There's no question that "Extras" is a hoot, especially for anyone who spends much time observing the ins and outs of fame and the media, but Gervais is correct that less is more.

The combination of music and some humor, particularly from Mr. Goodman's character, make "Treme" easier to digest than a David Simon series might otherwise be.

Mad Men relies on its talented cast to communicate the unspoken, to get across the emotions and thoughts that roil just beneath the surface. I'll admit, there are times when I know I'm supposed to intuit something but I'm not completely sure what it is. And that's OK.

Its slightly warped sense of humor won't appeal to some viewers, but "Malcolm in the Middle" qualifies as unique.

Even in its sixth season Mad Men, remains a standout, a better series than 95 percent of what's on television.

The season premiere, written by Mr. Gould, serves as a warm-up act for the season’s more gripping second episode that features at least two remarkable scenes with bravura performances: Jimmy self-sabotaging and Kim, in a searing performance by Ms. Seehorn, ripping into Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian).

It’s definitely a slow-burn start to season three, but aspects of episode two suggest viewer patience will be rewarded--eventually.

Most sketch comedy shows decline with age but IFC's Portlandia continues to show signs of smart, savvy, new comic life in its fourth season.

The Lost writers begin the season with a firm grasp on their story and a keen understanding that viewers won't object to the introduction of new characters as long as old favorites are well served.

Mad Men exists on another level. Smart, mysterious and alluring, Mad Men remains a smooth concoction of period charm and psychological character drama.

It was often laugh-out-loud funny as Ms. Horgan’s quips found equal footing with Mr. Delaney’s quick-witted retorts. Season two continues in the same tone but somewhat less successfully now that the pair are enmeshed in domestic woes.

Taken altogether--the determined detective, the drug lord, the kooky encampment, the mystery of Tui's disappearance--Top of the Lake makes for a compelling mix of moody, character-driven drama.

But NBC's comedy-drama Ed boasts sweetness, charm and innocence in equal measure. It's also extremely funny, albeit in an offbeat, low-key way. [8 Oct 2000, p.TV-5]

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

These are fantastic characters with socio-economic backgrounds we rarely see in TV dramas, and that's one of the many things that makes FNL unique. Whether you can watch the show now or won't have access to it until 2010, FNL continues to be TV worth watching.

There are times the whole affair feels little to similar to season one, but by the end of the second episode a new character has entered the series, promising to shake things up in a necessary way.

Girls grew on me. As annoying as the characters can be, they also evince recognizable traits in absurdly realistic situations.

Early on, Band of Brothers is more methodical, less emotional due to its large, unwieldy cast. Once the uniformed soldiers put their helmets on, it's tough to tell them apart. If you're like me, you'll spend too much time trying to figure out who just got killed to work up much sympathy for the mystery victim. [9 Sept 2001, p.TV-5]

Southland" remains a stand-out series for its gritty, on-the-street scenes of police work and the engrossing stories of its characters.

While Handmaid’s Tale comes across as more disturbing because the world it creates actually feels like it could come to pass. Neither program [Handmaid's Tale or Westworld] is an easy viewing experience; both shows represent today’s TV at its best.

If you're a fan of nuanced, character-driven story-telling, there's no question The Pacific is the superior effort.

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.

It’s a lush production--The costumes! The locations!--that’s still appropriately gritty for its 1529 setting and sure to appeal to fans of historical fiction. But it may be a bit slow-paced for fans of Showtime’s “The Tudors,” which told the same story with more soapy shenanigans and gusto. Mr. Rylance gives a quietly commanding performance as the intelligent, politically astute Cromwell.

The family comedy gets a welcome and winning update in ABC's Modern Family, the fall's best new sitcom.

Pushing Daisies captivates with an emotionally resonant story and dazzles with its bright visual imagery. Fans of delightfully daft fairy tales, this one's for you.

Lost itself has a certain intriguing quality that makes it worth coming back for more. [19 Sept 2005, p.TV-5]

Girlfriend remains stubbornly weird, including in an avant garde musical number (pictured above and after the jump) that proudly proclaims it busted the show's budget.

They're not making evolutionary leaps but these men do show enough signs of progress that viewers who appreciated their struggles and triumphs in the first season will have renewed reason to cheer them on in season two.