Gail Pennington

Except for its familiarity, not necessarily a liability in TV comedy, there's nothing wrong with Marlon except its dated joke-punchline structure, deafening audience laughter and the tendency of the cast to shout all the dialogue.

The dark humor and bursts of bloody action will satisfy some viewers, but the pacing is so leisurely and the characters are such sad sacks that Get Shorty can feel like a chore.

It will undoubtedly seem tame to staunch "True Blood" fans. But a few winks of humor and some good scares make Midnight, Texas more than you'd expect from a summer series on broadcast TV.

The plot runs from dark to darker. But there are also flashes of humor, and the Byrdes are well-developed as characters from the beginning. Their plight, and the path they find themselves on, is twisty enough to hold interest, but laid out clearly enough to keep viewers from feeling hopelessly lost.

It’s also a lot of fun, lively and fast-paced, with comedy, tragedy, action and history, just as audiences of 1589, and today, demand.

Snowfall will feel like too much work for some viewers. But those who stick with it will be rewarded with a drama that’s both involving and important.

Sad is that is, we have to admire a show that knows when to call it quits and goes out on top. Broadchurch does just that.

GLOW is often very funny, but it also plays (and works) as drama, a balance that would more often be found in an hour-long show. The half-hour format, though, is just right, leaving a viewer eager to bounce and roll through the 10-episode first season.

Making sense of this mess is probably impossible (either my screener was missing scenes or the plot makes a big and confusing jump in the middle of the premiere) and not worth the effort. Unless, that is, you love seeing bad people get their faces eaten off, or you really, really miss "Under the Dome."

Loch Ness might not be pure noir, but it’s enjoyable noir light.

The town of Algonquin Bay has secrets. Bad things happen in the long winter darkness, filled with predators, drugs and violence. All this, and Campbell’s outstanding performance, add up to a drama that stands with the best of TV noir.

The characters in Claws initially seem like clichés, including Desna, who is very much the familiar big-busted broad in high heels and hot pants. Before the first hour is over, though, we see them differently.

Twin Peaks doesn't spend significant premiere time in Twin Peaks, and that results in a slow, scattered setup that has barely begun to come together by the end of Episode 2. ... Lynch clearly delivers exactly what he and Frost intended to deliver in the premiere, and will continue to do just that. The question is whether the result will be worth spending 18 hours to puzzle out.

Madoff proves too slippery for clear characterization, even for the combined talents of Levinson and De Niro, and the result is a film that is dull, with bursts of weird.

A sweet little show, low key and more smile-worthy than hilarious.

The series will be a joy both for Anne superfans and for anyone who likes heart-tugging drama.

Victorian Slum House is a remarkable combination of educational, inspirational and entertaining.

Television’s smartest and most uncomfortable look at a marriage.

Life (and death) in Gilead is depicted in painstaking detail by executive producer Reed Morano (“Meadowland”) and director of photography Colin Watkinson (“Emerald City”) and feels eerily real, if sometimes almost excruciatingly slow.

In short, Fargo is back, and it’s brilliant.

Complications, and they are many, ensue.

The short run makes the new incarnation of Prison Break action-packed, with just enough down time for the characters to ponder what’s happening to them.

Shocking and fascinating, Harlots will keep you watching not for the sex and nudity but for the women trying not to sell their souls along with their bodies.

Wainwright’s treatment of the subject is eccentric, shifting from surreal childhood scenes to stifled adult life in the claustrophobic parsonage. The sisters--Finn Atkins as Charlotte, Charlie Murphy as Anne and Chloe Pirre as Emily--are cranky, chilly and generally unlikable. ... The Yorkshire accents are only the start of the problem. Low-talking and a loud music track conspire to make much of the dialogue unintelligible.

The outline of Striking Out is familiar enough that it might sound like an American show, probably airing Thursday nights on ABC. But there is nothing cliched about either the execution or the performances.

Although the premiere is funny, succeeding episodes (two will air each week) hit the same quirk-centric jokes pretty hard.

American Crime is not just important and intelligent but also completely absorbing. It demands our full attention (put down the magazine and ignore Facebook) and in return gives us plenty to think about.

Both Lange and Sarandon are outstanding, so good that it may cross your mind that both should win an Emmy.