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

Occasionally flat, sporadically gruesome, Mindhunter is also potentially absorbing.

It's almost a shrug of an opener, a bit diffident, a bit unfocused (not unlike Brett, in his less lucid moments). But Togetherness does gets better, and funnier.

Even at six hours, this tends to be more impressionistic, and less bound to a strict historic timeline.

No doubt ABC has a hit here. The show's funny, and this is something you rarely get to say about a sitcom. [16 Oct 1988]

This is a singular vision throughout, written and directed by the team of Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz. (She also plays Christine’s older sister.) Their intense focus draws a disquieting portrait of a peculiar personality.

Desus & Mero arrived at Showtime fully baked--a talk show that knows what it is, and what it does, and how to do it. That's good, and at least so far, the Bodega boys are, too.

As the first in what one hopes will be a long line of female doctors, Whittaker is funny, energetic and full of joy. Whovians should be pleased.

Yes, Dannemora is hard and cold. The light is muted, the shadows deep, while seven hours of this could easily turn into prison time. But thanks to that cast and Stiller's masterful direction, they don't--not once, not remotely. One of the best series of the year.

Suffice it to say, keep the kids away, but you will laugh - and feel guilty about it afterward.

The Gus Vant Sant-directed pilot of what is easily the most important project in Starz history pulses with the sort of corruption that absolute power sires.

Michael is a clinically interesting personality type who is profoundly unempathetic, until such times as he is very empathetic. The wonderful creative trick of The Office is knowing exactly the right moment to humanize Michael.

Pure joy and the tribute Nichols finally deserves.

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]

Based on six episodes for review, Kimmy remains Kimmy, which is about as good as the news can get for fans.

A nice balance of 60-40 character drama and medicine. "Homicide" heavyweight Braugher is intense once again, yet smart enough to keep sharing the screen with a strong ensemble. [10 Oct 2000]

Good start with a pair of shockers. Beware.

A reverent portrait, if not necessarily a penetrating one.

The role of a male comedian--particularly one like Rock--has since assumed a whole new dimension, too. He launches with Black Lives Matter, moves on to the failure of schools to prepare kids for life, then establishes the importance of bullies. But that’s the warm-up act for the main show--that apologia for his indefensible behavior and the personal failures he brought upon himself.

Saul is lighter and brighter than "Bad," and--particularly with Sunday's launch--often very funny.

The best new show of the year. [28 Dec 1994]

Excellent you-are-there film that takes viewers — and Baltimore — from despair to hope.

The beats here are familiar and comfortable. Perhaps best of all, they are actually moving.

While this is the In Memoriam tribute that Williams so richly deserves and fans need, the title is misleading because that mind remains out of reach.

[These women make] instant impact, of course, with their stories but also through sheer personality.

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.

As real as real gets, invaluably adding human understanding to a hot-button topic.

The Closer may be the most comfortable old shoe on all of television; slip it on and be assured of no blisters. In fact, the cast (and not just Sedgwick) is so competent, the characters' tics so familiar; and the format and formula so firmly etched in "ceeement" (as Brenda might say) that it all feels almost too comfy.

All very much and happily remains the same--and unless you are an absolute die-hard insane fan who will find something to complain about here ... there really isn't all that much to complain about whatsoever.

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.

With his 2000 show, HBO’s “Killing Them Softly,” as another baseline for the best of Chappelle’s TV standup, this one’s right up there, too--not quite its equal, but close.

This is an intelligent overview, with the consistent and important theme that medical "paradigms" shift and change.

While a bit deliberately paced, a good start, with (as always) an excellent guest-star roster.

At turns it's sad, poignant, bitter and funny (yes, more than enough turns in that direction).

Bigger, bolder, in some ways better--and some ways not--2 avoids a sophomore slump by sticking with what worked so well.

The best unscripted show on commercial television this season, which you may correctly point out is faint praise; but in this case, it's not.

Thurgood feels more "important" than dramatic. Part of it is Stevens' then-I-did-this structure, more focused on biographical bullet points than the flesh-and-blood human behind them. And part of it is Fishburne, who despite coiled power--his Ike Turner in "What's Love Got to Do With It" was Oscar-nominated--resonates here as a cool character rather than a fiery one.

After the first season's packed finale, Sunday's episode settles down, takes a breath, and slowwwwws down. That's absolutely an auspicious and necessary development.

In short, "Sweet Tooth" exemplifies the best of what fantasy storytelling can be, creating a whole world without ever forgetting that the most important one of all is our own.

It's less the Plot Events that ring true here than the well-played little side moments and background squabbles, the simmering resentments and recriminations, the emotional tugs-of-war.

A well-crafted, well-intentioned documentary series that excels when it offers rare concrete examples of the amorphous role producers play in the musical process, while also shining a spotlight on a who’s who of great producers.

The season's premiere represents pig-in-the-python storytelling--there's so much to work through, so many details, stories, characters and time dimensions to attend to, that after a while this all starts to feel like a very full meal.

Wild, fun ride.

Fun, colorful, lively--but is there a real show here, or just a good joke?

[A] rewardingly seasoned new drama series that's practically indistinguishable from the acclaimed feature film, except that it's better.

No matter where you stand on the death-penalty debate, this is must-watch revelation--and, thanks to Herzog, tense and suspenseful drama.

All the Way gets a couple of electrifying performances that catalyze the drama--not to mention the forward momentum of history. They’re brief, but they do the job. ... Magnificent, often stirring performance by Cranston that no one else comes close to matching.

McKinley and its denizens feel just a little too cliched, the emerging romantic entanglements a little too forced, the female characters--notably Terri and Sue Sylvester--just a little too mean-spirited. Still, it's a great cast.

Smart newcomer with a pair of leads that turns The Americans into a likely winner.

As a character with a sartorial preference for canary yellow, Kemper's Schmidt comes into focus intensely and immediately. She pops off the screen, and pleasingly so. Her series, less so.

This four-hour gem is exquisite from start to finish, rife with the texture of its place and time, rich with human understanding expressed in everyday articulation and small gestures.

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

The spirit of Gaiman’s classic has been captured, but not yet the vision.

As they get caught up in this TV evolution, or devolution, the weirdness grows, and the tropes change — from a "Dick Van Dyke Show"-like world, to a "Bewitched"-like world, to a "Brady Bunch"-like world. They're just along for the ride, trying to adapt with it. But what is "it?" That "it" and their bewilderment is the pleasure of "WandaVision." ... Homage in the best sense.

Congenial.

The Beales' story--predictably, sadly--descends into mutual recrimination, then near madness. It's all rescued by two stunning performances.

After a shaky start, Pete gets denser, trickier and better.

Yes, "black-ish" can be fiercely funny, sharply observed, and unfailingly good-humored about the racial divide. But just beyond that glossy surface is a serious and even compelling undercurrent.

At first these re-creations are distracting, if not comical. Then something remarkable happens: You begin to look forward to them. Each has been staged perfectly, the words phrased clearly and concisely. They begin to reveal how Watergate did in fact happen. ... Superb, but not for the casual viewer.

The most thought-provoking new series of the year on TV. [6 Oct 1999, p.B39]

"Dexter" knows what it's doing, and savors its skill immensely.

It's all standard Schumer stuff, and nothing fans haven't sort of heard before, or maybe laughed at before, or cringed at before, or seen elements of before (her 2012 Comedy Central special). Those fans should be pleased. As usual, everyone else will be appalled.

This impressive fact-based debut from cultural journalist turned director Nelson George keeps us captivated simply by honing in tight on the character of its people, sketching in fine detail not just their admirable strengths but their all-too-human flaws.

The Bridge is highly absorbing.

It's wonderful stuff, and we all seem to be on a voyage of discovery.

Information tumbles off the screen and often flat onto the floor. Too bad, because much of what's here is very funny, if occasionally cruel.

Not to worry, fans — the third is hugely enjoyable, but someone's missing and you know who.

The show itself is a charmer--full of color and vitality, while the craftsmen and women clearly have the talent and skills to make something worth looking at. The actual crafts part, however, is rushed. You hardly ever see the detailed process of making something but instead the finished product.

To steal from the old beer slogan, (this show) looks great, (but it's) less filling (than it intends).

Though they certainly cover the heady early days, filled with screaming girls and their cultivated persona as the anti-Beatles, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards aren't afraid to keep it real. Both show some interesting insights into their success.

A congenial and persuasive argument for why Apu must go.

Foremost, getting Brody off-screen turns out to be an inspired move. In his absence, there's a new world order, or disorder, with a lot of people left to assemble the pieces, including Saul, Carrie, and most of all, Dana.

Whatever it was that made Empire the sensation of the 2014-15 season hasn't gone away for the new season.

A lot of fun, especially for theater buffs.

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.

Fun, lively, interesting, but also tends to lose focus at times.

The characters in "Hope" are slightly more interesting [than those in "ER"]. Even though they are working in a high-powered hospital and have God-like powers, you can see what's going on behind their masks beyond their eyes. [18 Sep 1994]

Moselle’s camera lingers on them lovingly — but nobody thought to give these characters much in the way of real personalities.

Here's to a long and fruitful run in the new home. Tuesday night proves exactly why Southland deserves one.

Based on most of the first five episodes sent out for review, Boardwalk Empire easily establishes its claim as one of the three or four best dramas on TV.

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.

Intriguing... but somber and slowww-moving.

Even if it gets permanently blocked in traffic, Latka and Hirsch are a lot for the average TV sitcom. [12 Sep 1978, p.35]

This narrated comedy-drama finely observes the particulars and peculiarities of teen life, both in the family its narrator is trying to outgrow and the high school pecking order he's hoping to rise in.

Smart, taut, engaging and propulsive. The fifth looks terrific.

There’s some funny stuff on the Netflix version (two episodes were made available). Truthfully, just not enough. In fact, W/Bob & David can be more tedious than inventive.

Saccharine by jaded prime-time standards, this show still just might be the kind of sentiment lots of viewers crave at the moment.

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

Yet as good as "Travelers" often is — the performances of Bomer and Bailey in particular — something is missing. There are no female characters of any particular substance or depth. A few arrive, then go, while Williams' Lucy is mostly a sketch of the "long-suffering" variety over too many of these hours.

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.

All charisma and command, [Idris Elb] blasts through the screen in every shot while his performance is a constant reminder that the craft, at its best, is a gossamer of countless little details that add up to something magical.

Manhunt isn't out to settle scores, but explain the laborious process of intelligence gathering. No one here is looking for a citation, but understanding, and that's what "Manhunt" does best, as well as--yes--connect some dots.

Second-season expectations for Glee are almost too high. Potential reality series, movies, spinoffs, tours, record contracts...the surround sound that's jacked up around this hit is now officially deafening. Unrelenting distractions can push series off their game, and there's evidence tonight Glee is off its game.

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

A re-energized and immensely entertaining start to the third season.

Not a single minute seems superfluous. This is all-engrossing, and all-informative.

Smart, well-crafted, layered — verging on over-layered.

Blessedly for fans who don’t want to work so hard, less so for those wonks who do, the second season is much easier. It’s still brainy while managing to push the new narrative ahead hard and fast. It also manages to splatter the brains too: Westworld is now less a searing indictment of screen violence (the first season) and more a straight-up snuff series.