The season's best new drama introduces a smart ensemble and immerses us in a tangle of conflicting viewpoints. The storytelling device, which occasionally backtracks in time, isn't distracting or forced. [29 Sept 2002, p.F-02]

Gritty and grim, The Shield takes the familiar genre to a new level of intensity, graphic violence, nudity and, not least, profanity. The vocabulary may shock some viewers; the casting will surprise others: Michael Chiklis plays the heavy, the corrupt cop at the center of The Shield. It's a riveting star turn. [12 Mar 2002, p.F05]

The horrors of war, the danger of shifting alliances and the anguish of intra-family rivalries raise the dramatic stakes, matched by the glorious visuals.

Mad Men remains a brilliant, perfectly designed and visually exciting series--one of the very best the medium has to offer--whether you take it at face value or find the experience of watching the TV series enriched by tracing the modern echoes.

Judging by the first five hours of the second season, it successfully broadens the storylines of several key characters. The cast is first-rate; only Elizabeth McGovern? occasionally rings a false.

The cast, from Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty to Debra Messing and Angelica Huston, is superb. The subject matter is a carefully blended mix of artistic and accessible.

The new season contains more laugh-out-loud funny moments, the characters are well defined and the male characters get more prominence.

Deeply cynical about human beings as well as politics and almost gleeful in its portrayal of limitless ambition, House of Cards is a wonderfully sour take on power and corruption.

Laurie is a wonder. His drawn face, scraggly beard, hollowed eyes and gaunt body add an offbeat distinction to his dignified performance. His is a sinister quirkiness. [15 Nov 2004, p.F-01]

Based on both content and time slot - between "Home Improvement" and "NYPD Blue" - Spin City is potentially the breakout hit of the season. [17 Sept 1996]

A well constructed, masterfully written piece, Hannibal exceeds the "ick" factor of any crime procedural on the air.

Moody, dark yet at times poetic, this is TV made in the indie-film style, without pretense. Adult, premium-cable caliber without the visual excess.

It's all very creepy, mysterious and loaded with questions.

A spoofy, sarcastic and hilarious exercise in adult animation.

That uncomfortable flash of shame even as we smile at his antics is what makes Life's Too Short so oddly engaging.

It is exploring new turf in terms of a relationship drama with a bold narrative premise, and vaguely spiritual aspirations.

While Moore's performance is riveting, the most insightful aspects of the tale are the insider reactions.

Yes, they [Amanda Peet and David Walton] throw sparks, but it's more than that. The quick reparte and the presence of great secondary players is also a crucial part of the appeal.

Suffice it to say creator Matthew Weiner unspools enough story to keep fans hooked, immediately satisfying some curiosities and creating others.

This isn't a procedural with a neat answer at the end of each episode. But it is involving.

Creator-executive producer Mitch Glazer draws a loving and critical portrait of the awesome and awful fantasyland that actually existed in that time and place.

Dunham succeeds in making viewers uncomfortable while proferring a new (sharp, slightly bitter) flavor of introspective female comedy.

With Louis-Dreyfus inhabiting the central role, the writing shines.

This season's three installments--"Scandal in Bohemia" is followed by a scary "The Hounds of Baskerville" and "The Reichenbach Fall" in which nemesis Moriarty (Andrew Scott) returns--make a pleasingly diverse set.

A medically sound, educational effort.

Push Girls is a hybrid nonfiction series and, ultimately, an inspiring work.

The first film is well constructed to be unnerving; the second offers the sight of "Grey's" Dr. Yang toting a revolver. Both make for creepy-rich summer viewing.

Beneath the craziness and violence are some great character studies, meditations on the nature of humanity, clever social commentary, fun flashbacks to vampire lives in past centuries and, as always, cable-ready hard bodies.