The script, from Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg, is true to the spirit of the original and exciting enough to make you swallow the premise and beg for more.

We get the feeling Grier is much more concerned with scoring a laugh than raising an issue, which makes his well-placed jabs all the more clever.

Two episodes NBC made available to critics prove this series is ready to scale even higher comedic heights and that the brightest spot on the planet is not the light atop the Luxor but the writers' room of 30 Rock.

The action is swift, the patter is clever, the casting is smart and the special effects are nimble, all of which adds up to a flashy hour of fun.

The perspective one gets from inside the House of Saddam is different than media reports from the outside and is, in itself, an important reason to tune in.

The latest (and last) in the series featuring superhero librarian Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) packs more humor, suspense and adventure into two hours than either of its two predecessors.

The show hits the ground in midseason form after eight months and one change of venue, integrating a new crop of interns with seamless aplomb and again demonstrating how to fuse dramatic elements into a sitcom without breaking a sweat.

Fortunately for the audience, the show on which he struggles to save the republic is back on track after a season of misdirection followed by a year away.

Anyone who makes it past the pilot is in for a pleasant surprise: Things greatly improve as the show settles into a comfortable rhythm through Episodes 2, 3 and 4. United States of Tara breaks new ground when it comes to warped dramatic family comedy.

It's always been well-acted and crafted with surprising restraint. But as the dawn of this new campaign underscores, the production team looks to be taking things to another level beyond serialized contrivance.

The first pair of episodes augur a breezily entertaining addition to the TNT stable of dramatic originals.

What further elevates the half-hour is the deadpan, deer-in-the-headlights fashion in which his co-stars orbit around McBride, who seems instinctively to understand that being a delirious bastard means never having to say you're sorry.

There's a thriller aspect to it that dovetails nicely with the sassier elements. But the show never devolves into wanton erotica. And all I know is through each of the first four screened episodes, I couldn't wait to get to the next installment.

After more than a year away, Rescue Me is still a compelling drama, full of strong writing and skillful acting, but it's the show's mix of redemption and ruin that genuinely sets it apart from the pack.

For those new to the legend, this is a fresh, and delightfully color-blind, approach to the tale.

Deep inside Philanthropist is a smart, earnest yet realistic series waiting to be told, and the pilot makes an intriguing beginning.

For now, Runway is precisely what long-time fashionistas have been slavering for all these months. Best-dressed, indeed.

There's reliable pleasure to be had in watching an increasingly embarrassed and panicky Larry rush from one self-created crisis to another until, wham, he steps on a figurative steel trap and suddenly realizes he'll probably have to gnaw off his leg if he's ever going to escape the hell he's made for himself.

Those who gravitate to this engaging show will be rewarded with the kind of substantial, thoughtful fare more often reserved for theater audiences. Plus, there are outstanding performances.

It's family-friendly and adult-pleasing, over-the-top and nightmarish, witty and deep all at the same time.

The production is handsome in the dreamy BBC style, and writer Andrew Davies has done his usual efficient distillation job, including adding a few imaginative touches involving galloping horses and nubile young bodies that would have surprised Austen.

While it is far from apparent that Friday night is the best place for this smart and stylish show, one can assume USA will move it elsewhere, if necessary, to give it the chance it deserves.

It's the clever satire for which we've all been waiting.

Lurking behind the surface of this raucous comedy is an astute meditation on the promise and peril of leading an unconventional life, something about which aspiring actors know a thing or two.

It's compelling from minute one to credit roll--exciting, smart, realistic and brilliant, all in one brightly lit package.

To act as if Parks has to be measured against that show's [The Office] standard gives short shrift to a genuinely funny and engaging comedy that bears stylistic similarities to "Office" but has a heart and mind all its own.

The fantastical creation of Jackie Peyton, perhaps surprisingly, has shades of gray that make her very real indeed. Both show and character are something wonderful to behold -- and worth taking multiple doses of.

A canny revamp, well-lit and visually eye-popping in a shadowy-neon way that hints at the old with several familiar faces while showcasing newcomers including redheaded Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.