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.

Braugher's performance as Atwater is intense, scary, seductive and astonishing in its range of emotions. It leaves little doubt that he is still among the best actors ever to grace the medium.

As drama, tonight's pilot has its flaws, but it is, nevertheless, one of those electrifying TV productions that instead of simply seeking to divert or amuse, challenges viewers to imagine a reality other than the one they have been conditioned to accept.

Baruchel... plays Ross with a winningly earnest goofiness, while Johnson skillfully navigates the darkly comic territory of being over the hill and irritated by everything and everyone who reminds him of his glory days.

A network series potentially good enough to be on HBO.

Surprisingly wise and moving.

If you watched FNL on DirecTV when it debuted Oct. 1 and appreciated the sheer genius of the season, you might be ready to see the episodes again.

The most tautly written of all the new serialized dramas.

One of the zaniest - and most savvy - workplace comedies in years.

The recession is driving all the madness, and Fey's genius is in turning our economic fear and anxieties into such a comedy romp.

One of the primary attractions of the drama looks to be the fantasy it offers of office mates becoming a community of friends who are continually dropping in on each other to offer companionship and support.

At its best--during several moments of exquisite longing between the adult Ned and Chuck--Pushing Daisies feels so right that it almost redeems all the wrongs of such wretched new series as Cavemen or Carpoolers.

Winfrey and ABC have taken the much-maligned reality TV format and used it to create a show that both entertains and encourages viewers to think about such matters as how best to help others.

Funny, charming and smart.

Just the right mix of camp, witchiness, special-effects and hand-to-hand combat.

Its power radiates from the screen as forcefully as it does from the radio.

True Blood, Academy Award-winner Alan Ball's steamy, sassy, sometimes nasty, but always thoroughly engaging, new HBO drama.

There is a near-perfect symmetry between the sensibility of Wright's book and the work of Simon and Burns.

There is genuine drama in Dollhouse--or, at least, all-engaging narratives of action-adventure.

The deeper bow to the dictates of prime-time storytelling in this return to Hopkins by executive producer Terence Wrong and his ABC News documentary team isn't a bad thing. In fact, the choices made by Wrong and his digitally armed filmmaking troops result in a faster-paced, more engaging series.

Let me tell you how much I like TNT's new drama series, Men of a Certain Age. The cable channel sent me five hours worth of screeners, and I watched all five back-to-back Saturday--and would have watched another five hours of the series if they had sent them.

It is a joy to see a first-rate, high-quality production featuring a genuine star. And this star is bringing his best game to an intelligent script that deals with challenging, knotty, complicated issues and characters that mirror the real world in which we live.

Just sit down in front of the TV and savor the spirited and daring performances of Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as Big and Little Edie.

It's smart, richly textured, complex and filled with suspense and intellectual challenge--in short, it has all the things network television is supposed to have abandoned in favor of cheap reality shows.

With all four [actors] bringing their "A" games to the pilot, it looks as if CBS could have another winning 10 o'clock drama.

Whatever the case, he and his show are easier to like. The hour flew by, and it seemed much looser, organic and easy-going than anything I saw last year by him on NBC.

This film was one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in a year of screening hundreds of TV productions. In fact, it made my weekend.

Don't ask how or why, but it works

Crews is complicated, moody and downright strange most of the time, but in the hands of a talented team of writers and producers, it results in a drama that is funny, edgy and multilayered.

This is social satire, and Grier's job is to make a mainstream audience see race and power in new ways. That often involves shock.

Here's a series that has a strong cast, great writing and what could prove to be an enlightened exploration of body and self image.

While the action genre and, indeed, Friday nights on Fox, are most targeted at young men, particularly adolescent males, I have to admit I kind of like Firefly. I'm not sure, though, whether that says more about my level of maturity than it does the series' potential appeal to older viewers. [20 Sept 2002, p.1E]

While the police story line has never been stronger, the first seven episodes made available for preview contain nothing that matches the emotional power and sociological insight of the show at its best--namely the classroom scenes from Season 4.

The Sheen persona wears thin after a while, and Jones is just another kid actor with a goofy-sweet face. But what could make this sitcom fly is Cryer. He injects Alan with a manic energy that literally lifts the pilot into a higher comic gear each time he begins to catalog or rant about all his anxieties and fears. [22 Sept 2003, p.1C]

[It has] a tick-tick-tick pace almost as intense as that of 24.

Those viewers who can come to terms with Joey's voice will find themselves richly rewarded by the powerful performances of Tucker as Tommy Donnelly and Olivia Wilde as Jenny Reilly.

A comedy with lots of charm.

Think Ocean's Eleven (2001) meets HBO's The Sopranos.

The banter between Perry and Whitfield... is dazzling enough to make one forget the pilot's storytelling sins.

Think The Fugitive meets Beverly Hills 90210 done dark and brooding.

Ugly Betty has high spirits, camp, couture, charm and heart.

Viewers who can get past the uncertain dialects and a few cartoonish supporting characters are in for a real treat.

There is nothing as original in Side Order of Life as the metaphysical puppet, but there is enough promise to return for a second week - to see whether Jenny is wise enough to learn from the pain.

As entertainment, the pilot is a most impressive work of economic and focused storytelling.

I am not yet ready to say The Middle is a great sitcom, but it sure seems in synch with the mood of middle America today.

Mackey is right where I left him years ago: again facing a disciplinary hearing that might mean the end of his career. As The Shield starts its seventh and final season, maybe it is time to say goodbye.

Spin City is television as culture, and I am not sure whether a show like this merely plugs into the cynicism already in place in our country or creates more and more of it by making it seem like the hip, in-the-know way to be.[17 Sept 1996, p.]

His team is formulaic - and that's not a good thing. Omar Epps plays neurologist Dr. Eric Foreman. He's African-American, and even though he had great medical school grades, House says he was chosen for his "street smarts." Jennifer Morrison is immunologist Dr. Allison Cameron, and, while she is beautiful and brainy, in the second episode, she acknowledges some sexual issues. Jesse Spencer, as intensive-care specialist Dr. Robert Chase, is from the WASP world of old money, but nothing he says or does in the first two episodes offers any social-class insights. [16 Nov 2004, p.1C]

If one is looking for a TV drama that earnestly tries to reflect and speak to our lives and times, it would be hard to do better than Sleeper Cell.

My Name Is Earl is not a stupid sitcom - that is what makes its sexist and homophobic jokes so maddening.

Old Christine is more fun than Watching Ellie. The question that remains is whether it will be funny enough for viewers to finally leave Elaine behind.

The first covering the initial 30 minutes was the one to pay attention to. It had no guests and featured Leno and his staff --and it was lame, tame and tepid. The second was all guests--and it had energy if nothing else.

Instead of life-affirming laughter, we get an occasional ironic chuckle in NBC's version of The Office. It's a comedy that offers only escape instead of insight into our workaday lives. [24 Mar 2005, p.1E]

Not surprisingly, Crash, the TV series, does not measure up very well against the film in terms of atmosphere and acting.

Borderline over-the-top moments threaten the sense of verisimilitude usually expected in prime-time drama.

As the lead, Simon Baker is too one-note smirky for me.

That is profound stuff--if only the series did a better job of capturing it. The idea that all he has to sell is himself is an interesting one intellectually, but it doesn't play very well onscreen.

Conan O'Brien's first Tonight Show was a good one--if you like canned video clips rather than topical humor. Otherwise, there wasn't much to get excited about.

The problem with the pilot is in tone. Self-important and silly but optimistic and sweet is a hard mark to hit week after week.

Frontloaded to high heaven or not, it was still a solid premiere. Now, that bad news: None of the standard building blocks of the show seemed that impressive on their own--so that when you tried to imagine the show without an overload of starpower and star-drama, it didn't seem that exciting.

There are just too many problems with the lead character and writing for this to ever become a PBS staple like "Inspector Morse" or "Miss Marple" had been.

The Eric character and his sort-of girlfriend, Donna (Laura Prepon), do provide a few sparks of interest in this ensemble of dumbed-down teens, but it's not enough for me...Fox calls the series "retro hip." I think it's retro dull. It probably seems a lot funnier if you are 16 and smoking pot. [22 Aug 1998, p.1E]

Neither Meloni nor Hargitay is a great actor, and both are guilty of overacting here...The limited range of each is suggested by their over-reliance on one or two basics moves. Meloni purses his lips and bugs his eyes out to tell us he's intense and/or getting mad. Hargitay runs her hand through her hair to tell us she's stressed. She does the hair thing so many times tonight you fear she'll have pulled all her hair out by midseason. [20 Sept 1999, p.1E]

I like Williams as an actor, always have. But he can sink to the level of those around him, and I'm not too sure about the kids in this drama -- Vivien Cardone as his 9-year-old daughter Delia, and Gregory Smith as his 15-year-old son, Ephram. On the other hand, who knows with kids anyway? They could get better in a hurry. The writing also has a tendency to go a bit gooey in the middle. [16 Sept 2002, p.1C]

The problem is, at the end of the pilot, one simply doesn't care enough about Jay and Tyler to go on the lam with them each week.

While the story line speaks to loneliness and celebrates community belonging, the episode ultimately feels as flat and superficial as a mass-produced holiday greeting card.

While the series created by Shonda Rhimes brings some outstanding performers like Amy Brenneman and Audra McDonald back to weekly TV, tonight's season opener is not very appealing.

I suspect Olbermann could build it out exponentially. But for that to happen, Gore or someone is going to have to rein Olbermann in on reckless and self-indulgent attack segments like the last one with Moulitsas.

The show is vulgar, adolescent and sexist -- and seems proud of it. [18 July 2004, p.2F]

HBO's Recount fails. Invented dialogue and actions attributed to real-world figures play side by side with, and are indistinguishable from, verifiable actions and events that took place in Florida in 2000.

If only Green had not made such a cold, bland stew of such rich and tasty ingredients.

Even granting lots of leeway for opening-night nerves, this was a pretty bad beginning for the Saturday Night Live alum.

The result is a silly, one-dimensional cartoon of a family that I am guessing viewers will start tuning out before the half hour ends.

Are you ready for a new fall network series--even a lame one?

Last week, I complained about NBC's plan to turn its 10 p.m. hour over to Jay Leno five nights a week. I take it all back. If this is the alternative, Leno can't arrive soon enough.

The university setting is intended to lend some intellectual weight to all the sexual imagery and conversation, but the road to mediocre TV drama is paved with such disingenuous intentions.

Big talent meets weak script and every TV crime cliche known to prime time.

Let's hope Rules is just a misguided piece of fluff that disappears after a dozen episodes - and not a bellwether series trying to tell us something about how our lives have changed for the worse.

It is one of the worst sitcoms on the air.

Secret Diary is a nonstop glamorization of prostitution.

This show doesn't deserve a spot in daytime syndication, let alone a key position in prime time. I am serious, there were better game shows on in the 1950s when budgets were miniscule, technology was primitive and few producers yet knew how to use the medium of television.

It is both bad and offensive in its depiction of some of the workers at a small hotel.