Making History may get a D in real history but is passably funny in a hit-or-miss cartoonish way.

Shaw is likable and undoubtedly a selling point for the series, but unless the show finds its focus, it’s not going to be enough.

It’s difficult to get much of a clear sense of the characters. Still, it’s an excellent cast who bring their own strengths to the roles.

It’s a fine superhero adventure even if you don’t know all the characters. Just go with it. It may not be super, but it gets in its hits.

Watching the series is a bit like skipping through the magazine--a little of this, a little of that, always interesting.

The show suffers when it’s away from Johnson, lacking any real focus. Individual moments can be fine, but they seem strung together rather than part of a cohesive vision.

Viewers have seen this all before so many times before that The Gifted feels just ordinary.

I would suspect that those more familiar with Shakespeare’s plays and the times may appreciate Will a bit more than others. Still, the series is hardly a stuffy costume drama. The mostly young cast is quite good, and there is plenty of sex, violence, comedy and intrigue to keep it amusing for non-Shakespeare fans.

Season 2 definitely has more action and digs deeper into the mystery, at least in the five episodes made available.

Incorporated is just one of another grim dystopian futures we have become so fond of. Hey, it could be dead-on, but it really doesn’t have a lot to offer. There will be a few parallels to today, and it is mildly diverting as a thriller, but we have seen it before, even if it is the future.

Judging by the first episode, The Exorcist works as both a tribute to the original as well as on its own terms. There is something of a family drama inside the scares, which gives the idea of making a series out of it more staying power.

Graham has updated the story pretty well, while overstuffing it a bit. Nevertheless, the miniseries keeps the novelist’s questions about mankind’s destiny percolating throughout and never really lets you lose interest.

The students of Brakebills have never fit in and aren’t part of a hierarchy, and, like a lot of young people, can be their own worst enemy. So far The Magicians played off those reverse expectations fairly well, and has a more hip Gothic atmosphere to it. It will be interesting to see if it can keep all the balls flying in the air.

The series has something of a “True Lies” feel, with its plot winking at itself. There is plenty of action and suspense and even a “Timecop” twist. J-C, though, is a different sort of action-figure, filled with more self-doubt and regret then you usually see in the movies. But even with that, the series smartly never takes itself too seriously.

After watching that first episode, we can tell you that it’s a solid return, and definitely stronger than its last few seasons. A good part of that is the chemistry of the new judges--pop star Katy Perry, country singer Luke Bryan and Mr. “All Night Long” himself, Lionel Richie--with the contestants who walk into the room to audition and with each other.

Once called “The Second Fattest Housewife in Westport,” the series hits the usual notes but doesn’t sing.

If crazed killings and macabre laughs aren’t your thing, you may want to avoid the show. So far, though, Scream Queens is outlandishly fun.

There are a few things The Catch will need to establish before taking off. For instance, it’s a bit hard to buy Alice’s and Ben’s instant attraction. But as light entertainment, the show flies by pretty quickly, a good fit for the #TGIT playground.

The original movie worked because Wells was played as a man out of time and Steenburgen’s character longed for a gentleman while still wanting to be a modern woman. The new series doesn’t let that relationship ripen enough; so it ends up diving too quickly into violence and sci-fi fantasy to get its grounding.

Its cleverness may be a little too nuanced and low-key for mainstream audiences - the show probably belongs on a cable network, where it would be a programming highlight - instead of a broadcaster like NBC. But it's good fun to see our deity and demon bicker over minutiae while Bob looks on without comprehension. [9 March 2000]

While often a sumptuous watch, it too often strays into the gaudy.

The show is competent for what it is. (Phelan and Rater know the territory.) And the series manages to address some real issues in evenhanded ways. So while it’s not my cup of tea, I wouldn’t write Doubt off.

After the characters try to explain the timeline once too often, it gets confusing and you just stop caring about what's going on. So even if the cast is pretty good, which it is, and even if the show has some excitement at times, Legends--so far--comes off as something of a mishmash of a mash-up.

Limitless makes for a lively show with an addictive potential.

While it mostly traffics in the idea of trying to right the past and how that can go so very wrong, it doesn’t get bogged down, instead letting the action and mystery drive the story. For what it is, you likely will be entertained while watching it, but it probably won’t stick with you very long.

Damnation has laid enough groundwork for a solid series, and the first episode ends with a kicker about Seth and Creeley’s relationship.

While The Son sports sprawling ambitions, the series awkwardly trods over familiar territories.

To its credit, SEAL Team attempts to examine the home life of the military men, but most of the story is devoted to action rather than drama. The action has a gritty “Zero Dark Thirty” look to it, but when the show does focus on the domestic side, it doesn’t dive as deep as History’s “Six,” another show about SEALs. ... It’s solid, if not going into new territory.

So far, City of Angels is a solid, fairly smart series that doesn't quite reach out and grab the viewer as Barclay and Bochco's previous collaborations have done. But a cast capable of doing that when the writing hits its stride is definitely in place. [16 Jan 2000, p.L5]

The Amazon series can play like an old Hollywood movie one minute, self-consciously gabby and filled with witticisms. The next, it’s a smart glitzy contemporary soap opera or sly but telling commentary on the entertainment business. Sometimes it bounces a bit too much between the different aspects. Sometimes things mesh nicely, and the series is never boring.

Vice Principals has some weird twists, like Russell’s home life, that keep the show vaguely watchable at times, but it doesn’t have enough laughs and or a satirical bite to keep it propped up.

Netflix’s new multicamera sitcom, The Ranch, will seem familiar enough for fans of the genre, but it’s enjoyable and inventive enough to make you think there is still life left in the well-worn TV staple.

Versailles has glamor and spectacle, but it’s hardly an epic drama. It dreamily drifts along for the first few episodes, introducing the characters and concentrating on outrageous behavior. All the military-strategy sessions blur together.

To maintain any momentum, however, they're going to have to come up with something more than a ''dead guy of the week beckons from the other side'' premise. There's not much the Others are fighting against at this point, except short-lived skepticism on behalf of the bereaved. [5 Feb 2000, p.L3]

Geere gives a very lively performance and the rest of the cast is also strong. Not the happiest of topics, but Ill Behaviour, puts an interesting face on it.

Pharoah, though, almost makes it worth it. He has a solid presence that lifts the show. You just wish it were a better show.

The series seems to want to exist somewhere between a Pee-wee Herman world, where Miranda exists within her own reality, and “Waiting for Guffman” or other parodies of self-important clueless people. It doesn’t succeed as either, nor on its own terms.

So far, The Mist hasn’t given viewers much to care about. It’s all pretty standard plot thickeners. On the other hand, it’s not badly done--atmospheric, so to speak, if unseen horrors are your thing.

It can never have the immediacy of Ryan McGarry’s documentary about County/USC that inspired it, but the series does capture the film’s spirit and that is a welcome change when it comes to medical dramas. Harden, as usual, provides a strong presence, which helps anchor the show, and Guzman is a plus for any series. Code Black is worth keeping an eye on.

Though lightly entertaining, the series needs a bit more character grounding. So far Weston and Mangan are quite good as the flamboyant famous characters, but the scripts will have to flesh them out more. That may never happen.

Oates is getting to the party pretty darn late; there aren't a lot of bones left to pick through. But what's left isn't pretty, and in adapting "Blonde" the miniseries, director Joyce Chopra and screenwriter Joyce Eliason focus morbidly, as did Oates, on the pervasive darkness in the life of Norma Jeane Baker. [13 May 2001, p.L8]

Peppered in are some humor, like funny references to the past when Lara’s mom saying she met her husband on Tinder, or when Dash uses his abilities for more than seeing crime, like knowing when bird poop is dropping. However, you wish that the show would have been less zippy, less procedural. It hints at dire aftereffects of Precrime, but doesn’t go much beyond that.

There is nothing new in Killing Reagan from filmmaker Rod Lurie. ... Better to read a book--not O’Reilly’s--but a real history of the man’s life.

McHale, the “Community” veteran, is enjoyable. The jokes aren’t bad, and it’s fun having Fry as the out-of-touch editor. Based on the first episode, though, the show is hit and miss. The premise is stretched every which way, but somehow Indoors seem a bit claustrophobic.

The mystery along with its intriguing premise might have been enough, but the main problem with the show is the slow pacing. It’s easy to drift.

Although Olson and the cast give it their all, “The Mick” is no fun.

Midnight, Texas is kind of like the Saturday matinee version of horror. It keeps the action moving along without much bite.

It’s meant as escapism, not realpolitik, and we should have faith people know the difference. Yes, there are flaws in the series, but in the first three episodes it keeps you hooked.

Not one of the performers looks like anything beyond a pretty young performer biding his or her time until a better break comes along. [23 March 2000]

Fox’s new comedy-drama Lucifer has a similar premise [as "Death Takes a Holiday and "Meet Joe Black"], but without the sap and more zip and lip. But (and you saw this coming), the devil is in the details.... Uneven but mostly fun.

So far the storytelling on Blood & Oil has been crude and obvious.

Although the dialogue is occasionally a bit cute, the rest of the cast comes across as mostly solid and believable.

The series, created by Adam Nussdorf and executive produced by “Heroes” creator Tim Kring, hardly feels new. We have seen this person who gets unwanted special powers thing before. But because all 10 episodes are available at once, you might find yourself meandering along before you know it.

Not exactly a new premise, but the new Fox action-drama has enough of a twist to make it make it worth checking out.

But the payoff is too long in coming. Much of the third night involves - what else? - wandering around the ever-growing mansion. You get the feeling the characters are biding their time between commercials. King should have been advised to cut the miniseries by a night. Instead, watching "Rose Red" is like hanging out in a Halloween haunted house too long. After a while, you know somebody - or something - is going to pop out to try and scare you. By then, though, you've reached your fright limit and you're just too numb to jump. [27 Jan 2002, p.L7]

The story of David has always fascinated because it contains so many universal dramatic and psychological elements. This is not the worst version of the tale, just a pedestrian one.

The best thing about the series is its likeable cast. ... With only one episode available, it’s hard to tell if Rush Hour will offer up more than its light and breezy attitude. No one is looking to weigh it down, but if turns into a mystery-of-the-week procedural, the jokes and action will get old fast.

No one expected Taken to be turned into something brilliant but it had the elements needed to be an exciting show. Instead, it’s been made pretty ordinary. Too bad, Standen deserves to be shown off better.

For what it is--something serviceable to fit in CBS’s Saturday lineup--Ransom will do, but pretty much is a square peg fitting in a square hole.

As a procedural, APB--from Len Wiseman and Matt Nix--is a nice futuristic fantasy made watchable by an attractive cast, but it is essentially shaped in an old-fashioned way--the clash of old and new, a little sexual tension, some dark secrets of the past, etc. After three episodes, it’s hard to see it developing into anything more.

Watts is excellent as usual, but it’s a lot to ask for 10 episodes. Gypsy might have worked better at six. It feels a bit like therapy, a long slog with a couple of breakthroughs.

Much of this is pretty standard stuff, part legal drama, part soap. Atwell, though, is always so lively and interesting to watch. But the material may sink her at the end.

If you like watching rich people sashaying around with a vague mystery as an excuse, Riviera might do, but be warned the dialogue and scenes are often flat--giving you time to ponder the scenery and costumes--and the mystery takes a while to flesh out.

It's hard to see where this all might be going. A nebulous nefarious cabal betting on the outcome of crimes may be the strangest of some of the strange premises for shows this fall, but Winchester is good at being the action hero. If you enjoy that, you might enjoy the show.

Don’t expect “American Playboy” to stray beyond its message. It’s not exactly “Masters of Sex” in examining the nuances in sexual revolution, and there is little depth to its approach. Nevertheless, the docu-series is pretty watchable if for no other reason than to remind us how crazy those times could be.

Ingesting Disjointed is pretty harmless. You might get a buzz, though. There are a few laughs, but I can pretty much assure you that you won’t get addicted.

Simply baffling. ... Hit the Road is like “The Partridge Family” in the upside down. While Alexander is still masterful at getting laughs, there is a cynical quality to the series that takes the fun out.

Daddio, a situation comedy about a smart and fun stay-at-home dad, is mildly progressive-minded in its set-up and comfortably old-fashioned in all other facets of its execution. One is easily forgiven for wishing the laugh lines had a little more sparkle, and it's a less than ideal companion series to the bawdy "Friends," which airs before it, but the premise and the cast are solid enough to expect future improvement and a decent prime-time run. [23 March 2000, p.L5]

While the series tries to dazzle you with high-tech sophistication, it fumbles around when it comes to the human factors.

Valor quickly becomes about secrets and lies, guilt and bravery, and hot bodies and awful banter. It’s not the best mix, and not mixed the best way.

The biggest problems with it is pace and familiarity. It’s difficult to get a handle on Danny--an enigmatic lost rich kid with mystical powers--and parts of Iron Fist seem cribbed from other Marvel superhero tales. Jones does grow on you, especially after he begins to take on a kung-fu master persona, but there seems little special about the story or any of the characters.

While the likable cast--which includes D.L. Hughley, Jamie Kennedy and Maya Erskine--is easy to root for, there is little else to distinguish Heartbeat from numerous other medical shows.

Not bad if it’s your thing.

The humor is more throwaway and often falls flat while a lot of the drama can become stiffly serious. It’s not that the series is badly made. The action and effects are decent. The cast is fine, though the characters are still mostly unformed. ... Viewers may find the tone of series perplexing.

Appreciating Fuller House will depend a lot on how much you enjoyed the original, which ran eight seasons on ABC. The new show displays enough of its own personality to be a bit more than simply nostalgia. By the third episode--on which singer Macy Gray guests--it even starts to develop some loopy fun with a dance-off at a local club.

Wisdom of the Crowd gets a pass for now. The first episode addresses a number of interesting issues, although never going too deeply into them. ... Piven and Jones offer a strong presence for this type of show, and Natalia Tena works nicely as Sara Morton, Tanner’s head of the project, who gives him some balance and as something of a love interest.

There are a lot of ambient and random sounds in the episodes, which makes things seem more ominous than any tension generated by the story. Apart from that musical wrinkle, Hunters is overly familiar, essentially a generic crime show in a sci-fi case.

The network was probably aiming for “Scandal,” but by the end of the first episode the mix of ridiculous plot twists and awful soap-opera-ish dialogue make you wonder if “Scrambled” might not have been more appropriate title.

Truth Be Told is probably not worth your time. While it tries to be edgy, most of its humor is fairly tame.

It’s standard sitcom stuff, but those elements don’t mesh well enough on the series even to reach that low Friday-night bar.... Dr. Ken is disjointed and, worse, not really funny.

This is a pretty lively Whovian world.... Clara is the sunshine to the Doctor's sadness, and Coleman makes her shine.

k. “Sesame Street” episode. This can seem frustrating if you care, but the TV show does it all with a sense of bravado that allows you to overlook any internal logic issues.

Most of the dramatizations are functional, although a few border on cheesy.

The first episode is very uneven, busily attempting to check all the boxes so it can get back to being a procedural. If that is the case, there aren’t enough tattoos on Jane’s body to make it compelling.

There are enough pieces in place that should make final season of Black Sails a shiver-me-timbers fun ride.

It looks like this will be a fun season. The first episode is called “The Pilot,” and in its way reintroduces us to the Doctor by seeing him through Bill’s uninitiated eyes. ... Mackie, a relative unknown, proves instantly likable, and the character distinguishes itself from the other companions in the series.

Since each year is stand-alone it’s easy enough to enjoy Season 3 on its own. While the series boasts a good cast, it’s Welliver’s show. He brings a solid presence to the character of Bosch.

The series is a slow burner, but the noir mystery and Laurie keep the flames going.