The series performs a deft balancing act, creating sympathetic characters in a nontraditional family that viewers care about while making polygamy look like a much bigger relationship headache than any two-person union.

Legit comes off as appalling at first but after a few episodes, you get used to how awful Jefferies is and the show even allows for a few skewed, sweet moments.

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.

The humor quotient in the pilot proves to be a mixed bag. The laugh lines come, but they're fairly inconsistent. Still, when they do hit--particularly during a canvassing door-knock scene that includes a Fred Armisen cameo--it's easy to see Brooklyn Nine-Nine's potential to develop into a good, maybe even great, prime-time comedy.

It seems like a typical, sometimes plodding teen soap.

“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 good news: The White Queen gets off to an entertaining start. The bad news: In subsequent episodes it gets bogged down in then-this-happened, then-that-happened jumps through history.

Science fiction often is at its best when it raises big questions, but early on it's unclear what the true source of Miracle Day is and where that will take this batch of Torchwood episodes.

Six hours may be an hour too many given the repetitive nature of the plot (the required mission count rises, then rises again and again) but star Christopher Abbott makes for a likeable, relatable Yossarian. It’s sometimes difficult to tell the supporting flyers apart but as the episodes unroll their personalities come through a bit more.

It's less aimless and has renewed momentum--even if its plots tread familiar ground.

For all the show's missteps, there's always Ullman's undeniable talent to entertain. Her parodies of women (e.g. Renee Zellweger, playing a movie character who suffers from "chronic narcissistic squint") generally succeed better than her men.

It's weird and different enough to stick with for a little while to see how it develops.

Fans of “black-ish” are likely to enjoy this period comedy that gets a boost from Gary Cole (“Veep”) as Bow’s paternal grandfather.

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

If the early Ashes episodes are representative of the series, this show will indeed be good fun.

The characters lack the depth of those in smarter, premium cable dramas like "The Walking Dead," but they do show some growth as the series goes on. What Falling Skies does best is create a sense of the struggle for survival.

Ms. Wilson delivers an Emmy-worthy performance that’s equal measures vulnerable and determined as Alison seeks the truth of her husband’s infidelities.

No one will confuse The L.A. Complex with "Mad Men" or "The Good Wife," but for the type of show it sets out to be, this Complex is surprisingly, well, complex.

The hybrid style of comedy and drama in "The Chronicle" doesn't quite jell. There's potential, but it hasn't been realized.

Blue Bloods showcases a surprising amount of character-driven storytelling. The potential police department conspiracy pushes Blue Bloods into more sudsy territory than necessary, but at least this show marks another attempt by CBS, following "The Good Wife" last year, to expand its offerings beyond paint-by-number crime dramas.

It's not the worst way to spend a half-hour, but Red Oaks also doesn't feel like essential viewing.

Other than the shorter season and London setting, the story beats and types of twists are nearly identical. This sameness highlights how the show's format, revolutionary when it premiered more than a decade ago, has become formulaic and a little stale.

Some of the pop-culture humor and creatures owe a nod to "Farscape," but the camp level is high and can be mighty funny.

While appropriately grimy given the 1620s, rural North America setting (Although it was filmed in South Africa), the dour deprivation depicted proves dull over the miniseries’ first two hours.

“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”).

In Treatment is fascinating TV, but it's not a pleasant experience. Watching these therapy sessions is akin to eating your TV broccoli.

The tone of the pilot makes jarring shifts, but episode two settles into a comfortably arch take on the hubris and egocentrism shared by members of the Roy clan.

It's all played with suitably creepy seriousness, but without the self- conscious weirdness that made the later-day "Twin Peaks" so tedious. Duchovny and Anderson anchor the story through steady performances; we're as interested in what happens to them as in what happened to the teens...It's all pretty silly stuff, but it's silliness done well. If you're willing to give yourself over to it, it should hold your attention -- which is more than one can say for most of the season's new offerings. [10 Sept 1993, p.Ent 20]