Entertaining in the way the problems of the rich often are. [21 Mar 2006]

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

It's not deep, meaningful TV, but Falling Skies is OK summer entertainment for fans of breezy, things-blow-up-easy programming.

Hotel Hell is entertaining enough if you're not too picky about overproduced "reality" shows.

First impressions suggest the writers of Last Resort are waging an internal battle between grounding the show in some semblance of reality and allowing it to spin out into cheap soap opera territory.

With its talented cast and a willingness to reference current events, Superior Donuts evinces some potential, especially if the show’s writers can come up with better, less redundant sitcom plots.

Darker and less escapist than TNT’s other new summer entry, “The Last Ship,” Legends offers a down-and-dirty hero with rough edges but surrounds him with a cadre of cleaner, less sullied colleagues, making for somewhat of a tonal mish-mash.

The second season premiere is a stronger hour than the show's pilot that aired in January with more character definition and lighter moments.

For all the show's missteps, there's always Ullman's undeniable talent to entertain. Her parodies of women (e.g. Renee Zellweger, playing a movie character who suffers from "chronic narcissistic squint") generally succeed better than her men.

A small town, character-driven drama that’s enjoyable enough even if the characters are not entirely believable.

Sunday's premiere is pretty light on laughs. A couple of moments inspire guffaws but they are few and far between. The show's second episode offers more humor.

When Skip is used more as a garnish and not the focus, his character is less annoying and more amusing.

With its title and premise, Trophy Wife is not an immediately likable show but some of the jokes land well and the kid characters are fun.

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.

A slickly shot, competent series with a talented ensemble cast. It's not revolutionary or groundbreaking by any means, but it is a decent crime drama.

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

Directed by Michel Gondry, Kidding occasionally shows sparks of the magic he brought to his previous collaboration with Mr. Carrey, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” but there’s not enough of the show-within-a-show for Mr. Gondry’s wonderfully wacko visual style to get much play.

Season 4 is uneven. Three stories--“USS Callister,” “Black Museum” and “Hang the DJ”--are far superior to the others. There is much more graphic sex (albeit hilariously depicted in “DJ”) and violence than in past seasons.

Through its first two hours, Black Sails is entertaining enough but not nearly as addictive as "Spartacus" came to be through its first season; perhaps in time that will change.

That producers opt to tell a different Titanic story is admirable in light of so many filmed versions of the story that already exist, including a four-hour miniseries that aired on ABC earlier this year. But the decision not to reveal the fates of the miniseries' fictional characters may feel like a cheat to anyone who invests 12 hours in this program.

As reality shows go, the concept isn't bad: Two teams with four couples each operate restaurants across the street from one another in New York. But Chopping Block botches the introductions in tonight's premiere.

The show is energizing and a fun thrill ride in its first hour until Letty falls off the wagon. Then it just turns depressing, meandering down a dark road that’s in keeping with TNT’s new aesthetic, but a bit too far out of step with how Good Behavior plays until that point.

Jane is a decent enough little show but it's difficult to imagine how its writers will manage to sustain the premise.

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.

The first couple of Gracepoint episodes follow the same plot [as "Broadchurch"]--even some of the same camera angles in some scenes--with such stringency it will be difficult for "Broadchurch" viewers to avoid a sense that this new show is a rerun.... For the murder-mystery fans [who haven't seen "Broadchurch"] among them, Gracepoint is fine, but they’d be better off seeking out the superior "Broadchurch."

Three episodes in, I started to buy into the world Milch has created. I don't understand it, I don't think I even really like it (almost all of the characters are damaged and rather unpleasant), but I am intrigued by it.

If you're going to have a great actor play the vampire's human familiar, you could do worse than James Mason. [10 Sept 1917, p.F-7]

Hello Ladies has several funny moments in its premiere episode, but it's another comedy strictly for viewers who like to squirm at bad behavior.