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]

"The Shining" (King wrote the teleplay) can be ghoulishly, gruesomely delightful. But the final hour disintegrates into a mess of violence that'll repulse most viewers. A warning: A 7-year-old may be a central character in "The Shining," but this is not -- repeat NOT -- for young children.

The Net provides a whole lot more fun, thanks to the sprightly Brooke Langton, cast in Bullock's role as Angela Bennett, a free-lance computer fixer who one day receives a mystifying bit of electronic mail. [17 July 1998, p.E-12]

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]

Thumb-sucking scripts, actors without direction and forgettable emotional clout. [6 Mar 1986, p.E-8]

There is much good to be found in "The Outsiders," which marks still another example of the Fox network's willingness to take chances on unconventional stories told in unconventional ways. The actors' performances are unfailingly excellent, the production polished and stylish. More than that, despite the surplus of violence in the pilot film, it is refreshing to see a television drama about young people in which the protagonists are doing something besides drugs, in which their concerns run deeper than clothes and dates...It could get terrific. [24 Mar 1990, p.D-9]

Shooting a comedy in real time may be an interesting exercise for the producer, but it doesn't make the story more interesting, or add to the laugh ratio. In fact, that little timer is downright distracting. [26 Feb 2002]

I lost interest in tonight's pilot when attention turned to a card-counter with an outside confederate. OK, they're cheating. [22 Sept 2003, p.D-5]

Tonight's new NBC sitcom from the producers of HBO's "Dream On" hands us still one more batch of self-consciously quirky, single, more-or-less charming twentysomething characters and lets them hang for a half-hour reading faux Woody Allen lines. [22 Sept 1994, p.36]

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

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]

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]

Sharply funny without being painful to watch. [3 June 2005, p.E-1]

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]

Ominously dark, loaded with splashy visual special effects and soundtrack whooshes and vrooms, with costumes by the Frederick's of Hollywood Martial Arts Division, Birds of Prey bogs down early in lengthy and tedious exposition, the sort of back-story explanation that scriptwriters call "laying pipe." [8 Oct 2002, p.E-6]

If you watched "The Larry Sanders Show," you'll find that Beggars and Choosers is weak tea. [18 June 1999, p.E-10]

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

It will take more than good intentions and warm feelings to make City of Angels a success. [14 Jan 2000, p.E-1]

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]

"Ghost Train" was an auspicious start...Spielberg has been working with movies of two or three hours length for a long time, but he can still tell a powerful story in the 25-or-less minutes allowed in a half-hour of commercial television. [30 Sept 1985, p.C-7]

The cliches just keep on coming, from crooked cops to a mobster's innocent daughter in law school (at UCLA, no less) to those great, great lines: "Come on, Sonny, let's go. [16 Sept 1987, p.F-9]

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

"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]

If The Guardian becomes a hit, credit [Baker's] cool smugness. [25 Sept 2001, p.E-3]

Criminal Intent should make the bird's tail-feathers droop with embarrassment. [29 Sept 2001, p.E-6]

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]

It will inevitably be compared with "The Golden Girls," NBC's hit from last year about four older women sharing a house in Miami...But this entry from CBS is considerably different and, for my money, funnier and better...It is the best new show CBS is offering this season. [28 Sept 1986, p.TV-6]

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]