Hal Boedeker

The print ads for The Commish go: "Loves pasta. Sings opera. Nails scum. . . . A police commissioner you gotta love." Viewer, you don't gotta at all. The Commish and ABC should go nail themselves. [28 Sept 1991]

The cornball Walker, Texas Ranger looks like a parody early on; it has the strangest camera angles since Batman. Soon enough, it's clear this is just another violent show filled with cartoonish villains, helpless victims and a taciturn martial arts hero who lets his hands do the talking. The low point comes when a rapist ogles his victim a second time and confides to pals, "Just chalk it up to hormones." [21 Apr 1993, p.E7]

Party of Five is easily Fox's best new series this season...The young actors, especially Wolf, give heartfelt performances, and when they talk about their departed parents, the pain comes through. There are some Fox touches -- the knockout new nanny, for one -- but Party of Five is far from being a life-without-parents fantasy. [12 Sept 1994, p.C1]

Wonderland, which debuts at 10 on WFTV-Channel 9, should carry a warning: It's a tough, tough show...When Wonderland slows down, it can be quite effective. The National Mental Health Association complains that the series distorts the mentally ill, but the portrayals are wide-ranging.

You have to hope the show is therapeutic for Titus, because it has little entertainment value. [19 March 2000, p.F1]

Making the Band proves highly watchable. This story of a bubblegum band gives you something to chew on. [24 March 2000]

Considering what's at stake, the show could use more edge. It settles instead for sweetness. [9 March 2000, p.E1]

The Beat needs more reinforcements because the main characters aren't strong enough to carry a show. Andre Braugher had more help on Homicide.

Daddio and Battery Park are wisps of shows, so slight and feeble that they're not ready for prime time. They're not ready for anything, really. Lumping them with Friends and Frasier only makes them look punier.

Daddio and Battery Park are wisps of shows, so slight and feeble that they're not ready for prime time. They're not ready for anything, really. Lumping them with Friends and Frasier only makes them look punier.

You would do better to go out Saturday night than settle for this sappy supernatural thriller. [5 Feb 2000, p.E1]

City of Angels, a good but uneven show, crackles when depicting romance or behind-the-scenes intrigue. But in addressing race, the show can turn preachy, earnest and trite. [16 Jan 2000, p.F1]

Cop Rock is neither a realistic police drama nor a convincing musical. It's an experiment that's rarely arresting. [26 Sep 1990, p.D1]

I like this show, but am not bowled over by it, and I couldn't imagine racing home each week to see it. Kellie Martin had more compelling adventures on "Life Goes On". As for oft-invoked comparisons to "Catcher in the Rye", forget it. [25 Aug 1994, p.G1]

Tasteless Tucker tuckered me out. [1 Oct 2000]

It's pleasant and low-key but also slight and forgettable.

ABC takes television to lower depths with That Was Then, which starts in a dreadful spot and keeps doing variations on it...This annoying show will push you out of the house to enjoy Friday nights.

Like Whoopi, Luis just barrels along on coarse writing and over-the-top performances. This obnoxious show is the salmon doughnut of sitcoms. [19 Sept 2003, p.E1]

The horrible Hawaii suggests that crimefighting has degenerated to idiotic levels since "Hawaii Five-O" and "Magnum, P.I." The new protectors of paradise work in such stupefying ways that you want to shout at the screen, "Book 'em, Danno!"

It's laudable that the show goes without a laugh track and studio audience. Going without appealing characters, however, is foolhardy.

Swift pacing energizes the movie, and Schulman writes compelling scenes for the large cast. Many actors, who have only one scene to make an impression, meet the challenge splendidly. [11 Sept 1993, p.G1]

Given the gamut of Lois' emotions, it's no wonder Teri Hatcher can't get a handle on her character. For his part, the handsome but wooden Dean Cain won't make anyone forget Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel -- not even the scene in which the hunky former pro football player wears only a towel. He's just So-So-Man. [12 Sept 1993, p.1]

No matter how The Tick fares, Warburton is giving a show-stopping, larger-than-life performance that should send his career zooming. Stand back and watch him go for as long as he can.

The Flash is one of the most pleasant surprises of the fall season. It's one of CBS' best new shows, and it is spectacular- looking. [20 Sept 1990, p.G1]

It's an intriguing but emotionally sterile show, with flashy effects and flimsy characters.

For a show about witches, Sabrina could use more tricks. The star's mother, Paula Hart, serves as an executive producer, yet Sabrina often looks less like a labor of love than run-of-the-mill kids' show. [27 Sept 1996, p.E1]

The superficial Birds of Prey illustrates the drawbacks to splitting chores three ways. The hair, however, is magnificent.

There needs to be some inducement to watch this empty exercise in style, and more than $1 million isn't enough. [17 Sept 2002, p.E1]