The WB has created the love child of "Friends" and "Sex and the City" -- no surprise considering talent from both series are behind it. While this one-hour comedy drama doesn't have that kind of instant karma, there's plenty of chemistry at work with the matriarchal Sorelli family.

While "Hot Properties" doesn't generate big guffaws, there's a breezy quality to it that makes for good company at what's mercifully a lower decibel level than its lead-in or the WBthe WB's competing "Living With Fran."

[It] already feels like it's been on air for three seasons... in a good way.

Although the cynical part of me wants to mock it, [the] series definitely taps into the feel-good reality wave, and strictly from a practical standpoint the procedures are far more laudatory than augmented boobs or, in the case of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," a new porch.

Briskly paced if relatively unimpressive in its sets and effects (one "alien" more than anything resembles a Vegas showgirl), Torchwood has the fixings of a thinking-man's sci-fi series that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Anyone who ever tried out for a team should derive some satisfaction from tuning in to the show.

"Life on Mars" has the makings of an intoxicating treat, proving how far a little atmosphere can go in breathing life into a format that occasionally appears close to flatlining.

So far, so good, but while writer-director Graham Linehan (working with "The Office" producer Ash Atalla) has created a vivid trio of oddball characters, his ingenuity doesn't extend to finding consistently amusing situations in which to put them.

Light and breezy, Hotel Babylon is a fairly simple conceit, built around the employees at a high-class London hotel and the guests they serve.

Consistently compelling.

In the mostly undistinguished roll call of new comedies, it goes to the head of the class.

Another clever single-camera comedy.

30 Rock remains merely a good comedy whose shortcomings prevent it from joining the ranks of great ones.

The good news in general is seeing comedy exhibit signs of a comeback; the bad news for 30 Rock might be that like "Murphy Brown" in the 1990s--which soared to its highest heights, come to think of it, thanks to a dispute with a Republican vice president--the show's most golden moments might actually be behind it.

The producers have assembled a solid cast and deftly employ flashbacks to ratchet up suspense.

Damages works best when it doesn't show its cards early on, so it's hard to make definitive judgments after only a handful of episodes. Predicaments and positions can often change, and seeing a character move from one end of the ethical spectrum to the other can be reinvigorating. Here's hoping there'll be a few such shifts along the way.

[The] pilot is cleverly written giving the characters a heady, just-specific-enough mix of mystery, intrigue and charm.

The premiere plays like a solid thriller.

The show exhibits some welcome bite.

Michael C. Hall's portrayal of the title character remains a towering achievement, one that eclipses the show's other shortcomings and rough patches.

Cliffhangers help pull the episodes along, and the idea behind Trinity--whose murderous reign might date back three decades--is intriguing.

Strange and clever, "The Lost Room" is full of winding corridors, peculiar twists and wry, oddball humor, set against a mystery that recalls TV's better Stephen King productions.

Production values are outstanding, and the producers have captured the appropriate tension and devotion that surrounds this world.

In its energy and penchant for the absurd, [it] resembles a latter-day version of "Pee-wee's Playhouse" pitched to the college-frat set.

The soapy elements are generally a rollicking snooze, and in the premiere, one worries that too many of the dinosaurs will resemble those in "Land of the Lost," stampeding around but never really doing much. Yet the investigation surrounding the anomalies--and Cutter's personal story--does thicken as the series progresses, and many of the computer-animated visuals are striking, especially given the TV budget.

It's a formula nevertheless--one that renders Eli Stone engaging but not fully involving, particularly once the vision/trial/puzzled-looks-from-colleagues ground rules are established, based on a sampling of two subsequent hours.

Nothing in Welcome to the Captain is particularly fresh, but there's nevertheless a genial charm to this CBS comedy, whose main drawback is that it focuses on the wrong characters.

While the kids are alright, Pietz alone makes the series recommendable

Even those whose historical knowledge goes no further than the whole "six wives" thing can ascertain that the future doesn't bode well for poor Jane, but the particulars remain fascinating amid all the bodice ripping, torture and jockeying for the king's favor.

Graced with a sly voiceover and strong supporting characters, it's the kind of breezy romp that dovetails nicely with [USA's] most popular fare and which manages to look more effortless than it surely is.

A little messy in its conception, the series still exhibits considerable potential--the kind that inspires checking out a second episode.

The selections in the first two episodes possess compelling strength, whimsy and ambiguity in both the stories and the characters, providing a solid transformation from radio to TV.

Saving Grace is less about its procedural storytelling than it is about simply creating a venue to showcase Hunter's undeniable smallscreen star quality.

Bee has some promise, but the concept has the potential to grow old fast.

Fortunately, the series never veers terribly far from the central duo, each of whom--to borrow a bit of vernacular--is played in cracking fashion by Horne (from "The Catherine Tate Show") and Page ("Love Actually").

Comedy Central's programming usually falls squarely into the sublime or the ridiculous, so consider Root of All Evil a rare tweener in terms of quality--one that proves a whole lot of Black is preferable, albeit marginally, to a black hole.

As a serialized drama, the program's situations aren't especially stirring, even with its solid, perfectly outfitted cast. The sheer atmosphere, however, proves intoxicating.

As the show progresses, the stronger moments indicate that Showtime has a more durable commodity here than just the sales pitch for "Sybil: The Series." That's in part because the producers have done an exceptional job of casting beyond the central roles.

DeMange draws out the helplessness and frustrations of the men who visit Belle, which are complemented by Tat Radcliffe's framing of the action.

It's loud and only marginally coherent, but, for a made-for-TV version of a theatrical blockbuster, it looks utterly polished.

The adaptation is meticulous almost to a fault, including a fidelity to language and accents (a hybrid between British and American) that initially appears to handcuff some of the cast --beginning, most glaringly, with Giamatti, fresh off his turn as a jollier icon in "Fred Claus."

As constructed by series creators Lowri Glain, S.J. Clarkson and Rachel Anthony, there's a strong momentum to the serialized storylines, and the key players are so innately appealing.

After starting slow in the Nielsen race early on last year and then finding its footing, Fringe should settle in nicely.

Script by show creator Mick Garris and ensemble acting are serviceable but pale in comparison to the cinematography of Attila Szalay, production design of Stephen Geaghan and Brian Tyler's tension-inducing orchestral score.

Dialogue by Diane Ruggiero is sharply written and realistic, observational and unhurried. It remains to be seen, though, whether 9 p.m. Friday viewers are ready for the debate over Vivian's new Brazilian.

Great it’s not, but the fizzy mix of soapy elements, screwy comedy, high-society hijinks and romance dovetails with where the netlet has been heading programming-wise.

Certainly nothing here is "groundbreaking," as WE's production notes claim, given past exercises such as Michael Apted's landmark "7 Up!" series. Yet High School Confidential is the kind of personal document that merits attention--inviting curiosity not just regarding how these teens navigated through high school, but what their lives will be like seven years from now and beyond.

A series that departs from past pay TV heavyweights in possessing no more heft than a pleasant breeze. Then again, amid all the tumult in today's busy and bustling dramas, that may be just the sort of soothing balm that could make both HBO and an acceptable swatch of its viewers happy.

That NBC has bought into this concept reflects network TV's lowered expectations, but the series' two-hour premiere is a respectable effort--handsomely shot and offering old-fashioned end-of-the-week escapism, albeit with a character unable to escape his own island purgatory.

It remains to be seen whether Teddy's work on behalf of the needy can become an unexpected gift to needy NBC, but strictly as light summer entertainment with a touch of heart, The Philanthropist delivers.

Men isn't a great series yet, but it has the assets to grow into one. And in the interim, watching it certainly isn't a Sisyphean task.

Nothing here is dramatic enough to be genuinely or consistently interesting, as if they couldn't get waivers to present any of the juicy stuff that might give the show sizzle. The result is a high school version of "The People's Court."

The absurdity of watching the band engage in an escalating feud with a rival trio of kid performers is genuinely chuckleworthy, and the series' rough edges seem well suited to its latenight IFC berth.

Director Coky Giedroyc's grittier, reality-based approach to Sarah Phelps' adaptation contrasts sharply the popular and nostalgic musical account "Oliver!" Nevertheless, this version does stay true to Dickens' original intent to call attention to social evils in harsh times.

The episodes don't really go anywhere, but the star-writer-producer has a genial Everyman presence and surrounds himself with a rich array of characters.

Survivors isn't great or groundbreaking, but it's a whole lot more than nothing.

It's a familiar formula, to be sure, but handled with enough panache and conviction to invest the BAFTA-honored pic series with an element of freshness.

Whitechapel can be enjoyed for what it is--an excuse to take another bloody stroll down memory lane, while tacking on yet another cinematic addition to the house that Jack built.

Playing to the cameras, even many elements that feel slightly staged (including convenient intra-housewife feuding) prove nearly irresistible, again reminding us that horrible people you'd never want to associate with are often the spice of reality. This show puts the Bada-Bing in Bravo.

Ultimately, the series contains just enough skepticism to mitigate charges of being exploited as a questionable enterprise's PR tool.

Wells and company have delivered a cop drama with its own racing pulse, albeit for a network that's uncomfortably close to flatlining.

So while the checklist of assets might not add up to 10, there are several things to like about this series, which bodes well for its desire--shared by TV and teenagers--to become popular.

The series can at best be lauded for its efficiency and at worst be chided for resorting to the convenient fallback of Mexican drug lords as its initial heavies.

All those plot threads could be beneficial in sustaining the series on a serialized basis, but Parenthood's multifaceted vision of family risks feeling too precious in places.

Williamson and Julie Plec--working from L.J. Smith's books, which actually preceded "Twilight"--mix these familiar elements into a crimson cocktail that even gets reasonable mileage out of its cliches, which ought to give this early riser a chance to establish some fan loyalty before the other networks launch their Thursday lineups.

The Good Wife doesn't win many style points for originality, but nor does it seek to squeeze into unflattering hipster clothes. And on a network where meat-and-potatoes drama has generally performed beyond merit or expectations, that's probably a very good fit, indeed.

So while Sherri doesn't rock any better than "Rita" does, for Lifetime, that's probably enough.

Not everything works--starting with the split-screen gymnastics footage--but there are enough juicy bits here to forge a solid foundation with plenty of plot tendrils.

Tim's world is so consistently outlandish as to be difficult to resist, especially since Dildarian plays the whole thing with the understatement of Bob Newhart's old phone routines.

Tartly written with good actresses in clearly defined roles, this sitcom hardly breaks new ground but unearths old gags in such unapologetic fashion that it proves reasonably good company.

Whether Work of Art winds up engaging with any of those larger questions or simply provides an addictive mix of catfights and craftsmanship, it certainly has the goods to become more than just a knockoff.

Good Guys isn't a perfect construct, but it's a well-executed one--albeit more a breezy, busy diversion than appointment TV, placing greater reliance on guests than its limited supporting cast to prop up the principals.

The payoff, alas, proves a little too pat to be wholly satisfying, but the fun is in watching Longworth stagger around this somewhat novel setting.

The show is full of nonsequiturs, and the writing doesn't always measure up to the look....Still, stick with the show and there are elements so bizarre as to be difficult to resist.

As presented, Dating in the Dark mercifully makes the orchestrated search for TV romance a little less deaf and dumb than it could have been.

The writers do indulge in a few amusing L.A.-centric detours--including a pointed scene of "reality TV" being filmed, complete with retakes--but there's ultimately no escaping the mostly unchanged (and undeniably durable) formula.

While Q is probably more adept at flaunting her butt-kicking skills than emoting, the pilot is head-turning enough to warrant a second look at the show.

There's enough comedy content in this first seating to warrant keeping Mike & Molly on the TiVo menu, even if it's not quite love at first bite.

Created by Ted Griffin and produced with "The Shield's" Shawn Ryan, Terriers is all about atmosphere. The individual cases aren't particularly enthralling, the characters are kind of a downer, yet each hour ended with enough momentum to drag me somewhat grudgingly into the next.

Fortunately, Rappaport is a fairly effective Everyman, and the wince-inducing aspects of the premise quickly fade into standard workplace comedy deriving a twist from its location.

To its credit, Damages remains the kind of show that demands genuine attention; there's no reading the newspaper or scribbling crosswords while watching it. Moreover, Goodman, Close and Baker are the kind of fine actors that a certain class of viewer would happily watch read the phone book. It's just that given the pacing in these first two episodes, that analogy's not far off.

Granted, the writers recycle so many gags--from the stirring pledge speech to a loopy pot-hazed discussion about time being "a fluid concept"--that there's a temptation to wince at Glory Daze's brazenness. Still, it's all done in such an unabashed way it's sort of hard to stay mad at them.

The show will thus ultimately sink or swim on its protagonist, and while it's a long way back to her TV-medicine internship on "China Beach," Delany can still make scrubs and dialogue about fatal drug combinations and post-mortem wounds sound surprisingly interesting.

It's a respectable addition to their genre menu, if not likely to become many people's fae-vorite.

James Gandolfini lends his celebrity to the project, which would have benefited from either greater focus or more time, but nevertheless delivers a sobering message regarding the psychological wounds war inflicts even on survivors.

[Jason Clarke's Jarek Wysocki's] a rich, unpredictable character, and easily the best thing Code has going for it--like the show, just messy enough to be interesting.

Zen works, to the extent it does, thanks to Sewell's shell-shocked gaze as he navigates the shark-infested bureaucracy, the way-cool Adrian Johnston score and Rome's intoxicating beauty, with Murino (a Bond girl in "Casino Royale") among the more arresting of Italy's natural assets.

Kathy Bates is just the person to deliver David E. Kelley's tart dialogue, and he surrounds her with enough quirky characters to make this Cincinnati-set spiritual companion to "Boston Legal" a breezy diversion.

Being Human isn't nearly as well done as that [AMC's "The Walking Dead"], but the early episodes are likable, if unworthy of love at first bite.

In the good-news department, Terra Nova is big, noisy and wildly cinematic, and Fox has pulled out all the stops with an Allosaurus-sized campaign to ensure the series opens--all the things that ought to generate sampling in a big-screen HD era.

Pioneers of Television is a once-over-lightly treatment, admittedly, but it's still a concept worth celebrating.

Silly in places, the show seldom careens over the top, and manages to elicit periodic laughs from all three of its couplings, though the strategic marital ground war waged between Mike and Lisa will probably resonate best.

The exercise isn't entirely successful, but still proves eminently watchable, indeed almost hypnotic--something only HBO, frankly, would likely bring to the screen in such cerebral, uncompromising form.

Based on the two episodes available for preview, Restaurant is admirably low on trash-TV antics, lending it additional family-friendly appeal in the 8 p.m. hour leading into another competition, "Celebrity Apprentice."

After a slow start, the second and third chapters become pretty absorbing, showcasing a first-rate cast--including original series creators Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh--and an interesting subplot regarding the growing Nazi threat in 1930s Britain.

Trios of twentysomething slackers are hardly a new construct--see "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," among recent examples--but there's always room for more when the group is as brazen, funny and drug-addled as the gang in Workaholics.

At times, the chat can become a trifle wonky--more like an academic seminar than mass entertainment. Still, the comics' conflicting styles and easy rapport make the banter amusing enough.

ABC Family has another bright and bouncy addition to the family--one that with proper care and feeding looks born to run for a good long time.

Despite only marginal spring in the exposition-heavy pilot, the promised mix of action, angst and serialized mystery should make for a purr-fect little summer escape.

Stacey represents one of those too-good-to-be-true movie teachers, but VanCamp possesses such innate likability that she can make that sense of commitment believable. Nor does it hurt that the producers did an impeccable job casting the various students, including Liam McKanna and Paola Andino as two of Stacey's more significant pupils.

An entertaining if slightly dry account of the 2008 government bailout of the financial industry, as viewed over the shoulder of then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, whose agony is deftly conveyed by William Hurt.

Nobody will confuse this with "L.A. Law" in its prime, but the vibe is similar to that show's more whimsical side--a breezy tone that carries through the handful of episodes previewed.

At first blush, though, give Alphas high marks for effort and ingenuity, demonstrating a TV show needn't provide major pyrotechnics or a reinvented wheel to lay the groundwork for solid summer entertainment where the characters, somewhat refreshingly, are only sort-of super.

Oxygen's The Glee Project--designed to give an unknown performer a seven-episode arc on the Fox series--debuts amid a glut of music-related TV contests, including "The Voice," "America's Got Talent" and "Platinum Hit." Still, undeniable Gleek appeal should be enough to make the fun if formulaic show a basic-cable breakout.

As with many of these European crime yarns, the real fun resides less in the who-or how-dunnit than simply getting there.

New Girl possesses ample energy, even if it almost instantly violates "Seinfeld's" old "No hugging, no learning" rule. Then again, heart is part of its DNA.

Written by Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro and directed by Kevin Dowling, Roughness smoothly exploits the winning combination of Thorne--who practically oozes sex appeal, while still conveying an approachable vulnerability--with the macho NFL setting.

If not nearly as gripping, creepy or tightly constructed as the five-hour "Children of Earth," Torchwood's fourth flight nevertheless remains grand, intellectually stimulating fun--precisely the kind of smart popcorn fare Starz has stated its intention to provide.

The pilot certainly looks great, and it's hard to imagine better choices for the leads than Goodwin and Parrilla.

Surrounded by a solid supporting cast, it's a workable if not quite prime piece of development.

A Gifted Man is certainly earnest, in a "Marcus Welby, M.D." kind of way. Post-sale tinkering also improved the pilot, with Anna becoming Holt's conscience in a way that better explains her presence, while extracting some humor from their only-he-sees-her encounters.

The show is a shrewd if not terribly exciting bet on upping the network's hip quotient without straying far from its procedural wheelhouse.

If this promising half-hour finally comes up short on Nielsen's balance sheet, it won't be due to a deficit of energy or charm.

Seeking to differentiate itself, Discovery has upped its ambitions in recent years with documentaries like "Life" and "Planet Earth." Even if Dinosaur Revolution doesn't quite rise to that level, it's a creditable stab at offering viewers a taste of life on a prehistoric planet.

Each time-lapse introduces more wrinkles in the show's world, but the premiere offers a sketchy road map of what's to come, and won't expand Men's footprint beyond its solid arthouse niche.

Writer-director Mike Robe does a nice job of exploring the repercussions of life choices.

All told, though, there's a lot to like here, and even an evolution to the Chloe-June relationship that--the former's eccentricity notwithstanding--borders on a budding friendship.

The River is one of those pilots it's hard not to admire, even if the longterm prospects for its journey remain shrouded in mystery.

Midwife delivers enough poignant moments to be worth the investment.

The kids' concerns and apprehensions feel poignant and real.

Although Julianne Moore's uncanny mimicry of Palin's verbal tics will surely attract praise, the movie revolves around an equally compelling performance by Woody Harrelson as GOP strategist and campaign operative Steve Schmidt.

Soapy, well cast and boasting uniformly strong performances, the show's servant-class stories still don't measure up to more regal doings, [but] the series proves enjoyable.

Admittedly, the premise is a little fragile for syndication--who ever heard of a five-year remodel?--but Bent is so breezy as to sort of beg for more.

Client List is generally quite fun, whether one chooses to laugh with or at it. Much of that is thanks to Hewitt, who manages to be somewhat relatable.

Those who got on board last year have enough reason to continue flying these not-so-friendly Skies.

Nobody will confuse Total Blackout with high-brow fare, certainly, but it's still modestly entertaining.

[ABC's] infatuation with translating the [country music] genre to series still appears questionable. Despite that, credit Nashville with crafting a reasonably catchy hook.

While the two previewed episodes both play pretty broadly--there's also a warm spiritual side, which involves Boyce tending to his flock.

It's such a bravura, tightly wound performance--played with restrained intensity by the kind of star seldom featured on American TV--as to keep one glued to the show right up until its slightly anticlimactic, disappointing payoff.

Not everything works on the show--and its principal device, providing glimpses foreshadowing what's to come, can become a bit maddening--but there's a clear focus to these first two hours auguring what could be a truly whiz-bang finish.

It's so stylishly executed, with Mimi Leder's direction, a crisp script and magnetic lead by Dominic Purcell, that the John Doe indeed has a solid identity.

Assuming this is ramping up toward the finale, the key players are engaged in ways that prove occasionally shocking and disarmingly funny.

Season two finds more of the same, with strong moments surrounded by lots of irritating ones.

[The} New Normal won't be for everybody, but there's enough here to suggest it can connect with a loyal core, enticing some to stick around and see what develops.

For now, though, there's a fair amount here to like--at least enough to warrant another family gathering in front of the TV, if not under the table.

There are enough winning moments here to come back for an encore.

As with the earlier film, the men are virtually an afterthought, but the women shine --particularly Latifah.

As impressive as the filmmaking is, the grim material and spare storytelling makes Witness a slog at times--more to be admired for its ambition and unflinching lens, along with the courage of its subjects, than savored or understood.

The Wedding Band delivers a good time, even if--sort of like an actual wedding band--nobody remembers much the morning after.

Compared with Martin Scorsese's exhaustive docus about Bob Dylan and George Harrison, Crossfire feels almost too brisk and workmanlike. But like a good concert, it ably balances major hits, back-catalogue oddities and plenty of showmanship.

While Liz & Dick is wobbly at times, the movie ultimately stands on its own.

This second Hour remains an interesting historical document, but at least initially appears more determined to replicate qualities that distinguished the first rather than advance them.

House of Cards is a credible, premium-TV-worthy exercise.... That said, the Kevin Spacey vehicle isn't without some annoying tics, and feels a little late boarding the bandwagon of projects with Washington politics as a backdrop.

Mostly, The Job plays like a clever throwback to TV's youth.

As the program comes to an end with this final season, subtitled "War of the Damned," it's hard not to admire its improved quality and heightened sense of purpose.

Always fun, the first two hours of the FX drama's fourth season are also meandering, introducing several new players, but as yet failing to betray much about how or when they'll intersect. Fortunately, star Timothy Olyphant by himself remains ample reason to tune in.

Africa feels somewhat victimized by having been there and seen that. Still impressive in moments, based on the premiere, it appears to be less memorable than some of this collaboration's recent nature projects.

The idea Selfridge was a serial philanderer adds an interesting layer to the character who, despite being the boss, actually blends into the large cast, in a series that’s full of romantic triangles, hunger and striving, and where good-looking waiters are urged to cater to the needs of wealthy socialites.

Legit proves periodically funny, and oddly charming. And as elusive as both of those qualities are in primetime, that alone makes it too legit to quit.

The telepic has an old-fashioned quality, from building the movie around one of the ostensible good guys (Anthony, played by Virginia Welch, is featured only sparingly) to the prosecution assembling its case to the simple yet effective urgency of Richard Marvin's score.

Stick with the series through a handful of episodes, though, and it’s clear that showrunner Bryan Fuller has brought a semi-hypnotic quality to this prequel adaptation of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter character--ungainly and messy, but at times visually arresting, and thanks in large part to the central trio of Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy and Laurence Fishburne, quite interesting.

The cases themselves are nothing new--indeed, it's all pretty standard procedural stuff, with the only extracurricular detour involving Clark's young sister (Stella Maeve), who he looks after. Yet the device of the flashbacks offers a nifty kicker, teasing at things to come--like why the older Clark walks with a pronounced limp. Ultimately, the series benefits enormously from the interplay between James and McBride.

Told with great earnestness and a Hans Zimmer score, The Bible hits only a few conspicuously awkward notes.

Interesting and small in scope, the 47-minute doc is relaxed, unhurried and not a bit longer than it needs to be.

Riley takes a bit of getting used to as Da Vinci, but once one adjusts to the program’s tone, it’s an entertaining serialized plot with plenty of twists, nudity and violence, but not the same grim streak or stuffiness of something like "The Borgias."

While the concept is hardly original (and probably hews closest to the movie “EdTV”), the series still feels fresh and timely.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer plays like an uneasy cross between "The X-Files" and "Clueless," with a slightly harder edge than the original, if less outright gore.

Concept is OK, but the humor's less sophisticated than expected from the exec producers of HBO's comedy series "Dream On," and the dialogue is not exactly snappy. Ross: "I honestly don't know if I'm hungry or horny!" Chandler: "Stay out of my freezer."

While some of the humor scores, too much is of the red-herring variety one-liners that don't really have anything to do with anything. And anyone even mildly versed in Gotham politics will find Spin City low on the believability scale, which is probably a good thing, as you'd need a Robert Altman to find much humor in the real thing. [16 Sept 1996]

Main problem: Skein's star, Kathryn Morris, is a puzzle. She's unique and capable, but her energy is low and there's zero warmth.

The competent but uninspiring two-hour pilot doesn't deliver the kind of thrills destined to rock anyone else's world.

The well-traveled Carell is a very talented guy, from "The Daily Show" to "Anchorman," but understatement and restraint are hardly his forte. As a consequence, he plays Michael bigger, and therefore harder to endure, than Gervais did --- a fine line that's significant in such a delicately balanced comedy. [24 Mar 2005]

At some point, though, a program this reliant on workplace sexcapades begins to run out of combinations, and the writers haven't done much more to address the problem than pad on new layers of interns (starting with Meredith's younger sister, played by Chyler Leigh) to further confound things.

"Conviction" does exhibit a bit more creative promise than "Trial by Jury."

"Close to Home" lives up and down to its title -- staying very close to what's worked for CBS before.

Yet even with the premiere sprinkling enough tantalizing bread crumbs to warrant a return visit, there's insufficient evidence as to how the more muddled aspects will unfold over future installments.

While "What About Brian" strikes some of the familiar chords about love, angst and the terror of young adulthood that have viewers swooning over "Grey's Anatomy," the show does so in a more laid-back tone, which should make its leap from a post-"Desperate Housewives" launch to its regular Monday moorings a commercial challenge.

A child's quizzical utterance near the end of "Invasion" provides enough of a chill to warrant a return visit to what's otherwise a mildly intriguing pilot.

A solid cast and marquee auspices make this effects-heavy exercise watchable enough even when "The Triangle" grows obtuse.

[It] lacks the flavor of the original and would have worked better under a different title.

It has a few points going for it: Mandy Patinkin's onscreen magnetism; some truly eerie episodes; and a smartness that it wears on its sleeve. On the downside, it draws on too many other recent hits -- "CSI," "Crossing Jordan," "Medium," "House," "Law & Order: SVU""Law & Order: SVU" -- for visual style, character tics, mind games and an ability to find the truth in confounding evidence.

Breezy and fun, there are several reasons to sample "Emily," but also plenty of room for skepticism over whether this witty half-hour has the depth to survive a highly competitive timeslot.

An affable new sitcom.

There's a breezy charm to the show.

A half-hour firmly ensconced in the "witty" zone that seldom crosses all the way over into funny.

[It] won't earn many points for subtlety, but for aficionados of the horror genre it's the kind of stylish gorefest that should keep them up nights.

All told, the movie's a respectable and mostly watchable recounting of this notorious chapter in Stewart's storied career, despite being so stiff and formal that it never really comes alive.

If the series doesn't generate any grand creative magic, it at least possesses a certain old-fashioned charm.

Breezy, smart and occasionally funny.

That said, there are some qualms surrounding how long the producers can mine the Leonard-Penny aspect of the show, a shallow vein if there ever was one. More promising is the interaction among the key duo and their Mensa-worthy friends.

Despite sharp casting, the real trick will be to develop Cold War-style fear while dribbling enough clues to elevate this above being just a post-apocalyptic "The Young and the Restless."

Interesting but not fully compelling, it's a long shot to make a big score.

Two of the first three episodes [reveal] an assured, risque, semi-cynical air that should dovetail nicely with "Two and a Half Men."

"Friday Night Lights" ultimately feels like one of those family programs middle America and conservatives pine for that too few of them actually bother to watch -- a portrait of decent, God-fearing folks wringing joy from America's game as an escape from their hardscrabble lives.

This is a series for people with a reasonably high TV IQ, but not a particularly challenging formula.

Lacking "Prison Break's" tough milieu and its initial narrative drive, "Vanished" doesn't exactly scream "Watch me." Nevertheless, it's polished enough and very much a work in progress.

The idea itself... is pretty damn good, even if the execution doesn't quite live up to it.

Ferrara... is consistently endearing, bringing heart and soul to a character that could easily be a cartoon. Too bad that doesn't extend to the rest of the series, which oscillates from screwball comedy... to florid soap elements.

Brotherhood certainly has its moments and does an especially artful job conveying violence in a brutal but not gratuitous way--one that's often more harrowing precisely because of its restraint. Ultimately, though, once you get past the brothers, the whole thing's a bit too grim.

While this "Trail" ain't exactly broken, some judicious editing could have fixed it.

By the end of night one, however, the show grows intriguing, and the second and third episodes are more engrossing. Then episode four begins to drag, and the fifth hour feels like filler until the inevitable reveal, which, alas, isn't equal to the build-up.

Strictly viewed on its merits, though, Cashmere Mafia suffers from a too-familiar feel.

Yet despite an unusually high-octane (and yes, reasonably sexy) cast ably led by "Six Feet Under's" Peter Krause, the pilot doesn’t quite gel--feeling too determined to be quirky and provocative, and baited with a mystery that lacks the allure of the suicide that set "Housewives" in motion.

In short, if you come for the sex, you'll only stay for the characters, and those represent an intriguing but decidedly mixed bag.

The whole Chuck-Sarah relationship has been played from so many angles as to have grown a bit tedious--how many longing looks can two characters exchange?--and the actual capers are generally pretty slim. Despite a semi-serialized riff involving a shadowy organization, the stakes never feel particularly steep.

Gossip Girl hardly breaks any new ground.

At first blush, anyway, Californication isn't necessarily a bad place to be, but unless the series finds viable avenues to pursue beyond wallowing in Hank's self-pity, it'll be Showtime subscribers before long who wind up feeling screwed.

"The Tudors" is not the great series that it might have been, but it's certainly a watchable and diverting one.

Mixing equal parts court intrigue with Calvin Klein ad, the series falls short of greatness.

Despite promising elements, then, Journeyman has set itself up with the daunting task of mastering a very tricky high-wire act

Grammer and Heaton spar like old hands, but the punches (and punchlines) are so consistently telegraphed, the series seldom rises above the mundane.

The overall approach, though, inevitably yields a series of individual images as opposed to a cohesive perspective, relying upon various directors to capture the sometimes harrowing, sometimes heartbreaking scope of the problem.

Chocolate News is a moderately tasty, low-nutrition snack--the kind that, with apologies to perhaps the next ethnic frontier, will leave you hungry a half-hour later.

Tara" also acquires some new supporting players, but the show feels more disconnected in scattering to pursue these various plots. In addition, the evolving interaction between Tara and her alters as she becomes "co-conscious" with them feels like little more than split-screen gimmickry.

The supporting players aren’t nearly as interesting initially as the intense bond between Sookie and Bill, though they do keep the first few installments busy, including some nicely gratuitous sex, adventures in the Viagra-like effects of vampire blood and a tepid murder mystery.

Like "High School Musical," it's a painfully simple but efficient fairy tale for a generation that never heard of Frankie and Annette, blending music with teen angst about fitting in--all built around a likable protagonist, multiethnic cast and hot pop trio.

Nothing here really pops, even with Torv holding her own as the tough femme protagonist, the welcome presence of "The Wire's" Lance Reddick as her hostile boss and Noble exhibiting alternating strains of brilliance and psychosis.

It focuses on twentysomethings and employs the tired device of a character speaking to the camera, producing a video blog about herself and her equally self-obsessed friends.