Upstairs Downstairs sticks to the rules established by the original and defies the odds by being as good, and in some ways, even better.

New Girl is charming and quite funny, but especially when compared with the other two shows, it seems quite old-school.

The plot twists of The Hour can at times be puzzling, but the series is never dull.

The series embraces the absurdities of its subject with enough compassion to avoid outright parody.

Now they are the last blinkered women in the bunker, hoarding designer shoes and awaiting an Evite back to the glamorous life. They don't belong there, and that's what makes them so welcome.

The hero of Awake has a psychiatric problem; there are no aliens or ghosts to explain away the more improbable turns, and this adventure is far more compelling.

It's the Lovings, not Loving v. Virginia, that hold our attention. Their reticence, even under such close camera scrutiny, is intriguing and even charming.

Ms. Palin dominates as a disarming egotist whose presumption is balanced by charisma and animal cunning--and in this film, as in life, she has the last smirk.

It's a subtle, complex portrait of a relationship etched into an engaging espionage thriller set in 1981.

All the President’s Men Revisited is nonetheless well worth a look, less because it is so well made than because the subject is still so captivating.

Both series [The Bletchley Circle and "Call the Midwife"] find a clever, entertaining way to pay tribute to women who in their time were often overlooked and underestimated, and nevertheless found ways to never be ordinary.

"24" still provides an irresistible blend of iPodish computer wizardry and "Perils of Pauline" cliffhanger suspense.

Despite the repetitions, the first four episodes are slick, fast-paced and engrossing, but that’s not new either.

Even familiar plot points are told in the expertly spooky Bruckheimer style.

Mr. Kring has assured interviewers and fans that the third season will correct those mistakes and recover the fast-paced suspense and tension of the first season. The premiere episode lives up to that pledge, with lots of violence, special effects and laser-fast editing. The plot and ever-escalating conspiracies are hard to follow, but even first-time viewers can easily get the gist.

"Sleeper Cell" is better than "24."

“Weeds” is still an outstanding show, but it would be better if it didn’t push so hard to stand out.

The story lines and characters are layered and more intricate than in most detective series.

The series is smart and engrossing, though not in a particularly novel way, and that is not a bad thing.

Well written and playful with its premise.

"Modern Men" is funny, but it is actually all about role reversal, depicting an imaginary world in which young men are as deeply concerned about their love lives and future spouses as women are.

It's funnier than a similar new Fox sitcom, "Free Ride," about a college graduate who moves back in with his parents. Partly that is because "The Loop" has a faster pace and bolder writing.

Mr. Johnson is surprisingly deft, and even at times poignant, in the part. Even when the plot and other characters turn cartoonish, he manages to strike a deeper chord.

Not all the jokes are funny, but the characters are winningly unlovable.

It's... a lot of fun: "The O.C." for the Stanley H. Kaplan set.

"Threshold" holds back more than it reveals, and that is the right contingency plan for a successful science fiction thriller.

It's an enjoyable, intriguing look at what can happen to a group of ordinary, cash-strapped people who wake up one day as multimillionaires.

Pleasant to watch.