I have now seen the pilot for Felicity four times. The first two times were just for enjoyment. The last two were reality checks to see if it is really as good as it seemed during the first two viewings. It is...Felicity is not just the best pilot. It is the one joy of the new network season. [29 Sept 1998, p.1E]

Mozart wrote finales for his operas by focusing on a theme sounded in the opening notes, then expanding and building upon it through repetition and the amplification of other voices for a glorious ending. So is David Chase, creator and executive producer of The Sopranos, writing the finale for this landmark TV series - and if this isn't art, then neither is Mozart.

So daring, richly multi-dimensional and culturally provocative that it's almost anti-television. [3 June 2001, p.2F]

Alias is one of the most non-linear and illogical pilots I have ever seen. It's also one of the most exciting television rides I've had in years. I love its energy. The breathless, roller-coaster montage of movement, color, action and emotion never quits. [29 Sept 2001, p.1D]

Case closed: 24 is the best drama on network TV.

I love The Shield so much, I spent the two weeks since I saw it wondering if I could bring myself to actually say in print what I thought after screening the first three episodes: This is better than "Homicide: Life on the Street." If you've been reading The Sun for any length of time, you know I face East, bow my head and light incense in an act of worship at the mere mention of that late, great, ratings-challenged NBC drama. [12 Mar 2002, p.1E]

While there is no shortage of narrative theorists who talk about detective fiction as being most successful when it is like a puzzle, no one on network television has ever managed to create a series that could make viewers feel as if they were actually putting together a puzzle piece by piece as they watched. Perhaps the nearest anyone came was the writing team of Richard Levinson and William Link with their pilot for Peter Falk's Columbo, but Boomtown is light years beyond what Levinson and Link were doing in the 1970s. [28 Sept 2002, p.1D]

The final scene is a moment of pure TV story-telling mastery straight through to the sounding of "Tobacco Road." And you can feel the surge of energy it releases in Draper's psyche--and the series--practically radiating off the screen.

I'm not saying "Treme" is necessarily in a league with "The Sopranos," "The Civil War" or even "Homicide" at its best. But the pilot moved me as those productions did--and in the world of television, that is something special.

The power of the writing and performances are such that after just 30 minutes, you feel as if you know each of these characters intimately--and you find yourself already caring about them. And you wonder what role they will play in the troubled life and journey of Dr. Paul Weston.

In the pilot, at least, Whedon manages to capture some of the same "Buffy" sensibility -- a rare combination of sexual energy, irony, intelligence, hot bodies, cool moves, action, menace and comic relief. The challenge is to sustain that tricky tone for a full season. [5 Oct 1999, p.1E]

The humor is dark, and the editing is fast-paced and often non-linear. The visual sensibility heightens the surreal quality of life and death with young Dr. Dorian as he careens like a bumper-car through his shift. [2 Oct 2001, p.1E]

A well-crafted opening to a television drama is like an overture to a musical. To succeed, it must, however fleetingly, sound the major themes and melody of the piece, as well as suggesting its continuing sensibility. Tonight's opening is a great one. [2 June 2002, p.5E]

Abrams brilliantly exploits several genres simultaneously - including reality TV with all that viewers have come to learn (or think they have come to learn) about group dynamics by watching CBS' Survivor the past four years. What's most impressive is the way that Abrams - through the skillful construction of character via credible dialogue and camera work that makes one feel almost situated within the group - makes Lost feel as if it is the real thing. [22 Sept 2004,p. 1E]

Rock deals with a harsher teen reality than Cosby did in his Fat Albert days, but he is hitting the same universal notes of conflict, love, weirdness and strength found in close-knit families.

The writing is daring, the editing dazzling and bold... this is prime-time storytelling that pops.

Elizabeth I features two of the finest actors [Mirren and Irons] in film and television inspiring each other to some of the most spectacular work they have ever done.

While the social work done by Life Support is exemplary, the production more than stands on its own as entertainment.

As hard as it might be to imagine after last year's dazzling debut, this period piece about life in a mid-sized Madison Avenue ad agency during the early 1960s returns tonight looking and feeling even stronger, smarter and more focused than it was.

John Adams, a $100 million-plus production about the life and times of America's second president, is one of the most compelling miniseries of the decade.

It's just plain good--fast-paced, emotionally engaging and even transporting at times. Much of the credit goes to Fishburne's performance, but there other important factors, like the way in which Stevens' script captures Marshall's liberating sense of humor, and the rich look of the overall production.

Tonight's episode does have a few moments when it goes over the comedy top and seems just a tad too broad. But who cares? Overall, it's a joy.

But the paranormal is not what counts. It's the FBI agents who matter -- they're one of TV's most interesting twentysomething couples. [10 Sept 1993, p.1D]

It is every bit as smart as you would expect something from Chase to be. It's built more on the limited-run model of British television than standard network fare. [9 Jan 1999, p.1E]

Reading that vague description, you are certain there is nothing in the show to make you laugh. But if you watch, I guarantee you will at least smile in spite of your better impulses. I'm sorry, but this is some of David's best work.

Once again, the producers and writers are creating a show that speaks to and reflects its era more succinctly and dramatically than any other network series.

As improbable as the premise might sound, Bell's hard-edged performance makes it work. [22 Sept 2004,p. 1E]

The acting is among the finest on television.