Good newcomer that can drag, but Hemingway's direction keeps this one on track.

What ABC has tried to do is make something that will appeal to the sword-and-sandal crowd and the faith-based one. Predictably, neither will be pleased.... Prophets manages a few things well--notably the production values--and gives American TV audiences their first good, long look at the fine veteran British actor Ray Winstone. Newcomer Rix is promising, too.

A fast and furious romp through the first six episodes that should keep bingers--and fans--happy.

The hope is fleeting, the twist a tease, and the show--you must finally, reluctantly and quite accurately conclude--is basically just a bore.

Authenticity ranges wide enough here to engage the whole family.

Pure joy and the tribute Nichols finally deserves.

Fun comedy that takes time to warm up to.

Like a packed piñata of absurdity, each episode rains unforeseen treats, from physical pranks to existential banter to all manner of sexual exuberance. It’s all smartly visualized around town and briskly stitched together.

The pursuit of answers feels both rewarding and enjoyable.

Think of Fuller House as “Full House 2.0.” Same premise, same vibe, mostly same cast.... A winner, strictly for fans.

The second season of Saul establishes what should have been obvious all along--this is basically just a continuation of “Breaking Bad.” Same themes. Same setting. Same preoccupations. Even same humor. But best of all, same deep, abiding intelligence.

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.

Two nights implies this will be “epic,” but this is the anti-epic miniseries, where the subject gets smaller and smaller while his crimes get larger and larger. It’s instructional--just not emotionally engaging.

Grease: Live was maybe not a slam dunk, but nevertheless was the crowd pleaser it deserves to be and so often has been.

Best series of the year so far. Easily.

Quirky, uneven oddball that will appeal to a few. Best to wait for all episodes to stream and go ahead and binge.

Monday’s busy pilot (crammed with setting reveals and visual effects) leads to a sluggish second hour trading the thrill of discovery for downbeat foreboding. Yet the purpose-seeking characters emerge so starkly--Jason Ralph’s disturbed new student, Hale Appleman as his sardonic guide, Arjun Gupta as his itchy roommate, Stella Maeve as his left-behind soul mate. They feel worth following.

The ambition’s an admirable one, and Outsiders clearly has ambitions. But what it doesn’t have is much of a story or all that much conviction in the one it’s telling.

This louche Lucifer is mostly a cop procedural snooze.

Above-average special effects and the presence of two old and beloved friends--you know who!--more than make up for an eye-rolling new premise.

Baskets builds into a character-study treasure, much like FX precursor “Louie.”

Legends simply feels too loose, too campy.

Davies’ dialogue feels so organic to the characters it’s written for that it seems almost to bond to them, as naturally as if it was their skin or hair color. Actors in Davies’ production invariably rise to the level of the words placed before them. They certainly do here.

Well-written, directed and acted, Billions is still badly in need of a more human touch.

There are lots of other small touches--or technical flourishes--along with new cast members, notably Nina. Otherwise, best of luck finding anything radically different because there isn’t all that much that’s changed.... This is a “win-win”--for HBO, public TV, its most iconic series and those kids.

The cast in fact is terrific. (It also includes Norbert Leo Butz, Peter Gerety and AnnaSophia Robb.) A cramped, airless setting is the critical flaw here. Nothing comes to life--words, drama or most of all, characters.

The episodes’ hectic “action” often lands perfunctory or incongruous, and character development languishes in favor of sex scenes and left-field encounters “to be explained later.”

Wild start, but a good-looking one.