The Slap has the complexity and subtlety that's hard to find in a lot of broadcast network programming, and it's to NBC's credit that they're taking a chance with a limited-run series we'd expect to find on cable.

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.

In the first few episodes made available for preview, not every bit worked--it may always be too soon for jokes about Hitler, for example. But the tone never gets mean.

[The first 2] episodes are so solid and done with such polish, they're reason to think that Season 5 of Portlandia may be the best one yet.

The pilot has a propulsive pop energy, and melodramatic swagger.

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

Downton Abbey Season 5 may cover some familiar ground, but its steps are so lively, the company so delightful, and the scenery so fine, it's a trip well worth taking.

With a tone that swings between action and slapstick comedy, The Librarians isn't likely to show up on any end of 2014 Top 10 lists. But its high energy and good cheer are a comfortable fit for the holiday season.

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

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.

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.

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.

Adapted from a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge is an extraordinary character study, featuring a brilliant performance by Frances McDormand.

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 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

Aside from a few off-key moments, based on the instantly compelling performances, and the novelty of the his-and-hers storytelling, The Affair has an appeal that may be hard to resist.

Brutal and intense, the season opener is an powerful blend of darkness and a few threads of light, as Rick again takes on the role of doing whatever it takes to protect those he cares for.

Homeland shows signs of coming back to creative life.

Tambor's delicacy and sincerity as Maura are subtle and moving, though he never aims for sentimentality. The comedy and difficulty of what this all means for the Pfefferman family are beautifully balanced.

A tedious flash-forward, flashback structure involving the students doing something that looks very, very bad in the woods hints that "Scandal"-style plot craziness may be right around the corner. [But] It's worth tuning in to see Davis display her versatility in the kind of multi-dimensional, non-stereotypical lead role she hasn't had an opportunity to play in movies.

Black-ish is one of the best new shows of the season.

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.

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.

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 mood and writing mix splashy comic book pulpiness with brooding film noir menace, sparked with bits of dark humor.

The cast is stocked with solid actors--Leoni, Tim Daly as McCord's husband, Zeljko Ivanek as the President's chief of staff, Bebe Neuwirth as McCord's chief of staff--and the writing is fairly sharp, if a bit pretentious.

In a gimmicky touch, it's narrated by a boy in a coma. But despite the easy grabs at our heartstrings–-who in their right mind isn't rooting for young people to get well?–-the pilot benefits from the vivid, likable performances of the cast.

Burns and his frequent collaborator, writer Geoffrey C. Ward, plunge into the elements that make The Roosevelts so engrossing, enlightening and entertaining. In a seemingly effortless balancing act, Burns and Ward do justice to the massive mark these three individuals left on the country's history, while also keeping a tight focus on their inner lives.