The patter is more what you'd hear from reasonably clever people in real life, not a bunch of lines thought up in the comedy's writers' room.

There are a lot of characters and budding plotlines crowding the "Soul Food" pilot, which give it a disjointed feel at times (It tales a while to sort things out). In addition, the deployment of Ahmad as a sporadic narrator comes off as rather clumsy. ... But "Soul Food" eventually gains traction and becomes thoroughly involving especially by its second episode. [26 Jun 2000]

Unlike the pilot movie, which came across as stilted or even phony in spots, tonight's show is crafted with a smooth blend of action, character development and convincing special effects. [26 Jan 1994, p.3C]

Saturday's opening episode has a frustratingly deliberate pace. But "Outlander" eventually gains traction and becomes good escapist fun with doses of intrigue, suspense and, of course, steamy romance.

Las Vegas has proved to be an entertaining guilty pleasure. Flashy, often trashy and slickly produced, the drama may be fluff, but it's good, sexy fluff with James Caan on hand to provide a bit of gravitas. [13 Sept 2004, p.1C]

There are some bumpy spots in the first two episodes, but "Life" is worth sampling. [7 Oct 2004]

He might want to switch to decaf for future shows. Seriously, though, Colbert did manage to hit plenty of comical high notes on an eventful night that featured actor George Clooney and presidential candidate Jeb Bush as his first guests.

Generally funny, sharply observant and smart in its use of the star and a good supporting cast.

Allegiance does a decent job of propping up its crazy premise with some juicy intrigue and solid performances, though Stenhouse comes off as rather bland.

New Amsterdam is worth keeping an eye on as it develops. It could become consistently engaging television.

As is the case of "Monk'' at its best, ["Psych"] isn't as much about the crime mysteries as it is a vehicle for lighthearted fun.

Entourage is showing its age, but still offers a reliable dose of frat-boy humor and Hollywood-style hilarity. It also continues to be a show where men ride high (in more ways than one).

While it is more intriguing than gripping, the drama has considerable power in its best moments, many of which will come in the last episodes.

It is a great performance [by Mirren], strong enough that it overcomes the flaws of "Elizabeth I."

I suspect that if I were a 10-year-old girl -- which I'm not -- I would love this film... That being said, I can still recommend the movie because, despite some sugary-sweet moments,... [it] isn't condescending to its young target audience and actually has some bite to it.

But as good as it is, it doesn't quite have the originality, unique perspective and subversive sense of humor that mark HBO's "The Sopranos'' (clearly something of a model), "Deadwood'' and "The Wire.''

It's this sense of wonder that sets "Enterprise" apart from the more stodgy Star Trek offerings and injects some much-needed fresh energy into the 35-year-old franchise. [26 Sep 2001]

You'll get hooked on it early and should stick around to the very end -- even though you have a good idea of what's coming.

The best new network sitcom this season.

The series gets off to a reasonably strong start, propelled nicely by some decent (and, for network TV, hard-edged) writing and engaging performances by an above-average cast.

Not everything worked, of course, and anyone expecting Conan to reinvent the wheel or drastically shake up the genre is probably disappointed. But if you were simply glad to see his brand of quirky comedy back in late night--and free of the network guardrails--it was cause for celebration.

With her Texas twang and feisty demeanor, Giddish is instantly engaging, and she and Bishop share a nice on-screen chemistry that make them worth our time. As for the Past Life cases, they are adequately compelling.

The pilot episode isn't a total knockout, coming off as a tad bland and safe. Although Abrams does enough to hold our interest, it feels like he's let up on the gas pedal.

Friday's moody pilot unfolds at a listless pace and, occasionally, gets bogged down in its own density. But in it's favor, there are enough compelling characters and tantalizing questions to keep us engaged for the time being.

What it lacks thus far are the laugh-out-loud oments that made the movie such a joy....That's not to say Parenthood isn't worth a look. Graham, the adorable "Gilmore Girls" alum, rocks the heck out of every scene she's in.

But the feeling here is that Simon may have dipped into his Baltimore crime well one too many times. Tonight's pilot episode, while intriguing in spots, is hampered by a convoluted tangle of multiple plot threads and numerous characters, most of whom seem to have no interesting wrinkles. Worse yet, the story moves at an annoyingly sluggish pace. [1 June 2002, p.4]

If you're a sucker for tangled mysteries--and are in need of a few heebie-jeebies--the show has enough oomph to its early episodes to suck you in.