San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times' Scores

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For 427 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 70% higher than the average critic
  • 2% same as the average critic
  • 28% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 3.7 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average TV Show review score: 71
Highest review score: 100 Insecure: Season 1
Lowest review score: 0 In Case of Emergency: Season 1
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 324 out of 324
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 324
  3. Negative: 0 out of 324
324 tv reviews
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  1. The Sopranos: Season 2
    Jammed with characters and story lines, it has a Dickensian quality in its ability to capture time and place with precision. It is almost never predictable, avoiding the cliches of the Mafia genre even while it revels in them. Just when you think a story line is going in a particular direction, the show will suddenly shift gears and veer off into unfamiliar terrain without stretching plausibility to the breaking point. [16 Jan 2000]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 19, 2013
  2. The Wire: Season 2
    As good as some other cop shows are -- "The Shield," for example -- no other comes this close to a true-to-life portrayal of life on the mean streets. [29 May 2003]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 18, 2013
  3. CSI: NY: Season 1
    It is a relentlessly grim (and rather gruesome) episode with none of the bits of humor that mark the other "CSI" shows. [22 Sep 2004]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 17, 2013
  4. CSI: Miami: Season 1
    There is more tension to the interaction between the characters and more emotions in play. [23 Sep 2002]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 17, 2013
  5. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 2
    It can be downright uproarious at times. [27 Jun 2006]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 15, 2013
  6. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 1
    An underlying warmth and a certain charm to the characters mitigate some of the childish jokes and give the series real appeal. [5 Aug 2005]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 15, 2013
  7. The Newsroom: Season 2
    The bottom line on Season 2 of The Newsroom is that it's unlikely to sway viewers one way or another. Devotees will continue to embrace it, and the haters will continue to hate.... As for this critic, let's just say that I'd rather watch an energetic, well-acted, provocative show that aims high and sometimes falls short, than one that doesn't aim high at all.
  8. Weeds: Season 3
    While Botwin's crime world is the engine that drives "Weeds," there is much more to the show than that. At its core, it's a subtle satire of suburban life, politics, social mores and race. [13 Aug 2007]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 11, 2013
  9. Weeds: Season 1
    'Weeds' stumbles at times during its first few episodes. It makes some of its points with too little humor and subtlety. But for the most part, this is a nuanced comedy with interesting characters performed by a first-rate cast. [5 Aug 2005]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 11, 2013
  10. American Dad!: Season 1
    In its early episodes, "American Dad" not only follows the lead of "Family Guy" but also throws in digs at U.S. political institutions. [1 May 2005]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 10, 2013
  11. Family Guy: Season 4
    A veritable treasure trove of frat-house humor. [1 May 2005]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 10, 2013
  12. Chicago Hope: Season 1
    Bristling with promise. [17 Sep 1994]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 10, 2013
  13. ER: Season 1
    Superb. [17 Sep 1994]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 10, 2013
  14. The Closer: Season 1
    Johnson is such a multi-layered character, and Sedgwick plays her so beautifully that you can forgive the weaknesses of the opening episode and hope they get smoothed out in what could be a very long run for this show. [13 Jun 2005]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 10, 2013
  15. Dancing With the Stars: Season 1
    The stars (Trista Sutter, John O'Hurley and Joey McIntyre, et al.) are strictly marginal. The host (Tom Bergeron) is excruciatingly lame. And the dancing is only sporadically scintillating. [26 Jun 2005]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 9, 2013
  16. Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 3
    The comedy is so darkly cynical that it's off-putting. If you're a glass-half-full kind of guy like me, it's hard to make the show part of your regular TV menu. [13 Sep 2002]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 9, 2013
  17. Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 1
    There will be those who will find true comic insight in the sharp comments and ugly little moments of truth. And there will be those who will flee "Curb Your Enthusiasm," seeking something just a bit less off-putting. [14 Oct 2000]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 9, 2013
  18. Without a Trace: Season 1
    The show appears to be a perfect fit with "CSI" in that it similarly places more emphasis on procedural puzzles than personality.... But whereas "CSI" is all about the physical evidence, "Trace" is about psychological profiles. [26 Sep 2002]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 9, 2013
  19. Orange is the New Black: Season 1
    Orange is teeming with humor, heart and poignancy--all the elements needed to qualify it as one of the summer's must-see shows.
  20. Numb3rs: Season 1
    This is by no means a lousy show. The performances are solid and the brothers-working-together dynamic is intriguing. But the pilot lacked dramatic oomph, and it did a poor job of actually taking viewers inside the math and explaining how it works. Consequently, "Numb3rs" just doesn't add up. [22 Jan 2005]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jul 8, 2013
  21. The Bridge (2013): Season 1
    FX may have struck dramatic gold again. This series is mesmerizing. It sucks you in like a good book and has you yearning for more.
  22. Monk: Season 1
    The story, penned by executive producer Andy Breckman ("Rat Race") gets predictable at times, but it deftly manages to mix drama and humor while bringing new twists to a shop-worn genre. [11 July 2002, p.D1]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jun 25, 2013
  23. Ray Donovan: Season 1
    It's a muscular, instantly riveting series that features sensational performances by Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight. Based on the early episodes, we could be looking at television's next great character-based drama.
  24. Star Trek: Enterprise: Season 1
    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]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jun 25, 2013
  25. Project Runway: Season 1
    Addictive. [1 Dec 2004]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jun 21, 2013
  26. Desperate Housewives: Season 1
    The best new series of the season, it's a drama that deftly blends familiar elements of "The Stepford Wives" and "American Beauty" with a dash of "Twin Peaks," while still managing to feel strikingly new. [3 Oct 2004]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jun 20, 2013
  27. The Biggest Loser: Season 1
    Jillian... was so obnoxious and smugly hostile in the opener that I found myself practically rooting for one of the big-bellied contestants to squash her like a common household bug. [26 Oct 2004]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jun 20, 2013
  28. Under the Dome: Season 1
    We've seen plenty of these high-concept TV conceits start well and then sadly unravel. For now, though, there's no place like Dome.
  29. The Amazing Race: Season 1
    An ambitious and wildly paced around-the-globe journey... "The Amazing Race" appears to have what it takes to become reality TV's next big thing. [5 Sep 2001]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jun 19, 2013
  30. 3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1
    Moliere it's not, but somehow it works as a sort of energized hybrid of "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Mork & Mindy" and those "Coneheads" sketches Curtin spent so much time in while she was with SNL. [7 Jan 1996]
    • San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
      • Posted Jun 19, 2013
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