The show suffers from fakey scenes of Joe and his team in the office--they feel pretty staged--but when Maddalena is out meeting people who want to sell the Hollywood memorabilia they own, Hollywood Treasure is a lot of fun.

It's comfortable, uncomplicated, unchallenging entertainment, which makes it ideal for Hallmark's brand. Fans of Hallmark's movies will enjoy it; viewers who want to be more engaged and absorbed by a program may be bored.

So much about Incorporated is predictable and rote, it's tough to buy into the story or its characters.

It is mostly humorless, grave sci-fi, but in the pilot the best moments are the most human.

It's the characters of Banshee and their labyrinth of relationships that make the show an engrossing, entertaining portrait of a fictional small town.

Mr. Kinnear certainly has the charm to play this rakish character, and the overstuffed pilot introduces a lot of characters who might help propel the series' stories in the future. But if "House" is the model, Rake is a somewhat stale successor.

It's not terrifically awful, but it's also not as reliably fun as Scrubs was in its prime.

A fun, entertaining action show.

If Mr. Goyer fumbles the pilot in introducing Leonardo's world, he salvages the endeavor in episode two with a good story about da Vinci's inventions for the Medicis.

Maybe in an airy Broadway theater the issues the show attempts to explore would play better, but on TV The Slap suffocates, packed with too many awful characters I don't want to spend another moment watching.

House of Saddam offers a fascinating but limited portrait of the Iraqi tyrant.

I kept watching last year and I'll probably keep watching this year, although I think the show is already starting to repeat itself.

If plot is incidental to your enjoyment of a show--and especially if you're already a fan of Ms. Thorne's all-in acting style--then Necessary Roughness offers OK entertainment.

Though I'm happy to recommend 'JAG' as simple, lightweight fun, there are some moments that may try your patience. [23 Sep 1995]

There's no question that A Gifted Man is the network's best, most creatively successful effort in the past five years.

Through the show's first four episodes, an unexpected love triangle develops among three of Carroll's devotees that's tinged with unexpected sexual politics and questions about sexual identity. It's the only aspect of 'The Following' that feels fresh. Too bad this plot only serves as a side dish; the main course is the same old reheated serial killer/crime solver hash.

It would be a lot easier to like the kids from Dawson's Creek if they'd just put a sock in it now and then. [20 Jan 1998, p.C8]

A mixed bag. Diagnosis: Some good dialogue, but it also suffers from a mild case of predictability.

The pilot is slow but it builds to a twist that sets up the show’s first season and offers a solid enough foundation that encourages horror fans to come back for more.

Snowfall benefits from strong performances from a cast made up of largely unknown actors, but the show is dark with none of the humor that helped leaven “Breaking Bad.”

Entourage offers a reason for fans to be encouraged about the quality of its last episodes.

If you're looking for a smart, brain-massaging sitcom, watch NBC's Thursday night lineup. If you're just seeking a few (sometimes cheap) laughs, Sherri provides.

The series does try to develop its characters, but Galavant never quite finds a way to ideally pull together its gonzo comedic spirit and musical aspirations.

The new season’s more-is-more approach feels forced. Even the pretentiousness seems turned up a notch.

Despite a poor job of establishing its characters and their relationships (wait, those two aren't a couple?), The Ex-List begins with a strong, romantic premise.

Eli Stone offers a well-stirred mix of character comedy, relationship drama, legal cases and musical numbers.

If anything, The Arrangement plays it a little too straight and sedate. An injection of just a little crazy would make the whole enterprise more fun.

As with any pilot, there are questions about whether the show's initially strong production values and special effects will remain high quality in subsequent episodes. And it remains to be seen how the characters and their relationships will develop. But at least Teen Wolf puts its best foot, er, paw forward.