Surprise! Crusoe's good, and by "good" I mean competently produced and acted.

"The Bondsman" is not for everyone. But it knows what it wants to be and has the confidence to see it through.

As good as Hawke is here, Johnson just might be better. A winner.

The X Factor is a hugely entertaining endeavor full of malarkey, good performances (and bad), and enough momentum to keep you engaged from the first overblown second to the last.

Edge-of-the-seat viewing but seat-of-the-pants storytelling. At least both Redmayne and Lynch shine.

Rarely does a TV series premiere as pitch-perfect as "Nightmares & Dreamscapes." But often does a second installment deflate as disappointingly as the subsequent second hour of this summer anthology of mystical imagination adapted from the stories of Stephen King...While the bubble doesn't burst completely, the bravura filmmaking of tonight's first hour sets a standard that's difficult to match on a regular basis, much less in the hour that airs immediately after. It's a "wow!" that's likely to stand as one of TV's most mesmerizing hours of the year. [12 July 2006, p.B21]

This "A League of Their Own" does what any successful remake must: it finds its own voice, standing apart from its predecessor while also honoring its legacy.

Dogs is a perfectly pleasant show based on the perfectly reasonable proposition that dogs are people, too.

Knox is neither absolved nor condemned, and you'll end up with more questions that you began with. But pay close attention: There are many telling little details throughout.

"The Underground Railroad" is often difficult to watch, at times impossible to watch, but at least there's beauty, power, and some first-rate performances, as compensation.

It could easily be mean and cynical, but manages to avoid both fatal pitfalls because the finalists are so genuinely enthusiastic and so blissfully uncomprehending of their shortcomings.

Not quite on the level of last season's best, like "Woods," "FUBU" or "Teddy Perkins," these openers are nonetheless pure, unfiltered "Atlanta." Take that as the praise intended.

Falco and her curls steal the show. They’re both are fascinating. The “true crime” part is much less so.

Good-hearted, a little too cloying, and the story flow needs polish. Of the three new CBS comedies this fall, this is the most promising.

The first five episodes are best, with their show-within-a-show structure, specifically those San-Ti virtual reality headsets that Mark Zuckerberg would give half his kingdom for. They're a portal into a whole other world, with its own set of narrative rules, and even the occasional flash of humor. Mostly they're just fun. “3 Body” noticeably sags when the San-Ti no longer deploy them (although one does reappear in a closing scene of this first season).

Whitaker and the rest of the cast are first-rate, but what's most compelling about "Godfather" are its apparent ambitions.

Manifest wants to be "This Is Us" with a taste of "Lost." Over the first episode, it manages the feat with considerable skill. A good cast sells the improbable hook by at least making it emotionally probable.

Yes, this is all very familiar--Sundance's "The Returned" was better, by the way--but there are still solid hints of an engaging series.

There's plenty of heart here--and some very sharp writing and acting, too.

The mythology arc is absolute rubbish. Fortunately, this new season appears to suspect that and, after that rocky opener, gets down to business. Soon enough, Scully and Mulder are puzzling over a simulated world where great brains like Steve Jobs “live” for eternity. A strange doppelgänger is stalking people. That sounds like a job for the X-Files team. The best of the five offered for review is very good indeed, and it too is a curtain call from an old friend: Darin Morgan.

The problem with Jackie is that split personality--drama or comedy. What's funny here is funny, like last season's final seconds. There aren't enough moments that remind you when to laugh.

As what you'd expect from the mind of Fred Armisen — quirky, strange, at times off-putting, at other times, engaging, and full of puckish charm.

New stories, new perspectives and new vistas might just do wonders for The Affair. At least they beat the alternative. Still entertaining, The Affair makes an attempt to get better by adding some diversity to the mix.

The show can be messy and confusing--a headlong rush to who-knows- where-or-why at times. But those clones keep it grounded.

Good, cleanly told newcomer that can be a bit pokey.

Often profane and occasionally offensive, Louie won't be to every viewer's taste, but it's a more interesting show than many with a definitive point of view.

The horror is what counts in any American Horror Story, and judging from the opening three episodes, it’s more than adequate in Cult. It’s also relentless, grisly and deeply warped.

What makes this series effective is that not-too-distant horizon. It doesn't play out 50 years from now, but next year, then a few years after that, and then a few beyond that. Viewers can see the roadmap, and by always keeping them within the realm of the plausible, the ambient anger and confusion feels plausible, or familiar. ... A compelling — and timely — new series.

This "Party" does what the original did well because it knows all of this. Feelings are universal but circumstances are not. ... The rare reboot with a purpose — and a heart.

Intelligent adaptation absent the dark humor, satire--or horror--of the original.

The formula's a little too familiar, the pilot a tad dull. But Michalka's a big talent and for that reason, Hellcats has potential.

This Tick moves like a movie, each episode more a chapter in an extended tale than a half-hour payoff.

Solid opener, compelling premise, good cast and one major hole.

The Girl is getting older, but there's still pleasure to be had on the final lap.

All dark shadows and gloom, there's a comic-book vigor to the series, and the narrative contortion of a soap.

Bloody pirate battles? Check. Graphic sex scenes? Check. Shoreside conniving/intrigue? Intense.

The starter hour picks up steam whenever loose-cannon Amick bops around--although Ormond does a nice job of grounding its shenanigans in a semblance of reality.

Insanely violent, but, yup, often beautiful and intoxicating. A mind-bender that can be worth the bender.

Another fine Le Carré adaptation but not quite as fun as 2016's "The Night Manager."

Turgid dialogue obscures intriguing ideas, amid uneven echoes of civil rights and supremacist crusades.

If you can see the forest through the trees, it's good, wearable fashion that's the real "fashion star" on this show, and it gives viewers an unusual glimpse into the world of retail despite all the superfluous hoopla.

Sure, it’s understandable that CMT wants to make the mini series interesting to non-music fans, but a little more music is what would take Sun Records from good to great.

So, what about the human intrigue of partner interaction, coordination and strategizing? That gets a bit of short shrift in favor of more blood (leaking hydraulic fluid) and guts (flying sparks and parts).

It's a compelling, epic production with a strong central concept.

Good performances, good period details, good payoff. But Restless would've worked better as a two-hour film.

Where all this ends up, you already know. But at least Unsolved does a good job of making you care about the failure. Engaging, interesting, watchable.

As indictments go, Going Clear is relentless and effective. But fair and balanced? That's another question--or maybe that's an issue.

It's Eddie Murphy, launching the season in Episode 1, who leaves the biggest impression. ... Affable entertainment and the occasional candid moment from Seinfeld and friends.

As episodes unfold, the relationships resonate, and the characters run deeper.

As a viewing experience, "Grant" is often engaging. While the docudrama dialogue can be clunky — the common fault of these things — the battle scenes are much better. ... Salinger's ("Ripper Street") Grant is good too. His eyes capture what Grant must have felt: Unbearable sadness yoked to ironclad resolution. A winner.

Mostly for the die-hard Seinfeld (and "Comedians") fan, these are more often about the guy who picks up the check than about his guests. But at their best, they're--what else?--funny.

Even if you aren’t part of the “Wet Hot American Summer” cult, this series should provide plenty of goofy, gonzo fun.

The movie was about the sex. The series is about the work. Differences are enormous, also welcome. The series is also far more confident--understandable insofar as Lee was just starting out back then--but confidence helps the still-slight story.

Can Rescue Me wrap all this up in the short time left? I hope so, but this episode feels like so much temporizing.

The Lottery, with otherwise sage setup and promising performances, merits its own shot at something great.

So far no amnesia bouts or cougar attacks. And no Kim! [9 Jan 2005]

"Just Shoot Me" is Moliere compared to "Suddenly Susan" and producer Brillstein-Grey's other hit, "The Naked Truth." The writing is sharper, the targets in the worlds of fashion, journalism and TV news are hit more frequently, and it is funnier. [10 Mar 1997]

There's warmth and wit there, along with not a little magic.

A breath of cold, bracing and - bless it - fresh air. Eisner's fable is dark, almost impenetrably so, though skillfully rendered. Best of all, nothing here has ever been performed on reality TV, the best I can tell.

In the world of reality shows, this well-produced series is better than most. Betwixt and between all the emotional upheavals and drama, Coffey, only slightly witchy, dishes out sound advice.

The material is high in laugh content, but sometimes the handy wonders of animation tempt the makers of "Dr. Katz" to illustrate jokes unnecessarily. [28 May 1995]

The best thing about "Free Ride" is the lack of pressure to be about something. Trusting its talented cast to embody their own truths, it ambles and weaves, leaving space for the characters, even folks briefly bumped into, to nail a specific attitude or situation.

Lacks the hard, uncomfortable edges of [FX's also premiering] "Starved," but it's clear this show wants and intends to do a little damage, too. [4 Aug 2005]

The show moves more like a ready-for-prime-time comedy than a kiddie toon. Think "The Simpsons" with soul.

Watch the first few minutes of "The Class" in its CBS sitcom debut tonight, and you may not believe me when I say this, but here goes. I think they might have something here.

We're happy to see a multigenerational sitcom, and the pilot has some nice writing. But the effort feels somehow strained. Though stage veteran Byrne has charisma, he's hardly a sitcom natural. So maybe that's the point. A sitcom that doesn't behave like one. Hope springs eternal. [6 Oct 2000, p.B51]

It's daring, disconcerting and/or enlightening.

Many viewers will find its satire way over the line, but they're not the ones The WB is aiming for. [6 Oct 2000, p.B51]

For all its redundancy, however, the latest "CSI" is stronger than "Miami" and could eventually rival the original. Credit the two primary stars, Sinise and the city. [22 Sep 2004]

Far and away the best new pilot on NBC this season.

Even for sitcoms, "Sunny" is often a vile, twisted beast that crosses the line of acceptable taste. But it can also be highly amusing, and the addition of DeVito and Archer does nothing to diminish that. [29 Jun 2006]

Heretofore, I have never thought of Candice Bergen as a major comedienne like Andrea Martin or Catherine O'Hara. But I like her as Murphy Brown. She has the addictive personality of the character she plays, and can grow on you. [14 Nov 1988]

As derivative as it is in many respects, "The Apprentice" could turn out to be one of the more interesting variations on the format. [4 Jan 2004]

A pretty nifty, if completely insane, suspense/conspiracy/ chase/road adventure.

Successfully cross-breeding "Three's Company" and "Full House" may be achievement enough to earn the show's creators a Nobel Prize in genetics, but the audience for a family sex farce may be limited. ... Misgivings about the sexual content aside, "8 Simple Rules" is, indeed, one of the better sitcom prospects of the 2002-03 season. The writing is uneven, but Ritter is a rarity, an actor who doesn't need funny things to say because he can say things funny. [17 Sep 2002]

Could... become a very pleasant surprise.

Underwood, in the role of Maria, didn't entirely succeed--acting is part of the bargain, after all. But NBC's live version of Richard Rodgers' and Oscar Hammerstein's beloved musical, staged at Grumman Studios in Bethpage, largely did.

It's all a bit much in Monday's opener, and yet I suspect that, like the $400 shirts and luxury ride of Dennis Farina's "Law & Order" character, which initially came across as contrast run amok, Deputy Chief Johnson's contrived personality excesses will fade with time. And what will be left is a compelling character in a solid show - not a tradition-buster like FX's "The Shield" but probably a broader-based hit. [12 Jun 2005]

Opens promisingly with a storyline that sets up a compelling premise for a serial adventure ... [but] is so visually arresting that the humanoid characters are upstaged. [14 Mar 1999]

It's not as remarkable as [the previous versions], but it beats most of the weekly crime dramas running opposite it this week. [25 Jan 2004]

Don't believe the critics who tell you "Hidden Palms" stinks after they watched only the first episode.... This is a seriously involving serious show. A show about something.

Like many Lifetime productions, this one is designed to make you stand up and take action on a hot-button issue. Unlike many, it's got the dramatic chops to keep you on your feet applauding.

We expect sharp writing from Caron. "Medium" is almost too glib at times. What makes the suspension of disbelief easy is the casting. [3 Jan 2005]

Some of the sketches... have a surprising depth and richness. [5 Oct 1992]

Lewis is such a commanding presence that Sarah Shahi is rendered little more than an accessory as Dani. There's nothing going on between the partners at the outset, but this is subject to change.

Anyone who wants to take a walk on the wild side and lose an appetite in the process, your show has arrived.

There's enough human drama here to keep us occupied without having the walls fall down, too.

The important thing about "South Park" is not what it looks like or the way the characters talk, but what they say. It's a writer-driven vehicle, like most of the better twisted adult cartoons. [13 Aug 1997]

The intimate moments have a gutsy realness, and the central characterizations are bedrock enough to sell us through the stereotypes.

It's one tasty piece of lunacy.

"Raines" is both thoroughly conventional and thoroughly unconventional; in fact, it often revels in its conventionality.

Not exactly the freshest premise for a comedy. But what Coach lacks in flash or originality, it makes up in steady execution. A winning cast and decent writing will do that. [28 Feb 1989, p.II-13]

"Crumbs" is surprisingly good.

"Without a Trace" is about the work, about the puzzle. If you want the untidy cop stuff, stick with "NYPD Blue." [26 Sep 2002]

Smart. [23 Aug 1998, p.D10]

Yes, there have been some valid questions about TV's recent embrace of the serial. (Too many? Will people stay tuned?) "Kidnapped" feels so fresh that viewers won't even care.

Ultimately, viewers just have to work a lot harder to fathom John from Cincinnati than Tony from Jersey.

This handsome, moodily shot movie liberates the play from the confines of the tiny apartment with almost too many scenes on the bus, in a bar and, most chilling, in the back room of a beauty shop where the neighborhood abortionist boils forceps.