You should feel nervous before any great date, and Don never disappoints. He'll make you feel like you are in on the joke with the innest in crowd on television. Anything these ad men are selling, I'll buy.

The characters are unforgettable, and the history, of course, is more entertaining than fiction. The filming of Boardwalk Empire just may be more decadent than the decadence it's celebrating. It's not TV, and it's not really HBO. It's an event, not to be missed.

Raising Hope already has a little place in my heart. There's something about the downwardly mobile family unit (see: "Malcolm in the Middle," "The Middle," "Raising Arizona") that's just funnier and sweeter than anything else on TV.

Watching it was just bliss, and those of you who experienced the first five seasons in real time will probably enjoy it even more.

The drama can be over the top, and sometimes it feels like one big ego trip for Leary.... But the show is like the comic: imperfect but lovable.

Ah, the joy of Glee. I thought the show had lost its way last season, trying to jam songs into theme episodes ("Hello"). But tonight's season opener proves that "Glee" is back in its groundbreaking groove, bringing music to the masses and making fun of itself in the process.

It was filmed over four months and distilled into eight episodes, with brilliant results.

Ken Follett's 1989 historical novel had a resurgence in popularity as a 2007 Book Club selection, and should finally achieve world domination with this adaptation. Who knew the Middle Ages were so soap-operatically . . . dark?

There are some great characterizations and attention to detail. If you stick with the series, you'll be treated to a lecture on the perfect briefcase by the droll Michael Cristopher that's worth the price of admission. And if you think your office banter is entertaining, try swapping in-jokes with the intelligence community.

It's unclear how many more seasons Cathy will survive, and how much humor can be mined from her pain. The visuals just might stay with you, though, as long as you live.

The action is fast, and I was pleased to find that scenes play out unpredictably. I do look forward to less explaining, though, and more insights.

The charm of the show--and of the Gallagher family--is in its anarchy.

There's some smart slapstick, and I believe that Perry could be the one sane man in an arena that holds 17,505 people.

The kingdoms are gorgeous to look at, down to the last loving detail - you could be entertained just by watching for the inventive suits of armor. The violence is spectacular; the sex is twisted. The producers even had a language invented for the Dothraki, which should please the Dungeons and Dragons crowd.

With their moody new mystery series The Killing, AMC clearly knows what's good for us.

Showtime has tantalized me for ages with glimpses of Jeremy Irons growling and groping his way through a role as history's most debauched pope. It finally arrives Sunday, and you won't be disappointed.

It's "The A-Team" meets ... really good writing.

At the end, Cinema Verite shows how the Louds dealt with the notoriety after the series aired, and where they are now. Cinema Verite blurs the lines even more - but there's a perverse logic to that.

It's a fresh, compelling story about a couple of KGB operatives pretending to live the American dream as a married couple with kids in suburban Washington, D.C.

The new version isn't as painfully, profoundly funny as the original. But that's as it should be. American audiences don't necessarily want to cringe when they sit down for a sitcom. This is why "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is a cult hit, and not a hit hit. [23 Mar 2005, p.59]

There's just nothing else on TV with this level of jubilant satire.

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior is a solid addition to your evening lineup.

Hot in Cleveland is formulaic, but has tremendous good will on its side.

The premise is intriguing, although it's difficult to watch without backseat driving.

If you're looking for a new cop drama to serve and protect your entertainment interests, leave the rookies alone to ripen, and go for a ride-along with Jason Lee's Dwight. Blue suede shoes not required.

If "Seinfeld" had an absurdist, bitter brother, it would be Louie. Denis Leary and Louis C.K. may not deserve our sympathy, but they've earned the laughs.

It's hard to say how the series will play out because by the end of the first episode Mom has declared that the family is going straight. In this, I hope they fail.

The ingredients for eye-rolling failure are all here: Sample dialogue: "Your superiors say that you're the best they've ever seen"; foreign terrorists for bad guys; one female team member who makes Maggie Q from "Nikita" look like a prissy hack, and, oh, yes--it's an election year. But Hawaii Five-O works, and for one reason: Scott Caan, who is the second coming of cool.