The first episode is pretty much just as entertaining as "Face Off" or "Project Runway" or similar creative endeavor shows.

"CSI: Miami" is a carbon copy, for sure, but it's a copy of an efficient show millions of people enjoy watching. [23 Sep 2002]

Once viewers accept it for the mediocre melodrama it is, they'll be more satisfied, tuning in for the strong performances and high production values while rolling their eyes at the umpteenth red herring and illogical plot turn.

Viewers who value character development, logic and plot consistency will be disappointed by this series that's sloppy when it comes to all three. It's often more concerned with looking cool and fun than making sense.

Credit Becoming Us for not skimping and showing the impact of changing genders on the children of trans parents in seemingly stark realness, but it's uncomfortable to watch a child endure such life changes publicly.

Funny, insightful and seemingly realistic, Entourage will appeal to fans of character drama and behind-the-scenes voyeurs. [18 July 2004, p.TV-5]

Nine Lives may satisfy undemanding teens in the ABC Family target audience but it'll feel like a retread to others.

Ms. Dandridge makes a positive impression as the show’s lead character and it helps that she has such strong support from Mr. David and especially Ms. Whitfield, whose character proves an effortlessly serene scene-stealer.

In addition to a less convoluted story, "Kidnapped" bests "Vanished" with its high-sheen cast.

At its best, Big Love is an intricate soap opera rooted in family, but in this new season the show is spinning off into too many directions. None, taken individually, is terrible, but altogether these myriad plots create a lack of focus.

Gritty and occasionally violent, Sons was created by Kurt Sutter, an executive producer on "The Shield." As "The Shield" prepares to bow out, Sons should capably fill the smart, testosterone-fueled void.

Directed by Michel Gondry, Kidding occasionally shows sparks of the magic he brought to his previous collaboration with Mr. Carrey, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” but there’s not enough of the show-within-a-show for Mr. Gondry’s wonderfully wacko visual style to get much play.

When Hatfields & McCoys slows down enough to develop its characters -- and it's fairly rudimentary character development -- the miniseries comes to life.

Even if this strikes a cynical adult as too syrupy-sweet, it's refreshing to have a too-nice role model.

The sexy, sudsy historical drama returns without missing a beat.

The character [Zach Galifianakis] plays in Baskets (along with the main character's twin brother) is too often unfunny and too mean to the poor insurance adjuster, but I found [Martha Kelly's insurance adjuster character] and Chip's mother to be pretty entertaining.

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

As a loyal "Homicide" viewer, for me Munch is the best part of SVU, especially in tonight's scene where he explains his departure from Baltimore. [20 Sept 1999, p.B-1]

The humor is quick and smart, often poking fun at the conventions of period dramas and the perceived privilege of the wealthy.

The Grey's Anatomy writers acknowledge last season's ratings decline by offering a parallel plot that finds Seattle Grace's ranking as a teaching hospital suffering in tonight's entertaining and ridiculous-in-the-regular-Grey's-ways two-hour season premiere.

Atmospheric and strange (images of power lines abound for no discernible reason), Durham County is not much of a murder mystery--viewers know who the killer(s) are by the end of the first episode--but it is an intriguing crime drama that's more character-driven than it is procedural.

It rarely feels improvised except maybe in Q&A interviews with celebs and in “Pepe’s Unbelievable Game Show.” After four episodes, it’s safe to say “Muppets Now” is only occasionally funny, and the recurring segments grow repetitive.

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.

How to Get Away with Murder is not by any stretch transcendent TV but it is great, gonzo fun, a breakneck-paced, well-made prime-time soap that, if future episodes are as entertaining as the pilot, may easily become viewers’ new TV addiction.

A silly flight of fancy.

Bent is not a terrible show but it's not particularly good either.

Odd Mom Out definitely will not be relatable or entertaining to everyone, but for viewers who enjoy Bravo’s other shows about the uber-wealthy, it’s a canny fit.

Another of those amusing but not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny sitcoms that are so popular on premium cable channels.

An engrossing thriller... a welcome return to the juicy, complex miniseries of old.

The show is too smart to be so easily dismissed, but whether its depiction of Vatican politics--and especially its title character’s abrasive personality--warrant devotion will be in the eye of the beholder. Lenny’s not a likable character, but The Young Pope offers addictive stories of unpredictable political maneuvering.

HBO's most obtuse, impenetrable series.

Every television series launches on a wing and a prayer, perhaps none more than this entertaining, glossy drama.

Fosse/Verdon proves to be a darker, more sorrowful meditation on the personal and professional lives of artists, but the eight-episode series benefits from Broadway tunes and re-created dance numbers from the pair’s many successful productions.

Viewers who crave a nostalgic kick for single-case crime dramas of the late 1990s might find something to like here but for viewers seeking a more contemporary style of storytelling, there are no TV firsts in Murder in the First.

While the show’s first hour doesn’t inspire much confidence in the series, save for a poignant scene between Tyrone and his mother (Gloria Reuben), the second episode gives the characters more depth and allows for a little more light to sneak into the generally dark (tonally and visually) proceedings.

This brand of humor can be an acquired taste, but fans with a tolerance for out-there buffoonery will want to make the trip to "Reno." [20 Jul 2003]

Tonight's episode feels like a reset, a fresh start for the characters but if they just lapse back into their old ways, I'm not sure what the point of another season of this show will be. And yet, if they do not return to selling drugs, some viewers may be disappointed.

It’s an entertaining pilot, full of surprises that should hook viewers and get them engaged for the subsequent 12 episodes. But there’s also the question of whether the show sets about spinning too many mysteries at once.

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.

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]

If Vegas goes the "Good Wife" route and focuses on characters and politics, it could develop into a worthwhile series.

The first two “Runaways” episodes offer an organized introduction to the kids — from jock to religious zealot — and their more intriguing parents in an entertaining enough fashion to make the show recommendable to anyone who hasn’t overdosed on comic book-based series already.

Fans of The Riches can expect even more double-crossing, shady business deals, intimidation and moral compromise in the gated community of Eden Falls. It's the same game, only more of it.

With a witty script by series creator Michelle Lovretta, Lost Girl mixes mystery-of-the-week plots and character stories with an overarching mythology in a way that's palatable for fans of serialized and procedural dramas.

Personally, I found "Arrested" funnier, but "Sons & Daughters" has its moments.

Riverdale shows off a heightened visual look that sometimes calls to mind “Pushing Daisies” in its ambition. Whether it can maintain that high level of production design, we’ll see, but in its early episodes, Riverdale positions itself as one of the more ambitious teen dramas to come along in several years.

Producers of The CW's new series have taken the bones of the Nikita story and grafted on a new recruits sub-plot, sort of ideal for young CW audience, but it also makes for a convoluted series pilot that bounces around from one hollow story line to another.

The 15-minute episodes are an easy binge and the two lead characters — Ryan and work friend Kim (Punam Patel) — are often a hoot even if some of the secondary characters (a witch-on-wheels boss, in particular) and situations undercut the show’s attempts at realism.

Although this comedy-drama's premise sounds like the godawful Fox show "Costello" from a few seasons back, it's mercifully better. [1 Oct 2000, p.TV-5]

“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.

Virtuality is a fascinating, over-stuffed pilot episode, and as intriguing as its concept is, you can see by the end of tonight's two-hour premiere why Fox passed on making it a weekly series.

Alternately goofy and smartly satirical, ["Freak Show"] may be the best companion to "South Park" Comedy Central has come up with yet.

Sticks close to the original in tone, but, oooof, it suffers from a clunky introduction. ... The exposition is heavy-handed, the justifications for some plot twists are dubious and the dialogue often laughable. It’s just so on the nose.

As entertainment, United States of Tara succeeds through humor, vivid characters and a stunning performance by Collette, who disappears into the roles of Tara's alters.

The original French version of The Returned embraced spooky stillness, and the American version attempts to do this, too, but succeeds to a lesser extent. And while there’s at least a language barrier reason for remaking the French version of “The Returned”--unlike Fox’s “Gracepoint,” a remake of BBC America’s English-language “Broadchurch”--that’s still not enough creative justification for this identical, second version of the same show to exist.

Although Collection Intervention is really no different than "Hoarders," putting a sci-fi/fantasy spin on it does make the show more relatable

Writers Dannah Phirman and Danielle Schneider clearly know the source material they’re mocking and do a great job of getting laughs out of the absurdities of the “Real Housewives” shows. But sometimes the humor is dulled by the realization that while mockery can be fun, Hotwives still requires viewers to sit through “Real Housewives”-style inanity.

It seems like the show will basically be a weekly dose of two-steps-forward-one-step-back for Ryan with Wilfred as his teacher/tormentor. Wilfred certainly has moments of high (and low) comedy but it's also hard to imagine the premise won't get stale pretty fast.

Gteat News manages to be at least a good broadcast network comedy thanks to sharp writing and winning performances, particularly from “SCTV” veteran Andrea Martin as Carol, mom to cable news producer Katie (Briga Heelan).

Cute and occasionally touching, About a Boy gets no points in its early episodes for originality or expanding the single-camera comedy form but it's a decent little show about flawed but essentially decent characters.

Entertaining and light in its first two episodes, Trust turns more dramatic with higher stakes in episode three as a cold-blooded mafia killer enters the picture. It’s a rough transition in tone and leaves one to wonder how the balance of the 10-episode first season will play out and whether the plot can justify 10 hours compared to the two hours devoted to the same story in “All the Money in the World.”

The Big C does not arrive with as sturdy a foundation as "Nurse Jackie," an unusually well-developed show from the get-go, but Ms. Linney completely inhabits a role that's recognizable as a woman who is strong and unusually selfless--at least until her diagnosis.

Bates Motel developed into a watchable, character-driven thriller in its first season. As season two begins, it seems poised to maintain that same level of quality.

Where "Studio 60" takes a scathing and indignant tone toward television, "30 Rock" offers a more sarcastic, less hackles-raised critique. It's also funnier and goofier.

Coming on the heels of Netflix’s superior British period drama “The Crown,” Victoria is a bit of a comedown, but it’s not bad, merely familiar and expected.

Even as the show deals with serious issues--immigration, euthanasia--Weeds feels lighter and funnier in the new season.

Comrade Detective certainly has its moments, but its one-joke premise may make it a tough sell for all six half-hours.

Structurally, Arrested is in better shape than it was in season four. Fans who temper their expectations for this new batch of episodes--eight are available this week with another eight coming later this year--will be happy to be back with the terrible Bluth family.

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.

Given the topic, Too Big to Fail might seem like a movie made only for policy wonks but even if you don't understand the finer points of monetary policy, it's still entertaining because it features that great equalizer in American popular culture: Wealthy, well-heeled people behave like jerks, allowing the less wealthy a certain superior satisfaction.

Perhaps in time Helix will develop into something more substantial but in its first two hours it sets up a lot of questions without providing answers or a compelling reason for viewers to stick with it.

"Housewives" appears to have gotten its humorous groove back. [22 Sep 2006]

This story of two computer I.T. guys and their computer illiterate boss is overly obvious and plays on stereotypes in an over-the-top way that may have been au courant in the '80s but feels woefully dated today.

From these four hours it's clear there are few new stories or twists for the show to employ. It's time has come and gone.

The Company starts slowly and somewhat confused, but eventually it chugs its way to coherence as it becomes a decent little drama.

Ben and Kate has its moments of inspired, gonzo idiocy but mostly it's like spending a half-hour with someone you can't stand.

The X-Files is back with a mix of convoluted mythology and more satisfying stand-alone stories.

As with any pilot, Longmire barely scratches the surface of the possible directions it could go but the premiere does an excellent job establishing a sense of place and character. It's enough to make a viewer want to return for more.

As soaps go, The O.C. has its positive attributes, but the show is at its most enjoyable when it's focused on the family at the core. Anytime it strays into the world of the wealthy kids of Newport Beach in Orange County, Calif., it's almost painful because the characters are so detestable and yet bland. [3 Aug 2003, p.TV-5]

Fall’s funniest new comedy.

A cut above NBC’s ultimately disappointing “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders” but not quite on par with FX’s “American Crime Story.”

Consistently funny and with surprisingly engaging twists for a comedy, Trial & Error commits few errors through its first three episodes.

It's possible Wizard Wars will get old quickly if too many of the tricks contestants come up with look the same, but in this first episode anyway it's a fairly entertaining hour of TV.

There's enough to recommend about Copper that it's worth tuning in to see how the series develops.

The right sitcom at the right time. Well-cast, well written and actually funny (imagine that!), this one's a keeper. [22 Sept 2003, p.D-8]

When We Rise feels a little rote and predictable in its main characters’ trajectories but given its subject matter and airing on a broadcast network, that also works to the program’s benefit.

NBC only made the premiere available for review, so I can't offer any guarantees that subsequent episodes will not disappoint, but as a pilot, "The Event" gets this series off to a rollicking start.

It certainly should have been no longer than 41 minutes but even that seems a bit padded.... But 7 Days in Hell is often quite funny, particularly in its sillier moments.

NBC's "Heroes" is the best pilot of fall 2006. Whether it continues to soar in future episodes remains to be seen.

Set in the offices of Veridian Dynamics, a behemoth conglomerate, this single-camera, laugh-track-free comedy is the funniest show ABC has birthed in quite some time.

Fahey too often seems cocky and callow. He's so sure of himself, and so superior to everyone else, you could find yourself identifying with the criminal. Luckily, Fahey's performance in the closing moments shows promise for a more restrained future. Let's hope the producers noticed the improvement. [31 Jan 1995]

If you're not tapped out on this kind of show already, Cold Case is a sophisticated procedural drama with an engrossing mystery at its core. [27 Sept 2003, p.C-9]

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.

There’s no question that Man Seeking Woman is not run-of-the-mill entertainment, but whether its weirdness will appeal or repel will depend largely on the openness of viewers to new, strange TV experiences.

the new V begins with an entertaining, well-made pilot that tweaks aspects of the original story but generally retains many of the show's familiar elements.

Schumer is brash, outspoken, bold, raunchy and tomboyish enough to fit right in and her show is often quite funny for viewers (especially men) who are not easily offended.

Every plot turn is predictable, no trope goes unexplored.

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