It's not a laughing matter. [22 Sept 1987, p.E-7]

Family Matters is a spinoff from "Perfect Strangers," but not nearly as good. [22 Sept 1989, p.C-16]

The guess is that it will have staying power, primarily because of the presence of Will Smith, a rapper who does, indeed, go by the name of "Fresh Prince." Smith, half of the rap duo of D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, is a natural, so likable and charismatic that he already has drawn parallels to Eddie Murphy from NBC's Brandon Tartikoff. [10 Sept 1990, p.C-1]

The results of this ploy are predictable. But the end of the episode delivers a satisfying double kick that neatly caps off Woodward's generally understated performance. It needs better scripts, but Woodward makes The Equalizer worth watching. [18 Sept 1985, p.C7]

Band of Brothers could use a little more humor, a bit more of the irreverence and profanity that frequently arises in groups of men alone, to break up its almost unrelievedly somber atmosphere. If Spielberg and Hanks have erred, it is not in taking the men of Easy Company seriously, but in taking themselves and their film too seriously. [7 Sept 2001, p.E-1]

The Brits just love Ali G, but they have a considerable appetite for rude, politically incorrect satire...Americans may just find him rather peculiar. [21 Feb 2003, p.E-5]

The series, a marvelous blending of comedy and drama, has been almost too good to be true for both the network and viewers. [23 Sept 1991]

As it was before, it's a wonderfully quirky show, funny and warm and all that good stuff. [8 Apr 1991, p.C-7]

No, Dharma & Greg does not live up to the screwball comedies of the 1930s. But this new sitcom about a bright, young, slightly mismatched couple has enough of the same charm and daffiness to make it fairly appealing in its own right. [24 Sept 1997, p.E-7]

Not to quibble about issues of plausibility in a story about a boy with superhuman powers who arrives on Earth on a spaceship from an alien planet, but the star of Smallville is just too beautiful to be believed. As a geek, that is. [16 Oct 2001, p.E-3]

So far there's little else to recommend Wings. [15 Apr 1990, p.TV-8]

I'm still not sure what's going on. It may be more or less than meets the eye, but I'm sure I want to see more. [14 Sep 2003]

Boy Meets World starts out surprisingly fresh and funny...And surprise -- it pretty much stays that way. [19 Sept 1993, p.TV-8]

Dark, sly, ironic, subtle, brilliant. ... A taste for British humor comes in handy in watching "The Office," though. If you're bothered by deliberate (but tongue-in-cheek) bad taste, raging political incorrectness, sexual innuendo or comedy involving large sexual toys, or if you just don't get satire, "The Office" may not be right for you. [24 Oct 2003]

One of TV's funniest and most offbeat series. [5 Apr 1996]

Whether in visions of falling steel balls or in plot twists that capture the imagination without unduly stressing credulity, it's those fanciful, Kelleyish touches that make "Ally McBeal" so watchable. [8 Sep 1997]

Stunningly stupid. [27 Sep 1992]

It's drastically different from anything I've ever seen on TV: wildly funny, scathingly sardonic and brilliantly executed. [25 Sep 1992]

It's all great fun, and the idea of putting a hard-nosed, highly competent journalist into situations where she must deal with neophytes and no-talents is rife with possibilities, especially since Bergen plays Murphy Brown as a complex, intriguing neurotic. Not everything works in the debut episode, but enough to mark this as a sitcom with possibilities. [14 Nov 1988]

A promising, solidly crafted comedy series. [3 Mar 1997]

Promising ... Obsessive and more lonely than he can admit, Bobby's character is finely crafted by McDermott, an actor who meshes well with a strong ensemble cast. [2 Mar 1997]

As was "Ally," "Legal" is rated "Q" for quirky. Wacky characters abound, clients look askance at the goings-on, usually with good reason. One lawyer appears in coat, tie, shirt, and nothing else. [2 Oct 2004]

It's apparent that "The Sopranos" is back in top form. [2 Mar 2001]

Befitting its title, "The Sopranos" plays out like an opera; sweeping, subtle currents change directions gradually but powerfully. [16 Jan 2000]

No doubt about it -- "I'll Fly Away" has much to recommend it ... But something is missing, or maybe it's a case of too much being added. "I'll Fly Away" seems to be so concerned with appealing to an audience on many levels, to mix heartwarming moments with social messages, that it bogs down far too often. [7 Oct 1991]

Has Goldberg found anything new to add to the territory? Not really, but he's fashioned a cozy, enjoyable television show of his own, with a script that sounds like the truth, only more so. [20 Sep 1991]

Stylishly produced, with haunting music, darkly diffused lighting and some surprising violence and raw street language, "EZ Streets" has loads of bite and texture. Based on Sunday night's two-hour preview episode, it has the potential to be one of the new season's best dramas. [27 Oct 1996]

Based on this season's first two episodes, "The Larry Sanders Show" maintains its killer aim: It's never been more deliciously caustic or more viciously on-target about Hollywood insiders' egos and insecurities -- or more outright hilarious. [12 Nov 1996]

The writing is bitingly crisp, profane and bull's-eye funny. [18 Jul 1995]

At its best, "Sanders" takes the late-night smorgasbord and wickedly stirs it to a froth. [1 Jun 1993]

In the air, it's a case of "Top Gun" meets "Star Wars," with all the cool, high-tech trappings. Aboard ship, however, it's a low-brow melodrama. [23 Sep 1995]

By delving into a principal character so deeply from the get-go, the newest "CSI" brilliantly one-ups its predecessors. [21 Sep 2004]

Despite its good cast, "CSI: Miami" is just too familiar and cookie cutter. [22 Sep 2002]

Maybe it'll improve as the weeks go by, but based on tonight's premiere, "NewsRadio" doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as "WKRP." [21 Mar 1995]

The script often just doesn't make sense. [3 Jan 2005]

It's not your father's "Cheers." [3 Aug 2005]

Oddly disappointing. ... Too much of "Futurama" seems soft, flat, somehow less than expected. [26 Mar 1999]

Promising. [10 Jan 1997]

Loaded with big laughs. [20 Sep 1992]

Comparisons will be made to ABC's "Desperate Housewives," but "Weeds" is meaner and sharper, eschewing the chirpy attitude that blunts the sting of most plot turns in "Housewives." [5 Aug 2005]

"Roseanne" is without a doubt one of the brightest new entries of the season, one of the most unusual of any season, and one of the most welcome. [18 Oct 1988]

"Dad" is even spottier than "Family Guy," a nearly random collection of blackouts in search of a story. [29 Apr 2005]

The new "Family Guy" is much like the first, an animated family sitcom that tries too hard to be quirky and is only sporadically funny. [29 Apr 2005]

A mean, miserable, nasty-minded excuse for a comedy. [29 Jan 1999]

By telling one or two stories well, from beginning to end, "Chicago Hope" gets a tighter grip on the viewer's emotions [than "ER"]. [22 Sep 1994]

"ER" achieves speed and grit but at the expense of depth. [22 Sep 1994]

You get the absorbing pleasure of watching celebrities try a demanding art form that could leave their toes blistered and their egos bruised. It also has the potential to make them look like dorks. [9 Jun 2005]

The project as a whole reeks of self-indulgence and vanity. [13 Oct 2000]

The clipped dialogue, the scientific detecting, the camera tricks, the computer gamesmanship, the back-and-forth progression of the stories -- the bricks that really matter in the construction of a TV show -- are all quite the same [as CSI]. [26 Sep 2002]

Witty and interesting. ... If comedy dialogue, slapstick and emotional moments continue to be handled with the skill displayed in the pilot, "Will & Grace" could emerge as one of the season's survivors. [21 Sep 1998]

It makes for irresistible, cooler-than-cool TV. [9 Jul 1996]

A voyeur's delight. [30 Jun 1995]

It's all a lot of fun, if not terribly consequential, but if you've ever moved into a college dorm with a bunch of strangers, you've been there. [21 May 1992]

The premise of "Numb3rs" is as gimmicky as its typographically tricky title. [23 Jan 2005]

Leaving aside the question of whether Burnett, Trump and NBC are just oblivious to the growing gap between the rich and the not-so-rich in America, or whether they're intentionally rubbing it in, "The Apprentice" brings up another issue. With all his billions, why can't Donald Trump find a decent barber? [6 Jan 2004]

The most dominating cast member of this attractive show is Corbin -- the delightfully rigid Maurice Minnifield on "Northern Exposure." But coming down court fast for a slam-dunk is Sheffer, who makes an outstanding impression as the only male role model who gives Lucas the love and support he needs in the tough game of life. Daddy Dan is an expletive deleted. [23 Sept 2003, p.E-6]

The only thing for sure about Quantum Leap is that it's a difficult show to explain to anybody, and that the more difficult it is to explain a show, the less likely it is to succeed. [25 Mar 1989, p.C-7]

It is based on the assumption, so common among show-biz people who meet each other for lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel, that they are not only the cultural center of the Western world, but the envy of everybody who is not part of their glittery ZIP code. The whole production just reeks of L.A. smugness. [4 Oct 1990, p.C-11]

Fresh, sharp and witty...It certainly offers a brisk antidote to the syrupy sentimentality that has lately taken over "The Cosby Show." It's "The Honeymooners" with an '80s spin, a sardonic look at a couple who love each other -- except for when they don't. [5 Apr 1987, p.TV-6]

The rest of the cast lends excellent support, particularly Bitty Schram as Sharona, Ted Levine as the admiring police Capt. Leland Stottlemeyer and Gail O'Grady ("NYPD Blue") as the politician's wife, who sizes up Monk's more obvious hang-ups. [7 July 2002, p.TV-6]

What "Enterprise" doesn't have are charismatic, fun characters. [26 Sep 2001]

If there's a weakness to "Deep Space Nine," it lies in the too-cutesy, superherolike abilities of some of the crew. ... But like "The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine" is light-years ahead of the original "Star Trek" series. [3 Jan 1993]

It has captured much of the original magic. Right off the launching pad, Roddenberry has sent his crew into a dandy, suspenseful story with an original and satisfying ending and even some romance. [29 Sep 1987]

TV comedy at its most conventional and least interesting. [17 Sep 1991]

In its premiere, Joan of Arcadia comes off fragmented and aimless. [26 Sept 2003, p.E-11]

Lame, trite. [21 Sept 1998, p.E-1]

The smartest and most entertaining new series on the fall schedule. [3 Oct 2004]

Young fans of, say, the "American Pie" movies may enjoy it. Parents may get a little queasy at the sight of so much beer being guzzled at the freshman dorm party. [25 Sept 2001, p.E-6]

Conspiracy and backbiting are the only constant themes, and the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia and the unremitting nastiness of many of contestants make the show nearly unwatchable. [17 Jul 2001]

Much of Popular is just silly, but much of it is also poignant and true. Consider Carmen (Sara Rue), who wants desperately to be a cheerleader. Carmen's a heavy girl, but a terrific dancer. [28 Sept 1999, p.E-1]

"American Idol" boasts two new wrinkles. First, the performances are so tightly edited that each singer gets barely a minute onstage. ... The second innovation: The contest is rigged. [21 Jun 2002]

Ambitious and complicated. [4 Sep 2001]

The humor of "3rd Rock" is of I-can't-believe-how-bad-this-is quality. [9 Jan 1996]

So many scenes work so wonderfully well in the first episode of Picket Fences. Trouble is, the show has nearly as many sappy, melodramatic scenes, the kind of cloddy clunkers that ultimately weigh down the entire affair. [13 Sept 1992, p.TV-16]

Tedious and banal, '24' lacks the engrossing panache TV's 'Mission Impossible' had years ago. Even though a well-rested-looking Sutherland is cool, steady and right for his role, he can't carry the show alone. [4 Nov 2001]

It's that tongue-in-cheek, lighthearted mood that elevates "Charmed" from the dreary, self-important solemnity that hangs like a pall over so much so-called fantasy and science fiction. [6 Oct 1998, p.E-1]

Though somewhat rough around the edges, "Nikki" hilariously spoofs cheesy, tasteless Vegas showroom extravaganzas and idiotic professional wrestling matches whose outcomes are scripted. [7 Oct 2000, p.E-9]

It's hard not to believe Craig T. Nelson. He's one of the most versatile actors anywhere, equally at home as the perpetually flummoxed Hayden Fox in the ABC sitcom "Coach," or in any number of dramatic roles in made-for-TV and theatrical films. [7 Oct 2000, p.E-8]

Both stars are capable, the setup a reliable one, but tonight's pilot staggers under an overload of plot. [6 Oct 2000, p.E-1]

The newest version of The Fugitive from CBS is as much fun as ever, a first-class, fast-paced, smoothly executed production packed with suspense, thrills and style. [6 Oct 2000, p.E-1]

A hokey, befuddling science fiction drama series from Fox. [6 Oct 2000, p.E-11]

Flimsy. [6 Oct 2000, p.E-10]

Particularly annoying because of its constant canned laugh track. The rhythm and cadence of the show are as fake as a current coffee commercial that's a satire of "Friends." [6 Oct 2000, p.E-10]

A sprightly, beguiling series from NBC and the best new show of this fall season. People say one thing and mean another, as they sometimes do in actual life, and keep talking while they try to figure out what they really mean. [8 Oct 2000, p.TV-1]

There's a lot going on with Gilmore Girls, and once the writers can sort it all out, they might find an interesting series in there somewhere. [5 Oct 2000, p.E-9]

The funniest, hippest and most imaginative new comedy on any network this fall. [31 Oct 2003, p.E-11]

The Office has its moments, but it's just too loud and too clumsy...Like the original, the American The Office tries to pull off the most difficult comedy stunt of them all: getting laughs at the expense of a fellow who thinks he's funny but is pathetically, awkwardly, embarrassingly unfunny...The execution is less confident and less successful, more Spike Jones than Mozart. [21 Mar 2005]

More compelling than the general run of fictional drama, and often funnier, sadder and more poignant, Cops at first seems to be an unassembled jigsaw puzzle...This is a documentary being pieced together before our eyes. There is a strong, undeniable element of tabloid TV in Cops, of sensationalism and exploitation. But there is more. There is a picture of the toll this kind of work takes on the human beings who do it. Cops may also make television stars of its subjects.[11 March 1989, p.C-11]

The pace is fast from start to finish, the situations believable, the actors are obviously enjoying their work, the production is excellent. If there's any justice in the TV business (talk about a reckless assumption), ABC, a network that desperately needs a new hit show, should have one in Sports Night. [22 Sept 1998, p.E-1]

It is beguiling and original, yet awkwardly executed. [28 Jan 1988, p.D-6]

Looks like the best new TV series of the fall season, filled with fascinating people, ingenious turns of plot, strong, offbeat drama, an unmistakable air of realism and some delicious bits of black comedy. [15 Sept 1986, p.C-1]

Sharply written by Aaron Sorkin, the new drama from NBC adroitly mixes political machinations with personal peccadilloes and keeps the action in both areas moving smartly. Easily the best of a mediocre fall harvest of new network series, The West Wing offers moments of serious debate on a few issues in American public life, as well as bits of petty political bitchery to spice up the proceedings. Much of the dialogue not only sounds clever, but rings true. [22 Sept 1999, p.E-8]

Too dark, too true, too uncompromising for the network audience...It isn't really, of course. The suits make a habit of underestimating the American television audience, then they wonder why it keeps leaving. [1 June 2001, p.E-1]

NYPD Blue is telling a tough, engrossing story about several fascinating characters...Chief among them is the grimly determined but not humorless Kelly, played by David Caruso with an irresistibly cool, understated intensity. Caruso's performance is the perfect counterpoint to that of Dennis Franz as the constantly fuming, embittered Detective Andy Sipowicz, Kelly's partner. [19 Sept 1993, p.TV-6]

Two and a Half Men -- a new run-of-the-mill, heavily laugh-track-ladened comedy series from CBS -- will make a lot of people bitter, especially ordinary, middle-class folk. [22 Sept 2003, p.D-5]

In the self-doubting Tony, his sullen kids, not-so-patient wife, querulous mother and incompetent business associates, Chase may have accomplished what seemed impossible -- he's created something new in the Mafia-movie genre. [10 Jan 1999, p.TV6]

A lot of the humor in Scrubs is sick. Many jokes are made at the expense of old people on the brink of death, or sitting comatose in a wheelchair. [2 Oct 2001, p.E3]

It could turn out to be one of the fall's most enjoyable new series, a nice mix of family drama and light comedy, if the faint air of smug self-righteousness that emanates from tonight's pilot can be extinguished. [16 Sept 2002, p.D-6]