The problem with Sense8 is that it’s glacially paced and not nearly as riveting as it thinks it is.

Everything else that's supposed to be a shock is telegraphed well in advance. Everything meant to surprise falls hopelessly flat. [18 June 1999, p.44]

Taken as a whole, the three episodes mark a decent reintroduction but individually these episodes are basically daring viewers to watch. It's like producers are actively trying to repel viewers, not because the episodes are overly violent but because they often don't make much sense.

There are a few lighter moments here and there--including some played for laughs that seem like they'd play better if they were serious, including the first time Kirsten gets stitched--but mostly Stitchers is a ho-hum procedural with an unlikeably emotionless lead character with daddy issues and the promise of hanky-panky with a not-nerdy scientist

The show’s contestant characters are the expected mix of types found in a reality show, although Unreal tries to ground them in specificity that defies TV stereotypes, which works better with some of the women than with others.

Sabrina isn't designed to appeal to adults, and isn't likely to do so. But if you're looking for family entertainment to watch with your kids, you should be able to sit through Sabrina fairly easily - as long as you don't mind some things that are patently ridiculous. [27 Sept 1996, p.28]

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.

There's nothing egregiously wrong with Aquarius--it's sometimes dull but also at turns surprising--but with so many options for entertainment content today, this NBC procedural-serial hybrid doesn't do much to stand out.

Each of the three opportunities to deposit or keep the money is preceded by a financial discussion between each couple, which usually reveals one person to be more giving and the other to be more concerned with No. 1. These getting repetitive and boring fast.

It's a series that is at turns dull (Army big wigs doing meet-and-greets with Afghan leaders) and in other moments harrowing as it puts viewers in the trenches as insurgents attack American troops.

A decent if not extraordinary action hour.

The question becomes will more screen time allow the Big Secret to make sense? That will determine if the whole of Wayward Pines is ultimately worth watching. If nothing else, the first five hours are at turns intriguing, mysterious, engrossing and spooky.

The musical numbers are terrific, and the film has its strong moments.... But these individual, scattered scenes don’t add up to a cohesive story, which marks Bessie as a disappointing missed opportunity.

To be sure, Grace and Frankie is better than CBS’s recent “Odd Couple” reboot but Grace and Frankie does feel like a network sitcom (minus the laugh track), maybe “Friends: The Golden Years” if the focus was on Monica and Phoebe (and if Chandler and Joey became a couple).

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

Happyish emphasizes over-the-top profanity and a lot of anger at its surface. Dig deeper and there are some interesting ideas in play but getting past the show’s predilection for rants may ask too much of viewers who may share some of the same frustrations as the characters.

The humor in Other Space is largely of the absurd, what-would-happen-if-we-put-idiots-in-a-serious-space-setting variety. Sometimes the jokes hit, other times it feels like the kind of space opera I filmed with friends while in high school in the late 1980s.

The show’s staging in the Hall of the Universe at New York’s American Museum of Natural History in front of an audience is a little low-concept, but the enthusiasm of Mr. Liu and Ms. Lord in Monday’s premiere keeps Star Talk from getting too dry.

Banana is the more conventional of the two shows with its focus on young characters.... Of the two series, Banana is more fun but "Cucumber" offers higher stakes.

The predicaments Henry gets himself into, while sometimes predictable, are nonetheless realistic and entirely believable within the universe of this show (and sometimes real life, too).

The plot focus this year will surely be on the discovery of a male series of clones, Project Castor, all played by actor Ari Millen. It’s a welcome re-set that may prevent Orphan Black from becoming more complicated than it already is.

Press notes indicate these five folks impacted by the shockwave are “angels of the apocalypse,” but Messengers never comes out and says this. A general rule of thumb in TV reviewing: When press notes do a better job of explaining a show's intent than the show itself, viewers beware.

It’s dark, bloody and occasionally sexy, as it usually is, and Thrones fans wouldn’t want it any other way.

Netflix’s Daredevil makes the case that not all superhero shows are created equal and this one improves markedly on both the previous “Daredevil” movie and the other, current Marvel universe TV series.

While The Comedians is OK, the overall effort feels a little too familiar.

It’s a lush production--The costumes! The locations!--that’s still appropriately gritty for its 1529 setting and sure to appeal to fans of historical fiction. But it may be a bit slow-paced for fans of Showtime’s “The Tudors,” which told the same story with more soapy shenanigans and gusto. Mr. Rylance gives a quietly commanding performance as the intelligent, politically astute Cromwell.

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.

American Odyssey too often lacks the gritty realism of cable series that attempt similar, convoluted plots. It doesn’t catch viewers in a plot that feels real; rather, it feels like a planned, plotted, manufactured-for-your-enjoyment TV show.