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.

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.

A lively comedy.

The show remains a chilly affair, which will probably limit its acceptance but for viewers who appreciate satire, particularly of a modern workplace, it's difficult to imagine a show on the subject that's funnier than Ted.

It’s not a revolutionary show but at a certain level it is a step away from the angst and a return to the positive, uplifting feelings evoked by the 1978 Christopher Reeve “Superman” movie.

It is a well-made little show of horrors that's likely to scare and thrill its target audience.

Kings begins with a refined approach and grows more pedestrian in subsequent episodes. Still, there's plenty to love about this series that dances with symbolism--the butterfly on the Gilboa flag is not a mere adornment--and replaces clandestine backrooms with windowed board rooms.

Fortitude, which was originally slated to air on Starz, doesn’t feel quite as urgent a viewing experience as “Broadchurch,” but the first two hours (of the 12-part series) introduce enough intriguing characters and relationships that it’s worth watching for fans of murder-mystery dramas just as long as the show doesn’t introduce too many red herring suspects (the show appears to be pointing to one already by the end of the premiere).

The mix of characters works well and provokes a fair number of laughs.

Of the couples comedies to debut so far this midseason--NBC's "Perfect Couples" in January, Fox's "Traffic Light" last week--CBS's "Mad Love" (8:30 tonight, KDKA-TV) is probably the best. That's not to say it's a great show, but it is the least groan-inducing.

Hung remains less of a comedy than HBO presents it as, but it's certainly more platable in season two.

Mr. Garcia’s style of humor tends to be sophomoric--sex jokes, overweight stripper sight gags and broad comedy predominates--but this style manages to blend well with the show’s unique format.

Unlike "Monk," which is essentially warmed-over "Columbo" with a more interesting character in the lead, In Plain Sight augments its plain premise with a full cast of colorful characters.

Better than average.

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.

It no longer feels like you're watching a dozen different TV shows now that the main characters actually interact with one another. And the show's pace seems more brisk, less stodgy.

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

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

A cute half-hour that capably introduces new characters and sets the table for the new series.

Sweden is a quiet, gently amusing comedy.

Nothing in Dracula is as unique or as wonderfully weird as "Twin Peaks," and Dracula plows through plot more quickly, introducing and then writing off several intriguing plots and characters within its first three episodes. It's too soon to say whether that will turn out to be wise or foolhardy, but Dracula at least gets off to a mildly promising start.

Mercy Street remains strictly middlebrow fare, but it’s well-done for what it is and better than in its first season.

Raising Hope is not for the easily offended and humorless but the pilot is consistently entertaining for viewers willing to embrace Garcia's universe of downtrodden characters.

The Jane pilot whips through story quickly while setting up all kinds of potential entanglements for the characters. Whether subsequent episodes can maintain that breakneck pace, which helps accentuate the comic absurdity of the show’s premise, remains to be seen, but Jane certainly gets off to a strong, entertaining creative start.

All-American Muslim [may be] a bit dull for viewers conditioned to expect ginned-up drama but given the potential sensitivities of the subject matter, it seems appropriate.

For fans of the original, which is only a few years old, this Americanization may be a bit like going to see a road company version of a Broadway show: It's pretty good but definitely less morose (for some viewers that will be an improvement, for others it will be a betrayal).

TV Land continues its foray into original scripted programming with The Exes, the network's best sitcom effort since "Hot in Cleveland."

None of the songs really stand out the way they did in the original. Kenny Ortega's lively choreography, however, is once again top-notch.