Imperfect but promising. [14 Apr 2003]

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]

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]

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

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 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]

Despite the dependably daft charms of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, all the tinkering that's been done to "Watching Ellie" may leave you feeling like something funny has been lost. [15 Apr 2003]

This so-so show uses the sight gag style of "Scrubs" -- visualizing a character's thoughts and fantasies -- minus the funny medical comedy's superior wit and comic smarts. [24 Sept 2002]

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

Breezily prefabricated sitcom humor that lacks the fresh zing of anything remotely original.

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.

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]

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

That morbid premise -- in addition to the so-so storytelling, devolving badly by the second episode -- sure feels morosely overwrought for 8 o'clock.

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]

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

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

Even with its erratic start, "Inconceivable" still manages to deliver a fair share of escapist, bun-in-the-oven fun.

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

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

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

Alternately engaging and annoying.

From start to finish, "Standoff" is slickly contrived, formulaic crime drama nonsense.

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]

Slick, mindlessly entertaining. [24 March 2000]

Shepherd scores in a so-so docudrama.

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

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

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]

Doesn't quite rise to the cheerful, sweetly clever quality level of WB's "Beauty and the Geek."

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

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

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

Some will find it appalling. Others just may find it appallingly addictive.

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

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.

The Old Testament just shouldn't be this dull.

Most of the time, Daddio keeps the amiable focus on family friendly fun and the jovial mug of Chiklis. [23 March 2000, p.5G]

The mostly forgettable "Battery Park"? It's strictly DOA -- Dull On Arrival. [23 March 2000]

It's greasy, it's cheesy, it's a big heapin' platter of B-movie hokum. Now if only Tremors: The Series were as much clever fun as "Tremors," the witty, wild 'n' woolly 1990 monster flick it was inspired by. But it's not. Not even close. [28 Mar 2003, p.6D]

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

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.

Luis retains the creaky, cliched feel of a laugh track relic from another time. Even in the '70s, this ethnic comedy cartoon wouldn't have seemed all that funny. With manic Luis, more is less. [19 Sept 2003, p.6H]

A glossy hunk of over-the-top, sleaze 'n' tease melodrama.

In the transformation to animation, Clerks has seen its cutting edge go pretty dull. [31 May 2000]

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

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]

With its attractive cast and the Emmy Award-winning talent behind-the-scenes... "Related" should be a lot more fizzy, witty fun than it is.

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.

"Modern Men" feels anything but, well, modern. But in its own goofy, good-natured retro way, this old-school comedy... generates some lighthearted, if predictable grins.

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

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]

There are occasional funny moments amid the raging comic mediocrity.

The few good laughs in an otherwise so-so show are supplied by the slyly wigged-out Beth Lacke.

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

Lopez loses because he's caught in the middle of a ho-hum sitcom with few real laughs -- much like ABC's very similar "My Wife and Kids" and "According to Jim." Oops. [27 Mar 2002]

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

A tepid traditional sitcom.

A lame, uninspired faculty farce.

A pretty bland romantic confection.

While I am at once outraged at this profiteering by bad taste, I am sympathetic to those who are cast in the roles of the medical staff. [24 Sep 1972, p.90]

A mediocre and predictable adventure series based on a mediocre and predictable Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. [22 Sept 1997, p.5E]

[A] trite little laugh-track factory.

Just another tediously cliched crime procedural. Whodunit? Who cares.

A dopey comedy deserves a dopey assessment: Tucker sucks. Please make it go away. [2 Oct 2000, p.4E]

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]

Disheartening proof that even the most talented producers sometimes concoct a prime-time crock.

Slick, cynical teen soap nonsense.

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

Offers only slightly more entertainment appeal than viewing a test pattern. [10 Jul 2000]

A tediously bloody bore.

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

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

In terms of intelligence, wit and quality, "Desire" is a serious cut below most prime time drama series.

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

[A] cheesy carnival of reality TV.

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.

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

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

A slick 'n' grim crime procedural piled high with deadly dull cliches

[A] dreadful little laugh-impaired comedy.

Derivative supernatural schlock like this should have a stake driven through its silly storytelling heart. [9 Mar 2007]

This is entertainment? Awful.