"Desperate Housewives" has been spinning its storytelling wheels this fall. ... But we kvetch too much. Despite its slightly diminished state, most of the time "Housewives" remains a Sunday night delight. [30 Oct 2005]

One of the fall season's most purely enjoyable new series is also one of the very best. [1 Oct 2004]

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

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]

'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]

As '24' quickly revs up the anxiety and action on the new season, the show is still flashing its taut, characteristic strengths: distinctive real time storytelling, tighten-the-vise tension, compelling split-screen visuals and sudden, sometimes shocking, outbursts of violence. All of it pushed at a dazzling pace and built around Sutherland's grim, courageous antihero with the hair-trigger volatility. [7 Jan 2005]

It sure looks like '24' executive producers Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran are ready to give America more anxiety-amped razzle dazzle with one of television's most original and compelling drama series. [28 Oct 2003]

The first two episodes this season get the crisis-fueled day rolling in superb fashion. [29 Oct 2002]

A jolt of taut, high-velocity TV drama, a new-style thriller that really is thrilling. [6 Nov 2001]

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

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]