It's a safe bet he’ll get his legs here in a matter of weeks. Now, though, it’s very much a shake-down cruise. The boat is loaded. It just needs to get up to speed.

It doesn’t stir that many emotions. It doesn’t provide stunning insight into her character. It doesn’t even talk about setbacks (or her relationship with other Olympic gymnasts). Instead, The Gabby Douglas Story is a tribute to the power of positive thinking.

At times, True Detective just seems like an overlong episode of a standard television series. But the flashbacks and flash forwards give it heft and let Fukunaga push the actors.

It has to discharge a few clichés and run the brotherhood thing through a few more paces. But the pilot shows there’s worth and, yes, maybe even a pat on the head.

While newcomers may wonder why so much is made of so little, they can’t deny the delicious one-liners Fellowes has written. Coupled with a driving score, Downton Abbey moves--in ways you never thought possible. It's good to see it back.

The new TNT miniseries (it's on just three weeks in December) has plenty of in-your-face drama and heaps of atmosphere.

Because this series doesn't tell us anything about the character we didn't know (a Mr. G spinoff might have been much better), it's often like spending time in purgatory. The laughs are there. Ja'mie's just not easy to take.

In a sea of formulaic comedies, this stands out as a lifeboat worth clinging to.

The attempt to make this a story about two men grates. It’s as if someone wanted to elevate Oswald in order to humanize Kennedy. It doesn’t work--nor does the Oswald funeral scene.

Rather than produce a compelling documentary, they felt the need to insert themselves in a story that didn't require it.

Directed by Steve Shill, Dracula intrigues but it may not have staying power. It doesn’t look as elegant as it should; it isn’t necessarily cast with an eye toward immortality.

Little by little, Hello Ladies grows on you.

When it achieves its loftier goals, it’s usually quiet. Hunnam, in fact, is best when he doesn’t speak. He can convey plenty with looks, simple gestures. Katey Sagal is potent, too, as Jax’s mom and the queen of the SOA.

A compelling look at the 1963 March on Washington for civil rights.

Modern Dads has an opportunity to enlighten. Now, in a half-hour format, the show barely flips a switch.

Occasionally, it reaches its potential but, all too often, its delivery falls short of our expectations.

It's probably one of the most original ideas television has produced in years. The reason? It's so quirky, it zags where others would zig. It also has that loopy sensibility that comes from a vivid imagination.

The show's producers don't veer too far from the reality mold in crafting their series. They get a lot of plot and character in the first hour but if they're counting on a revelation every week, they could be forcing the story.

In the second season of The Newsroom, much of the posturing and preaching has given way to storytelling--a good thing. The bad? There's still way too much attention placed on the importance of the jobs being done in a cable newsroom.

Clearly, there's a new camp experience to be mined. Early on, though, Camp doesn't do much digging.

Kohen, basing her series on Piper Kerman's memoir, immediately gives us characters worth watching.... Orange is the New Black is TV that'll have you talking for days.

The Bridge doesn't overwhelm with information--as too many cable shows do--but it does shock with revelations that fit nicely into the gameplan. Kruger and Bechir are fine leads, too.

Interestingly, Dexter settled into a groove that suggested it could go on for years.... If Dexter regains its eerie footing (and it appears it will), look for it to explode in the final weeks. Sunday's edition says the surprises have just begun.

[Biderman’s writing and Schreiber’s acting are] a one-two punch that haven’t scored a knockout in the first round, but there’s still time.

Smart, funny and utterly intriguing, it sucks us in better than any procedural with an four-letter acronym.

Many of the opening episodes blend, particularly when the cases hover in the same ball park. When it strays, we learn a bit more about the relationships established before Warren stepped in. That interests. The cases? Not so much.

Linney and company are masterful (Basso is a revelation); the final episode's writing is solid.

Falco is such a nuanced actress she could elicit tears from a blank script. Anna Deavere Smith (as her boss) provides some challenge but most of the other actors are pushovers. Chestnut's addition could give her the resistance she needs.