If only what's new about Scandal was supported by something better than blah writing, ludicrous situations and cardboard characters.

At one time, it was possible to enjoy Nurse Jackie even for viewers who were over Jackie's drama because the supporting cast was so much fun. There's something less entertaining about them these days, too. Their plots sometimes feel like a stretch, as if the writers are grasping for stories for them.

Three-minute shorts featuring the easily distractible “Toy Story 4” character, are quite funny.

Pretty funny. Pretty profane, too, but still funny, and a better-realized weekly program than last week's Showtime comedy premiere, "Weeds."

Conan O'Brien debuted his new talk show, Conan, on TBS last night and it didn't feel all that different from the show O'Brien debuted last year on NBC under "The Tonight Show" banner.

It’s a role that could fall into caricature, but Ms. Winfrey brings vulnerability and believability to the part. Henrietta Lacks also benefits from a strong supporting cast. ... The film, directed by George C. Wolfe (“Lackawanna Blues”), stumbles most profoundly in the way it wraps up. The conclusion to the 90-minute film comes too quickly with an abrupt shift in tone.

The series does hint at Carlisle's motivation, and maybe the show will get more interesting once his reasons for wanting the president dead are revealed, but the pilot doesn't exactly demand viewers tune in for episode two.

Better With You is a genuinely funny, well-acted traditional sitcom reminiscent of "Dharma & Greg" and other past successful romantic comedies.

It’s not as well done and not nearly as funny or relatable [as Modern Family].

The Carmichael Show improves as it goes, especially when veteran performers Loretta Devine and David Alan Grier come on screen.

A highly entertaining and addictive costume drama.

After watching the first two episodes it's a little difficult to say what the show will be on a weekly basis because each of the first two episodes plays like the pilot for two different TV series.

HBO made the first five episodes available for review, and in the early going “Avenue 5” doesn’t entirely work but neither is it the disaster that befalls the show’s ship and passengers.

The first two half-hour episodes, airing at 9 and 9:30 p.m. Friday, are less raucous and seemingly more adult than the film. There's more attention to character development; Jabba the Hutt's flamboyant uncle isn't anywhere to be found.

It’s an interesting construction; “La Ronde”-style storytelling is not something seen regularly in prime-time so for the uniqueness of the form viewers can be grateful. But the same setting and two-character focus in every episode makes for a somewhat stifling viewing experience compared to the typical prime-time drama.

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

Touch feels like yet another series--last week it was Alcatraz--that seemed like a better idea for a one-shot movie than a weekly TV series.

He's dashing, she's beautiful, and the show is fairly entertaining. But Undercovers adds nothing to the spy show genre.

Though Carey has friends, his show is no 'Friends'-style ensemble comedy. It's closer to a blue-collar 'Seinfeld,' a star vehicle purpose-built to exploit its star's best talents, which it does quite effectively. [13 Sep 1995]

Provocative and occasionally insightful--except with Whitney Cummings brays with laughter--The Approval Matrix is like "The McLaughlin Group" for pop culture junkies.

Much of the comedy comes out of that type of awkwardness but Doll & Em is less a comedy-of-the-uncomfortable series (a la a female "Curb Your Enthusiasm") and more just kind of slow and boring.

The problem with the show is that it's pretty dull, particularly if you've ever watched any of the similar shows that preceded Alphas. None of the characters feel new, nor do the situations.

True Blood is a sexy affair that sets up an entirely believable world where humans and vampires co-exist. It's a soap, to be sure, but a soap with an eye for social commentary.

The L Word is a better written series than "Queer as Folk" and seems less exploitative. Sex is a predominant theme, but relationships are presented as more important. Where the "Queer" boys often couple only for pleasure, most of the L Word characters are equally, if not more, interested in love. [16 Jan 2004, p.W-37]

House of Lies is not a revolutionary show, but it is a fun study of men behaving badly.

It’s a well-made teen drama pilot that traffics (mildly) in some social issues and ends with a welcome, soapy wallop.

Te pilot episode was written by Michaela Watkins ("Trophy Wife") and Damon Jones ("Peep Show"), who write to Ms. Coupe's comedic strengths while also peppering the background with amusing comic gags (viewers who pay closer attention will reap the most laughs from "Benched"). A second episode sent for review was less funny than the pilot and the plot was also a head-scratcher.

United Stats of History feels like it's a show that wants to be 30 minutes that's been stretched to fill an hour.