The pilot, directed by co--executive producer Jon Favreau ("Iron Man"), poses numerous questions, and to the credit of everyone involved, delivers some surprising payoffs that other shows would hold for weeks, if not seasons.

Copper spins somber stories of gold.

Week is about as much a serious social experiment as "Survivor" or "Kid Nation," but the production qualities are strong for a cable reality show and its subjects are fascinating as they react to the new world order

Arrow has so much going for it, it doesn't need to linger on the past.

Dead is always at its most unsettling--and poignant--when its characters have a moment to breathe and to address their dark, nightmarish world.

Community is still kicking, with more gas and laughs than just about any other NBC sitcom.

Game of Thrones plays by its own rules--and remains irresistible.

The Girl ensures you'll never watch "The Birds" the same way again.

The show's repetitive voice-overs are annoying. But you'll be sucked into this dangerous venture.

The series is so funny, it reeks of a setup.

The series gets off to a strong start as a black satire of not only D.C. but how politicians and journalists can leech off one another.

You think you know how this story will end, but trust DeKnight and his company of players to surprise us to the last bloody moment.

Rest easy: The premiere is good; next week’s episode is flat-out superb.

It’s a macabre dance that only promises to get more intense.

Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous is a clever riff on the fanaticism and cynicism inspired by the network’s own reality slate, including “Teen Mom,” “16 and Pregnant” and “Buckwild.

If the script can at times seem slight, Douglas and Damon are 
superb.

The discussion of vampire politics seems toothless at times, but True excels at setting up episode-ending cliffhangers. The episode pacing is superb.

More accessible than “V” or “FlashForward,” “Happy Town” shows a sure hand with pacing and knows how to end an hour with a powerful cliffhanger.

This is a packed episode that sets up the dynamic for a season long rivalry that New Directions will be hard-pressed to overcome.

Scoundrels is wicked fun when the Wests are being wild.

The good part involves just about any scene focusing on Angie Harmon ("Law & Order") as Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli. The flip side? Just about every scene that isn't centered on her, especially those involving Jane's best friend, medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander).

Buscemi is the only big-name actor associated with this cast, and though he seems to be having a great time strutting onscreen, most of the others aren't up to sharing the screen with him.

Arnett isn't stretching himself here, but he's still funny as a man who can't comprehend why he can't buy the love of his life. Russell brings a fervor to the role of a woman who has yet to come across a tree she wouldn't want to hug.

Give Lost Girl a try. You might be seduced.

There's something bizarrely addictive about The Hasselhoffs.

Don't look now, but Falling Skies could be a summer obsession.

When Jackie snaps over one patient's plight, she could be speaking for impatient viewers: "People gotta stop trying to save people who don't want to be saved." Same goes for TV characters stuck in the same shtick.

If you can accept you're watching the Kennedy saga through the prism of the "Fringe" universe, what you will find is an absorbing, addictive drama, with some authentic performances.