Part of what makes Supergirl work is the tone. Those who found Man of Steel too dark won't find much traction leveling similar complaints here, as Supergirl is full of light and hope, but not so much so that it doesn't have weight and drama.

It's engaging, it's addicting, and it makes for damn lively Sunday night viewing.

The layered darkness that inhabits Flynn's work is the primary hurdle here, and fans looking for a captivating mystery with Gone Girl's twists and turns will be disappointed. Fortunately, for those willing to soak in the experience, director Jean-Marc Vallée (Big Little Lies, Dallas Buyers Club) allows for the slow burn required to inhabit Flynn's deeply personal corners.

The set design is impeccable and the cast is exceptional. ... True representation is tricky and demands much self-interrogation on the part of screenwriters and viewers. Either way, as a thought experiment Great Expectations is certainly worth the pursuit.

Even genre-bending as much as it does would normally be a challenge, but It’s A Sin pulls it off through its smart script and its brilliant performances.

Gordon and the graft permeating the GCPD can be compelling enough to sustain a Gotham story in which Batman doesn't yet exist. However, without the foil of Batman, the villains run the risk of appearing cartoonish.

With Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood) as creator and producer, About a Boy could very well be the next universally appealing family show.

While Hawaii Five-0 Mark II has none of its predecessor's cringe factor, the classic theme music retains its blood-rushing quality with a sharp, updated recording. And when McGarrett first utters the infamous line, "Book 'em Danno," we dare you not to let a little grin escape.

The nutty parents in Growing Up Fisher do a good job of playing their extreme characters, instinctually making their eccentricities acceptable and funny rather than far-fetched and excessive. In contrast, the Growing Up Fisher children are so grounded and adult, but play that off with a world-weary-ness that is engaging.

Most fans of edgy cartoons, and comedy in general, will love Strip Law’s shameless pursuit of debased jokes, along with its casino-like overstimulation.

The Netflix docuseries doesn’t probe as deeply as the podcast, but it does assemble key figures.

It doesn't stretch itself too thin working for laughs, but rather earns them genuinely.

While historians may struggle with these early-century equivalents to rock stars as busy sleuths, Houdini's unshakably scientific stance can be refreshing, and it's entirely possible that the real Houdini and Doyle would have loved this--while they were still friends.

Even without Walter White or Jesse Pinkman, Saul--with his bizarre acquaintances, his oily courtroom performances, his willingness to throw people under the bus to save himself, his me-first attitude, and his incredible potential for bad situations--makes for some darn good television.

It warrants a little suspension of disbelief, but Blindspot is a fun, entertaining, action-packed thriller perfect for a Monday night lineup.

The show is still subject to the freak-of-the-week formula that so pervasively plagues comic book series, and its treatment of the criminally insane remains more criminally over-the-top than in Gotham's peer programs (Arrow and The Flash, most notably). On the whole, though, Gotham's second season debuts as strong as--if not stronger than--the series premiere, encouraging those who stuck with the hammy inaugural season to settle in for the long haul.

There was a certain circuitousness to the plotlines that Archer Vice not only interrupts, but short-circuits completely.

There's enough intrigue driving the premise to set The Leftovers up as a promising series; whether the show can maintain its momentum or succumbs to the weight of the myriad, potentially frustrating mysteries behind it remains to be seen.

Viewers will be won over by this series’ charms and mysteries, even if it frustrates and falls short in some of the aspects that draw in viewers in the first place, specifically Mann’s involvement and the thinly drawn Adelstein. Still, the series lives up to its namesake city by offering intrigue and quirky surprises in equal parts.

Matt Dillon is perfectly cast in the lead, and though some themes and visual cues are a little hokey at first, Wayward Pines soon enough turns into thrilling network television.

The series’ incendiary latter episodes make it worth waiting out an ambitious but ill-conceived first half that’s bogged down almost as badly as the Baltimore justice system Simon is trying to depict.

It’s the tending to his deeper wounds: familial, romantic and professional, however, that make The Old Man not just highly watchable but truly memorable.

The Curse is not for everyone, but in general, it’s a lot more approachable than some of Fielder’s and Safdie’s other works. The series features such precise filmmaking and multi-layered storytelling that it naturally appeals to many different audiences.

The story serves as little more than set pieces to the real conflict here, which is Clara's relationship with The Doctor.

Overall, the show could have used a little tightening (it might be time to rethink the 13-episode model, which Daredevil's second season ought to have already proven), and episodes can lag a little bit in the middle, but it's an enjoyable ride.

All in all, while not an absolutely great Christmas special since it struggles to find its footing at times plot-wise, it's worth watching for the celebrity cameos and the raucous and at times hilarious singing.

There is an angry sexual energy between Rebecca and Cam whose source will no doubt be revealed in subsequent episodes, but which, nonetheless is irrelevant, and extraneous, to the main storyline. This is not the only unrelated, fabricated side storyline on Under the Bridge, which would benefit from some streamlining. The central story is riveting enough without these random and inconsequential side ones.

Later surprise-laden and richly complex scenes handily salvage Fargo’s fifth season after a ham-fisted start. That, and consistently remarkable performances at even the most shoddily written early moments, along with breathtaking action and bleak humor, show Hawley is still a TV visionary well suited to build on the Coen Brothers’ Fargo 1996 film legacy–even if he takes commendable big swings that occasionally miss.