For all the excitement of the missions and the tension with the FBI neighbor, what really carries the show is the relationship between Philip and Elizabeth.

Anyone looking for soapy twists and turns, shocking violence and a fast-paced ride will get what they want from creator Kevin Williamson and crew, just don't expect the show to dig deep into its characters or give you much to think about in the process.

It all works. Although Ripper Street does move at the slow pace characteristic of most British dramas, every scene and every line has meaning.

Through its first three episodes, The Carrie Diaries works quite well as a coming-of-age story, thanks in no small part to Robb's winning performance and a pretty solid cast of young actors around her.

The cast is good enough and the premise strong enough to carry it. Right now, though, Deception is a show that doesn't know what it is.

Liz & Dick, Lindsay Lohan's corny "comeback vehicle," is so awful it makes the entire slate of Lifetime guilty-pleasure TV movies look like Masterpiece Theatre.

The multicamera, laughtrack sitcom is completely unoriginal, the jokes are recycled and many of the characters--especially Reba's obnoxious teenage son and daughter--are underdeveloped stereotype. Still, the charismatic country star and Tomlin's droll Lillie Mae, who successfully balances her sharp tongue with surprising softness, are entertaining.

If you're hoping for a slow-building romance, a relatable lead character, and a sweet follow-up to lighthearted lead-in "Hart of Dixie," you're in the right place.

The show has one of the most thrilling pilots of recent years, but there are a few growing pains in the subsequent two episodes as the show sorts out the weight it gives stories involving the sub's crew, the locals on the tropical island they commandeer and the people back home who have connections to the sub.

It's too cringe-worthy for overempathizing animal lovers, but general audiences might tune in for lighthearted, escapist fun.

If you value your time, you'll change the channel after "Modern Family."

Where the show stumbles a little is in the case itself.

The pilot shows promise, especially seeing the chemistry between (at least three of) the leads, but Episode 2 treads no new sitcom ground.

A cool premise can only take a show so far, and there's some work to do on the character front to make the show worthy of using all available technology not to miss.

The show feels like it should be better.

This heartwarming show just might become the sitcom success NBC so desperately needs.

Now that finished episodes are out there, we can tell you that it's not great.

The new Dallas isn't a game-changer, but it's a solidly built, easy-to-take soap that does right by its predecessor.

Four episodes in, and Girls is still packing tons of jaw-dropping, head-shaking, eyebrow-raising scenes into 30 minutes each Sunday night.

Veep is a show, though, that finds great comedy in the space between that idealism and the reality they face every day.

The show is pretty much a by-the-numbers cop show.

Don't Trust the B---- in Apt 23 offers a new take on an old formula and it succeeds. It's weird, well cast and, most importantly, funny.

For now, we find it a solid, entertaining spook-fest.

Taken together, the monotone voices and 2D characters end up falling flat.

It's not exactly groundbreaking TV, but it's fun, sexy and filled with "Degrassi" alums--easy to watch and incredibly addictive.

There's enough in the premise and the performances (particularly those of Garcia and Neill) to keep us watching, but to really hook us in Alcatraz needs to decide what kind of show it wants to be.

There's no on-screen chemistry between Schneider and Bassols, the jokes are weak and the acting is forgettable.

The second half of the pilot improves over the first. So there's progress.