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]

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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]

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

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]

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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."

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.

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.

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

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]

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