Tuesday night’s premiere packs a lot of trash into 42 minutes, between the quips about “jewelry whores” and an almost pathological concern with whose “bubbies” are and aren’t authentic. It plants the first seeds of drama, too.

The likable Pete and Myka are a classic match, bickering until they need to stop and work together, which they do. Artie provides both comic relief and a reminder that their job is difficult and dangerous--point also made by Artie's boss, Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder). Not too much new here. But there's nothing wrong with taking the old and doing it well.

To say we actually like any of these characters would be stretching it. But we're drawn into their lives, and as it starts its second season, Sons of Anarchy can't be left out of any conversation about the golden age of cable drama.

Fortunately, someone finally grabs hold of the wheel and steers it back to where it belongs, as one of the great character dramas of contemporary television.

There are a lot of good laughs here, and they are not the result of Larry David changing anything about the show or his character, who is the show. He'd still trip his mother to get the last seat on the bus.

Other complications arise as well, and Laurie is superb in this episode, carrying scenes so strongly that for long stretches the viewer will forget the absence of his regular colleagues entirely.

Admit it: You've probably never considered the potential impact of sleep deprivation on a serial killer. Well, the creators of Dexter have, and the results make for highly entertaining television.

With 19 episodes remaining in this season, there's plenty of time for all this drama to intensify and the characters to sort themselves out as good and not-so-good.

It's a brand new ballgame. It looks to be a winner.

That plot crystallizes through a pair of two-hour episodes, Sunday and Monday nights, and at times it crystallizes slowly.

Damages is a show that has always required a viewer's full attention, and the rewards are there for those who do.

The shadows are deep enough over "Breaking Bad" that it's hard to imagine a ray of hope or light shining through anywhere. But the actors and writers are so good that, like Walt, we'll keep looking for it.

It's hard to imagine reinventing the concept of the doctor show. But in a way, that's what Private Practice sets out to do in its new-look second season Wednesday--and it doesn't do a bad job.

Based on the first episode, the team seems to work about two cases at a time, and while neither of tonight's feels wildly creative--one warns of the downside to an intense religious upbringing, the other catches an elected official in an ethics scandal--both are engagingly told, with humor and little twists.

Add strong performances by a dozen major characters, starting with Claire Foy as Little Dorrit, and you've got the kind of production television is often accused of having abandoned.

What Southland has, already, is its own swagger, a get-outta-my-way style of moving and talking that says it's going for the raw edges we see on cable shows like "Breaking Bad." Southland pulls it off, too. If Thursday night's premiere episode is an indication how it plans to roll, it's a keeper.

As viewers, we're less interested in the destination than the ride, and this one starts out feeling like fun.

A splendid new addition to pay-cable's stock of dark comedies that keep a human heart beating behind the laughs.

The good part is that the drama should be fun to watch for us. And for the guy at Pizza Shack, too.

It's broad, accessible comedy - the kind of show where you aren't sure what to expect, but once you sit down, you keep watching.

The new musical-comedy drama Glee dresses like "High School Musical" and has the heart of "Porky's." That's a compliment.

Margulies puts a powerful combination of cold fury, bewilderment and tenacity into Alicia Florrick, the wife of a disgraced Chicago politician in a new series that readily admits it ripped itself from the headlines.

It's like three, maybe four sitcoms all squeezed into one, and quite an enjoyable one.

It sounds soapy, but it's all handled well enough, and with enough humor, that we believe it.

ABC's new FlashForward requires concentration and endurance. It's well worth the investment of both.

It's well-paced, it's fun to watch and none of the characters needs to be anywhere near as annoying as, say, Nick Castle.

The droll office comedy Better Off Ted could have quickly turned into a one-joke bore. Instead, it sails into its second season tonight as one of the best sitcoms on television.

Life Unexpected is TV pleasure unexpected.