Michael Starr

The cast gels nicely, and “The Moodys” was obviously shot in a real neighborhood (and not a studio back lot), which lends an air of reality to the situation, however contrived it might be. Those situations, though, are kept to a minimum, and this is one TV family in which you won’t mind investing six hours of your time.

“68 Whiskey” won’t make anyone forget “M*A*S*H” — or even “Catch-22,” for that matter — but it tries hard to provide at least a taste of what life is like in a modern-day war zone fraught with lurking danger and, at times, death.

“Bless the Harts” doesn’t reinvent the animation genre, but it’s a nice addition to Fox’s ’toon-heavy Sunday-night lineup.

The episodes, around 23 minutes apiece, fly by rather quickly. So that’s a plus. Overall, though, there’s nothing too memorable about “This Way Up.” It’s a pleasant diversion if you’re looking for something to binge quickly but, like a summer rain shower, it will be here and gone before you know it.

There are a few extraneous plot points that could have been avoided — no spoilers — but overall this cast seems to be having a nice time reconnecting with each other, both in their real-life and their mockumentary personas.

Intermittently murky. ... All in all, though, “Pennyworth” does the job. As the titular character, Bannon (“Medici,” “Endeavour”) is roguish and charming; his British accent reminds me of the GEICO gekko from those classic TV ads, while Corrin et al. provide solid support.

“Pearson” lacks the humor, quirkiness and cast chemistry of “Suits” embodied by mudding, cat-loving attorney Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman). It’s a solid, by-the-numbers drama that checks off all the usual boxes but doesn’t offer much that’s new, other than some nice location photography.

[Bless This Mess] doesn’t embarrass itself here but also doesn’t do much to push the sitcom needle in a new direction.

Kudos to Gervais for trying something contextually different from his past TV work, but all the pieces don’t quite fit together in this puzzle.

Noth, who’s always reliable, is fine here, but doesn’t have much to do other than set up each storyline and then bark lots of orders at everyone. Rambin is solid but we need to see more of her sad back story; there are allusions to this in the first two episodes, so the show’s writers will, hopefully, add some context to her tragic past before “Gone” is gone altogether.

Nightflyers lacks [Alien's] sci-fi/horror gravitas; it’s murky at best, both in its storyline and its character development, and grinds along at a snail’s pace trying to construct its elaborate scenario. It does boast terrific special effects and an abundance of blood and gore, both of which are used generously.

If your personal tastes run to off-kilter comedy, then this weird, atmospheric spy caper, back for Season 2 on Amazon, is right up your alley: think of a series mixing the offbeat sensibilities of the Coen Brothers with the quirky darkness of David Lynch.

The first two episodes are so convoluted, long-winded and expository that the dramatic payoffs, when they finally do arrive, seem anti-climactic.

Fillion fans will be happy to see their hero back on the tube; for everyone else, The Rookie has a “been there, done that” feel.

Consider FBI an hour of TV comfort food. It will keep you satisfied until the next episode, without any binge-worthy cravings for Peregrym, Sisto et al. in-between.

New Amsterdam will satisfy fans of the genre. It’s somewhat predictable, with a moderate dose of prime-time soapiness. But with Eggold’s strong performance and an interesting supporting cast, this show could be the right prescription to attract a following.

Hagerty and Ingram do, at times, veer toward predictability but it doesn’t impede the series overall feel (and, let’s face it, this is a series that needs viewers to be emotionally invested in its characters.) Willimon’s writing, pacing and sense of place, so evident in “House of Cards” (particularly in Seasons 1 and 2) resonates here.

The narrative bulk of the series is relayed through Joe’s internal monologues (another stalker trope) but I will says this: the series, while at turns cheesy and predictable, is also watchable.

Disenchantment was billed as “an adult animated comedy fantasy series” but misses its mark, since it’s neither “adult” nor is there much comedy. The 10-episode series will appeal more to a preteen sensibility than to anyone over 14 and it’s got plenty of, well, cartoonish violence a la “Itchy and Scratchy” from “The Simpsons.” What it doesn’t have is the charm or wit of that series--either in its storyline or its characters--and mostly plods along with only the occasional throwaway line eliciting a smile.

The pacing is brisk (there’s tension-building soundtrack music that sounds a lot like a Muzak version of Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up”) and the cutaway segments with Poehler and Offerman are used to full advantage. ... Making It should strike a chord for viewers who love to work with their hands--or wish they possessed that talent.

Overall, the premiere episode tries too hard to hit too many topical targets in its 22 minutes. It’s all over the map, failing to distinguish itself from other by-the-numbers sitcoms in recent years.

You will struggle to care. ... The largely unknown cast is fine, but they’re working with such bland material that it’s hard to work up much enthusiasm.

The pace is brisk, the gang’s all (eventually) here and there’s a lot coming down the pike--so settle in for the ride.

[Hit the Road] seems compelled to revel in sophomoric toilet humor and sex jokes. ... Hit the Road does hit some high notes with clever writing and a few laugh-out-loud moments--abetted by good chemistry between Alexander and Amy Pietz as Ken’s wife, Margie “Meg” Swallow.

The Mayor needs more depth to take it beyond the standard sitcom formula.

The new series SEAL Team typifies the CBS procedural: by-the-numbers, safe and predictable enough to satisfy even the most casual viewer. That’s not to say that the military drama, starring David Boreanaz (late of “Bones”), doesn’t have its plusses. It does, in that meat-and-potatoes, formulaic kind of way that neither surprises or disappoints.

It’s got top-notch special effects and terrific makeup (for its space-alien characters). But it just doesn’t quite gel. At least not yet, anyway.

The elements that made Narcos so compelling in its first two seasons are all here: the familiar opening credits and music, lush cinematography and plenty of suspense as we get to know some of the new characters. Pascal stays true to form as the laconic Javy.