Despite high praise, there are two serious problems: (a) The first new episode is crazy confusing, and (b) over the course of the first batch of episodes, the story lines don't develop quickly enough.

This is the best the drama has been in some time.

The quality of talent in front of the camera matches the high standards behind the scenes. As a cop ensemble, the Homicide squad has the spice, dry wit and ethnic diversity of the "Hill Street Blues" crew, with even more eccentricities and a heightened sense of realism. Like the New York partners in "Law & Order," the Baltimore detectives grind it out with street-tested police procedures. [29 Jan 1993, p.55]

This is a darker "NYPD Blue," "The Job" without the jokes, the LAPD Rampart scandal without, so far, the indictments. Does The Shield need the R-rated language, violence and nudity that FX has allowed it? Probably not. But don't let that scare you off, either. [12 Mar 2002, p.39]

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.

"Curb" may be ridiculously silly, but, unlike "Extras," its shenanigans are inventive.

The beauty of this series is that it's so entertaining and so well-executed.

Donnie Wahlberg, Neal McDonough, Jason Gedrick, Mykelti Williamson, Nina Garbiras, Gary Basaraba and Lana Parilla elevate this cop show into something that would be fairly interesting even without the "Pulp Fiction"/"Rashomon"-esque technique of telling stories from a variety of perspectives and in a non-linear time line. It's not entirely clear that this gimmick makes the stories better or more interesting, but it does make them unique. [27 Sept 2002, p.49]

The bleakness is a little relentless for my taste, but you have to marvel at the series' dark vision. Odenkirk is working with the best of the best, and he knows it.

It's not for everyone. Let's say that upfront. Eastbound & Down will either make you choke laughing, or wish that you could bleach the profanity from your brain.

The fifth season of this filmlike thriller is metaphorically knocking my socks off. My actual socks remain on.

It's really quite good and oddly entertaining, as cynical as it is.

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.

[A] rare work of brilliance.

This is a show worth watching, and worth the effort it might take for newbies to get up to speed.

The comparisons to "Ally McBeal" and the superior "My So-Called Life" are obvious, and there are plenty of reasons to pick this show apart. But when you're watching it, you don't care. These characters are already like old friends. You want to scream at them when they do something stupid and pat them on the back when they don't. [29 Sept 1998, p.45]

I said this is an old-school literary movie because it is a gallery of objective portraits, leaving the viewer to absorb narrative while pondering various parallels and themes.

After a dark and often depressing season four, it's refreshing to start things off on a more jovial, lighter note. That's not to say the premiere is devoid of angst, disappointment and drama. It's just buoyed by an unusually high amount of humor.

Based on the first episode of the second season, "Mad Men" is still one of the best series currently on television, if not the best.

Catch up with the series while you can. These are the glory days, my friends.

Like the kids it's about, this show deserves a better fate, however. (Saturday night at 7? Come on, NBC.) It's a dry-eyed but ultimately sweet program, and if you're home alone on a date night, it's for you. [24 Sept 1999, p.48]

As a series, Treme is a tough slog. I was by turns confused, bored and sad.

Its distinctive voice makes it feel fresh and original, and the poignant comedy gets better with every episode.

The only reason I'm not giving the third season opener four stars is because the show is competing with two earlier, exquisite seasons. Sunday's episode feels like something is missing -- a hook, something to make it physically painful to wait for new episodes.

Lost may prove to be a find. It also could go down in flames. For its first couple of weeks, though, there's no question it's quite a thrill ride. [22 Sept 2004, p.65]

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

This fast-paced mockumentary perfectly captures the experience of parenthood.

It’s a majestic, 10-part movie medal of honor for every person who ever put on a uniform because he believed he was one of the good guys.