Wuhl's madcap shyster has a sublimely bent supporting crew: Jim Turner as the agent's second-in-command Kirby Carlisle, a former quarterback with a bad habit of betting on games; Sandra Oh as crackerjack office assistant Rita Woo; and Michael Boatman ("China Beach") as Stanley, the agency's dour buppie numbers cruncher. [9 Aug 1996, p.1D]

The promising "That's Life" rarely seems recycled. [29 Sept 2000, p.1E]

With the endearing, improbable comic chemistry shared by Cox and von Esmarch, Nikki turns out to be one of the fall season's most pleasant surprises. [6 Oct 2000, p.12D]

Fortunately, this sci-fi rookie, which aims for the younger, testosterone-tilting Fox audience, has a playful sense of humor to go along with its visually hyper sensibility. [6 Oct 2000, p.12D]

Nothing revolutionary here. [6 Oct 2000, p.12D]

This laugh-track loser pretty much wastes the not inconsiderable comic talents of Jon Cryer ("The Famous Teddy Z") and David Krumholtz ("Slums of Beverly Hills"). [6 Oct 2000, p.12D]

Nice supporting players like Grant Shaud ("Murphy Brown") and Clea Lewis ("Ellen") help enliven the otherwise formula sitcom fun. Most of the time, though, "adigan Men is just a breezy masculine trifle with a brogue. [6 Oct 2000, p.12D]

Tim Daly of "Wings" is surprisingly strong in the role of Kimble, offering a nuanced portrayal of an honorable man trapped by extraordinary, anguish-fueled circumstance. [6 Oct 2000, p.1D]

Though it's far from perfect -- and Nelson's flamboyant, over-the-top performance is bound to irritate some viewers -- "The District" explores racial polarization and urban political attitudes in sometimes compelling fashion. And there's an interesting, racially diverse cast of players, with veteran character actress Lynne Thigpen ("Shaft"), a real standout as Mannion's crime stats wizard Ella Farmer. [6 Oct 2000, p.12D]

A cast of eager unknowns and prime-time newcomers gleefully skewers pop-culture celebrities from Britney Spears to Regis Philbin with acid, fast-paced irreverence. And sometimes -- but only sometimes -- Hype is laugh-out-loud hilarious. [6 Oct 2000, p.12D]

Ed is that rare sort of genuinely sweet television treat...It won't give you sugar schlock. It isn't sticky. And it doesn't go all gooey with prefabricated sentimentality. [6 Oct 2000, p.1D]

Arrested Development is one of those increasingly rare network comedy series that dares to assume there might be intelligent life out there watching, viewers who actually know when to laugh. Bless you, Fox. [31 Oct 2003, p.1H]

Though it's extremely well done, The Wire lacks the signature HBO kick of discovering something brand new, that giddy feeling of freshness that immediately attached itself to "The Sopranos" and "Six Feet Under." With The Wire, there's a less-exciting echo: Same old, same old. Been there, done that. [31 May 2002]

The gracefully gonzo result is funny and affecting, and sometimes it is downright insightful. Good grief. [1 June 2001, p.1E]

Two and a Half Men manages to generate some smiles. Series creator Chuck Lorre ("Dharma & Greg") has scrounged up a few funny moments for the series premiere. But not enough of them. [22 Sept 2003, p.6E]

This is sophisticated television that assumes there is an intelligent audience for well-written, off-center, ambitious entertainment. David Chase has created a contemporary mob masterpiece. The Sopranos, make no mistake, is the first truly great TV show of 1999. [8 Jan 1999, p.1D]

Yeah, sounds sappy. But it's just the opposite -- a charming mix of rambunctious wit, honest emotion and interesting characters. Lots of smarts and a generous heart. A winner. [16 Sept 2002]

Just imagine if Tony Soprano had decided to be a cop instead of a gangster. Yes, scary. Scary and compelling. And that's what you get with Detective Vic Mackey, the brutal, anything-goes Johnny Law at the dark heart of The Shield, an explosively well-done new crime drama. [12 Mar 2002]

Boomtown, created by Graham Yost, who wrote "Band of Brothers" and "Speed," has the potential to be NBC's best crime drama since "Homicide: Life on the Street." [27 Sept 2002]

Tell those Tinseltown pixies to go grab that big jar of cosmic stardust off the shelf. The magic show biz thing is happening again. [29 Sept 1998, p.1D]

Screwloose, occasionally amusing...Yeah, Beavis and Butt-head would make fun of this show. Heh-heh-heh. [20 Jan 2003]

The stylish, fast-moving series premiere is filled with surprising twists, witty repartee and some revved-up, well-choreographed action sequences. But the real star of Alias is, well, the star: athletic Jennifer Garner, who portrays Sydney with intelligence and graceful, hard-bodied charisma. [29 Sept 2001]

Television always needs smart, quality shows. And with "ER" on creative life support after 10 years, this challenging new medical drama could be good entertainment therapy. But for many viewers, "House" could be a tough pill to swallow. [15 Nov 2004, p.1C]

You'll never regret missing Navy NCIS if you forget to watch. [23 Sept 2003, p.1F]

With a little bit of prime time luck, Lost just may become what it sets out to be -- a mesmerizing thrill ride with a brain and more than a little humanity. [22 Sept 2004, p.1C]

Grim, stylish, smart and gripping. [26 Sept 2003, p.8E]

Alas, most of the humor comes straight from the formula family sitcom factory. Nice cast, stale laughs. [20 Sept 2002]

Light, breezy and easy to enjoy. [20 Sept 2002]

Mr. Know-It-All can be rather irritating. [20 Sept 2002]

And you don't have to be a sci-fi fanatic to get a kick out of Firefly, which brandishes playful bits of Whedon's signature wit and snappy repartee. [20 Sept 2002]

The writing and comic sensibility are fresh and unpredictable. [23 Aug 1998, p.1L]

"Wedding Wars" tries to do a lot, with moderate success.

It sets up a scenario that sends Walt, played by Bryan Cranston ("Malcolm in the Middle"), on an unpredictable, surprisingly fun-to-watch journey that frees him from his law-abiding past.

It's actually good ... and genuinely funny.

Yes, the show's glossily generic. But the attractive cast clicks.

Far, far away from the cutting edge, Life in the Wild offers a family-drama walk on the mild side.

Pushing Daisies is a delicate, rapturously original little television miracle.

The producers must have been living in a cave when they wrote this inept, misfiring social satire.

A decent, potentially appealing cast -- one that includes Fred Goss ("Sons and Daughters"), Faith Ford and Jerry O'Connell--has to make do with ho-hum storylines and writing that lacks anything resembling real snap and imagination.

Aliens in America delivers the laughs. It's one of the most enjoyable members of this fall's freshman class.

Hall, who invests strange, demented Dexter with real heart and humanity. It's a spooky tour de force.

Moonlight falls somewhere in the middle of the new paranormal pack. It's neither great nor awful.

Big Shots isn't brilliant. And despite that attractive, well-matched male ensemble, the so-so series premiere lacks sufficient creative zing.

Despite her extreme makeover, this new Bionic Woman is mostly slick, dull and portentously sullen.

The show's ensemble cast -- which also includes Jill Clayburgh, William Baldwin and Samaire Armstrong ("Entourage") -- is pretty darn fabulous. And the entertaining result is sophisticated trash with stylish flash.

Lewis is terrific. But his brazenly loopy lawman may not be to everyone's offbeat crime drama tastes.

Even with Walsh's star sizzle and an attractive, talented supporting cast that includes Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman, Taye Diggs and Audra McDonald, Rhimes still hasn't found her spinoff's storytelling groove

With its sharp writing, wonderful cast and wacko spirit, Reaper is one helluva good time.

Bitter family power struggles, corporate rivalries and a touch of murder highlight a promising, if overly tangled and busy series premiere.

McKidd's a fine actor and there's promise here for an engaging romantic drama. But it's a bit too tangled, confusing and erratic in the opening weeks.

It's headed in the right direction ... fast, loose and fun.

This is by far the least charming--the lame, leering sitcom tales of two brainiac losers (Johnny Galecki, above, and Jim Parsons) goofily smitten by the babelicious girl next door (Kaley Cuoco). It's about as witty as a pocket protector.

The snap, crackle and pop of witty dialogue well delivered. That is the consistently amusing, escapist pleasure of Back to You.

If you like watching culinary train wrecks, this is your show.

Slick, cynical teen soap nonsense.

Would the creators of Kid Nation please go to their room for a time-out and come up with something more original?

Tell Me You Love Me is little more than an intellectually pretentious, emotionally vapid snoozer.

High School Musical 2 is pretty much a total tuneful blast.

Duchovny possesses the engaging comic empathy skills to make his Left Coast libertine decidedly witty and likable.

Thanks to sleek production values, a generally top-notch cast and an absorbing overall story that smartly mixes explosive action with quieter moments of sinister intrigue, The Company delivers a refreshingly solid jolt of summertime Big Event drama.

Damages is dynamite. And the fuse is lit.

As a witty social history viewed through the tempestuous prism of office and sexual politics, Mad Men is big fun ... classy entertainment with a brain.

Thanks mostly to the acting intelligence and talent of Lili Taylor, State of Mind is the more interesting, entertaining newcomer.

The most compelling storytelling usually involves the combative relationship between Steinbrenner and Martin.

It makes a smart, charmingly irreverent first impression, thanks to its pleasantly warped, deadpan writing and performing.

TV's most original and irresistible new comic concoction.

A breezy summertime comic joy.

There's nothing remotely hip or ahead of the trendy zeitgeist curve about "Hidden Palms." But there are some of those agreeable guilty pleasures to be found, like cliffhanger twists at the close of each episode that keep the mystery bubbling.

With too many hints of recycled stock characters and formula thriller cliches, "Drive" sputters off the starting line.

The only thing missing is fresh, smart, unpredictable humor.

Although it's not quite as much smart, trashy fun as "Rome," it is still an engaging romp that moves along at a stylish pace.

[A] sly spoof.

Yes, the premise may be decidedly derivative, but it's all in the witty execution.

Alternately engaging and annoying.

Laced with profanity, amoral behavior and fine performances, "The Riches" adheres to its own maverick set of family drama values ... infused with secrets and lies, twisted laughs and lots of love.

There are moments of dizzy, semisweet fun to be had on the premiere. But the honeymoon could be short.

Thanks to Corddry's social misfit charisma, Ricky Blitt's affable lowbrow lunacy flashes with a sharp, dizzy wit.

A terrific series pilot that gives off little echoes of everything from "GoodFellas" to "The Departed."

A ho-hum traditional sitcom filled with formula banter and cliched cuteness.

"The Sarah Silverman Program" is not for everyone. But if you've chuckled along to the rascals on "South Park" -- or if you thought "Borat" was one hilarious movie -- then chances are you'll get some perverse jollies with Sarah Silverman's latest venture.

Even with Blackthorne's occasionally engaging portrayal of Harry Dresden, this whodunit lacks the wit and imagination that might transform it into something special.

The ensemble cast, including David Oyelowo, Edward Woodward ("The Equalizer") and Janet McTeer, is first rate. A winner.

No, the thrill isn't gone. "24" remains a wild 'n' crazy roller-coaster ride.

A haphazard farce that fails to find a consistently funny groove.

Despite the presence of a capable cast of bumbling Robin Hood wanna-bes... "The Knights of Prosperity" quickly devolves into tepid, overwrought whimsy and struggles to sustain its premise.

A tediously insipid show that is perilously low on wit, intelligence or imagination.

A terrific, six-hour miniseries, beautifully written and sharply directed.

"Big Day" just doesn't deliver many big laughs.

Slick, predictably convoluted and pumped up on conspiratorial dread, "Day Break" may be a trifle late to the serial thriller party.

There's nothing remotely fresh or original about "3 Lbs." But it is well made, reasonably diverting and lucky to be on CBS.

A clever new animated series.

This effort is blessed with a wealth of exceptional talent.

Fey's humor possesses a sly, literate snap. And like NBC's recent cool comedies, "The Office" and "My Name Is Earl," her rollicking "30 Rock" has a surplus of nutty imagination.

Despite Lithgow and Tambor's capabilities, the series sags badly amid the moldy excesses of generic, over-the-top slapstick.

Filled with strong writing, a colorful gallery of vivid characters and a rocking good mix of cool dialogue and explosive action, "Battlestar Galactica" rolls on as an intergalactic entertainment classic.

"The Nine" unfolds with an abundance of emotion-charged imagination.

The smartly told stories of first-year coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler, "King Kong") and his Dillon High School Panthers are packed with gritty style and heartfelt emotion.

Dexter is... one of the most compelling new characters on TV.