Without some Cliff’s Notes handy, the first half of Monday’s pilot is a muddle as to who’s a Montague and who’s a Capulet. Once Romeo and Juliet die (about halfway through the pilot), Still Star-Crossed improves as the focus shifts to the politics of their deaths and those left behind.

Gigi has a one-joke premise.... It's occasionally funny but not funny enough to tune in on a weekly basis.

The relationship between Ironside and his ex-partner, Gary (Brent Sexton), is somewhat interesting but everything else in Ironside is a well-worn cop show cliché, from Ironside’s tough guy routine to the dialogue.

This paint-by-numbers series has everything you expect in a lousy ’90s comedy but don’t want.

"Crumbs" elicits laughs from time to time, but given the subject matter, I still think this particular story would have been better told as a comedic drama than as the occasionally dramatic comedy that it is.

This everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to storytelling does not help Black Box to be taken seriously.

Everything on the show feels outlined, if not scripted.

There are enough flourishes surrounding Pernell’s visions to maintain viewer interest, but after a while the pilot feels like a slog.

The premiere episode is a fairly entertaining, voyeuristic look at a made-for-reality-TV crew, though it's a toss-up as to who's more obnoxious: the bickering crew or their first guests.

Life Is Wild is a decent but not exceptional family drama set in South Africa.

"The Winner" may not be able to go the distance, but it's a fun little show in the here and now.

Crowded has a couple of laughs--mostly due to Warburton’s deadpan reactions --but mostly it mines well-trod sitcom ground with jokes on parents smoking pot (they get the munchies!) and old people yelling.

At its heart, Mind Games is a case-of-the-week procedural with some serialized elements, but it's so dense with chatter there may be no mind tricks strong enough to convince viewers to stay tuned.

Sheen's obvious, minimally funny new sitcom.

When the show focuses on Beecham and his staff, it’s not terrible. But when it ventures off the grounds of Beecham’s ornate estate, things go sideways.

A lively comedy.

She's maybe-sorta a prostitute but the show's tone is light, frothy and downright sentimental when Riley gives emotional support to her male clients.

Partners is your basic odd couple comedy with Mr. Grammer attacking his part with his trademark zeal and Mr. Lawrence wandering through the motions in somnambulant fashion. It’s a stark energy contrast but a secondary problem for Partners, which mostly stumbles on predictable plotting that flows from pedestrian writing.

When it comes to both character and story, there's really not much in "Conviction" viewers haven't seen before.

Too many NBC dramas are now all about conspiracies and secret societies. That’s getting tiresome. Case in point, NBC’s The Player.

The show is neither funny enough to be a comedy nor dramatic enough to be an engaging drama.

Someone more philosophical than Shatner might have ruminated on the nature of reality in the world where technology can make anything seem real. But the space cowboy opts instead for action -- often shot in sluggish slow motion -- and humor, some of which seems blissfully unintentional. [18 Jan 1994]

Whodunnit? asks its contestants to become actors when they are chosen to be killed off, which gives this show a cheesy vibe that's accentuated by contestants screaming at the top of their lungs when they find a body that they obviously know is just someone playing dead. Add in pacing problems and reality show cliches and Whodunnit? may prompt a big "Who cares?" from discerning viewers.

The guest performances were delightful and contributed greatly to the success--in my opinion--of the opener. [28 Sep 1977, p.49]

In a way, Unhitched reminds me of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" in its attempts to shock, but this new series feels more manufactured and far less likely to become a cult hit.

Quirky and unlike any current TV comedies, it’s got smart, dumb-funny humor and a great comedic turn by Mr. McDermott.

Perhaps with more attention to concrete character details and less reliance on silly stereotypes, Hart of Dixie will manage to grow into a show that does not provoke multiple fits of eye rolling.

Its ratio of energetic, entertaining segments to time-wasting, self-indulgent filler (on the part of Harris) just doesn't pencil out in the audience's favor.