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

Caruso is terrific as ex-homicide detective Caine, the red-haired actor's comfortable, moodily soulful new crime drama alter ego. He's the charismatic point man in CBS's superlative, tautly crafted "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" spin-off. [22 Sep 2002]

Darkly gripping.

TV's most original and irresistible new comic concoction.

A smart, loopy spoof full of Everyman truth. [10 Jan 1997]

The husband and wife, played by Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter Birney, are recognizable human beings who grapple with recognizable problems and emotions. And the children in the family, particularly Michael J. Fox, who plays teenage son Alex, are marvelously portrayed. [06 Oct 1982, p.9D]

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

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.

Judging by the fine, funny - and, yes, mysterious - third season premiere, Cherry is keeping his witty, plot-twisting word ... so far. [24 Sep 2006]

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.

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

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]

You don't have to be a fantasy or sci-fi geek to have fun with it

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

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

Sharp, sophisticated and laugh-out-loud funny. [3 Mar 1997]

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.

Imperfect but promising. [14 Apr 2003]

For those willing to take the plunge, a chilling, hypnotic tale awaits. [12 Sep 2003]

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

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

Like any over-the-top, conspiracy-laced concept, "Prison Break" will only work if viewers are giddily enticed to jump aboard the Willing Suspension of Disbelief Express.

A taut new crime drama that's happily more than the sum of its generic crime procedural parts. [13 Jun 2005]

"Sleeper Cell" works as a smart, sharply styled thriller about a very serious subject.

A clever new animated series.

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.

One tasty comic treat.

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

Of course, it helps immensely that Christopher Titus's flamboyantly roguish father, Ken, is portrayed with genuine rascal charisma by Stacy Keach. An actor known mostly for his dramatic roles, Keach's exuberant comic performance is a cockeyed revelation. He could easily become the show's break-out personality. [19 March 2000, p.1L]

"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.

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

Has some genuinely funny moments despite its laugh track and conventional sitcom framework.

Raucous, bawdily good-natured. [14 Aug 2005]

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.

The sex scenes -- yes, there's plenty of bare skin and rising erotic temperatures -- alternate between sensitive and slightly cheesy, a la "Red Shoe Diaries." [16 Jan 2004, p.6H]

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]

Queer as Folk is good. But it isn't shockingly good. However, it is Showtime's best original series yet. [1 Dec 2000, p.1C]

What may appear at first glance to be a cheap reality TV gimmick... soon evolves into something quite compelling.

"Eureka" is clever paranormal escapism that sometimes teeters on the edge of whimsical excess. But that doesn't mean you won't find plenty of affable, oddball entertainment.

Moonlighting is in desperate need of a chemistry lesson. [03 Mar 1985, p.3C]

You don't have to be a lonely teenager to relate. [18 Jan 1998, p.6G]

An offbeat treat worth rooting for.

It's uneven in spots, with the riveting action sequences sometimes overshadowing the more subdued domestic scenes. But unlike the often gratingly shallow "JAG," "The Unit" allows for ambiguity.

Though Doherty's return to prime time is only occasionally bewitching, Charmed, on first encounter, isn't without promise. [7 Oct 1998, p.5G]

Slick, mindlessly entertaining. [24 March 2000]

Like Zuiker's first two installments of the series, "CSI: NY" is well made and well cast. But there's also something coldly understated and ordinary about it as well. [22 Sep 2004]

Despite its almost giddily provocative tone and the hanky-panky tunnel vision of its teenage protagonists, "life as we know it" displays some real promise with refreshing twists of wit, imagination and an offbeat style. [7 Oct 2004]

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]

Stephen King's The Shining is a crackerjack creep show with a fatal flaw. It's too darn long. [25 Apr 1997, p.1C]

Feels like a hit show about to happen.

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

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

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

There's an engaging free spirit at the heart of "Watching Ellie." [26 Feb 2002]

Though the crime thriller territory is familiar, Liotta and the talented supporting cast give "Smith" an extra kick of dramatic energy.

The mirth is lower key, often generating smiles rather than laughs. [9 March 2000, p.1G]

It arrives fresh, charming and consistently funny.

With The Langoliers, there's a primal zing to the story. The cast also gets into the anxiety-fueled swing of things, especially Pinchot, Stockwell and the eerily enchanting Maberly. [12 May 1995, p.1C]

Within the context of an overly familiar, murder-saturated genre, talented "Medium" creator Glenn Gordon Caron ("Moonlighting") manages to find some emotionally rich variations on the formula, assisted by Patricia Arquette's appealing performance as a suburban, crime-solving mom who sees dead people. [3 Jan 2005]

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

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

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

Thanks to its lively wit and playful visual style, Birds of Prey delivers a good bit of escapist entertainment. [9 Oct 2002]

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

"Justice" offers slick, efficiently produced whodunit escapism without a whit of real originality or dramatic spontaneity.

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.

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

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

A slick and clever cut above most cheesy reality shows. [8 Jan 2004]

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

The series rarely soars beyond the predictable. [4 Apr 2000]

"The West Wing" was more vivid, original and compelling than "Commander in Chief" is likely to become. But impressive Geena Davis and the Oval Office gender twist are indeed refreshing.

It's escapist sci- fi hooey that is simultaneously slick and tacky. In other words, a breath of fresh air compared to the average tabloid newsmagzine. [26 Jan 1994, p.6D]

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]

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

Besides the nifty, repressed romantic dynamic between Brennan and Booth, "Bones" has some fun with snazzy hologram visualizations of the murder victims in each case.

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]

During its opening two episodes, Popular is basically content to be just another jaunty, semi-"Clueless" spoke on WB's glossy teen entertainment wheel. Great to look at, yes, but short on emotional depth. [29 Sept 1999, p.5E]

Crusading criminal prosecutor Annabeth Chase... [is] the most irritating lead character on any new drama series this fall.

A pretty bland romantic confection.

A gimmicky, cliched legal drama that seems to have been unearthed from 20 years ago.

It's unfortunate that while Clueless looks fabulous, much of the fizzy comic energy of the film's bright teenybopper satire has been lost. [20 Sept 1996, p.9D]

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

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]

The opening episode is solidly done and pretty entertaining. But a fifth season of "Everwood" would have been a much better fit in the time slot following "7th Heaven."

Slick, cynical teen soap nonsense.

A sometimes clever twist on the overly familiar crime drama format ... is ultimately bogged down in the same old gory homicidal cliches and whodunit solutions. [23 Jan 2005]

"Family Guy" isn't for everyone. Obviously. It's also not as fully-realized or intelligent as "The Simpsons." It's extremely fast-paced and obsessed with a nonstop stream of jokes, jokes, jokes. And the humor is often hit and miss. But when it hits, look out. [29 Jan 1999]

"Out of Practice" is that increasingly rare old-fashioned sitcom that delivers decent laughs.

Word of caution: The glum, occasionally promising Harsh Realm won't be for everyone. It's violent and often relentlessly bleak. [8 Oct 1999, p.1D]

'3rd Rock from the Sun,' besides being viewed as too darn silly by some, may be slagged for being too raunchy by others. But if you're looking for a daffy acting delight, check out John Lithgow's marvelously unhinged performance as Commander Dick. [9 Jan 1996]

On a simple quality drama level, it's the best network miniseries in several years.

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

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

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.

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

In translating Oates' ambitious and stylized retelling of Monroe's life to television, screenwriter Joyce Eliason and director Joyce Chopra have unfortunately created a fairly dumb "Blonde." [14 May 2001, p.1G]

"Saved" is a sometimes entertaining, often predictable trauma drama.