While you're left to wonder why these four stars need a reality show, or why the contestants never truly made it in the first place, "The Voice" should remain a solid performer for NBC--which it so very badly needs.

Monday's pilot can't quite close the sale, but there's promise here. The Chicago Code deserves another look.

The 10 episodes that dropped late Wednesday pretty much say there's nothing to worry about here. In fact, a few of these do gently temporize, and at least one treads water, but there are also four which are flat-out great (more on those in a bit). A pleasure as always if hardly perfect, this balance seems about right for a series that explores the gulf separating craftsmanship from genuine artistry, and whether perfection can bridge it.

Gravity looks like another slow build. Its characters aren't as directly defined, and initial episodes exhibit curious methods to its storytelling madness.

A well-produced film that is ultimately more painful than conclusive.

In blunt and at times salty language, Bush gets to say exactly what 9/11 meant to him; it's visceral but only occasionally revelatory. We all know this story very well. Maybe too well.

"The Violet Hour" is an elegant and surprising love story, while "The Royal We" is a sour disappointment. But the best news: A Matthew Weiner show is back on TV.

The main reason to give this version of "The 'Burbs'" a chance, of course, is the interplay between Palmer, Pell, Proksch and Julia Duffy ("Newhart") as the neighbors with a lot of time on their hands. They keep the energy high and the laughs coming.

Kings is a worthy enterprise that will deeply puzzle millions of viewers.

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.

The Conners skillfully picks up where "Roseanne" left off and even manages to improve on the predecessor.

The second half is actually more enlightening, though, as Gibney and Foster do a remarkable job of explaining the challenges that Rolling Stone faces, while still celebrating its significance.

There’s a fine line between “calming” and “soporific,” but the new season mostly manages to stay on the right side of it, judging by the first three episodes.

The Writers' Room winds up more anecdotal than explanatory. Heavily edited/compressed, it makes for a breezy half-hour if not necessarily revelatory disclosure, at least in the three episodes sent for review.

The first three episodes of "McMillion$" unpack the incredible story of the McDonald's Monopoly scam with flair, even if the shape and contours of the series are familiar.

Like all anthologies, some hours are better than others (but most of these are good), and what Dreams lacks in razzle-dazzle, it makes up for in brains.

Tere's real promise in Parenthood. In time, we may all genuinely care whether Crosby and Sarah find themselves, or at least grow up.

Sontag, simply put, was a very interesting person, who fully inhabited some interesting times--which this film captures. But as to that genuine, lasting impact? Who knows: Regarding is so busy trying to capture this busy life, that it never gets around to an answer.

You may hate yourself for laughing--just don't be too surprised if and when you do.

A wild ride (as expected), better still a promising one.

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.