But he has created a creepy tale that anyone who enjoys being scared — without being totally grossed out — will enjoy.

If Stephen King had written "The Twilight Zone," it would have looked like this. This eight-part anthology — two hourlong episodes each Wednesday for four weeks — adapts eight King stories for TV with pretty good results.

It's tough for anything to succeed on Saturday night, and this show may be too uneven to hold up for long. But it has possibilities, so let's hope ABC sticks with it for a while.

But this outstanding drama...takes the most horrible of situations and turns it into an intelligent, entertaining, strongly pro-family series.

Falcone, while not perfect, is an engaging series that CBS is running as a miniseries

The Beat is certainly a leap up from most of what UPN airs. [20 March 2000]

Whether The Others turns out to be a great series remains to be seen. It is, at least, an intriguing one with possibilities.

The best thing to hit TV this season. [1 Apr 1998, p.C1]

It's deliciously dumb. [8 Nov 2001, p.C02]

Crossing is excellent drama, strongly written and well-acted. The big question, however, is whether it will remain as unremittingly serious as tonight's pilot episode -- which might make it a bit heavy for weekly viewing. [10 Oct 2000, p.C07]

Good weird. [3 Aug 1998]

The Magnificent Seven is sort of an odd mixture of 1990s political correctness and every cliche that's ever been played out in Western movies and TV shows. But, odder still, it all comes together in a rather enjoyable way. [2 Jan 1998]

It's funny, it's cute, it's different ... This is a surprisingly good little show that kids and parents can both enjoy. [27 Sep 1997]

There's a lot of good writing and acting here. [1 Dec 2000, p.C10]

All all indications are that the new version of Murder One will be just as well done, just as riveting as last year's. In the second episode, there are several unexpected twists and turns that will keep you engrossed in the story. [10 Oct 1996, p.5]

Rescue Me isn't your run-of-the-mill TV drama. It's astonishing in its ability to mix tremendous tragedy with genuinely hilarious comedy. [30 May 2006]

Rescue Me is by no stretch of the imagination a documentary, but a lot of what happens in this series comes from the real lives of real New York firefighters, which is sort of a mixed blessing, given that the behavior of the fictional FDNYers includes drinking, smoking, swearing, womanizing, bigotry and even the occasional bit of thievery. [21 June 2005]

Nip/Tuck could be equally effective as a drama without being anywhere near as graphic as it is. [22 June 2004]

The new series Nip/Tuck is gross, disgusting and vile. And I like it. A lot...If you can get past the ick factor, Nip/Tuck is really a character drama that recalls "Six Feet Under" or "The Shield" -- powerful stuff that's not just gross, it's engrossing. [21 July 2003, p.C08]

It doesn't even look like a TV miniseries -- it's more like 10 theatrical films that do an amazing job re-creating battles. [7 Sept 2001, p.W01]

Without Jenna Elfman, Dharma & Greg wouldn't work at all. But with the goofy charm of Elfman to build around, Dharma & Greg is one of the better new comedies on network television this fall. [24 Sept 1997, p.C01]

The first hour of Smallville looks fabulous. Now it's up to the producers and writers to tell good stories and mount the show as handsomely as the pilot and maintain a bit of mystery around one of the world's most recognizable characters. [15 Oct 2001, p.C06]

Even allowing that "Ally McBeal" is sort of a gimmick show, its characters still ring true; much truer than most of the characters on television. [8 Sep 1997]

It's witty - even laugh-out-loud funny in spots - with a good cast and a good premise. [3 Mar 1997]

'The Practice,' while not perfect, is the kind of quality drama that will not only entertain you but make you think - a rare and winning combination. [3 Mar 1997]

The show is a laugh-out-loud funny, skewed look at the American family that rings surprisingly true. But the pilot goes more than a bit over the top at times. [6 Jan 2000]

Has moments of brilliance. [11 Aug 2005]

The best animated series to hit prime-time television since "The Simpsons". [26 Mar 1999]

What emerges is an engaging investigation that viewers will find themselves caught up in. [26 Sep 2002]

The two-hour pilot is very good and sets up what would appear to be a good premise for what will inevitably be a long-running series. The show looks good, the supporting cast is attractive and the characters are interesting, and "Enterprise" really does manage to spin what has become a science-fiction staple over the past 35 years in a new, exciting way. [25 Sep 2001]

Certainly one of the more intriguing new shows of the year. [26 Sept 2003, p.C08]

Cherry delivers on his promise to make the show funnier this season. [23 Sep 2006]

There are the sort of soapy goings-on you might expect, but it's done with style and -- most importantly -- wit. This is one very funny show. [1 Oct 2004]

The show rings so true, in a hyper-reality sort of way. [28 Sept 1999, p.C09]

The best so-called "reality" series since "Survivor." ... "Race" is not only exciting but fascinating to look at. [4 Sep 2001]

You may not find a better executed show on television this fall. [29 Sept 2000, p.C07]

If you watch only one new show this season, watch Ed...It's a dry-witted, hourlong comedy with dramatic undertones. It's sweet, funny, earnest, endearing and entirely charming. It's got a great cast -- particularly the perfectly cast Tom Cavanagh in the title role -- and even better writing. [6 Oct 2000, p.C08]

A wonderful hour that's fresh and funny. [4 Oct 2000, p.C08]

Bateman is a revelation -- the ex-child star is great in this show. The rest of the cast is also very good, the writing is sharp, the humor level is high and it succeeds in creating a different comedy look and style. [31 Oct 2003, p.C08]

There isn't another half hour like it on network television right now. It's a 30-minute show, but it isn't a sitcom. As a matter of fact, it's at least as much a drama as it is a comedy. It's also one of the best new shows of the season. [22 Sept 1998, p.TV]

Whether Cryer is all of that in real life, I don't know. But I do know that both he and Sheen seem to have found the perfect sitcom roles in "Men." The show is a hoot. [22 Sept 2003, p.C08]

By getting the details so right on something so peculiar and particular as this, The Sopranos actually opens a clear window onto modern incarnations of family and mortality and ambition. [9 Jan 1999, p.E05]

For the first time in a long time, NBC has a new sitcom that really is must-see TV. [2 Oct 2001, p.C08]

One of the most promising new shows of the season...This is not all heavy drama, however. There's a lot of humor and a lot of great characters. Everwood is not unlike Cicely, Alaska, in "Northern Exposure" -- it's a place where the characters are, well, characters. [14 Sept 2002, p.E08]

However, I can't give The Shield an unqualified recommendation given its placement on a basic cable network. There are scenes that make "NYPD Blue" look tame, including nudity, sex scenes, horrific violence and everything short of the f-word in terms of language. It looks like something you'd expect from HBO or a pay-cable channel that you specifically pay for and expect to include adult content. Not a basic cable channel that's next to Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. [12 Mar 2002, p.C08]

And what makes Yost's script even more amazing is that this is not just a show about crime, but it's a show about the characters as well. In the hourlong pilot, we get glimpses into each of their lives and begin to see how who they are affects what they do. [27 Sept 2002, p.C08]

Quite simply, marvelous television. It's touching, charming and believable...The actors are as good as the writing. And Keri Russell, who has the title role, is going to be the break-out star of the season. [27 Sept 1998, p.S03]

Sunday's Alias premiere plays out as a high-energy adventure wrapped in a mystery -- and it's better than a lot of theatrical films of the genre. Whether the series holds up is open to question. But the premiere is a gas. And the show could well turn out to be a good one. [28 Sept 2001, p.C08]

It's all nicely done, if you like this sort of thing. And there are a lot of people who like this sort of thing, judging by the ratings of both "JAG" and "CSI." [23 Sept 2003, p.C08]

In addition to fresh, sharp writing, the casting in Freaks and Geeks is exceptional. [25 Sept 1999, p.E05]

Both intriguing and very iffy. It's all going to depend on how good a job the writers do in making this mystery work over the long haul. If they follow the "X-Files" example of one-step-forward, one-step-back, this could get old quickly. [20 Sept 2002, p.C08]

The events of that Season 3 finale have rebounded to the good of the Season 4 premiere. And Season 4 gets off to a very promising start on Sunday.

With a little bit of effort on your part--The Pillars of the Earth is pretty good viewing. It's the sort of expansive miniseries that we never see on network television anymore.

With a show like this--a show about a super-smart, super smart-alecky police detective--it's not about the concept, it's about the execution. The characters. The actors. And The Glades looks like a winner on those counts.

It's not bad. It's actually sort of promising.

Rescue Me remains a crazy mix of drama and comedy that's heart-wrenching and hilarious. Can't wait to see how it ends.

It's amazing stuff. Totally engaging. And completely worth watching.

Hot in Cleveland is bright, funny and witty. And, yes, it's a purely traditional sitcom, filmed in front of a studio audience, which clearly appreciates the jokes.

Treme features the kind of indelible characters we've come to expect from Simon and Overmyer in "Homicide" and "The Wire."

Suffice it to say that Breaking Bad is an enthralling narrative, for all that it remains tough to watch.

Not only are the stories engrossing in and of themselves, but they seem certain to spark interest in genealogy among viewers.

It looks like one of the better original offerings on any of the broadcast networks this summer.

It'll bring a smile to your face and, yes, warm your heart a bit.

Great drama is great drama. And Caprica shows all the signs of turning into another great drama.

The pilot is good; Episodes 2 and 3 aren't as good. But it has potential.

The first four hours are good. Very good. Certainly, 24 fans will enjoy them.

It's a slam-bang action adventure with comedy and a little bit of personal drama. And it doesn't aspire to be anything more than that.

It's entertainment. And, as entertainment, it clearly fulfills its function.