Star Trek: Discovery feels like it's just finding its footing. On the promising side, Doug Jones is already a standout as Science Officer Lt. Saru, who's from an alien race called Kelpiens. And James Frain is perfectly cast as Sarek, the Vulcan who veteran "Trek" fans know as the father of Spock. The relationship between Burnham and Sarek is one of the more intriguing aspects of Star Trek: Discovery.

On Monday night, Stewart's spirit hovered over the proceedings so much it was hard to get a sense of what makes Noah special. He seemed relaxed, and smiled throughout the whole show, looking entirely happy to be there.

The plot threads don't weave a very riveting picture, but Broadchurch Season 2 benefits tremendously from Colman, who remains the heart of the show.

That broader scope may prove to be an improvement in terms of how much deeper The Bridge can go in its cross-cultural storytelling. But the first two episodes of Season 2 are a bit all over the map.

It's quite a story, but the pilot for Turn takes a long time to get going, and isn't all that compelling.

The eight-part limited series does a good job of making us feel the parents’ uncertainty about whether Jacob is innocent or guilty. But that suspense is made to carry too much of the load for the relaxed pace of the show, which takes its own sweet time drawing us in.

Fear has some immediate strengths, as well as weaknesses that could drag down the proceedings considerably.

Though it’s not up to the level of “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” “Impeachment: American Crime Story” does gain momentum as it goes along. The cast is certainly eye-catching. ... Ultimately, though, “Impeachment: American Crime Story” raises more issues than it addresses.

While the first episode is comfortingly familiar to Community obsessives, the second one feels weirdly off.

Looking into some murders that remind Molly of what she learned last season, Berry and [Jeffrey Dean] Morgan have the makings of a strong team. It also helps that the intriguing Gummer is still around, and that the cast now includes David Morrissey as a General who's in charge of an international security team. The Season 2 opener doesn't make it particularly clear, but apparently, we're still in for some blather about threats to humankind, global conspiracies, and blah, blah, blah.

Unfortunately, in the first episode, the show overdoes Backstrom's unlikability to the point where it's an open question whether viewers will return to see subsequent episodes, where he becomes less hard to take, and we learn more about why he is the way he is.... The more encouraging news is that judging from two additional episodes made available for preview, Backstrom--which is based on a series of novels written by Swedish criminologist Leif G.W. Persson--calms down and gets better as it goes along.

Though much of The Ranch feels familiar, and an odd fit for Netflix, that doesn't mean it's terrible. For all the crude jokes (the premiere, for example, goes on and on about how Uggs are girly footwear, not suitable for a real man), Kutcher and Masterson have an easy, unforced brotherly rapport.

The show isn’t great, exactly. But it’s also a bit smarter than we might have expected. In the early going at least, “BH90210” is campy, but self-aware.

The first episode gets us in the mood for the TV equivalent of a beach read adventure..... [James Wolk] easily rises to the task, making Jackson charming, sympathetic, and capable. Though Zoo may turn out to be more silly than sensational, Wolk is always delightful TV company.

Too often feels like a show about an institution, instead of an exploration of characters. ... Forever has genuine warmth and affection for its characters, and it ends with some of the best work Armisen and Rudolph have ever done. ... But Forever would be better if it moved a little faster, and gave viewers more reasons to stick with it until the end.

The early episodes of “Hollywood” are an entertaining mix of earnest inclusiveness and dishy wallow in showbiz lore. But, like those Murphy-produced TV series that went on too long, by the end, “Hollywood” is floating on so many alt-history good vibrations that it becomes less of a celebration, and more of a lecture.

In the Season 5 premiere, Sheridan draws on his well-broken-in “Yellowstone” playbook, giving a variety of characters moments to be funny (the crew at the ranch bunkhouse), sassy (Beth’s withering putdowns of those who displease her) or warm (Rip’s sympathetic understanding of Beth). But Sheridan also indulges in a few too many speeches from John. ... If the Season 5 premiere of “Yellowstone” doesn’t exactly soar, it does serve up “Dallas”-style drama, juicy performances (particularly by Reilly) and gorgeous scenery.

Like HBO's doomy apocalyptic drama, "The Leftovers," The Path just misses being as profound as it wants to be, but remains watchable largely thanks to the superb cast.

Even when the plot gets a bit muddled, it all goes down easily, with elaborate gowns on the women, beautiful furnishings in elegant rooms, and rolling green fields to keep us diverted even as we're wondering who that gentleman or that lady is related to. The cast is hit-and-miss.

With only three episodes to judge, “American Rust” so far, at least, doesn’t seem totally successful at transcending stereotypes, and creating characters who come across as individuals who are caught up in specific situations. As was the case with “Mare of Easttown,” “American Rust” boasts a skilled cast, who help bring dimension to their characters.

Garland’s vision is in the forefront here, and the result is a limited series with a frosty emotional tone, and a story heavy on cutting-edge techno-speak, but skimpy when it comes to characterization.

The cast has easy chemistry, the New Orleans setting is colorful, and Pounder lends class to anything she does. The CBS procedural formula works, but that doesn't make it feel any less formulaic.

While the first few episodes of the new Comeback make stingingly accurate points about the sexism and ageism Valerie has to contend with, The Comeback has its own problems. As in the first go-round, Valerie comes off as cartoonish, a caricature of a so-so celebrity.

The fourth one isn't as much silly fun of the first two, but it's a few bites better than last summer's dismal "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!"

With only the first couple of episodes to go on, it's too soon to tell if this is going to be one of those seasons where Homeland stretches credibility like overworked taffy, or if it turns out to be so intense we can overlook plot holes.

The best thing about the new NBC series, Constantine, which is based on The DC Comics "Hellblazer" series, is that its hero has a roguish sense of humor

As with the first season, the actors all do their best, and the loving but challenging relationship between Donna and Gordon remains the show's most appealing, layered element. But Halt and Catch Fire still lacks a point of view that would make this trip back to the '80s feel relevant.

“Watchmen” suffers from the sense that anything can happen at any time, so nothing really matters. ... As with “The Leftovers,” the talented cast members do their best to tie together the various portions of the unfocused storyline.

Despite a distinguished voice cast, the new animated comedy is hurt by uneven and unsure writing. [9 March 2000]

About halfway through the 10 episodes, “Space Force” starts to get better, and settle down a bit, as the multiple characters begin to bounce off each other, and we get more of a sense of the show as a workplace comedy.

This Fox effort at least gets points for its novel, wackadoodle premise.

One of the characters says it seems like they’re in an episode of “Lost,” and unfortunately, “La Brea” is the latest TV show to borrow from the “Lost” playbook.

This is some serious feel-bad TV, which would be OK if there were any character, human or android, we cared about, or if the show was saying something fresh and insightful.

In the first four episodes, Here and Now suffers from wanting to cover too many topics. By episode four, the characters start to become less annoying, but that's asking viewers to be patient in a world where there are hundreds of other shows to watch. The main problem, in the early going, at least, is that "Here and Now" feels less like a drama with fully developed characters than an essay on The Way We Live Now, with doomstruck observations about the difficulties of finding harmony among races, cultures, genders, and so on.

The documentary does a fine job of explaining why Franklin was such a consequential figure. Unfortunately, “Benjamin Franklin” doesn’t really bring this founding father to life. ... The life of Franklin doesn’t need to be turned into “Hamilton,” but some artistic interpretation of the man might help fill out a portrait that seems accurate, but dry.

At times, Sorrentino's approach is bracingly different. But many, many more times, The Young Pope leaves us alternating between admiring Sorrentino's craft and wondering why this is so lugubriously paced and cryptically written.

Unfortunately, the mystery isn't very gripping, and there's precious little wit in the proceedings, which come off like a CBS crime procedural dressed in Jane Austen clothing.

The new season has its strengths – Episode 7 is a high point, for example, even at its lengthy running time. But other moments drag, and Hopper’s incarceration in Russia feels particularly endless.

American Gods is amazing to look at and often hard to watch. If you're a fan of Gaiman's work, and patient with slow-moving scenes of thinly developed characters speechifying, you may like it. Others might want to proceed with caution.

The cast is skilled. ... But “Truth Be Told” suffers from a wobbly tone, and seems to be several shows – family drama, prison drama, would-be “Serial” true-crime tale, etc. -- in one. ... “Truth Be Told” would have worked better by focusing on Poppy’s family, and losing the trendy, true-crime plot.

Despite the sad fates of members of the Madoff family, The Wizard of Lies fails to summon much pathos or deliver much insight into Wall Street's get-rich-at-any-cost ethos.

Whether rising to consult a dictionary, delivering a full-throated rendering of the all-star swear word, or simply sending up the mock seriousness of the enterprise with wry humor, Cage’s appearances are genuine highlights. If only the rest of the series were as consistent.

The story of Henrietta Lacks is too big to be compressed into 90 minutes. And though it's made with all the good intentions in the world, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks feels rushed and cramped.

Instead of taking any creative risks, Tut trundles along down the familiar "Game of Thrones"-wannabe path. The emphasis is on battles for power, conspiracies, warring tribes, with some cable-style sex scenes thrown into the mix.

In Snowfall, we instead watch the talented cast try to overcome writing more interested in making points than in fleshing out the people involved.

This dramatization feels less like “The Jinx” or “Making a Murderer,” and more like a weird mix of Southern California lifestyle satire and a “Dateline” episode.

Sharp though some of the writing is, “Coastal Elites” never challenges the moral superiority of its characters, and so they mostly come off as predictable, making predictable points.

A dutiful, perfectly fine, surprisingly dull evening of television.

Into the Badlands should be nonstop, melodramatic entertainment. But the first two episodes are listless and dull whenever Wu isn't battling villains. The writing lacks flavor, and the performances are stiff, with the florid exception of Csokas' Quinn.

If you're still on board with wondering if Carrie will go off her meds again, whether she and Saul will patch things up, or if Quinn is an alienated killing machine or kind of crushing on Carrie, welcome back to Homeland. But if you're craving something more, Season 5 may feel like a retread job on tires that are showing their wear.

The first episode, titled "My Struggle" (the English translation of Hitler's manifesto, "Mein Kampf," which seems strange) starts off well enough. But then things go haywire.... The second episode, directed and written by X-Files veteran James Wong, is a welcome step up from the first. And the third (only three were made available for screening), is a comic horror gem.

The show isn’t bad, but it’s definitely familiar, with a cast of quirky characters who constitute a likable, if occasionally kooky workplace family. ... But these first 10 half-hour episodes are less interesting than “The Last Blockbuster,” Taylor Morden and Zeke Kamm’s documentary about how the Bend outlet came to be the last Blockbuster in America.

“Hunters” is a series that feels like it’s finding its way, as it explores explosive territory with a tone that lurches from darkly comic to grimly violent.

Unfortunately, “Ratched” turns out to be a bloody bore. The eight-episode series is less a character study than it is a horror show, where the gore spills all over nifty period costumes and fancy production design.

Dig spends too much time building ominous atmosphere, and hinting at vast schemes that may change the course of history--that again--and not enough time giving us a reason to stay tuned as he convoluted plot unfolds.

It comes off as way too broad to be witty, and too raunchy to be a comfortable fit for family viewing.

For every slight improvement--more fully developed female characters, the always watchable Chris Noth as an American General who arrives as part of U.S. efforts to help bring democracy to Abuddin--Tyrant still fizzles more often than it sizzles.

Depends on how willing you are to suspend your disbelief that a man who's immortal couldn't find something else to do with his endless time than hanging around a morgue.

Overall, Vinyl suffers from an inflated sense of its own importance, and a dreary lack of humor (though the pilot has a funny drive-by diss of England Dan & John Ford Coley.)

“Nine Perfect Strangers” is an unsatisfying stew of mystery and melodrama, with a few misplaced moments of sort-of comedy.

Despite the abilities of the cast, McBride’s touch is too heavy, and before long, we yearn for some heavenly force to smite Jesse, just to get him to stop cursing, insulting everyone and strutting around in total blowhard fashion. ... It’s not clear what exactly it is trying to do. And it’s not funny enough to make us want to keep watching.

We know very little about any of the characters, and it's hard to care about them as they go about their doings under an ominous cloud of supernatural dread.

Though there's comedy potential in watching Murphy and her co-workers try and function in a media world that includes a conservative cable news channel whose spin apparently influences the president's policy ideas, we hardly need a sitcom to shove it down our throats. Murphy Brown doesn't demonstrate a light hand in subsequent episodes, either. ... So much lecturing. So few laughs.

What should be a sweeping, exciting epic about Texas' fight for independence instead comes off as a muddled cross between a costume party and historic re-enactors convention.

The '70s costume and production details are fine, but when you're paying more attention to the classic rock tunes on the soundtrack than to the story, it's time to close the case.

The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe is a glum retread of Monroe's legend, with a flat script by Stephen Kronish and direction by Laurie Collyer ("Sherrybaby") who gives it all a funereal, depressed tone even when Monroe's career is at its height.

Though the cases are built around cutting-edge high-tech threats, everything else feels as stale as week-old bread.

Reilly is intense and watchable.... But other elements of Black Box feel unconvincing, and overfamiliar, which is disappointing, considering the potential.

The Last Ship aims for a big-canvas feel, but based on the first three episodes, the one-dimensional characters and action movie cliché dialogue ("Guys, let's do this thing!") make it feel cramped.

Instead of bringing us closer to what it felt like to be the great Harry Houdini, we instead hear Brody adopt a tough-guy tone as he rattles off clichés that sound like anachronistic film noir parodies.

By the end of the first episode, we're already sick of Jamal and weary of Barry's complaining about being back home.

The characters are corny--Bill's a rock-and-roll lifer who's flawed but lovable, Shelli's a no-nonsense independent woman and dispenser of wisdom--but Wilson and Gugino are total pros, and they have a genuine chemistry. Which is more than can be said for the rest of the cast, despite the actors' best efforts.

Watching Masters plod around in despair, while Johnson rejects his attentions, doesn't feel suspenseful, since we know at some point these two are going to tie the knot. By this point, it's hard to care about their relationship, or the fate of their sex-research clinic.

State of Affairs is another generic Washington D.C.-set thriller drawing on current events for story points (terrorist threats, hostage-taking, global unrest) in a way that feels opportunistic and, frankly, insensitive considering the real-world tragedies that are showing up in the news.

In the first few episodes, there are enough snappy lines and funny ideas to make me wish Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll was better. But the cringe-to-laugh ratio is too high for it to really sing.

This is a sitcom so generic it should have a bar code instead of a title. You get the feeling that Ozzie Nelson could pop up and not look out of place. [23 March 2000]

Based on the first few episodes, Season 3 of The Newsroom has a few signs of life, notably a timely storyline about ACN getting spun off its parent company. The actors are, as always, doing their best with one-dimensional characters.

Unfortunately, The Brink feels like a would-be daring political comedy that's lacking in insight and light on laughs.

The brainy nerds are a stereotypical band of socially awkward types. Not helping lighten the cliché load is Katharine McPhee as the mother of a boy who's also a budding tech prodigy.

The Kennedys: After Camelot is as cheesy as an all-you-can-eat fondue buffet.

[Killing Reagan] feels rushed and incomplete, compressing this historic episode into a flat pancake of pointlessness.

So unsatisfying. ... The two [Theo James and Rose Leslie] have solid chemistry, and are charismatic. ... But based on these six episodes, I’d much rather watch Leslie and James using their talents elsewhere.

With the exception of a few highlights, mostly involving returning hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s opening monologue, and touching speeches by Taylor Simone Ledward, accepting a best actor in a motion picture drama award for her late husband, Chadwick Boseman, and Lee Isaac Chung (and his daughter), accepting the best foreign-language film prize for “Minari,” Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards show was a mess.

The show’s half-hearted effort to mock dating show clichés doesn’t blend too well with its half-hearted purpose, to supposedly help the good-looking narcissists achieve personal growth and build deeper relationships. ... A fairly witless excursion, with a batch of characters who seem like they were created in a reality show writers’ room.

After two episodes of Angels, the situation looks grave. Pulse is weak and thready, blood pressure already dropping. [15 Jan 2000]

It's aimless, stereotypical and runs out of juice pretty fast. [23 March 2000]

What Clerks doesn't have is a lot of laughs. In fact, the whole concept seems tired and stale. Much of the satire is dated [a "People's Court" parody?], and the jokes and situations look like recycled stuff from old movies and long-canceled series....In other words, unoriginal. [31 May 2000]

By the end of the first episode, it's clear that the series is less wicked, than wearisome. Something lousy this way comes.

Sharknado 3 is so tediously lamebrained, it makes the original, and last summer's "Sharkado 2: The Second One," look like "Jaws."