At times, Here and Now is exhausting. And yet, some of the characters, particularly Ramon and the Muslim family, are fascinating enough for the time being, despite how annoying so many other elements of the show turn out to be.

A bigger problem is that Super Fun Night still isn’t all that funny.

Other than re-living some of Napoleon's favorite catchphrases from the 2004 movie, there's not much enjoyment to be gleaned from this obvious, unfunny episode.

A little overheated, too obvious and too cliche-ridden. But it's still an entertaining yarn. [23 Sept 2003, p.B-1]

There are occasional glimpses of “Seinfeld”-style humor. ... But the pilot is neither as funny as that NBC classic nor as topical as “The Carmichael Show.”

Fans of old-time network soaps may find something to enjoy here, but despite the promise that “dark secrets simmer behind every door and threaten to tarnish the genteel façade of seductive Charleston,” Reckless is decidedly bland and evinces almost none of the sense of place CBS proclaims.

“Bluff City Law” is to legal dramas as last season’s “New Amsterdam” is to medical dramas: emotionally manipulative and meh.

There's no sophisticated humor in FX's Unsupervised, which plays like a less witty "Beavis and Butt-head."

The mystery has largely been replaced by a dystopian soap opera that disrespects one first-season character in particular by having the character take an action that doesn’t reflect the character’s first season strength and resolve.

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

It feels like a retread--and a toothless one at that.

If the show can rein in some of its more outrageous plot tendencies and focus on music and social issues, it could grow into a Club viewers will want to frequent.

The pilot episode jumps all over the place without establishing characters or their relationships.... [A] failure to connect the dots is a common problem for Hemlock Grove.

The conclusion is that a great cast and a singular location can't carry a scattershot script that goes in and out of focus.

More of an amusing diversion than a laugh riot.

Kate Walsh seemed like a guest star in what should be her show.

Despite being underwhelmed by the premiere, I'm not ready to write "Tarzan" off just yet.

It's soapy and action-packed while still paying attention to developing its characters, the typical ABC Family Freeform mix of elements that's proved successful with its audience so far.

Football fanatics may appreciate 4th and Forever but to me it seemed more scripted than "FNL."

It's a silly time-waster with terrible commentary by hosts Jamie Kennedy and Jessi Cruickshank.

Rather than three shows, one show would be best: Make The Rock the host, use the settings of 72 Hours and the casting of "Race to the Scene" and viewers would be much better off than watching any of these individual new programs.

It’s amiably crude and fairly funny, too, but the show will leave some viewers clutching their pearls with jokes tied to masturbation, testicles, defecation, the scent of private parts and oral sex--all in its first episode.

It’s slightly above average as this type of series is concerned but not something that will satisfy "Castle" fans still smarting from its cancellation.

It often plays more like an action film than a serious interpretation of a holy book.

Basically, Rush is USA’s answer to “House,” albeit with a younger, hotter doctor. Unlike “Satisfaction,” Rush doesn’t seem overly serialized, which keeps it in line with traditional USA series, only this one is more gray-sky than blue-sky programming.

Fans of “CSI” shows will likely warm up to this latest franchise extension and viewers of more character-driven, less preposterous drama will ignore it like they have past “CSI” shows.

A perfectly serviceable teen drama.

If you enjoy complex, murky dramas about morally ambiguous characters, played by a talented cast of newcomers, then enjoy "The Black Donnellys" while it lasts.

Sometimes the year’s warmest months remain a dumping ground for warmed-over series. Night Shift has all the earmarks of a show being dumped.

It’s a pretty pedestrian procedural.

Without some Cliff’s Notes handy, the first half of Monday’s pilot is a muddle as to who’s a Montague and who’s a Capulet. Once Romeo and Juliet die (about halfway through the pilot), Still Star-Crossed improves as the focus shifts to the politics of their deaths and those left behind.

Gigi has a one-joke premise.... It's occasionally funny but not funny enough to tune in on a weekly basis.

The relationship between Ironside and his ex-partner, Gary (Brent Sexton), is somewhat interesting but everything else in Ironside is a well-worn cop show cliché, from Ironside’s tough guy routine to the dialogue.

This paint-by-numbers series has everything you expect in a lousy ’90s comedy but don’t want.

"Crumbs" elicits laughs from time to time, but given the subject matter, I still think this particular story would have been better told as a comedic drama than as the occasionally dramatic comedy that it is.

This everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to storytelling does not help Black Box to be taken seriously.

Everything on the show feels outlined, if not scripted.

There are enough flourishes surrounding Pernell’s visions to maintain viewer interest, but after a while the pilot feels like a slog.

The premiere episode is a fairly entertaining, voyeuristic look at a made-for-reality-TV crew, though it's a toss-up as to who's more obnoxious: the bickering crew or their first guests.

Life Is Wild is a decent but not exceptional family drama set in South Africa.

"The Winner" may not be able to go the distance, but it's a fun little show in the here and now.

Crowded has a couple of laughs--mostly due to Warburton’s deadpan reactions --but mostly it mines well-trod sitcom ground with jokes on parents smoking pot (they get the munchies!) and old people yelling.

At its heart, Mind Games is a case-of-the-week procedural with some serialized elements, but it's so dense with chatter there may be no mind tricks strong enough to convince viewers to stay tuned.

Sheen's obvious, minimally funny new sitcom.

When the show focuses on Beecham and his staff, it’s not terrible. But when it ventures off the grounds of Beecham’s ornate estate, things go sideways.

A lively comedy.

She's maybe-sorta a prostitute but the show's tone is light, frothy and downright sentimental when Riley gives emotional support to her male clients.

Partners is your basic odd couple comedy with Mr. Grammer attacking his part with his trademark zeal and Mr. Lawrence wandering through the motions in somnambulant fashion. It’s a stark energy contrast but a secondary problem for Partners, which mostly stumbles on predictable plotting that flows from pedestrian writing.

When it comes to both character and story, there's really not much in "Conviction" viewers haven't seen before.

Too many NBC dramas are now all about conspiracies and secret societies. That’s getting tiresome. Case in point, NBC’s The Player.

The show is neither funny enough to be a comedy nor dramatic enough to be an engaging drama.

Someone more philosophical than Shatner might have ruminated on the nature of reality in the world where technology can make anything seem real. But the space cowboy opts instead for action -- often shot in sluggish slow motion -- and humor, some of which seems blissfully unintentional. [18 Jan 1994]

Whodunnit? asks its contestants to become actors when they are chosen to be killed off, which gives this show a cheesy vibe that's accentuated by contestants screaming at the top of their lungs when they find a body that they obviously know is just someone playing dead. Add in pacing problems and reality show cliches and Whodunnit? may prompt a big "Who cares?" from discerning viewers.

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

In a way, Unhitched reminds me of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" in its attempts to shock, but this new series feels more manufactured and far less likely to become a cult hit.

Quirky and unlike any current TV comedies, it’s got smart, dumb-funny humor and a great comedic turn by Mr. McDermott.

Perhaps with more attention to concrete character details and less reliance on silly stereotypes, Hart of Dixie will manage to grow into a show that does not provoke multiple fits of eye rolling.

Its ratio of energetic, entertaining segments to time-wasting, self-indulgent filler (on the part of Harris) just doesn't pencil out in the audience's favor.

As for My Generation, the less said about it, the better. It's an insufferable show that could well be the season's first cancellation. And it can't come a moment too soon.

Everything about it feels TV-fake and contrived and throwing Heigl into the mix just heightens the sense that viewers are watching a high-glam actress pretending to be a top U.S. intelligence analyst.

Despite strong production values and an intriguing premise, Outcasts lumbers along, perhaps done in by trying to tackle too many themes.

Tonight's premiere goes from spooky to goofy to intriguing to incomprehensible -- in that order. [6 Oct 2000, p.44]

"Halfway House" is occasionally amusing but the characters are not well-formed.

The show is so manic, particularly Mr. Hayes’ performance, that it’s clearly trying too hard--and painfully obvious set-up dialogue.

It almost feels like a weird, little indie film if indie films were somewhat flat and predictable.

Yes, it’s all a lot of hokum in this mostly lighthearted adventure series that situates Ms. Stone as the boss while she watches Agent X run missions via video link.

They're a largely unlikable lot of crooked cops, adulterers and Hopper's long-winded, nutso music mogul. It's one thing to spend a movie with these characters, but it's quite another to tune in for 13 weeks.

Irritating and irredeemable, Danny is a first-class dud. [28 Sept 2001, p.36]

It’s all quite predictable and dull with a pilot episode that suffers under the weight of technobabble-filled exposition.

It all seems familiar, which isn't necessarily bad, but it makes the show somewhat stale.

The series, a purported behind-the-scenes look at the Trump administration, has its intermittent funny moments, and the character designs of the people who populate Trump’s cabinet are entertaining. But the story that’s grafted onto the first episode — Trump has to find an anniversary gift for Melania — is sitcom-trite and reminiscent of the old Comedy Central series “That’s My Bush.”

The show's tone slips between sitcom cheese and push-the-envelope absurdity.

Viewers who like to snicker at cheesy TV movies will get a kick out of Shepherd's imperious and demanding take on Stewart.

Canadian actor Craig Olejnik sports choppy black hair and piercing blue eyes--the only standout attribute in NBC's The Listener, an otherwise generic procedural drama.

Significant Mother benefits from amusing bits of dialogue here and there, but it’s largely predictable and fails to bring anything new to the sex comedy subgenre.

As anyone who has used an old photocopy machine knows, a copy of a copy of a copy is rarely as good as the original. Suspect Behavior comes across as a show in search of a purpose beyond the obvious brand extension.

The show's concept is kind of interesting: Two women (one in 1209 France, another in the present day) are connected through time but after giving the miniseries about 40 minutes, I gave up in favor of a new episode of FX's "Fargo."

Solidly plotted and filmed.

Past Life begins with a fairly ridiculous premise, and the show's bland leads don't make it anymore watchable.

Fox's preposterous organized crime/medical show combo platter The Mob Doctor manages to be silly and sappy.

The Odd Couple is genial--but not hilarious--multi-cam sitcom business as usual.

Star feels kind of junky, an everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink concoction made worse by bad dialogue too often delivered poorly.

"10 Items" isn't a great comedy yet, but it often takes time.

In its first two episodes The Neighbors is an enjoyable, broad comedy that encourages co-viewing among parents and their children.

As reality shows go, the concept isn't bad: Two teams with four couples each operate restaurants across the street from one another in New York. But Chopping Block botches the introductions in tonight's premiere.

Manhattan Love Story is simply an unfunny study in tired male/female stereotypes.

The same old thing.

A pedestrian medical drama that sparks to life near the end of the pilot.

Family Tools is an occasionally funny (but mostly not) show about a son who takes over his father's handyman business.

Tawdry but lacking a spirit of fun, Mistresses strives to be a guilty pleasure, but it's more likely to induce guilt than pleasure.

The characters can better be distinguished from one another than the ciphers in "Three Rivers" but they still need time to develop and become something approaching realistic.

The Cleaner is the latest in a string of unremarkable basic cable dramas with a brand-name star playing the tough but damaged lead.

"What About Brian" isn't a terrible show, it just doesn't offer enough unique reasons to make a weekly appointment with this gang of friends.

Harmless fluff that won't impress its intended pre-teen audience, but they'll watch anyway. [20 Sept 2002, p.40]

To call "Dad" derivative of "Family Guy" would be an understatement. [28 Apr 2005]

How to be a Gentleman is exactly the kind of TV comedy Johnny Drama would be thrilled to star in.

There are some truly funny moments in Fox's manic, animated comedy Sit Down, Shut Up, a series that requires almost rapt attention to pick up all the jokes and amusing dialogue that's hurled at viewers. If a TV series ever suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder, this is it.

A rote sitcom and an embarrassment for all concerned.