Huff

This hourlong drama is peopled with actors who have long deserved a rich showcase for their talents, and each rises spectacularly to the occasion. [4 Nov 2004, p.77]

seven episodes in, I'm still not entirely sure what it's "about," in a big-picture sense. That Huff manages to stay interesting says something about its topnotch cast and occasional surprises, though at times the writing risks becoming too precious for its own good. All told, it's something less than the water-cooler show the network is seeking.

Huff occasionally descends into mere bitchiness but more often offers keen insights into the psyche of its main character. And it's frequently funny and thought-provoking. [5 Nov 2004, p.E-11]

What it does is invite you to enjoy the dysfunction, maybe relate a little. Worthy punctuation for the end of Sunday evening. [5 Nov 2004, p.C1]

This is a show with many virtues. Now, if Huff can just learn the virtue of restraint, Showtime may finally have the hit it has been working so hard to find.

The show is bold, quite good and gets better as it goes on. But Huff is never truly great the way ''The Sopranos'' or ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' have been on HBO. Like other Showtime fare, ''Dead Like Me'' and ''The L Word,'' the series is enjoyable without being vital.

Huff's changing tone - serious one minute, funny the next - keeps you on your toes. This is a series you can chew on. [5 Nov 2004, p.1]

If the most overly praised TV dramas hit you over the head with their stiff coherence, Huff goes the other way, sketching in a world that is suggestively there but not quite, and swinging at big "Angels in America"-type themes more often than nailing them.

For every talented performer or performance, there's one that doesn't quite work. For every scene that hits the right comedic or dramatic tone, there's another that tries too hard, tells too much or falls too flat.

Oddly compelling even though it's not nearly as edgy and smart as it thinks it is. [5 Nov 2004, p.51]

The real accomplishment here is creator Bob Lowry's complex, thought-provoking insights into upper-middle-class highs and lows today. [5 Nov 2004, p.3]

Hank Azaria is luminous, and with a knockout ensemble cast, Huff is sure to be a hit. [5 Nov 2004, p.16]

The show succeeds by spreading out the story lines. By the second episode, everyone is surprisingly well developed.

Remarkable.