Formula procedural but at least a comfortable, easy-to-watch one, with a comfortable, easy-to-watch lead.

Parker’s good, but otherwise Divorce is sullen and sodden.

I did catch enough of "Hart of Dixie" to tell it's formula absurdity for the "princess" demographic of magical thinkers who now imagine being lifesaving doctors as well as rescued royals.

Pathos may make for a more positive reality TV experience than a parade of lying, backstabbing and physical torture. But the basic appeal remains pathetic. Perhaps in more ways than one.

Alias suffers from a split personality. It's half John LeCarre, half comic book. In the field, Sydney, who looks about as formidable as your average Vogue cover girl, becomes a spike-heeled super-spy who shoots and karate-kicks her way through a horde of terrorist storm troopers as if they were targets in a video game. She's preposterous, and so is half the show. But viewers who just want to see bad guys die may not mind.

A dull slog through L.A. noir.

Too much going on, but still an improvement over seasons two and three.

S.W.A.T. had a chance to do something different, maybe even provocative. So far, the same old-same old.

Over these 52 minutes, she hits 50 states, so of necessity the pace is brisk and to the point. You don't really get to know anybody, but a sea of faces from the Mideast to the Far East tell her of their hopes and dreams in short, sharp sound bites.

Fosse/Verdon is a claustrophobic series as opposed to an epic one. What's mostly missing is the thrill of opening night, the chorus line, the music, the whole glorious space of the theater. That's what made these two such vital meta-humans in the first place. ... Disappointing.

"The Tudors" could actually use a touch of the over-the-top wildness that undermined the substance of HBO's "Rome." If we could blend the two together somehow, we might have a kickily effective history mash-up.

The problem I have with the show, aside from the death business, is that the Fishers are not a likable family. It doesn't have a James Gandolfini character. [3 June 2001, p.D39]

Just to keep our restaurant metaphors straight, this newcomer does a competent job of setting the table, but when the plates arrive, there’s nothing on them.

Lehman is good, most everything's OK, but nothing is especially fresh or compelling.

The herky-jerky camera work whenever it appears to shake barns or gobble up an off-road vehicle only calls attention to the fact that this is a cheaper production. And the human cast gathered around Gross is sorely lacking in the quirkiness that made the original ensemble so much fun. The new gang wouldn't be out of place in a Gap commercial. And yet ... there is something about the kitschy graboid and the hydra-like cluster of smaller worms that erupt from its mouth that's both laughably ludicrous and primordially unnerving. [27 Mar 2003, p.B35]

Comprehensive yet still incomplete, “The Case” gets entangled in the underbrush and can’t quite seem to find its way to either a conclusion or the truth.

A weightless and occasionally airless trip down memory lane.

The thing looks stylish, has a nice cast, is well written, and Bratt--scruffy, unkempt, a little more than off-center here--has the requisite intensity for the role. But it also is jarringly slick and borderline seamy; maybe that's just part of the fast world Banks and his cohorts find themselves in, but the tone ultimately robs the show--or at least the pilot--of heart and passion.

Vinyl is a compelling idea in search of a compelling story. There simply isn’t much of one, in fact, and--abhorring the ever-present vacuum--a lot of other elements rush in to fill the void. Scenes are padded, lots of flashbacks are even more flaccid, while actors devour the helpless scenery.

This Bible probably won't offend anyone, but it's hard to imagine it will inspire anyone, either.

Any comedy series braided with sunny idealism as this one is needs to decide what's more important: The idealism or the comedy? "Sunnyside's" pilot comes down on the side of idealism, leaving the sitcom part in some sort of listless, half-baked limboland. ... With showrunners from "Brooklyn 911" (Mike Schur) and "Community" (Matt Murray). They should figure this out. They usually do. In the meantime, the pilot has one reason to watch. Hint: It's in the title.

It's a familiar sitcom with familiar beats, and stars a particularly familiar lead who brings a nostalgic vibe to an essentially wistful enterprise. "How I Met Your Father" is for anyone who grew up on Duff's "Lizzie McGuire" or "Drake and Josh" (Josh Peck joins in a later episode) and may be wondering right now why romance is so tragically out of reach circa 2022.

His Haunting is a two-hour movie spread over 10 hours. That doesn't mean there's eight hours of padding here, but it often feels that way (I saw the first three hours and the last. Sorry, but even TV critics have only so much patience.)

100-proof, pure-grade, high-gloss, low-risk formula.

By-the-numbers procedural with a pair of appealing leads. Otherwise, by-the-book bland.

Violent, jarring, contorted and doesn't fully make the case this was the spinoff "SOA" needed or demanded.

Good Girls understands the genre (revenge fantasy) and source material (see above) but hasn’t the slightest idea what to do with it.

Yes, this story’s kind of been told before, in various places, and in various forms over various decades--but with not nearly as many vulgar words called into service here.

Though American tastes are mocked here, too, laughing at your own group doesn't necessarily excuse laughing at others.

Hernandez is good in what's otherwise a pallid, uninspired facsimile of the original.

Stamos' half-hour goes on to indulge such other TV trends as black lesbian confidantes, "BuzzFeed listicle" Web checks and the single camera's incessant progression of "witty" repartee jumping to quick-cut "gags" jumping to "awww" sentiment.

Wish the news were better here, but "Reggie Dinkins" is just OK.

What works so well on the page becomes inert on the screen. This superb cast, headed by the always fine Spector, fights the inertia but it can't fight the novel.

The setup is stagey, the dialogue slack (or--worse--obvious).... [Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin] effortlessly know how to elevate even average material--and pretty much do so here.

"Joe" has promise and heart but — at least just yet — not nearly enough of everything else.

Crowe is good to a point, but "The Loudest Voice" can be root canal.

The cast is certainly a good one, and Winslet is too much of a pro not to make Mare worth watching, at least most of her time on screen. It's all the time in between that's the problem.

The stories may hardly be innovative... but their very familiarity becomes comforting.

The good news is that "Brothers & Sisters" isn't even remotely a disaster. The bad news is that it isn't even remotely a success either.

Other than the discovery of a murder victim and a major reveal in the closing seconds of the seventh episode, almost nothing happens in Sharp Objects. ... The narrative creep notwithstanding, there are pleasures in Objects. Adams' performance is one of them.

The trouble with "Friends" is that Cox is not strong enough as a comedian. [5 Sep 1994]

Good cast but fake LI setting for a bland sitcom stew.

Asylum has some good special effects, just not much of a story to hang them on.

There are a few funny lines here and there. But too few of them, and too far in between, makes Friends From College that rare Netflix misfire.

There's no sense of spontaneity, no sharp thrill of discovery (or fear). Gracepoint just plods along, right straight into the surging Pacific tide.

This show lurches along, all its sitcom puzzle pieces laid out without being assembled into even a Hollywood picture of life.

Body of Proof feels like a show that has nearly been nibbled to death by network ducks. You can almost see the TV executive Post-it notes on the screen.

Recycled theory with some fresh perspective--but it still smells recycled.

Cheap humor? Yes. Based on obvious stereotypes? Yes. Funny? What can I say? Borat got a chuckle out of me. And so did Bruno. [21 Feb 2003, p.B47]

Banshee is baloney, but viewed as pure camp, there are some good action sequences and amusing moments.

Swingtown can't decide whether the '70s were transformative or deformative; there's a distinct ironic edge, applied mostly through the use of music.... But that edge isn't nearly sharp or funny enough (unlike "Weeds"), which tends to muddle the point of view.

Most of Luis so far is underdeveloped and oversold. [19 Sept 2003, p.B48]

Something's amiss here. The new "CSI" is a little stilted, a little obvious. [23 Sep 2002]

Syfy knows we come to this only for the sharks, cameos, chain saws, acting--the worse, the better--and dialogue so sublimely inept that even the sharks wince when they hear it..... For discerning viewers and shark lovers everywhere: F+. For Sharknado fans: B+

Work in progress, but at least the progress seems to be in the right direction.

Visually compelling with a nicely pensive music score--courtesy of Colin Stetson of Arcade Fire and Bon Iver--The First is otherwise plodding and padded.

"NYPD Blue" is no longer cutting-edge TV. ... It has become a soap. [14 Oct 1996]

"Ink" is not the worse thing I've seen this year. But was it worth the long wait? I don't think so. [21 Oct 1996]

[A] confoundedly tedious bric-a-brac of a reality show, now entering its 12th overall season.

Dinklage turns in a fine performance, but his passion project is otherwise a standard-issue biopic.

The narratives here lack subtlety, historic context or--strangely enough--even drama.

"Away" should be much better than it is, squandering a fascinating subject on pedestrian family drama.

Treacly, by-the-numbers prime-time tear-jerker that even Brooklyn and a good cast can't elevate. And viewers won't mind in the least.

The characters are too unformed, the story too careless, the payoff (a word loosely applied here) too abrupt, although the end is obviously a setup for a second season. .... Ruth has some funny moments, at first anyway. If only there were more.

Dull and talky, with flashes of promise.

Not unwatchable, but not particularly satisfying either.

"Suburgatory" falls flat--a flatness that will be accentuated by the smart suburban comedies that bookend it.

First-rate actress, compelling idea but neither can escape the clutches of a shopworn formula.

We've seen this show before, in fresher settings, with stronger comic structure --from, in fact, the same creators: Merchant and American "Office" writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky.

Cho has long been an acquired taste, and - while her fans will luxuriate in these 22 minutes--few newbies will acquire that tonight.

The few “Spring Awakening” numbers are good, the cast is solid, but otherwise Rise falls flat.

Lots of cartoon violence mixed with--irony alert--not enough intelligence.

With only the first two episodes as guide — admittedly not much, or nearly enough — Odenkirk's post-"Saul '' second act is a perfectly pleasant letdown.

Producers play this for laughs, though just slightly. (These are high school kids, after all.) Even so, the show's flat and almost stunningly uninformative.

Three Rivers is a masterful send-up of old medical TV show conventions, dating back to the '50s, with a parade of cliches so obviously and hilariously inane that you will laugh until your side aches.

Conviction is so into overkill, it’s hard to tell what to take seriously.

Here's a fundamental truth: Family genealogies are fascinating--to the family in question.

The trash meter soars when [Elizabeth Hurley's] on-screen, then sags when she's off. And there's just too much sag here.

Even actors with the amplitude of Watts and Crudup can’t pull Gypsy out of this induced coma. One reason is a hook--a genuinely interesting one--that refuses to come to life.

By losing the emotional core of the film essentially after the first act--the death of Kinnear's saintly Fairbrother--the film spends the next three-plus hours trying to fill the void. Fools rush in to fill it, but because most of them are treated with such contempt, or pity, none can or possibly could.

Content is the much bigger issue here. In the pilot, Tyrant at times comes perilously close to embracing derogatory media stereotypes of Arabs.

Another insufferable nose-pressed-against-the-glass reality romp that says the rich are just like you and me--only rich, and exceedingly, tiresomely narcissistic.

Good idea and better cast squandered on a slapdash premise, weak writing and South Florida cliches.

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll smells suspiciously like a vanity project that sat on Leary's shelf for a couple of decades.

The plot is slight, the resolution a laugher and the characters basically stick figures. Scorpion has its fun moments, but not enough of them.

The first episode is fairly execrable, but High Society settles down by the second, and we get a clearer--or at least less-boozy--view of Mortimer and her world.

King didn't actually write Haven but "developed" it for the small screen, which is a form of plausible deniability if things go wrong. With Haven--as somnolent as a summer afternoon--they most likely will.

You’ve seen it before, read it before. Too bad Dying passed up an opportunity to tell it in an exciting, engaging new way.

Bob's Burgers might be meatier if it gave us some reason to watch these characters. The title isn't the only thing that feels generic.

Nice cast. Otherwise, charmless. Airless. Lifeless. (Blah, blah and blah.)

A few emotional moments--most notably graveside ones--otherwise cool, self-aware and almost completely detached from the only reason this is on the air: Whitney Houston.

A grim grind of a trip down that emblematic yellow road.

An interesting, compelling idea for a TV series. Too bad a boilerplate cop procedural had to be the series they got instead.

Overtones of "Rescue Me," absent the wit and bite.

We've just seen this stuff too many times. Merely changing script specifics to Olympic references doesn't make it fresh.

Not exactly satire, not exactly horror, BrainDead is not exactly much fun, either.

There's no drama, no trumped-up conflict, no insights, no revelations and absolutely no discreet view of a once-notorious Dorchester clan that ran wild in the streets but now drives them, coolly surveying their kingdom for another restaurant location.

One Big Happy is just... conventional.