The new season’s second episode picks up the story from season one, untangling confusing character turns and detailing how events came to pass in a brilliantly-executed bit of plot jujitsu that avoids retroactive continuity. ... The remaining five episodes then backfill character information, which fails to be as compelling as season one’s plot.

This seven-episode limited series is both cynical (about God as CEO) and full of hope (about the potential for humanity). It’s also consistently clever and funny.

A not-awful but not-great drama.

It’s not so bloody to turn off viewers coming to it from lead-in “Downton Abbey,” but it’s also not so mercenary in its attempts to be compatible that it seems watered down.

Given time, Stargate Universe may become worth watching if it develops its characters and continues to mine its premise for stories. Just hope they avoid more desert planets.

Charmed has none of the wit or intelligence that characterizes The WB's superior supernatural series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but "Charmed" is an OK drama for the post-"Sabrina" crowd. [7 Oct 1998, p.E-4]

The age jokes are in the CBS wheelhouse, and some of the gags are occasionally funny, but the whole endeavor seems predictably rote, from the cold, aloof chief resident to the uber-confident intern (Jean-Luc Bilodeau, “Kyle XY”).

The humor in Eastbound is a far cry from the cerebral comedy currently en vogue on shows like "The Office" and "30 Rock," but that doesn't mean Eastbound can't do sly humor that falls left of center.

Malcolm cut off communication with his dad 10 years ago but turns to him for consultation on a new case. These scenes are far less entertaining than those with Malcolm’s mother, played by “Scandal” star Bellamy Young, hamming it up. These moments give “Prodigal Son” an occasional “Castle” vibe.

The Whispers had the potential to be an intriguing, supernatural soap, but by episode two, it proves itself to be one of those series where the audience is, frustratingly, frequently one step ahead of the characters. That's not fun; it's boring, which is the last thing a supernatural thriller should be.

The Unusuals offers an odd combo platter of tones that don't allow the show to jell in its premiere episode.

The New Normal is at its funniest when it's most outrageous; other times it feels as if it might have worked better as a one-shot movie than a weekly TV series.

The pilot doesn’t even really play into the absurdity of war a la “Catch-22.” It’s unclear what “68 Whiskey” is trying to do but whatever it is, it’s not doing it well.

My Own Worst Enemy sets up what could be an overly complicated premise and miraculously makes it all seem perfectly acceptable and clear by the end of the first hour.

While the flashbacks deepen the characters, some elements are smack-you-in-the-head obvious. Still, the stylization of the story is impressive as is the way Rodriguez, who wrote and directed the premiere, introduces the robber characters, the more level-headed Seth Gecko (D.J. Cotrona) and his possibly crazy/possibly prescient brother, Richie (Zane Holtz).

Goode really does feel too much like the flip side of "King of the Hill." The humor comes from the opposite point of view but it's still a too-similar-to-stand-on-its-own comedy.

Too much in the pilot gets short shrift at the expense of the show’s love affair with mood. Snow covers streets and then disappears in a scene set moments later; foreboding dialogue comes off as too on the nose. ... Episode two shakes off the unsavory visuals and moves the story and character relationships forward with less emphasis on the heaviness that hangs over the first hour, but by then, some viewers will have moved on.

A fairly standard family sitcom that rises above its pedestrian premise thanks to star Cristela Alonzo, a comedian who makes a favorable impression in this series about an Hispanic Texas family.

The pilot episode for "life" is really interesting; unfortunately two subsequent episodes are not as commendable. ... The direct address to the camera begins to grate, and the whole show is not different enough from teen shows of the past. [3 Oct 2004]

Later episodes are funny enough. Perhaps it’s just the usual early episode growing pains.

BrainDead is an entertaining enough summer distraction through its first three episodes, but it’s no “Good Wife.”

Not wild enough, not funny enough, Wedding Band comes off as merely OK entertainment.

Dull and sometimes confusing--why are those British soldiers loyal to the Red Coats not wearing red?--the 90-minute premiere too often encourages viewers to turn away in boredom or frustration.

“The Morning Show” offers engaging, soapy elements with a layer of resonant, semi-believable corporate politics on top.

Doc Brown has his own clashes, particularly with Dr. Abbott (Tom Amandes), the town's sole general practitioner before his arrival. Abbott is a caricature, over-the-top in his arrogance. He does everything short of twirling a mustache to shout, "I'm the bad guy!" This is where "Everwood" hits a bump....With such realism in the relationship between Ephram and his father, it's a shame series creator and writer Greg Berlanti ("Dawson's Creek") went down such a conventional, only-on-TV path in creating this other adversarial relationship. [16 Sept 2002, p.B-1]

"The Good Guys" isn't really good but it is OK if all you seek from TV is bland, comfortable entertainment--the same type of program you were watching 30 years ago.

Childhood's End is more thought-provoking than many Syfy miniseries of the recent past even as it stumbles through plot holes.

A decent but slightly pedestrian family drama that throws off a "Brothers & Sisters" vibe whenever its sibling characters are in the same room.