Detroit's on-location shooting aids its authenticity, but the show goes awry when it goes for a joke. For example, medical examiner Abbey Ward (Erin Cummings, "Mad Men") carries bruises from her after-hours avocation: roller derby. Detroit 1-8-7 is one of those shows that is going to need some time to finds its destination.

You've seen this game before, but not played with this level of desperation. There are moments when the boardroom feeding frenzies might cause you to step away from the table. There's something to be said for escapist TV after all.

Delany can be both captivating and infuriating as the know-it-all medical examiner, but she always holds the screen.

Of the cast, Winger seems to be the weakest link, brittle and uncertain, but it's too soon in her arc to write her off. The series is like a mystery novel, but the crimes of the heart here are ones the patients unwittingly inflict upon themselves and the lengths they'll go to hide from the truth. Watching Byrne's sullen shrink match wits with Ryan's cool therapist is the best reason to book an appointment with In Treatment.

In true "Grey's" fashion, each newbie is challenged with a case that dredges up the personal issues that brought them to this isolated spot, where, according to Ben, it's like practicing medicine in 1952 in a Third World country

On its last call, Rescue Me has saved a few treats in its fire truck.

Episodes has funny moments, [but] like "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the satire is an acquired taste and seems to be too inside showbiz to find a mass audience.

Starz's Spartacus - Gods of the Arena is endlessly creative when it comes to all things stabby. It seems to have a bottomless bucket of fake blood in its production budget.

Skins feels raw and gritty. The characters' pain is often palpable. Only the show's target audience will know how true its portrayal of adolescence is, but it should make many parents pay closer attention to what's going on in their teenagers' lives.

Oh, you'll laugh. But you probably won't remember much of it the next day.

So long as the dinos roam, Terra Nova has a future.

Mad doesn't stray far from "Mother's" formula

It's an extended "Law & Order" that never settles on a verdict.

Serenity arrives in surprising ways. Whether Mike makes it in this arena or not, Taking on Tyson suggests he's already won his toughest battle.

This is "King Arthur Begins." Fiennes seems determined to play the Joker. Whether this interpretation of the sorcerer will cast a spell over viewers is uncertain.

The X Factor is "America's Got Talent" with lockjaw, "The Voice" with a smoker's hack and "American Idol" on steroids. It is a garish, crass spectacle, and just might produce America's next superstar.

At times, the dialogue stops and unloads for exposition dumps, and a few of the young cast mates could use some more training back in the land of the Muggles.

This admittedly over-produced series has one of the toughest elimination rituals to watch: Each of the three finalists walks to check out a callback list to discover if they are still wanted.

Deschanel is utterly con-vincing as this off-kilter gal, and of the supporting cast, Wayans sparks the most as Coach.

Game of Thrones starts less like an epic and more like a session of "Medieval Sims."

Awkward is adept in some quick cutaways, as in a classroom scene that echoes "Ferris Bueller." Rickards works so hard to emulate "Easy A" star Emma Stone, she just might end up in a full body cast by the end of the season. But with the tide going out on such reality drivel as "Jersey Shore," Awkward is a cagey move for MTV.

You may laugh, but you'll hate yourself afterward.

Hate touches a comic nerve, the war of independence between teenage girls and their moms, but invariably settles for a hug when a few more slammed doors might be funnier.

Like a lot of reality shows ranging from the silly "Real World" to the loathsome "Jersey Shore," All-American Muslim ends up reinforcing some stereotypes while defying others.

Punk'd seems to have a budget to rival a commercial network show, and the twist of rotating hosts--upcoming stars include "Twilight" actor Kellan Lutz and "Glee's" Heather Morris--whips up a new level of paranoia.

Touch needs more work grounding its reality before any of these fantasies take flight.

Your enjoyment of "Vengeance" ultimately hinges on how much you remember the betrayals and back-stabbings of the first season, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand."

Even at approximately 80 minutes, director/producer Nancy Buirski's work could be tighter, but it's hard to imagine a more appropriate documentary for Valentine's Day.