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.