If this is the end for “The Gilded Age,” bravo to the series for delivering two near-perfect seasons. But I do hope we’ll get to spend more time with these fantastic characters.

How really pleasant it is to report that M*A*S*H turned up on Sunday night with the spirit of the original, if not all the blood and free-swinging language, intact. [18 Sep 1972, p.31]

A splendid cast, headed by Shelley Long, a college-educated cocktail waitress, and bar owner Ted Danson, make Cheers something to cheer about. [19 Oct 1982, p.34]

It's a remarkably talented group. [14 Sep 1978, p.26]

It's a slam-bang hour that also serves up some "Battlestar" touchstones -- religion, politics -- while advancing the story a half-step and introducing another Cylon threat to the Galactica crew.

The show looks slick, the attention to detail is painstaking and the music inspires toe tapping.

[Lansbury] made this show, which depended on smarts, instinct and the force of J.B.'s personality, not CSI evidence.

Meredith Baxter Birney and Michael Gross do a splendid job as modern-day parents with an attractive brood of convincingly "now" youngsters. [19 Oct 1982, p.34]

The guest performances were delightful and contributed greatly to the success--in my opinion--of the opener. [28 Sep 1977, p.49]

The first two episodes deliver a lot of setup as Alex’s world is ripped apart before he’s set on his path to becoming a spy. The plot mechanics are fairly predictable and it takes the show too long to get where it’s clearly going.

An easy, breezy binge, “Corona” puts a welcome, mostly upbeat spin on trying times.

Showtime’s “Love Fraud” is the year’s most engrossing true crime docu-series. ... There’s barely any flab in these four hours as the story takes progressively weirder, more surprising turns.

While there is an ongoing serialized story, the individual episode stories involving the lead characters represent “Lovecraft Country” at its best: a haunted house in episode three, a “National Treasure”-style quest in episode four, a metamorphosis in episode five. The episodes often upend expectations.

Lasso’s good-humored, unflinchingly honest and polite character appeals as a type we don’t often see in a single-camera comedy in the post-anti-hero TV series era.

As with plenty of reality competitions, one wonders if “Fridge Wars” might be stronger with one family at a half-hour rather than the one-hour running time, but for the most part “Fridge Wars” doesn’t feel padded.

This silly series deserves kudos for living up to its title. Each eviction is carried out in campy, horror style. ... If future episodes can effectively-yet-cheesily ape horror movie conventions with a different method of end-of-show murder each week, “Killer Camp” will prove itself an entertaining summer diversion.

“Brave New World” begins as mostly serious and dystopian, but by episode four there’s a shift in tone. Whether by showrunner David Weiner’s design or network notes, the show lightens up, allowing for more moments of dark humor but also some weird character turns.

“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” opens some doors and then never fully explores the implications of McNamara walking through them.

A hilariously absurd sketch comedy that masquerades as a “Soul Train”-esque show.

“Love, Victor” is a pretty tame affair – perhaps too tame for Hulu. The show builds to a season finale cliffhanger that sets the stage for a potentially more interesting, less paint-by-numbers second season.

HBO’s remake of “Perry Mason” pulls together great elements, casting and period production design in particular, but it takes a full five episodes to get to the courtroom drama viewers familiar with the character expect.

To the credit of writer James Graham and director Stephen Frears (“A Very English Scandal”), “Quiz” rigorously offers both sides of the story and allows viewers to decide.

“Genetic Detective” is more cerebral than an Investigation Discovery show while it creatively — using visual graphics — explains the science and technological advancements that make these investigations possible.

“Love Life” lacks the HBO edge but it’s still the HBOiest of HBO Max’s early offerings, even as the characterization of Kendrick’s Darby is closer to Ally McBeal than Lena Dunham’s Hannah on “Girls.”

Just enough modern references so these new 10-minute episodes don’t feel like reruns.

The new season’s second episode picks up the story from season one, untangling confusing character turns and detailing how events came to pass in a brilliantly-executed bit of plot jujitsu that avoids retroactive continuity. ... The remaining five episodes then backfill character information, which fails to be as compelling as season one’s plot.

The relationship between Courtney and Pat forms the spine of the series and it’s a welcome change of pace from the network’s twentysomething heroes. Whether that's enough to justify yet another superhero show remains to be seen.

What “Snowpiercer” does best in early episodes is world-building. But it’s problematic for the show’s long-term prospects that the various train cars — cattle car, aquarium car, classroom car, night club car (with multiple levels and a surprising number of staircases for a train) — stir up more initial excitement than the characters or story.

From its title to its tone to its production design and look, “The Great” mirrors “The Favourite” quite a bit. “The Great” is at its, uh, greatest when Fanning and Hoult spark off one another with McNamara’s rat-a-tat-tat dialogue.

“Upload” is more amusing than it is laugh-out-loud funny. But it’s quick-witted, clever (an Arnold Palmer bot appears on a VR golf course in episode four) and twisty with a thread of mystery.

A fun, frothy, limited-series period drama.

“Belgravia” is more focused on secrets and lies; it’s less of a soapy delight. Still, Anglophiles will surely appreciate this limited series, particularly the strong performances from the women who lead the cast, Tamsin Greig (“Episodes”) and Harriet Walter (“Succession”).

The writers use a contrivance viewers will see coming miles away to pull I’m-done-with-all-this Eve back into the game. It’s an eye-roll-worthy plot turn. The acting remains impeccable, the costumes amaze, the locations offer beauty shots galore. Maybe for some viewers that’s enough. But it’s tough to get past the unbelievable relationship at the show’s core.

Hilariously and thought-provokingly, “The Good Fight” explores an alternate reality where Hillary Clinton was elected U.S. President in 2016.

A nine-episode limited series worth the investment. It’s easily the best new series this year.

World on Fire” plays like a mainstream broadcast network miniseries circa 1988. That’s not a knock. It’s kind of cool to have this sort of story back on TV, an old-school format that follows disparate characters in desperate times. If you liked “The Winds of War,” this should be a nice reminder of that ABC classic.

[Brooklynn] Prince is a real find and Hilde’s relationship with her father forms a heartwarming backbone for the series. But the tone is confusing: Too dark to be a family show, even though it has a family at the core, “Home Before Dark” offers a dark mystery plot instead.

The good news is the fashion competition at the heart of “Making the Cut,” as in “Project Runway,” remains strong. The competitors are mostly serious designers. They’re not gimmicky distractions to be laughed off stage (except maybe one). ... Despite episodes with long-ish running times, “Making the Cut” doesn’t show the judges offering post-runway critiques to every designer, just the top two and bottom two.

“Council of Dads” is a better show and less blatantly manipulative than last year’s post-“This is Us” NBC series, “The Village,” but “Council” still piles on the dramatic plot turns in ways that are easy to spot a mile away, though occasionally unpredictable (and maybe even confusing for some viewers). It’s a LOT of drama to absorb all the same.

Three episodes in, this season three reboot offers some hope but. ... The problem: when nothing in “Westworld” is reliably real, there’s little for viewers to cling to, which makes the entire enterprise more exasperating than cleverly twisty drama.

An emotionally moving period drama that feels timely and recognizable in the present.

“Fires” burns bright in its first episode and beyond, promising an engrossing, fast-moving, character-driven drama that becomes deeper and more disturbing as the story unspools.

The pilot episode of FX’s new dark comedy “Breeders” will be instantly relatable to anyone who’s ever parented young children. ... Subsequent episodes draw focus away from Paul and Allie and their children and expand to include more attention on Paul’s elderly parents and the addition of actor Michael McKean as Allie’s unambitious American father. None of this is bad per se, just not as funny as what’s established in the premiere.

It’s a niche series that can be visually stunning but chilly and dark. ... After one episode, I had no interest in watching more “Devs”; after four, the series has me quite intrigued.

Daring and different, but not dark. It’s a rare feel-good contemporary series that’s not dumbed-down.

While there’s sometimes a sameness to Fox’s recent animation efforts — comedies centered on families filled with oddballs — that doesn’t necessarily diminish the laughs. Newcomer “Duncanville” certainly prompts multiple guffaws in its first two episodes.

In its first couple of episodes “Mythic Quest” carves out its own niche, mining comedy from the specific realm of video game creation. A sociopathic intern who worships the boss, in particular, offers consistent laughs.

A self-consciously strange series can’t quite settle on a tone. Sometimes absurdly funny, other times a little dull and draggy.

It's not every day that I feel like a new TV show merits success -- and rarer still that I feel that way about a reality competition -- but "Lego Masters," already successful in the U.K. and Australia, offers family-friendly fun as it shows off brick building skill and creativity. It deserves to be a hit.

“Picard” certainly introduces a deeper “Star Trek” which has its appeal but at times it also seems a little convoluted with talk of a “shared mythical framework.”

The verdict? Not as gosh-awful as I expected...sort of a "Hunter" with heart. [4 Apr 1993]

While “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” addresses myriad issues, it does so with good humor, warmth and fresh approaches to an orphaned family, Nicholas’ sexuality and a child on the spectrum. Yes, this newly formed-by-circumstance family faces crises but they’re realistic with an equal mix of drama and comedy, just like real life.

The immigration angle is new and does add an element that wasn’t there before but the rest of “Party of Five,” while admirable and certainly watchable, doesn’t demand to be seen.

It’s filled with music and some high-energy dance numbers. But what comes between those highlights is often dull and without stakes. It’s the perfect show to do laundry to; it only beckons viewers to lean forward and pay attention during the occasional musical number.

A smart, thought-provoking drama. But for some it will be tough to sit through the show's unrelenting gloom....TV viewers who like to be challenged -- I'm thinking of the "Homicide: Life on the Street" fans out there -- will cotton to the murkiness of Wonderland.

Stack, Stern and the other executive producers created "on of the Beach with "over-the-top" as the show's mantra. It may not hold up on a weekly basis, but this first trip to the "Beach" is outrageous fun.

Although The Beat rises above much of what's on TV - and everything else on UPN - it is nowhere near as complex and layered as "Homicide." But it may be just as off-putting to some viewers.

“Heartstrings” isn’t HBO-caliber TV but for viewers who want feel-good stories with a bit of an edge. this Netflix series offers a more expansive approach to uplifting programming.

Billingsley brings a gentleness to the role, making the character believable, decent and a surrogate for the audience. He watches The Others with amazement, and so will viewers. [4 Feb 2000]

Its first hour intrigues with quiet promise.

In fine form, too, a seamless transition between casts with writer Peter Morgan keeping everything on an even and remarkably timely keel as the queen frets her new prime minister may be compromised by the Russians.

Among the reality shows, “Marvel’s Hero Project” acquits itself well with a 25-minute running time.

Three-minute shorts featuring the easily distractible “Toy Story 4” character, are quite funny.

Fans of Goldblum will enjoy the half-hour “World According to Jeff Goldblum” because viewers get a concentrated dose of his personality but beyond that interest may vary based on the topic.

If you can see past the Walt Disney hagiography, it’s well made and includes some rarely seen footage and new interviews with ride designers who occasionally take viewers behind the scenes.

All the best moments are in that [trailer] preview and everything else is OK but very much a tween show with higher, streaming service-level production values.

“His Dark Materials” benefits from a mesmerizing Lorne Balfe-composed theme song and early on introduces an intriguing element of travel between dimensions but then bogs down as it moves forward to bring all the requisite characters from the book together.

Entertaining at times, “Dickinson” surely has some appeal to certain segments of the audience but it’s tonally all over the place to a distracting degree.

“The Morning Show” offers engaging, soapy elements with a layer of resonant, semi-believable corporate politics on top.

“For All Mankind” continues to improve in subsequent episodes, propelled in part by an inspiring theme score by Jeff Russo (“Fargo”).

“Watchmen” is not as fun as HBO’s “Succession” — “Watchmen” is more serious — but HBO’s newest offering proves itself a significant and entertaining series that’s resonant and relevant in our fractured America.

“Living with Yourself” busts through some of the expected guardrails on the story. Other characters do learn that there are two Miles so the story pushes forward without spinning its wheels too much.

“The Politician” is sometimes a fun watch, but tonally it’s all over the place. The premiere offers some genuine emotions while episode two leans much harder into dark comedy.

What makes “Batwoman” stand apart is that Kate is a lesbian, and by the end of the premiere she’s caught up in an unconventional-for-TV love triangle. Beyond that, this superhero show is admittedly more of the same.

Consistently funny but also sweet-natured, “Harts” quickly proves itself a blessed addition to Fox’s Sunday animation lineup.

Consistently funny pilot.

There’s an enjoyably spooky “X-Files” vibe and also a little too on-the-nose will-they-or-won’t-they? chemistry between the married Kristin and the presumably celibate David. “Evil” evinces a welcome cheekiness.

Actress Colbie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother”) elevates this well-made procedural private eye drama.

The concept isn’t overly complicated — no heavy mythology in the pilot — and the cast, including Clancy Brown and Donald Faison, has strong appeal.

Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff that would never happen in a real courthouse here, but the characters are quite likable, especially Wilson Bethel (“Hart of Dixie”) as an assistant district attorney and Ruthie Ann Miles as Carmichael’s know-it-all judicial assistant.

Filled with clips from the original series, “A Very Brady Renovation” offers nostalgia galore — “The Brady Bunch” celebrates its 50th anniversary on Sept. 26 — but it’s also a surprisingly satisfying home makeover show.

Entertaining. ... Jeselnik still puts on his smug, aging frat boy/jock persona but beneath that façade some of the repartee reveals the host’s serious approach to dark comedy.

While this series also begins with an unwieldy amount of place-setting involving a war that led to the current refugee crisis, “Carnival Row” proves more palatable than “The Dark Crystal.” The Amazon series is easier to follow even as it introduces initially-unconnected characters in multiple social classes. This gives “Carnival Row” plenty of areas to explore. If only it all felt more unique.

“On Becoming a God…” entertains even as it observes the unfortunate circumstances Krystal finds herself in.

Atmospheric and chilling as ever – generally without being gory beyond clinical crime scene still photos – “Mindhunter” remains one of the current era’s best series. ... Season two widens its lens to give each of the three lead characters more equal footing.

If you’ve been missing “Desperate Housewives,” the new CBS All Access show “Why Women Kill,” debuting Aug. 15, is the series you’ve been waiting to see. But if you were over “Desperate Housewives” before it finished its eight-season run, well, “Why Women Kill” is kind of more of the same.

“David Makes Man” offers haunting themes as serialized drama, some familiar (drug dealing) and other less so, particularly the impact of abuse and trauma, which is shown through David’s dreams, waking reveries and imagination. While the latter is the most challenging aspect of the series, it’s also what makes “David Makes Man” distinct.

“BH90210” offers a delicious, entertaining return fans will want to gorge themselves on at least initially.

The third season, streaming Thursday on Netflix, delivers more forward momentum. ... The eight episodes of “Stranger Things 3” generally hang together well if sometimes predictably, although a few character turns offer genuine surprises.

Ailes’ now-infamous skulduggery may have irrevocably damaged political discourse, but recounting it all makes for a wildly entertaining, occasionally painful, deep dive into the history of Fox News Channel and an excavation of one of the ways the current polarized American political climate came to exist.

It’s all fluffy, sexy, mindless fun, the TV equivalent of a summer beach read.

It’s funny and occasionally freaky as the pilot introduces the characters who form a team that concocts horror scenes, whether at a quinceanera celebration or a will reading.

A funny, fresh comedy half-hour, “Alternatino” offers some welcome laughs amid the drama-heavy diet of summer TV.

“Pose” remains an above-average character-driven cable drama, but it all feels a little more forced this year as the writers attempt to invent new stories for this collection of generally likable, striving LGBTQ characters.

This second season is worth it just for the opportunity to watch Streep have fun. ... “Big Little Lies” still takes time for the gauzy flashbacks as Celeste grapples with assorted emotional responses during sessions with her therapist (Robin Weigert), but the whole enterprise feels peppier, poppier and more entertaining as viewers spend more time with these pretty people with pretty significant problems.

With the passage of time — all the characters look older, some more world-weary than others — there’s an elegiac quality to the tone of the whole piece as we see in the eyes of some characters the contemplation of what might have been and the quiet acceptance in some that their lives are drawing to a close. Knowing that series creator and the film’s writer, David Milch, 74, now suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, makes the whole endeavor feel even more personal and acute.

The new season, written by series creator Neil Cross, has multiple callbacks to season one (the denouement brings things full circle) and fills in the blanks on where Alice has been and on her relationship with Luther, perhaps with too much information at times (allusion and mystery works better for their relationship than flat-out explanation).

Showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, veterans of “Under the Dome” and “Smallville,” sprinkle in enough science to balance the crazier elements of “The Hot Zone,” Peak TV’s version of a summer disaster flick.