[It] comes up more than a bit short.

Surely it will have Palin lovers rushing to plant wet smooches on the screen and all the haters citing it as proof that TV is, indeed, full of dreck.

For at least the first two episodes, "Jericho'' works better than it should, and there are some striking moments and images.

It doesn't work, largely because there's not enough wit from creator and star Louis C.K. to make the vulgarity anything more than an exercise in blue.

With her winning smile, Southern twang and a tough-but-tender demeanor, Giddish makes for an instantly appealing lead. Unfortunately, she's about the only thing going for Chase, which is hampered by an unimaginative script.

Warm, clever, appealing and a lot of fun.

Rogue does a nice job of methodically building an unsettling mood.

The Playboy Club isn't in the same league, or even the same galaxy, as the critically adored "Mad Men." While the latter offers nuance and depth and keen insights into its era, the former settles for stock characters, cliches and superficiality, punctuated by a lot of come-hither looks.

"Free Ride" is crude, mean-spirited, and not nearly as fresh and innovative as the producers think it is.

Tonight's opening episode is somewhat better than the pilot, although it's clear there is still work to be done in defining the characters and setting an overall tone.

The show is overly ripe in its writing and spends far too much time exploring the whiny angst of the teens.

There are some very funny lines and moments... Unfortunately, the good stuff isn't worth slogging through the rest of this sitcom.

Next Thursday's outing is much better [than the pilot], suggesting the series could generate some laughs over the long haul.

While it hardly breaks new TV ground or sends off the kind of sparks you want in a first-rate drama, the series has a certain watchable quality to it.

Corddry manages to make scenes work that otherwise would have viewers reaching for the remote.

Based on two preview episodes, Anger Management is at least more interesting than "Two and a Half Men" (take that, Ashton Kutcher). That's certainly not saying much, though.

This is David E. Kelley on his worst days with wildly improbable plot developments and much forced humor.

While you have to give them credit for trying something at least a little different, the creators and cast try way too hard to pull laughs out of the situation and the show comes off as forced and unbelievable.

Could prove to be a hit without being very good. [20 Sept 2002, p.1]

There's not a lot wrong about "Brian.'' But there's not a lot right about it, either.

Malibu Country is so old school, in fact, that it feels like a leftover from ABC's TGIF days, complete with a studio audience, an irritating laugh track and a sitcomy march-time pace.

What keeps Jungle from being laughably bad is Shields is so charming and Raver so intelligent in their roles that they carry scenes that should just keel over and die.

As hard as Tucci tries -- and he tries very hard -- he can't make Dr. Doug Hanson into Dr. Gregory House. It's not his fault; the writers simply don't give him the dialogue and depth that Hugh Laurie gets to play with on "House.''

A mishmash that wastes an interesting cast... and the few intriguing ideas it has.

The problem is there's nothing here that hasn't been done before, and often done better. Even more disheartening: The cast, which includes Matt Long and Billy Zane, is stocked with forgettable and/or boorish characters.

The situations are predictable, the writing is unfunny and the cast is forced to overplay every scene in hopes of generating something resembling a chuckle.

It's all shamelessly manipulative, but the show has real heart.

Both tonight's opening episode and next week's installment are predictable, loaded with cliched dialogue and lacking in the tension you want in this kind of show.

There's nothing particularly awful... But there's nothing particularly right about it either, and laughs are spotty at best.

It's just sort of an underwritten mess.

The show could grow on you quickly because those involved are actually talented and engaging on- and offstage. One upside to Nashville is that it doesn't feel as staged as "Laguna Beach" or, in particular, "The Hills," a spinoff of "Beach."

The romantic comedy comes off as a rather charming, likable hour, thanks in large measure to a cast that gives it more than a bit of zip.

It could develop (its creator is Bruce McCulloch from "Kids in the Hall"), but right now, it's only so-so.

Anything remotely resembling complexity and nuance has been sacrificed to cramming six decades of history into two hours of airtime, minus commercials.

We're left with a shrill sitcom that's hard not to hate.

A joyless and certainly unromantic mess.

Very little of it feels fresh or funny. Nor does Allen's character strike me as someone viewers would want to spend a great deal of time with.

Dead on arrival in the laughs department.

Shots has some potential. The leads - Michael Vartan ("Alias"), Dylan McDermott ("The Practice"), Joshua Malina ("The West Wing"), Christopher Titus ("Titus")--have chemistry, and there are some funny lines and situations.

Strangely engrossing.

A lame, tawdry sitcom with unfunny sex jokes.

Unfortunately, no one pops off the screen the way Farrah once did.

What's particularly appalling is the way Lithgow is allowed to go way, way over the top in his performance.

The series doesn't come close to capturing the edgy tone and visual style of the print original.

Somewhere, things went very wrong, and the comedy turns out to be a flat, unappealing mess.

There isn't a single new comedy idea in any of the upcoming episodes, and in some scenes, you practically can yell out the punch line before the characters get to it.

$#*! My Dad Says feels hopelessly old school. It relies on a stock sitcom character--the crabby dad--that we've seen over and over. It mainly anchors itself to a claustrophobic sitcom-y living room, and it relies too heavily on a tired, rat-a-tat setup/punchline delivery.

[It] may be the worst, most annoying comedy to turn up on the networks this season.

I guess this is supposed to be another "feel-good" reality show, but it comes off more like an exercise in wretched excess.

It has its moments, particularly as it progresses.