Gossip Girl actually isn't bad by the standards of the medium--with "The Hills" pretty much being the standard--and it's even surprisingly competent.

But what makes this show different is Jerry Stiller. George Costanza's father is now Doug Heffernan's father-in-law. And what a riot he is. [21 Sept 1998, p.B23]

The opening episode sometimes feels like a "Mad TV" sketch that's going on too long, and that doesn't bode well for the long haul. But that's not to say there's not plenty to laugh at - and even admire - in Wednesday's deadpan debut. [20 Jul 2003]

The writing is pointed, the direction tight. But what really makes it work is Tori herself, light, bright and vulnerably likable.

I would say give them a chance. What else are you going to do for a half-hour after "Frasier"? [2 Oct 2001, p.B27]

Despite the predictable conclusion, "Stargate SG-1," leaves many character threads dangling tantalizingly. If you aren't careful, this series could definitely hook you. [27 Jul 1997]

"Sleeper Cell" is nicely acted, produced, written, directed, but is still so deeply rooted in the conventions of the medium, that no matter how hard it tries, or how hard it wants to be something else, this still ends up Just TV.

Congenial.

The pilot still is often clever and engaging, but confusing too.

A sentimental new series whose flaws are fairly easy to forgive. [26 Sept 2003, p.B03]

I was resistant to "life as we know it" at first, but it won me over (or wore me down). What seems prurience for prurience's sake turns out to be a good bit richer, kind of like "My So- Called Sex Life." [7 Oct 2004]

"The Nine" may well be the best of the crop - smart, clever and especially wise to the ways of this genre - but the challenge remains the same. This is work - admittedly often pleasurable work, but come 10 p.m. next Wednesday, we've got to do it all over again.

The overall production--good, mostly efficient, and certainly not perfect.

Good actors can get away with glib, and Woods is one of the best, persuasive enough to have you spotting freshness in the familiar and wisdom in cliches.

Series star Treat Williams ("Hair," "Prince of the City") is such a fine actor, with so much natural gravity, that he can transcend all but the hokiest writing. And as the opener develops, the writing actually starts to meet him halfway. [16 Sept 2002, p.B18]

Dream On is almost there. It still needs some work, though. [6 July 1990, p.43]

There are minor flaws in the comedy. But by the second episode on Monday if you don't love Blossom Russo you're a confirmed teenagerophobe. Mayim Bialik is adorable and a winner. Even a curmudgeon like myself likes "Blossom." [3 Jan 1991]

An effective and well-wrought drama, with enough cinematic flair and energy to paper over some of its more obvious faults.

Just about everything worked, and worked well, from the opening credits to the final ones. The energy and beauty of New York City was incorporated in a way that exceeded even my expectations--happily exceeded them. Meanwhile, The host: A bit nervous, understandably, he nonetheless reminded fans and people who have never heard of him why he's here.

It's a romp and a half.

Disney's HSM2 delivers precisely what's required. And America is all ears.

Yes, "The Loop's" a winner, although let us be the first to admit that the usual attributes associated with "winning" are probably stretched beyond all recognition in this context.

It's not insulting to the intelligence. The first episode is promising and mildly, if not wildly, amusing. What it has going for it more than the laugh track is good writing and performances. [21 Sep 1995]

A flawed if promising start for a tough old veteran that proved it's still got some fight--and talk--left.

What Canterbury has powerfully going for it, besides the magnetic/vulnerable Margulies, is a cast surrounding her with equal strength, from principled second Ben Shenkman to Terry Kinney as their sneaky prosecutorial adversary, plus an array of effective guest stars from the rich East Coast acting pool.

Rick Berman and Brannon Braga have assembled an attractive cast and found a tone -colloquial, humorous, slyly sexy -that probably will make questions about the science in this fiction moot. [26 Sep 2001]

The emotional reality is so true here that not only do they get away with an assortment of gags about condoms, massage parlors and other juvenile fixations, but they make them resonate endearingly.

Grease: Live was maybe not a slam dunk, but nevertheless was the crowd pleaser it deserves to be and so often has been.

My fear is that the show may be too Alaska. TV is not ready yet for Nanook of the North, even if he has a New York accent. [10 July 1990, p.9]

We know damn well it's not the same show as it was in the old days. ... I will even admit some of the shows are pretty bad this year. But when they hit one out of the ballpark, it's a thing of beauty. [3 Dec 1997]

Fun comedy that takes time to warm up to.

You see no skepticism in Beyond. No analysis. No thinking. Just a lot of truly scary people yelling at very young kids.

The pilot is flawed (most pilots are), not particularly funny and even--bizarrely--deploys two bland jokes from the "Weeds" premiere at 10 (did the writers trade notes?). But Falco is good, proving that she can transcend Carmela Soprano.

Dutiful, reverent, energetic, expertly crafted and yet utterly incapable of escaping the long shadow of its exotic midnight forbear. The capacity to entertain is still here. The capacity to shock is not. Even as good as she is, Cox’s immaculate-- and historic--performance feels tame compared with Curry’s subversive screen one.

Tatum seems genuine and almost desperate to forget the past; Ryan affects the pose that he couldn't care less. Over this is draped a weird "only-in-Hollywood" vibe--and a particularly sad one, too.

It's all vaguely familiar and spirited enough to look like shiny summer fare. Just don't scratch the surface.

Maybe just crazy enough to be engaging in the early going. It's the long run that looks questionable.

You can see Halt reach for that something. You can't quite shake the sense that Halt doesn't know what that "something" is.

It's cheeky parody/homage, exhibiting affection for comic books and other pulpy amusements, while maintaining such a zippy pace, there's no time to consider whether it hangs together. Or whether that matters. (Great voice cast, though.)

Clear away the soap bubbles, and you'll find ... more soap bubbles. But you won't be bored.

Get past the languor and absence of urgency of any kind and you quickly realize what Royal Pains is all about--TV's version of a nice easy beach read. The fifth season promises more of the same.

As a team, they [Billy Crystal and Josh Gad] are better than the shows--both the real one and the fake one--they're in.

Expanse is so expansive, it’s hard to pin down--well, anything.

There are too many characters, too many points of view, all subservient to big ideas that don’t even begin to come into focus until late in the second part--just as the unwieldy story starts to go out of focus.

The Last Tycoon is so sumptuous that it’s easy to overlook how pedestrian the story often is. That’s not immediately apparent because what’s onscreen is stunning.

This three-parter often lacks finesse and sophistication. The story is rushed or clumsily told, and the tone discordant....Watch for Atkins only. She's brilliant.

"Potential," in fact, is the key word. It's definitely here, but "2" may also need all eight episodes to realize it.

A lethargic procedural is brightened by a good cast.

Powerful story. A shame Bessie rarely conveys the story's emotional wallop.

It is merely OK--not quite tricky enough to satisfy the hard-core geeks, not quite mindless enough to satisfy someone who just wants to watch the tube and forget a long day. But it is tricky, with at least one interesting twist.

What ABC has tried to do is make something that will appeal to the sword-and-sandal crowd and the faith-based one. Predictably, neither will be pleased.... Prophets manages a few things well--notably the production values--and gives American TV audiences their first good, long look at the fine veteran British actor Ray Winstone. Newcomer Rix is promising, too.

In England, critics have called Cohen the new Peter Sellers. If that's the case, it's not Sellers at his "Dr. Strangelove"-"Being There" shrewdest but, rather, at his do-it-for-the-money "Pink Panther"-sequel broadest. [21 Feb 2003]

CBS' sustained level of series craftsmanship is certainly admirable--their dramas all look sharp and function smoothly--but that doesn't go so far when even a sweeping period piece in a distinct locale with superior stars seems to roll off the same assembly line.

Everything fans loved about the first season--which improved dramatically over its course, by the way--is here. Everyone is not. McIntyre is good, but he's not Whitfield, either.

Where is this headed? Who knows? But it's heading there slowly. Nevertheless, the cast--Common, Meaney, Heyerdahl and Mount--is good, while the Old West still feels especially beautiful and perilous.

Kaling's good (and always is), but the pilot is just not all that funny.

A series that can still be occasionally talky and turgid.... Hardwick's the better and smoother actor, and certainly the more appealing one. But it's Jackson who gives this show bite and--to a considerable degree--life, too.

Above-average newcomer with a great actor in the leading role and frosty grace notes throughout.

There's a glimmer of hope here, and her name is Rebel Wilson. Now, the show needs to match her talents.

In the end, don't much like Ray Donovan.... [But] Donovan ultimately succeeds on the little things--some very good performances by some very good actors and sharp dialogue by Biderman, who knows how to write Tough Guy talk with the best of them.

Great cast, and Hawkins is a worthy Jack Bauer successor. But Legacy can be lethargic and loquacious. More action, less talk, will hopefully close out this day.

If you love Zooey Deschanel, this one's for you. If not, a pass.

Watch for any length of time and you may--as I did--have the eerie if not unpleasant feeling that you've been teleported to a decent network cop show from the 1970s.

Like opening a time capsule. The boys remain the same. At least their snark has been updated for contemporary targets.

Mostly this show belongs to Harmon, once a key member of the "Law & Order" ensemble. She's likable and intriguing. That salvages an otherwise average cop show.

The series does a competent job of setting mood and character--notably that anything is possible, the sky’s the limit drive of the early 20th century that animated great inventions, and consequently great fortunes.

Not terrible--really--but not yet remotely the winner NBC so badly needs either.

Arthur and Agatha flit through the pilot, barely registering. In fact, no one registers. They're all line drawings in service to some very nice special effects and a pilot that's already tangled up in way too many plot tangents.

Rubicon unfolds at a languid pace, dispensing information at the rate a not-quite-broken kitchen faucet dispenses drops. You want it to speed up. You want some urgency. You want a few more thrills in this thriller. At least this average TV viewer does.

Hot in Cleveland is a by-the-numbers sitcom with a couple of laughs, an inoffensive premise and four seasoned actresses who make the material much better than it is.

Unfortunately, one show's a classic, the other a near knockoff. Nevertheless, Poehler's still got plenty of appeal here.

Malibu Country is nothing great. But its studio-shot sitcom style sure suits Reba.

The cast feels solid, and likable, jelling swiftly.... Then comes that final distasteful sex gag. Let's pray it's just pilot-itis.

[Bakula and Pounder] should make the process of watching--or chore of watching, depending on your appetite for more of this formula--just a little more agreeable.

A clever idea weighed down by heavy-handed storyline.

You're the Worst exudes some charm (Cash is rich indeed) but can't keep from overstepping, either. It's saved by relationship detail and human vulnerability that "Married" utterly misses.

Lucky 7 might offer more to like than authentic texture of place, race, personality and workplace emotions.

Tonight's premiere may seem like ridiculous twaddle, and it may feel like a major downer (and kinda sloooow), too, but maybe that's just Bruckheimer playing with our heads. In fact, Hour deserves a second look (next week is definitely better).

Forgive the pun, but this brass needs polishing. The Green/Burgess team is one of TV's best and we hope they'll make this show as sharp and compelling as it should be.

Been here/seen this--a lot--but familiarity could work in favor of Deception.

Beautifully crafted, occasionally incoherent, often challenging and insistently demanding, but what’s not entirely clear in the early episodes is whether the payoff will be worth all the trouble.

Skies needs more horror. Less talk. More dramatic tension. Less (ummm) talk. More crazy, wild shootouts with the despicable aliens, who don't seem particularly bright, by the way. Less (all together now) talk.

If it wasn't a docucomedy, it would just be dull.

Good setup pilot on Sunday that doesn’t quite carry over into subsequent episodes.

Mann and HBO deserve much credit for profiling these extraordinary people. It's just too bad the execution tends to be a little long-winded or not nearly as expansive as it should be.

Let's say Lone Star has its work cut out for it, and so does Wolk. His portrayal is too nice--too romantic, too good-hearted, too bland--to make Allen interesting, or at least convincing.

The McCarthys--good-natured, old-fashioned, unchallenging--isn't a bad sitcom, just an obvious one.

This is four hours of love and music, but the film also wants to address the many controversies, then excuse them. The result: Some lily-gilding, and far too many observations we've heard far too many times before and factoids, too.

The Tenth Inning is dutiful, sober and thoughtful. No spitballs are thrown. No banned substances have been added to bloat it up to obscene, grotesque proportions. What is missing in at least tonight's installment is surprise, or the pleasant shock of learning something brand new or unexpected.

Not nearly enough fresh information on the Long Island case, and cluttered with tangents that seem to lead nowhere, The Killing Season still makes its case — a terrifying one.

It feels observed, rather than lived in. Enacted, rather than unfolding.

Familiar doesn't mean bad, and there's some likable charm here.

So far, so good. No late night talk show has ever been canceled after one edition--not even Chevy's--while first albeit abbreviated impressions of Conan are promising.

Unless your name is Stephen King or Steven Spielberg, there’s only so much new anyone can bring to this potluck supper. The Duffers don’t bring much new. They do bring a large degree of enthusiasm, however.

You can't help realizing that just by the act of taping a reality show, the Bruces--all nine of them--are already employed in a job, albeit a temporary one.

The plotting had better up its game, too, with nearly every pilot “twist” being ridiculously predictable.

Gleeks will engage; hard to imagine who else will.

It's a cut above boilerplate, with good production values and decent performances.