The show is what it is--no surprises, no disappointments.

Parks and Recreation has many distinctions, not least of all the hugely talented Poehler from "Saturday Night Live," who promises to develop Leslie slowly, without the haste required in sketch comedy. And the show has the potential to become a flip, witty political allegory.

I think How to Make It in America has a lot going for it, if show creator Ian Edelman can keep from indulging in New York hipster cliches.

It’s all about the crimes, the technology, the guns, and, mostly about not having--or wanting--to think too much.

This farcical new sitcom won’t blow you away so much as keep you lightly amused.

Even as you may be tempted on occasion to roll (or close) your eyes, it’s hard not to be drawn in at least partway.

The show is overstuffed with political and pop culture jokes about everything from 9/11 to “The Breakfast Club,’’ but they’re always secondary to the warm ensemble character comedy. The free-floating irony isn’t terminal.

So I "like" the new Melrose Place, in that I think it has the potential to be as addictive, and phony, as a can of Pringles potato crisps.

The new ABC show is significantly better than its corny title promises.

The mood is bright and whimsical--easy to take and just as easy to forget.

Louie isn't a learning-and-hugging show by any means; but amid all of C.K.'s cocky bluster and politically incorrect language, there are plenty of rich moments of respite, when people with polarized world views actually hear and like one another.

Ultimately, though, your feelings about Passmore will determine whether or not you cotton to The Glades. The show rides on his personality, which I found likable enough.

A week between each episode is highly recommended. But in small doses, his shamelessness, persistence, and humor are remarkable.

The pilot is entertainingly lighthearted, but in a twist that I won't spoil here, a serialized back story begins to surface that could push the show down a more convoluted path.

For the most part, the procedural material is boilerplate stuff we've seen zillions of times already on "Law & Order," with right turns and smoking guns and unexpected witnesses. The pleasure to be found on the show is in watching Tierney and Morrow riff off each other like very competitive tennis players.

If not for the narrative clunkiness, Blue Bloods has the potential to be a juicy multigenerational family drama set in a moodily evoked New York, with Selleck's furrier-than-ever mustache as a bonus.

Ultimately, Detroit 1-8-7, ABC's new cop series just may have enough forward thrust and raw emotion to take off.

The cinematography is beautiful, and there seems to be nowhere around the Big Apple's tents and trailers that the camera won't go. There's just not much in the way of drama here.

Tyler, Lopez, and Randy Jackson showed some promise last night, for a few reasons. First of all, Idol works better with three judges than four. You could already feel a warm triangular bond developing between Jackson, Tyler, and Lopez.

And even though the potential for irritation feels high--everyone but Gene is a smidge too sad-sacky and whiny--there's something about Bob's that feels fresh, sweet even.

It's a happy mix, a breezy, playful half-hour that has the potential to open up into something special. Only time will tell if Breaking In can break out.

If you're a committed Riversian, and I am, Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? is an enjoyably lighthearted hour of prime Joan shtick.

It has a set of distinctive actors, a minimum of punch-line mania, and a script that is occasionally charming. The characters actually have the potential to become three-dimensional.

Haynes takes a few melodramatic moments too many feet over the top--the injuring of Veda's throat, for example, which rises into an almost laughable delirium. But those excesses are forgivable in this otherwise masterful, faithful, and deluxe adaptation.

With only three one-hour episodes, screenwriter Heidi Thomas needed more time to do full justice to the large cast of characters and the many historical and melodramatic story lines she set up.

Turns out Happy Endings is one of those rare TV cases of rising above, as the writing and the ensemble energy trump the stale premise.

If you're an avid fan of any of them, there's probably something here for you, especially if you like to monitor subtext.

This is a place holder that looks a little like an infomercial. But The Glee Project, has heart, too, as it takes you behind the slick, overproduced veneer that is "Glee."