What begins as the usual artistic season premiere shivers and sways with unexpected jolts, one of which irrevocably changes the course and feel of the series. Everything blurs, and nothing, and no one, seems true.

More relevant and biting than it has ever been.

Choosing to build a series around an antihero is one thing. But making it impossible to root for him doesn't bode well for repeat business. [12 Mar 2012, p.E1]

"24" roars back brilliantly.

The fans, no doubt, will be content with the conclusion of the brutal street politics--usually the best aspect of each season--as we witness a brilliantly stormy resolution of the unrest between Proposition Joe (Robert F. Chew), Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector), who continues to expand his power, and the charismatic, elegant brute Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), a murderous thief worth cherishing.

Real and relatable, "Chris" may be the best new comedy of a season filled with sitcoms worth viewing.

Freaks and Geeks may fail because it has no hope of drawing viewers to a crummy Saturday night time slot. But don't ever suggest it lacks soul. Or heart. Or brains. Freaks and Geeks is that wonderful rarity among television series, a show that simultaneously lampoons reality and embraces it. [25 Sept 1999, p.C1]

Few stars can write and play a kicked-in-the-mouth underdog as smartly as Gervais does here.

All the praise heaped on Pushing Daisies, and every declaration about the dramedy's originality, is merited.

One magnificently chilling shot near the end of the season two's first episode shows us just how busy Dexter's been all these years. Rarely has an image of evil looked so delectably good.

To call "Deadwood" great television doesn't begin to do it justice.

Peter Krause, Josh Charles, Felicity Huffman, Robert Guillaume and a marvelous pack of supporting players lend a palpable pulse to the most stylishly produced workplace/relationship series to arrive in some time...Though packaged like a comedy, "Sports Night" isn't always funny. It's just seriously good TV. Sign up for season tickets. [22 Sept 1998, p.E1]

NYPD Blue is a very good cop drama, often edging its way into superb...It is intense and powerful, peopled with intriguing characters. And it addresses issues in remarkably human, real terms, especially for television. [21 Sept 1993, p.C1]

Very British, coasting on quiet pauses, subtle digs and ironic discomfort -- a bonus for some, a strong negative for many.

Besides being the funniest pilot, it has the best cast.

In a fall season full of lofty recommendations and solid, well-made pilots, it's the only series truly worth getting excited about.

Served up this time as the main course instead of an ensemble hors d'oeurve, Kelsey Grammer's Frasier Crane has been toned down from his overbearing "Cheers" years. He's slightly less pompously goofy, making him far more acceptable in these larger doses.[16 Sept 1993, p.B6]

Plain wonderful.

Severe as the new situation may sound, the show initially explores this idea with humor--starting with a studio executive (played by Craig Bierko) coming in for a little touch-up to hide the scars of his, shall we say, therapy delivered by his mistress.

Tonight's premiere tries to be too cute, but Sorkin is good at creating likable characters. Blessed with a great cast, he may have given NBC a two-term lock. [22 Sept 1999, p.C10]

So just put your intelligence on hold for an hour or four, and you'll be ecstatic at Day 6's beginning.

"This American Life" lost none of its authenticity in transition from radio to Showtime.

The premiere showed a few early signs of greatness from a handful of the designers; you'll have to watch to find out to whom I'm referring.

Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Buffy to perfection in this witty, intelligent and thoroughly entertaining series based loosely on the 1992 film, and if she isn't the next closet-door poster queen - or the Internet-shrine equivalent - I'll be stunned. [10 Mar 1997, p.C1]

"Weeds' " executive producers, headed by creator Jenji Kohan, get kudos for keeping the show's balance of heartfelt drama and screwy comedy intact.

The writing - so thankfully different from the hammering rhythm of most sitcoms - comes from Seinfeld and Larry David ("Saturday Night Live"). [31 May 1990, p.C5]

More than simply being outstanding, "Friday Night Lights" is an important series because of the way it takes family-friendly television seriously.

Cute and smart, "Earl's" pilot pulled a coup unheard of in recent network comedy memory, juggling un-P.C. humor with a winning sweetness.

The series quickly establishes itself as an elegant study in horror.

It is something rare and wonderful, a remarkable, original vision.

"Ugly Betty" may be the fall's best new series.

It demands commitment and a willingness to pay attention to the smallest bits of information, but it's also riveting. Once you decide to go take this case, you won't want to turn back.

"Masterpiece" isn't too strong a word to describe this series.

The agile humor and light, sharp intelligence permeating the script make "Studio 60" far and away one of the season's best new dramas, if not the top entry.

Chuck is, at its best, cute--and that's not enough to keep up with the big dogs.

While it's hard to predict how this new chapter will play among deeper fans of the "Terminator" mythology, the rest of us have to ask ourselves if watching reboots of robot battles once a week is worth our time.

There's a lot to love about Torchwood, especially for fans of the early days of "The X-Files," when it was more of a clever horror anthology series and the alien conspiracy had yet to take over the plot.

True, it's not quite "Tales From the Crypt" but is better than "Tales From the Darkside."

Breaking Bad is a show constructed around a self-conscious edginess. You have to push past this edge and be willing to step inside before discovering any depth.

The show could be almost too funny to be appreciated on normal television, in the same way "Arrested [Development]" was.

As enjoyable as it is to keep up with Vince (Adrian Grenier) on the eve of attaining superstardom in "Aquaman," "Entourage" has yet to display much substance.

A significant improvement in the sequel is its keener sense of urgency and alarm, achieved by down-scaling the exposition and character development that bogged down the first hours of the original.

Its impressive cast can't beef up the show's predictable conflicts and pedestrian secrets.

As hilariously scalding onscreen as it is on the daily comics pages.

The pilot is enough to make you curious -- if it holds your attention to the end, that is.

The storytelling and performances are peerless in their intensity.... At the same time, there may be too much going on here for six episodes to do this show justice.

Its hipster appeal feels a bit too calculated for my tastes, even though the cast, headed be Robert Vaughn, is undeniably appealing.

In taking an illuminative approach, HBO gives audiences a comprehensive series that covers an impressive amount of ground.

[It] vacillates between riveting and middling.

This show has no illusions of being anything more than a solidly made and terrifically entertaining TV distraction, neat and crisp as citrus soda.

Although it feigns to focus on Eric's struggle to rein in this herd of licentious Peter Pans, Entourage lacks a believably strong central character and fails to lay out any plot direction or coming tension. Connolly has potential, but the best you can say about his and every other Entourage character is that they're tolerable. [17 July 2004, p.E6]

"How I Met Your Mother" may not break any comedic ground, but it's the sort of comfortable, reliable hitter CBS needs on Monday nights.

Turns like this take the series further into Aaron Spelling territory than it ever was, an idea that may offend those who can't let go of the notion that HBO is supposed to be better than regular TV.

"Kidnapped," which gives us a frequently riveting story populated by intriguing, complex characters, is regular-grade TV trying too hard to be gourmet.

At times, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit flashes the same no-nonsense style of its sire: spare writing, quick pacing, ripped-from-the-headlines plot. But for much of the time, tonight's premiere is enervating, plodding and dull, which seems kind of odd when you're dealing with crimes of passion. [20 Sept 1999, p.E-3]

"The State Within" is what we'd get if the producers of "24" wanted to make us think instead of accept ever-widening leaps of logic.

"Sons & Daughters" is supposed to feel like a heightened version of your own family, and in many ways it succeeds.

The jokes that hit their target almost make up for the wide misses.

"Top Design"... comes closer to capturing "Runway's" singular appeal than "Top Chef" ever did... Yet with each scan of the "Project Runway" blueprint, a little more of the original's crispness and clarity gets lost.

If you don't take it too seriously, it can be tremendous fun in a Saturday matinee kind of way.

You don't usually encounter the words "smart" and "soap" in close proximity, but this is one of those exceptions.

"Army Wives" is a series that sucks you in on the strength of its characters.

A fat snooze.

A few kinks are painfully apparent. Foremost among them is the blowhard persona Colbert forces on us for half an hour. It feels like a weaker extension of "The Daily Show."

Fehr's performance is worth noting, if only because his cool demeanor is frighteningly at odds with the insane rhetoric pouring out of his mouth. His portrayal may be the show's greatest point of interest -- that is, if you aren't annoyed by Shields, or hypnotized into a slumber by Ealy's never-ending "haunted past" routine.

In the way of so many television series inspired by comedians, "The Sarah Silverman Program" fails to directly translate the insanity of Silverman's stand-up.

While one can never count out a decent cop show, Life's main character is so weird he either fascinates you immediately or turns you off.

"Knights" is without question the funniest comedy ABC has on its roster. But look at the network's other options, and you'll understand that's not what you'd call a hard-won honor.

Considering all that it has going for it, "Threshold" has a more formidable foe in Friday night apathy. Out of all the shows that could possibly conquer that, though, you couldn't place your faith in a better choice than this excellent proof of intelligent TV life.

From snips of the Captain & Tennille to reminders on the versatility of Vienna sausages, That '70s Show is unbelievably believable. [21 Aug 1998, p.38]

Unless you're a cold, cynical, seen-it-all kind of guy (or chick), odds are you'll find a lot to like about the first episode.

It isn't a laugh-a-minute free-for-all.

This is not a shoot-the-moon, wholly unique story, but it's comforting and thoughtful.

Worst of all is the writing's low-bar comedy; it's so weak that the laugh track doesn't just sound forced, it sounds as if the audience has a gun to its head.

It's unfair to lay every fault on the actors when the dialogue is so insubstantial, verging on sophomoric and mawkish in a few exchanges

Guide to Style is smart, fun and instructive, emphasizing enlightenment over shame and choice over following orders.

"Hex" may not be stupendous TV, but for a decent summer thrill, nothing on broadcast holds a candle to it.

A classy, stimulating look at six true mavericks through the eyes of six people in various stages of iconoclastic development.

It's all very quirky. Too quirky, maybe, for an audience that is used to spaceships, robots and explosions.

A promising cast and respected executive producers conspire to give "The Unit" a shot at being this spring's breakout hit. But the real proof's in the pilot, a thrilling balance between the action of this sharpshooting brotherhood and the schemes of their secretive, slightly overbearing wives.

Borders on terrific at times and falters in others.

Relentlessly odd as "Meadowlands" can be, don't be surprised if it seduces you.

Just when you think The Office is working, it starts to crumble. You reach a point of giving up on it, and then suddenly it pulls you back. The thing defies concrete evaluation because it could go either way. [24 Mar 2005, p.D1]

As pilot episodes go, this one is about as polished as they get. From the main players - Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, Vivien Cardone - to the supporting cast, Everwood crackles with humor, presence and authenticity (even if Alberta stands in for Colorado in the pilot and Utah will do the honors subsequently). [16 Sept 2002, p.E1]

If you don't like Woods' frantic, frequent speeches, and you can't get out of the "Without a Trace" Thursday habit, best to steer clear.

"Day Break" is an intricate, imaginative series designed to make you ask questions at every turn, but the killer will be, "What else is on?"

The premiere breathe[s] like a moody, dark theatrical release -- one that tastes like Quentin Tarantino muddled with Michael Mann -- as opposed to a pilot from executive producer John Wells.

The only person with untainted clues as to the person Samantha really was is the doorman to her apartment building, Frank (Tim Russ), and the combination of all these factors creates a premiere that is as pathetic as it is occasionally funny.

"My Boys"... has development potential if you can get past the notion that it's been done to death.

Hang out for a while... and you may quickly realize why you didn't stay in touch with most of your fellow third-graders. People like these suck the life out of you.

The show comes with a built-in demographic: viewers who enjoy sweaty, scantily clad women waging war on roller skates. "Rollergirls" just needs to lure them back from the Internet.

"Supernatural" plays like a high-octane B-flick. You could be mildly ashamed at how much you like it.

"Psych" is one of those happy collisions of an intelligent script and an appealing cast.

The tale's beyond complicated, to be sure. But it also may be the most watchable six hours of strangeness you'll see this season.

Absolutely nothing about it is original or seeks to transform the half-hour genre. Still, the fact that it is executed by sure-footed comedy veterans more than makes up for the sin of familiarity.

In essence, you're watching the parts of life we're never supposed to see play out before our eyes, and the effect can be either uncomfortable but fascinating or whiny and dull.

With the unvarnished truth dangling like a carrot before a carthorse, there's ample reason for crime-show junkies to cling to "Justice," although some mysteries will be more worth seeing through to the end than others.

You'd expect Cane to follow in the tradition of "Dallas" by giving viewers a potboiler to look forward to each week, but there are too many subplots knotted together in the opening episode, and none of them is particularly interesting.