The creepiness is slow and almost elegant. The vision is grand, epic even. The music, by Mogwai, is wonderfully absorbing. The whole creation, by Fabrice Gobert, is first-rate supernatural drama more than a mere horror show.

The camera is discreet, cutting away at the very end, giving privacy when taste requires. The families involved are brave in ways not required of ordinary "reality TV" subjects. Even when they appear to be speaking for the camera, the situations are not manipulated. The impact is quite powerful.

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

This ambitious undertaking sticks to over-arching themes through the chronology.

While the atmospherics are great and the cast is impressive, the weight of the film is too much for the slender premise.

The tone ranges from fun to scholarly as colorful drawings enliven the film.

The best TV show you’re not watching.

No spoilers here, but there's a twist at the end of tonight's hour of Friday Night Lights that will reverberate through the season. This is cause for concern: The addition of a sustained mystery, not to mention the sight of teens jumping through windows to meet sex partners, could render Friday Night Lights more like every other show. Still, if it makes the story more accessible for those who crave a more literal narrative without altering the basic nature of the series, I'm for it. [5 Oct 2007, p.F-02]

The engrossing, beautifully cast and well acted Masters of Sex is at once the tale of an odd couple and the story of a culture coming of age.

The Corner is a marvel - a powerful testament to the crumbling inner city, the Catch-22 of urban social services, and the strengths and vulnerabilities of the human spirit. [16 Apr 2000, p.K-09]

The documentary, narrated by Benjamin Bratt (son of a Peruvian mother), is rather dry in spite of the rich subject matter. It's particularly slow-going at the start (the pre-Alamo section is a slog), but it picks up steam as the chronology moves toward the modern age with notables contributing first-person accounts.

Cultural commentary mixed with the mystery, along with lavish production values, gives Irving’s tale a clever twist. The hour is trying to cover a lot of bases, but it may find its focus.

Beyond profundities laced with humor, the action drama from J.J. Abrams, created by “Fringe’s” J.H. Wyman and starring Karl Urban and Michael Ealy, is a visual feast.

It’s goofy, but fun.

The talented cast and upbeat pilot work in the series’ favor, but if the half-hour is to be more than a platform for Williams’ improv, the story will have to go deeper. And make us care.

Heavy dysfunction gets a backup laugh track, and it can turn mean. But Lorre knows how to wring dark humor from tragic circumstances.

If you get past the large leap and buy into the premise, Hostages promises surprising switchbacks and character development ranking among the best of the season.

His name is above the title and, depending how you feel about James Spader, NBC’s The Blacklist may become your favorite fall show.

Executive producers Haskins and Emily Halpern are sharp and the lines are funny and maybe, just maybe, there’s a show here.

It has the feel of a quirky cable comedy.

The Michael J. Fox Show is not only an enjoyable TV comedy about a likeable guy in a likeable family, it’s not only a step toward wider recognition of a specific disease and of disabilities in general, it’s the return of a primetime icon after years away battling Parkinson’s.

Whedon’s trademark humor in the midst of action-adventure (per “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) saves the day as often as the very human, yet very gifted heroes. That protects the fantastical from becoming ridiculous.

It’s a next-gen “Barney Miller,” a smart workplace cop comedy.

Last Tango in Halifax is an absorbing, sometimes surprising tale of late-in-life romance marked by stunning performances.

There seems to have been a conscious decision to add a dose of not just violence but horrific suspense and shocking violence. The first hour in particular feels like a disappointing departure. The character remains the same, even if he encounters accentuated gore and mental illness in the criminals. He even grows a bit.

Remarkable on many levels - as an interpretation of history, spotlighting what many consider to be the defining event of the 20th century, and as a tribute to heroism. Emotional and starkly realistic, it's not an easy 10 hours of television...The film also is notable as a collection of superb performances and, pragmatically, as an unimaginably expensive television production: $ 120 million. [6 Sept 2001, p.F-03]

For better and worse, it feels like an extended version of a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode.

The Starz 10-hour miniseries is a beautiful, fun period piece populated by amazing talent.