[Genealogy] may not seem like a particularly robust thread for an eight-part series, but O’Dowd, Guest and a wonderful cast of deadpan actors and improv experts spin it into a tapestry of cheery laughter.

Gossip Girl will get some slack on repeating itself, because teenagers have an incredibly high tolerance for remixing, reworking and rehashing the drama in their own lives. But the show still has to feel fresh, which is why Monday's episode adds at least two new characters who promise to have significant impact on people we already know.

As You Like It is effortlessly entertaining from start to finish.

It's now even easier to get so caught up in the dramas that you can forget this show is really funny.

It makes for lively drama, and, given what was at stake for religion and royalty, its historical significance remains legitimate. It just gets hard to watch sometimes, because even though most drama is fueled by its villains, The Tudors needs a few more characters we could actually like.

In contrast to Scorsese's other work, like his Bob Dylan documentary and "The Last Waltz," George Harrison feels like it doesn't get far below the surface.

Shailene Woodley is terrific as the teen in question. Unfortunately, other parts of the show feel so contrived they border on soap opera parody.

The jokes that drive the plot revolve more around things like feeding drugs to assistant principal Stuart Proszakian, whose last job was being a prison clown with the Department of Corrections.

Deep it's not, but funny it often is.

Some of it is moderately profane. Some pushes traditional boundaries of taste, though in today's comedy world these guys aren't even close to the edge.

Those "Huh?" moments, combined with the general creepiness of religious cults, makes Big Love uncomfortable at times. But for continuous action and a multitude of subplots with a minimum of bad language, it won't disappoint.

If the dramas are exaggerated, Jenna makes the trauma feel legitimate, and her narration gives everything a knowing undertone of humor and self-awareness that keeps the most uncomfortable moments from being painful.

That plot crystallizes through a pair of two-hour episodes, Sunday and Monday nights, and at times it crystallizes slowly.

The best moments in Wednesday night's chat between Elvis Costello and Elton John, which are good enough to recommend the show for fans of both men, serve up small but sparkling musical pleasures.

Chuck starts the second season a little more confident, a little funnier. That's the right direction to be moving in.

The only problem here is that once in a while the producers and cast get so enthusiastic about their production numbers, their words become almost unintelligible.

As the plot simmers and thickens, Restless keeps its focus on the core story, avoiding the temptation to become a war epic. This serves viewers well. Call it December's best-bet sleeper.

Underneath it, we also see kids. Yes, rich kids, but also insecure kids coping with the universal dramas of teenagers. That may be the most engaging part of NYC Prep.

Bochco delivers instead a solid lawyer show that fits comfortably into the mold formed by dozens of lawyer shows before it.

Without a grounding in vampire lore, many viewers won't get a lot of the nuances, including the humor, in True Blood. So as good as Paquin and company play it, this is another quality pay-cable show that does have a secret handshake.

The show itself, however, does much of its best work in the shadows, where nothing is that clear.

This new documentary on Vogue magazine makes the road to trendy clothing images sound more like a midnight slog through a gator-infested swamp.

When you get a headache just trying to follow a show's setup, that's not a good sign. When a show's twists and turns make it hard to concentrate on what seems to be a terrific performance from the splendid Andre Braugher, that's even worse.

At blending comedy and drama and presenting freshly drawn characters, though, Hotel Babylon has a lot to learn from the likes of "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy." As a hotel, and as a TV series, put it at less than three stars.

Baldwin and Fey are entertaining without wearing the viewer out, the cast blends together well, and the way the show is structured--often feeling like a series of sketches--has produced some brilliant TV. Thursday night, however, feels like a semi-private joke.

While the crime itself is only moderately intriguing, its real function is to let viewers see what each of these women does, how they work together and how they talk to each other.

Like the Navy, Carrier is perfect for some and probably isn't for everyone.