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.

The second season looks to be equally incisive [as the first]. With heart.

Producer Terence Wrong once again delivers fast-paced, narration-free, riveting footage, thanks to video crews who spent four months, unescorted and unhindered, with hospital personnel and patients at crisis points in their lives.

HBO tackles some familiar territory--beauty and the perils of aging, crowsfeet to sagging cheeks--but treats the subject from several new angles thanks to the candor of the older, wiser, still stunning former models.

The second hour is more engrossing than the first, and is easily rich enough to keep us coming back for more.

Set in 1870s London, the tightly focused story of manipulative men, trapped women, an inappropriate, even abusive doctor, plus diary entries containing dreams of escape adds up to an inviting, rather highbrow wallow.

A little bit screechy, a little bit preachy, NBC's The New Normal is nonetheless the best comedy of the season--a season short on innovative comedies.

Purists will miss the trappings of 221B Baker Street. But Elementary is appealing on several counts. Count No. 1 is Miller.

Better than a haunted house story, 666 Park has the potential to seduce audiences with a mix of grandeur, drama and horror and an underlying message on what's truly valuable in life.

What "Nashville" on ABC and Arrow on the CW have in common, is appealing characters in well-plotted stories.

What Nashville on ABC and "Arrow" on the CW have in common, is appealing characters in well-plotted stories.

The Girl, directed by Julian Jarrold, impeccably re-creates the film technology of the time. It also delivers a psychologically astute reading of one of Hollywood's more bizarre entanglements.

As an immersive experience for viewers who wouldn't think of getting this close to war zones, the Witness films are amazing documents.

The goal is not an academic history but a backstage, groupie-eye view. While it's familiar territory for longtime Stones fans, it works.

This is put-your-feet-up, pour-a-brandy television, a tasty import that's good company for a culture undergoing its own sometimes dizzying shifts.

The plotting is intricate, the entire acting ensemble is first-rate.

The evolution of the couple's relationship is as engrossing as the strong-arm spy stuff.

A fun, intriguing new drama...Inspiration is allowed to take all sorts of liberties. Fortunately, the production values of the show are high and no attempts are made to portray aliens on screen, for instance. The director wisely lets us imagine an unexplained power source with a whirl of wind rather than cheap-looking spaceships or funny-looking men with antennae heads. [8 Sept 1993, p.1F]

The direction by Susanna White is subtle, except for a too-frequent visual pun of kaleidoscopic, prism-like refractions to help us see that the world at the moment of Parade’s End is splintering into pieces. Cumberbatch pulls off the stoic-to-shell-shocked expressions of Tietjens, Hall is masterful in a demanding role and Clemens is suited to playing the fresh young thing.

All in all, its assured storytelling and fine performances give a worthy contemporary spin to a classic.

Chronicling Cathy's journey, executive producers Darlene Hunt and Jenny Bicks (a cancer survivor) have so far taken her from denial to rage to bargaining and depression. Onward to acceptance, and to a satisfying conclusion.

We'll see if audiences can tolerate the notion of profound interrelatedness as weekly entertainment.

Truthfully, a little bit of this fun farce may go a long way.

Bunheads hasn't quite found its footing, but shows great promise thanks more to the cast and crew than to the initial hour.

Frankly, the acting merits more accolades than the storylines so far.

The Scotts have held onto enough of the memorable 1978 movie adaptation of Robin Cook's novel to pay tribute, but added enough to make it feel contemporary.

Some are going to embrace this new freedom; others are going to be overwhelmed. The very personal reactions make for grand voyeurism.

If you like dark action-adventure with a deep mythology, you may enjoy this suspenseful hour, intended to perplex as it entertains. For some viewers, however, the questions will get in the way.

The casting and direction are solid. We'll stick with it for now to see if there's growth in the character relationships, too.

Vegas is likely to be successful simply because, at heart, it's a CBS crime procedural with cowboy threads.

It's easy to get hooked on the drama's fast-paced, international intrigue and tony visuals (shot in London, Scotland and Morocco). It's almost enough to keep you from contemplating some of the more outrageous turns.

It's a strange amalgam of behind-the-scenes imagining, video simulations, archival footage and patriotic odes to the military regarding a rather recent event.

Of course it's formulaic, but the cast is inviting and the formula works.

While uneven and not as immediately seductive as David Chase's 'The Sopranos,' Ball's Six Feet Under is a daring exploration on a theme, funny to creepy to plain weird. [3 June 2001, p.E-01]

This series won’t change the world, or even the world of TV comedy, but it is an intriguing diversion.

While the characters are slight and the dialog is silly, there's a story there somewhere.

The extremes of smart and wacky writing styles have never been so much at odds.

Think the Clintons meet "Dallas" in D.C. And that, for six episodes, may be enough.

Conflicts and tortured characters abound. Unfortunately, the drama goes somewhat soggy when the camera leaves the tight confines of the submarine and the complex plotlines twist into knots.

It would be naughty to call it dry. But the lack of personalities leaves the viewer groping for an angle. The overwhelming nature of the event begins to feel overwhelming on the couch, too.

Much of the insanity that drove viewers to “hate-watch” the show in its first season has been scrubbed. Competence reigns. The results are mixed.

Depending on your tolerance, it's either a ridiculous presentation best suited to a drinking game (take a gulp every time the screen goes black), or a paranormal adventure that owes everything to "Lost."

Anger Management is a perfectly acceptable, standard-issue sitcom.

The yin and yang of stardom are on display here: The footage from her in concert is breathtaking. The cliches from her interviews are cringe-inducing.

So far Grey's Anatomy is groping for a balance between over-the-top nuttiness and heartstring plucking drama; it lands awkwardly in the dram-edy category. If it would stop trying to be droll and ironic (this is no "Scrubs"), it just might make the cut. [27 March 2005, p.F01]

Executive producer Melissa Rosenberg has crafted an off-putting start to a series that may have worked better in the Netherlands.

A gross-out cartoon. Fans of "Archer" likely won't sit still for the more juvenile antics of Unsupervised.

Byrne is trapped in a mediocre effort he created with Rob Long of "Cheers" that's best forgotten.

"Grey's" keeps the high-school analogy to itself. Emily Owens M.D. never stops making the too-obvious comparisons out loud.

Judging by the first two hours, Deception is not as seductive as "Revenge" and contains even more clunky acting and just as much melodramatic music.

Zero Hour wants to be as brilliant as "Lost" but, sorry to say, feels more akin to the misfire "FlashForward."

Other than the unspooling of the ghost of policework past, Golden Boy is so formulaic as to be instantly forgettable.

Plays to an older crowd with its by-the-numbers approach. [29 Sept 2003, p.F01]

Sadly, the story is mystifyingly botched, failing as it tries too hard to be an action-packed mystery of secret societies and Dan Brown-esque intrigue with a strange penchant for geek humor.

Insulting, derivative and neither credible nor fanciful.