A gorgeous production, though the story sometimes keeps it on the tarmac.

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.

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

The story feels recycled, but Idris Elba’s Luther certainly doesn’t. He continues to fully inhabit this groundbreaking--and star-making--role.

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]

It feels fresh and amusing. "True Blood" did a similar fast-forward, and both have benefited.

The opener is absolutely superlative--a thing of real beauty, even elegance.... Berry delivers a performance that's surprisingly layered and nuanced.

Daredevil” isn’t only mindlessly violent, but mindless, too. The cast is terrific, production values superlative and direction first-rate.... But is there a functioning brain, or at least a higher purpose, maybe a deeper one? Like Matt’s own search for meaning, good luck finding answers.

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.

It all adds up to one solid nail-biter, with a profusion of clever clues that seems to cast suspicion on everyone.

If not much sunnier, not as relentlessly grim as the second, while June is slowly, methodically, morphing into the Robo-June we know she must become. So far, so good.

Most of the cast stammers its way through sentences as if awaiting a lightning strike of inspiration. When it doesn't come, the actors have to say something anyway, and that meandering search for structure is what winds up filling 30 shapeless minutes.

Well done, but formulaic.

Owner's Manual looks as sharp as you'd expect from cinematic-minded AMC -- whip-pans, slo-mo, montage, animations, infographics. Sounds great, too, with heart-pumping action music and industrial power sounds. Best of all, homework-doer Marcus (aka Sweet Cheeks) and scoffer Ed (or is that English Muffin?) are natural bicker-buds throughout, adding life and laughs to each half-hour that flies (or rolls) by.

This remains an intelligent, well-made drama that wants to get most of the history right, or at least not adulterate it too much.... But, alas, same virtues, same flaws.

Pretty much all a fan (or critic) could ask of a cult series remake is this: Does the newbie measure up? Based on all available evidence--the 42-minute premiere--the answer is yes.

Nightingale is really about David Oyelowo, a magnificent actor with astonishing range who draws viewers deep down into the darkness with his character. His skill in accomplishing this, of course, makes Nightingale something to be admired rather than loved, and, depending on your mood, maybe even something to be avoided.

"Upload" is a misfire for the great Greg Daniels, a high-concept series that plays like a bad sitcom.

I wanted to love Fringe, with its extraordinary pedigree and exotic, soulful Australian beauty Torv in the lead role, and splendid Noble in key support. Plus, Blair Brown's here, too, as a top exec at an evil corporation. But I just can't shake this word "derivative."

Because "Euphoria" is so shrewdly conceived, and often so visually and sonically striking, it's easy to overlook the fact that there's no organizing principle. Characters are introduced, then dropped. Scenes begin, then meander, then end. Segues, at least here, are for suckers. You have entered the mind of a teenager.

It's an exhaustive and exhausting film, but Garbus finds nothing that will change minds or reverse conclusions. The tragic void remains.

A good--OK, often very good--comedy that’s a little too much like “Silicon Valley.”

It's smartly written; clinically interesting (Why is Tara this way?), and maybe even a metaphor for the challenges all women face.

Doubts are raised, and convincing ones, but none are fatal blows, while the program is forced to concede at the end--in an on-screen bumper--that "post-conviction DNA testing has so far come back inconclusive."

Genial charmer that quietly makes TV history.

Sincere host, unguarded participants, sensitive treatment. And more cool stuff!

Gadd remains a first-rate talent; anything he does is worth watching. But it's hard to sit through this one.

Admirers of the novel probably will be pleased. Average viewers who never read the novel (or any historic fiction) will be either confused or bored--possibly both.

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

Fair warning, dear reader: Wilfred is intensely vulgar, and only guys around the age of 28 whose ears, and sensibilities, are covered with scar tissue will find nothing offensive. Otherwise, it's very funny.

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

The series ambles along at its own congenial pace, lighthearted and largely without a care in the world. Great News can also be something of an Easter egg hunt for lovers of classic TV and classic Broadway.

Some (make that a lot of) funny lines, but far too fat a target.

It veers, sometimes swerves, between a public service tone and made-for-primetime spectacle. That can be disorienting, too. But, for the moment, all viewers can do is take I Am Cait at its word, or the words of its star.... I Am Cait now has no choice BUT to get this right.

Corden clearly appears to have the goods.... Most importantly, he has an obvious ability to perform bits that'll hold up in the cold light of dawn, or more specifically on the Internet.

About a Boy yearns to be good. Yet it relishes being bad. And Katims--guiding hand to "Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights"--doesn't fess up to that dichotomy.

Often a great-looking newcomer with an often tedious YA throughline.

Swank--who arrives in the second episode--is the emotional core of Trust, also the only character with a functioning heart. In the early episodes, you never quite get to know her, and begin to wonder whether she’s worth the effort. But at least over those episodes, she is the reason to watch--the only one.

A rare and almost totally unexpected triumph.

Approach Victoria for what it is--a lavish production with impeccable period details and some impeccable entertainment ones--and you will be pleased. Coleman, who’s wonderful here, assures that anyway.

I think I comprise a third type--a wary Weeds fan who's happy it's back but hardly ecstatic.

Grim, but a chance to see two magnificent actors at the peak of their powers.

Genius can be gimmicky, while those eternal questions about time travel and alien life forms are ultimately beyond the power of TV (or sand piles) to answer. But the value of this series lies in the attempt, which is ambitious and edifying.

It's all packed with inside jokes and callbacks of inside jokes. This one's for the fans.

It aims for epic, and sometimes hits epic--but it's a bit shallow.

While we've got to be grateful that last season's tone-deaf Applewhite saga has seen its end, this year's "DH" still is sounding the occasional flat note, sometimes by repeating its past and other times by ignoring it altogether. [22 Sep 2006]

Method makes a solid case for Lewis as underappreciated auteur.

Four immensely enjoyable hours. Alas, I can't speak to what happens during the remaining 20.

If only the delicacy of these two character actors [Alfred Molina and Michael Keaton], were matched by that of The Company's central figures and the production's overall arc.

Brush aside the hyperactivity and hard sell, and you're left with a winner.

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.

Unassuming Longmire doesn't shout "LOVE ME!" but instead works its charms subtly, quietly.

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.

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

Hardy and cast are first-rate, but the story lumbers.

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.

A featherweight entertainment with a good cast, some charm, and not nearly enough laughs.

The characters hold promise, the show looks swell, the stories reflect rich history and the makers have earned our trust.

It's also one of those shows composed of such familiar ingredients, it already feels like a rerun. [22 Sept 2003, p.B02]

Important television, but also wildly, maddeningly uneven TV, too.

Lots of eye candy, mystery, intrigue, questions, and superlative production values. But who's ready to jump back in this pool again?

Tough, occasionally oppressive, and--against all odds--still funny when least expected.

Get past the first episode — better yet, skip it — and "Bupkis" gets better and better.

A soul-deep sense of humanity grounds "Heroes."

Almost everything in The Wizard of Lies succeeds. The acting is impeccable, the script taut and Levinson’s direction scalpel-sharp. ... But what’s missing in Wizard is the why.

Honestly, it's a complete oddball with some charm and a few good lines.

Someone must believe the allure of "CSI" lies in its "look" - Cold Case also offers time-tripping flashbacks blending the past incident into present time - along with the behavioral "cool" of its central character. But even when William Petersen plays reserved, his "CSI" cop seems to be seething at his core. That suppressed fire makes him worth watching. Morris is barely an ember.

A sharp, introspective style — relying on disturbing ambient sounds, changing color gradients and consistent shifts to Dre's first-person perspective — allows for the audience to have a way in. And Fishback's performance, mysterious and unsettling while also tapping into measures of deep pain and sadness, completes the picture.

Stick with "Zoey." Get past the treacle, network cliches, and force-fed emotions, and it does improve. Earworms, too.

The result is something refreshingly new, and bafflingly different.

V has its fun moments, but mostly this is pure bunkum, or 1980s-era TV with a thin 2009 veneer.

Her shrewd, straightforward perspective and her semisweet, offhand attitude make her reflections fresh and relatable.

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

Film lovers will--possibly against their better judgment--love Jones' Hitch.

Interesting, engaging, worthwhile.

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.

Hairspray Live! is forgettable.

Does "The Office" proud.

This is an excellent remake featuring two actors--Caan and O'Loughlin--who almost seem made for each other.

No one wants this show to channel "24," but C-SPAN won't do either. For the most part, however, Madam Secretary charts a steady--and intelligent--middle course.

Ozark can be excruciatingly cumbersome. There are many moving parts, none compelled to move with haste. If the characters were more engaging and likable, pace might not even be an impediment. They’re not, so it is.

The cast is good, even excellent. But Perry's the one who sells Go On.

Steinfeld is good, the cast too and the show is not terrible either. What it's forgotten is that while we're all free to make Emily Dickinson into whoever we want, at least make her interesting. Emily deserves as much.

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.

"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]

Often funny, engaging, and not nearly as complicated as it sounds, Dietland does grow progressively darker. This is a revenge fantasy, and with Marti Noxon at the helm, both “dark” and “funny” come with the territory.

Strictly fan service, but fans will love it.

No teeth, no energy, no fun, this Vanity Fair can occasionally feel like a homework assignment.

Solid, engaging, propulsive--and a little bit too familiar.

As with "HIMYM," guessing where that will be could be part of the fun--or frustration, if A to Z loses control of the story. Thursday's opener is so sharply executed, however, that doesn't look to be much of a concern.

Millennials will watch, and you will too because this is the best new comedy of the brand-new decade. ... "Nora" is a[n] unbridled joy.

Beautiful production, first-rate performances, notably the one that counts most — Erivo's.

It's an ideal match of creative talent and material, with serious appeal for history buffs of all ages.

A watchable and skillfully made telefilm (Jay Roach of "Austin Powers" fame directed) that is, nonetheless, marred by a melodramatic reliance on Good vs. Evil, and guess which side is which?

First-rate craftsmanship tethered to a relentlessly gloomily and ultimately unengaging story.

The well-written pilot has a couple of brazenly vulgar sight gags, but nothing that will shock "Two and a Half Men" fans.

Ambitious and intelligent, but also a sprawl that can’t quite master all the big themes and ideas.

Some brief memorable performances, particularly Cusack as a tippling housewife. Otherwise, an inexplicable misfire.