all a fairly standard spy-thriller template, but the cast and crew give Legends an edge. Trust Howard Gordon ("Homeland," "24") and company to devise a well-plotted mystery.

After a very slow start, Outlander, from the book series by Diana Gabaldon, is a bodice-ripper with a sprinkling of science fiction, a fantasy drama with a bit of action-adventure.

Overall, The Knick is a sublimely addictive ride for which viewers will want to scrub up.

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

Maximum Bob evokes a little of that quirky show ("Northern Exposure"), with a talented ensemble cast, rich characters, and a script that doesn't write down to viewers. [4 Aug 1998, p.E-01]