It's a powerful, emotionally engaging character study.

Southland brims with plot twists that never, ever feel contrived.

Justified continues to explode with superb writing, complex characters and rich acting.

And we're off and running with another season of great animation, skillful voice acting and hilariously foul-mouthed fun.

Stuffed with absurd situations and piles of bad taste, Wilfred is the strangest new show on TV. And the funniest.

The visual style pours as much emotional juice into the boiling, moody brew that Gilligan cooks up as his actors' searing performances do.

True Blood works best when its freak flag flies--as long as its core characters are along for the ride.

These final episodes overflow with love, compassion and one lesson we all can take to heart: Cathy lived.

Unlike in "Homeland," the show's main conceit grows even more complex and fascinating by including the Jennings kids.

Damages proves once again why it is one of the smartest thrillers on TV.

[Show creator Callie Khouri] has created rich histories for each of her compelling characters. The actors give nuanced performances that make their characters more than one-dimensional cliches.

Game Change is less about Palin than it is about this sad state of political affairs....That message made an impression, as did two amazing performances, beginning with Julianne Moore's uncanny and nuanced portrayal of Palin.

It gets darker, scarier and more captivating with each episode as Luther matches wits with killers and cops alike.

The Returned is far and away the most thoughtful and thought-provoking series I've watched this year.

An enigmatic and engrossing whodunit that should move to the top of everyone's DVR queue.

The story remains completely realistic and believable while paving new roads for future developments.

With its strong performances, subtle details and believable situations, Looking presents a convincing portrayal of everyday life--either gay or straight.

It's not always pretty or easy to watch, but Southland remains an outstanding hour of appointment TV.

With all its harsh realism and attention to detail it feels more authentic than a lot of the actual historical dramas on TV.

The first three episodes of the epic fantasy's fourth season reach new heights at times, offering enough twists, shocks and action to make us forget last season's mind-blowing Red Wedding.

Where it truly excels is in showing the emotional costs paid by the super soldiers doing their jobs and by the witnesses and/or victims of all the mayhem.

[Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey's] riveting work would be worth the admission alone, but the hauntingly beautiful True Detective excels in every way.

As Sarah makes one shocking discovery after another, Orphan Black weaves an increasingly intricate, suspenseful tale.

Hunted is an intriguing and rewarding puzzle worth (trying) to solve.

Season 3 is off to a roaring good start.

The mystical mumbo jumbo nearly derails the proceedings, but Goyer reins in the hookum in favor of frolicking adventure that's more fun than fact.

Cougar Town returns with its wit, silliness and good-heartedness fully intact.

Silicon Valley is a funny, insightful, blistering satire.

The show is way more than a thriller--although it could stand tall if it were just that. It continues to subtly examine the effects their high-risk and dangerous jobs have on the brave special ops soldiers fighting evil in the world.

Even though the team's first assignment—involving an ordinary guy with strange new powers (J. August Richards)--is kind of average as adventures go, the actors seem to have found a snappy groove already.

If you want bold activities, high drama and laughs motivated by something other than fame, tune in for Season 2 of Shameless.

Although the premiere is hampered by unnecessary narration and over-exposition, it's still a bewitching brew of whimsy, psychological scares, horrific atrocities and the wonderfully relentless feeling that something wicked this way comes.

Whitechapel defies the odds, however, rising above its cliches with solid writing, taut direction, evocative cinematography and great performances by Penry-Jones, Davis and Pemberton.

In its third season The League is sharper and raunchier than ever, and the aforementioned cast members, as well as Mark Duplass, Jon Lajoie, Stephen Rannazzisi and Katie Aselton, score TDs with nearly every line.

While Mazzara has amped up the action, he doesn't skimp on the angst.

Believe it or not, that stomach-turning gore is part of this four-part gem's charm. A Young Doctor's Notebook gets the balance between tragedy and comedy just right.

Smash tries mightily and mostly succeeds.

[It's] a new season of jump-from-your-seat scares and shivery twists that will leave you breathless.

He's funny and totally down to earth, which makes him an engaging host and guide for the eight-episode series.

It remains one of TV's most compelling series, period.

Mamet and his actors have created a fascinating character study that puts our notions of prejudice, celebrity, media and justice in the spotlight.

The Spoils of Babylon is an entertaining and spot-on spoof of the overdone potboiler miniseries of the 1970s and '80s.

Like "The Vampire Diaries," Teen Wolf successfully blends horror, mystery, romance, teen angst and plenty of reasons for cast members to show some (tasteful) skin.

History tells us what the Manhattan Project unleashed on the world, but Manhattan conjures a compelling (fictional) journey for the men and women who made it happen.

An exciting and scary trip.

Please Like Me, unlike the much-praised millennial comedy "Girls," feels unpretentious and natural with fully-realized characters rooted in reality.

It's not easy to watch, but the Steven Soderbergh-directed period hospital drama sure is worth a look.

[Creator J.H. Wyman] peppers what really is a police procedural with enough not-so-distant science to make Almost Human a sci-fi thriller, and enough humor to make it a buddy cop comedy.

Well acted and smartly written, Awake works as an intellectual puzzler, emotional family drama and case-of-the-week procedural.

The relentless bleakness would be my only quibble with the series; one doesn't often choose to feel as battered as the characters on screen. But you won't be able to turn it off.

Hardy and the supporting cast deliver.

Despite its supporting cast of international actors who bring even thinly drawn characters to life, Outlander truly shines when Balfe shares the screen with either Heughan or Menzies.

The smartly written series throws a lot of information, historical context, beautiful sets and costumes at viewers early on to create what eventually becomes a first-rate thriller.

It's mostly improvised, which makes the funny exchanges between Kudrow and her guest stars even more impressive.

It's a funny, creepy, touching thriller that had me laughing one second and peeking between my fingers the next.

TV's best series that few are watching hasn't lightened up, and that's mostly a good thing.

I'm pleased to report that creators/writers Ben Court and Caroline Ip and exec producer Sally Woodward Gentle have tweaked that gimmick ever so slightly, making Whitechapel fresh yet familiar in Season 2.

The quirky campus comedy is as clever and edgy as ever.

In order to fully appreciate SOA, viewers have to buy into Sutter's premise that murderers can be sympathetic and heroic, but that's not hard to do with such intelligent writing and so many mesmerizing performances.

The former WWII code-breakers of this excellent British import don't deflect bullets with magical bracelets. They use their brains, determination, courage and pleasant demeanors like stealth weapons, covertly undermining postwar expectations to right wrongs no one else seems to notice.

Legit is legitimately and simultaneously raunchy, sweet and funny.

Fargo the TV series--confident as Lorne Malvo--stands firmly on its own. You betcha it does.

It's the season's riskiest new series, but also one of the best.

The Borgias is back with more drama, sex, violence and betrayals than ever.

Psych still finds new and wonderful ways to amuse and delight fans.

It's truly troubling to watch as helpless, restrained patients are treated against their wills. Yet despite mumbling over and over during the first episode, "I'm done with this already," I had to see the second.

[Purefoy's and Bacon's] performances--and scenes that focus on Carroll's killer minions that I won't talk about lest I spoil things for readers--are the strongest parts of the series and overshadow the weaknesses. Those include numerous plot holes and some sketchy logic, plus Williamson's annoying habit of beating us over the head with the Poe references.

The slooowly-paced first two episodes offer enough action and intrigue to keep me riding a while longer.

It may not be as intriguing as "Thrones" or as tense as FX's spy thriller "The Americans," but Turn--which touches on still-relevant topics like torture, homosexuality and politics--offers a fresh spin on the War of Independence.

The acting remains impeccable, and the writing adds depth to characters that seemed one-dimensional the first season.

Although you've tasted many of the ingredients before (in "The Sopranos," "Mad Men," "The Godfather" movies), creator Mitch Glazer mixes in enough new elements to keep things tasty.

"CSI: NY" is just as good as the original "CSI" and its first spin-off "CSI: Miami." ... Yes, the writing is a little weak, but the atypical crimes and the fascinating technology make the show extremely addictive. [24 Sep 2004]

All joking aside, Key and Peele do still have something to say.

Ben & Kate is at its best when the siblings lovingly spar--usually about one of Ben's hair-brained schemes.

While "Copper" took some time to get into a groove, Ripper Street is riveting from the first cry of murder.

Falling Skies, although competently directed, acted and sometimes written, goes off on more than a few tangents and paint-by-numbers subplots of the genre. It's best when it sticks to the main thread, and that's the battle for survival and to learn what the six-legged freaks are doing with the children.

It's a credit to Popper that the running gags seem fresh and funny every time, and that he can mine so much humor from a weekly dinner. But as long as he does, I'll have the table set.

Ugly Americans can be gross and bizarre, but everything makes sense in the world that it has created.

[A] cynical, hilarious and profane political satire.

If they keep the cute at bay for more dinosaurs and dirty dealings, this should be a great ride.

Though the gorgeous production starts out slowly and has its pompous moments, it's ultimately worth your time.

An affectionate and surprisingly insightful look at Hollywood hopefuls clawing to make careers in TV, music, comedy and dance.

Like "Psycho," it offers a deliciously scary stew of unexpected twists, murder and mind games.

It's an incredibly poignant look at Mia and her new family, and Sevigny is outstanding.

The good news is Vikings improves with each episode, slowly building its fascinating characters and discovering its ultimately absorbing tale.

Gervais has written, produced and directed a thoughtful and thought-provoking dramedy that celebrates everyday heroes and the power of kindness while attacking materialism and the way society often forgets people "just because they're old and poor and weak."

Arrow landed in my list of Top 5 pilots of the season, and I hope future episodes are as enthralling and well-made.

This is history lite, to be sure, but it's probably a lot livelier than your sixth-grade history class was.

A grisly tale, feuled by West's mesmerizing performance.

As fascinating as the minutiae are, fine work by the cast makes me wish this had been a fully scripted miniseries.

Copper doesn't open as confidently as I had hoped (or as its pedigree might lead one to expect), but given the classic themes, rich time period and great acting, I trust it will keep my interest.

It's dark, disturbing and a little downbeat--which isn't a dis at all.

Exec producers Paul Abbott and John Wells deliver dark humor, a full heart and a real desire to illustrate--no matter how outlandishly--just how difficult it is for impoverished families to make ends meet.

While we appear to be in for a depressing ride, fear not: Creator Matthew Weiner still has a few winks and tricks up his sleeve.

Luck is a sometimes confusing yet fascinating study of the colorful characters--the jockeys, trainers, owners, gamblers and railbirds--who populate horse-racing tracks.

They say Revenge is a dish best served cold, and here it's downright delicious.

While the storytelling is generally riveting, Hirst and his team occasionally drop a few stinkers in the dialogue. The exceptional cast—which also includes Katheryn Winnick as Ragner's wife, Lagertha—is able to rise above those bombs. It's their distinctive portrayals that, for me, bring this Dark Ages tale to life.

Awkward's writing is sharp enough to keep even those viewers who refuse to go to their reunions laughing.