It’s a strong start to the season that continues in the second episode that introduces Mary Steenburgen as the mother of Pornstache.

It’s a dark, sometimes brooding hour, but that’s pretty typical for Mad Men, which emphasizes its characters and their development (or lack thereof) over plot. With its emphasis on mortality, Sunday’s episode is a fitting start to the Mad Men swan song.

Southland" remains a stand-out series for its gritty, on-the-street scenes of police work and the engrossing stories of its characters.

It remains the best scripted drama on a broadcast network.

True Blood is a sexy affair that sets up an entirely believable world where humans and vampires co-exist. It's a soap, to be sure, but a soap with an eye for social commentary.

This first episode has brief nods to the deaths last season of two series regulars--Owen and Toshiko--and it acknowledges advances in the relationship between bisexual Jack and Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd). But more than anything it's a propulsive action-adventure.

The new Upstairs gets off to a somewhat slow start in the first of three one-hour installments, but in its second and third episodes the dramatic engines rev as the political climate of the day begins to drive the story.

Fast-paced with snappy, smart dialogue and engaging characters that brim with potential, NBC's Community fits in well with its new Thursday night neighbor, "The Office.

American Housewife isn’t this fall’s best new comedy but it’s certainly one of the better offerings.

Its hits outpace its misses--by a mile. That's not often the case with sketch comedy shows. Just as important, the humor is consistently smart.

Whether a fantastic series follows tonight's strong pilot, well, it would take a flash forward to know for sure. But the show does offers a strong premiere that brims with future possibility.

[The] fall’s most unusual series concept and easily the new season’s most promising pilot.

Jackie remains the superior effort thanks to its writing and a top-of-their-game cast headed by Edie Falco as the title character.

An engrossing, detailed military character drama, Generation Kill is a modern-day "Band of Brothers," a warts-and-all account that hits closer to home because it depicts such recent events.

An entertaining drama that sucks you in and gets your toes tapping during several musical numbers.

A fun, frothy, limited-series period drama.

The two-episode premiere not only re-establishes the world of Mr. Robot but it also introduces new characters, expanding the show's world while still rooting it firmly in the present.

Funny and thoughtful with surprising plot twists, Being Human offers an inviting mix for fans of supernatural stories.

A thoroughly enjoyable series, the kind that makes you smile throughout and occasionally burst out laughing.

Set in the offices of Veridian Dynamics, a behemoth conglomerate, this single-camera, laugh-track-free comedy is the funniest show ABC has birthed in quite some time.

The first hour is a little slow, somewhat pacey at times--it clocks in at 56 minutes, not the usual 42 minutes, and will run one hour and 10 minutes with commercials--but it does a fine job of setting up the story and introducing the characters.

Fans of legal dramas should be intrigued by Phil Spector, a well-paced 90-minute character-driven film.

Viewers who can handle the twists and turns will be intrigued, particularly by Mr. Spader's performance.

It's a high-quality reality show about creating a mid-range dining experience.

The unique amalgam of a show that "Huff" has been -- a sort of sampler platter of hyperbolic though realistic, sympathetic but often self-sabotaging characters -- retains its balance and tone quite well this season.

The series performs a deft balancing act, creating sympathetic characters in a nontraditional family that viewers care about while making polygamy look like a much bigger relationship headache than any two-person union.

The Defenders is a standard-issue legal drama, but Mr. Belushi and Mr. O'Connell bring a playful exuberance to their roles that allows the series to rise above its trappings.

The easily offended should steer clear, but viewers with an appreciation for outrageous humor are likely to have a good laugh watching Little Britain USA.