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.

A pretty family entertainment, lit by Ullman's energy and just small flashes of the Burnett we love.

On a scale of TV series that shoot for the high end of mediocre, USA's Suits fares far better than the recently introduced TNT legal drama "Franklin & Bash." The guys in Suits are more likable, and the legal stories a little more grounded in reality.

The show conjures the most laughs when Mr. Gervais is on screen, but his presence doesn't mesh naturally with Warwick's world.

Episode one spends an awful lot of time on digging a huge hole in the ground with fairly predictable results. And in episode two there’s a lot of wandering around a greenhouse buzzing with insects that’s supposed to be ominous but instead comes off like a homage to “The X-Files.” ... The third episode moves all the stories forward at a better clip.

Ultimately, Hannibal is a mixed bag. It’s a more complex show than many programs in prime-time but it’s still finding itself in early episodes, particularly with regards to plotting.

L.A. Shrinks is another Bravo guilty pleasure show. When the cast members aren't saying outrageous things, it can get kind of dull, but most of the time the dialogue is crazy enough to keep viewers entertained.

So, the dialogue is cliche, the characters are cliche, the situations are cliche. What is there to recommend about this show? In the end, it's the twists that had me popping episodes into the VCR until I'd watched the first six. There's just enough of a thread -- whether it's clues that endanger Falcone's undercover operation or threats to his family -- to keep you wondering what will happen next.

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

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.

The Royals is pretty much the entertainingly trashy prime-time soap you’d expect.

"Painkiller Jane" doesn't soar to the dramatic heights of "Battlestar," but it is a step above some of the network's other programs, a procedural thriller with a sense of humor and stylish action scenes.

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

Forward momentum--for the plot, creature action and character development--finally kicks in during episode three but it’s a big ask for AMC to expect viewers will return after the first two episodes.

There’s an odd-couple vibe to Vicious, though it’s also a big, broad comedy reminiscent of Frasier if Niles and Frasier were a bickering gay couple instead of brothers.

It’s amiably crude and fairly funny, too, but the show will leave some viewers clutching their pearls with jokes tied to masturbation, testicles, defecation, the scent of private parts and oral sex--all in its first episode.

It's an entertaining enough diversion if you're not expecting much.

Animal Kingdom, based on a 2010 Australian film of the same title, won’t be to everyone’s taste, but fans of dark, family criminal enterprise shows (think: “Sons of Anarchy,” “Outsiders”) might be intrigued.

While it's fun to see what happens in Total Blackout once, it seems like it will grow old.

Ridiculous, and somewhat predictable. [4 Aug 2005]

[A] cute wisp of a series.

It is the definition of a slow-burn series, a program that should be exciting rendered as kind of dull.

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.

For fans of "Mad Men," Trust Me offers a modern, more recognizable ad agency world but the tone of TNT's series is completely different. It is not "Mad Men: The Next Generation," not by a long shot. And the show's quality lags leaps and bounds behind.

It's a series that is at turns dull (Army big wigs doing meet-and-greets with Afghan leaders) and in other moments harrowing as it puts viewers in the trenches as insurgents attack American troops.

Tyrant continues to fascinate even as it’s flawed. Adding Chris Noth as an American military leader with a connection to former first lady Leila (Moran Atias) doesn’t bring much to the series, which also suffers from a lack of sandy, panoramic exterior shots that marked the show’s first season.

It's a familiar concept that elicits some minor laughs.