TV Reviews

TV Review: 'New Amsterdam'

If you ignore the generic police procedural plots, there are interesting parts to this undead crimefighter I don't know how those investigators on the "Law & Order" and "CSI" franchises do it. Yes, they seem to make the necessarily busts each and every week, but one stray bullet and they're toast. No, the really cool crimefighters this TV season all enjoy the added benefits of immortality. Read more »

TV Review: 'Unhitched'

There's a high level of audacity to this Farrelly-produced comedy, but only in its first five minutes Although most critics will doubtlessly discuss it as a negative, I prefer to see a good side and a bad side to having your main character be nearly raped by a primate fewer than five minutes into your pilot, as occurs in FOX's new comedy "Unhitched." Read more »

TV Review: 'Dirt' Season Two

Show has lightened up, but lost some of its edge The problem for FX's "Dirt," one of them anyway, is that no matter what sort of outrageousness the show's writers can come up with for its fictional tabloid magazine, they just can't top real life these days. Read more »

TV Review: 'Quarterlife'

NBC series is insightful, maddening, just like your 20s NBC's new series "Quarterlife" is alternately insightful and navel-gazing, amusing and maddening, with characters you alternately want to hug and punch in the face. Read more »

TV Review: 'Jericho, Season 2'

Civics and suspense butt heads as 'Jericho' stars its second season Some shows -- think "Law & Order" or "CSI" or "E.R." -- can stay on the air for over a decade without ever varying what they are at their core. CBS' protean drama "Jericho" returns on Tuesday (Feb. 12) night in probably its fourth or fifth different permutation in under 25 episodes. Read more »

TV Review: 'Lipstick Jungle'

Stop us if you've heard this one before So, you've seen "Sex and the City," right? And maybe you took a peek at ABC's "Cashmere Mafia"? Then you probably have a pretty good sense of what you'll be getting with NBC's "Lipstick Jungle." Read more »

TV Review: 'Welcome to the Captain'

You may like a lot of the stars, but laughs are few and far between Despite a tried-and-true formula and a cast of reliable performers, the new CBS comedy "Welcome to the Captain" is a disappointingly flat and laugh-free affair. There's no question that the main situation could yield laughs under different circumstances, but this assortment of characters, who range from one-note to no-note, aren't likely to be embraced by viewers. Read more »

TV Review: 'Lost' Season Four

We can't say much, but we can tell you it's good There's a lot I can't talk about in regard to "Lost," which begins its fourth season at 9 p.m. ET Thursday. Read more »

TV Review: 'Eli Stone'

Sharp characters carry whimsical legal drama It's fitting that the pilot of "Eli Stone" is built around George Michael's song "Faith" (with an appearance by Michael himself). Because this is a show where you have to accept a few things that seem less than rational. Read more »

TV Review: 'In Treatment'

HBO series is all talk, and that turns out to be OK Writing teachers will tell you that one of the keys to a good story is "show, don't tell." Rather than have a character tell you about something he or she did, it's better to have the reader experience it as the character does. Read more »

TV Review: 'Breaking Bad'

AMC has the makings of another provocative show Even after a full season of "Mad Men," it's still a little difficult to get my head around AMC as a destination for quality series. This is, after all, a channel that several years ago sold its classic-movie soul for ad revenue and quickly forgotten stabs at original programming. Read more »

TV REVIEW: 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'

You may miss Linda Hamilton, but Summer Glau is sure to make fans happy Even if the writers strike wasn't in the process of turning the entire television landscape into a diaspora of repeats, retreads and reality, there was already going to be a lot of pressure on FOX's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." Read more »

TV Review: 'The Wire' Season Five

Ending won't be happy, but the show's brilliance remains The problem with praising the new season of "The Wire" is twofold: First, dozens of critics (this one included) went on and on last year, pointing out how it's one of the best, if not the best, drama ever brought to life on television. Not much more to add there. Read more »

TV Review: 'Cashmere Mafia'

Breezy show won't make anyone forget about 'Sex' ABC brings "Cashmere Mafia" into the world on Sunday, beating NBC's "Lipstick Jungle" by a month in the let's-get-the-next-"Sex and the City"-on-the-air race. Read more »

TV Review: 'October Road' Season Two

ABC drama can't seem to get over the ridge "October Road" returns for its second season on ABC Thursday, and not much has changed. Read more »

TV Review: 'Nip/Tuck' Season Five

A change in locale seems to have done the show some good To start, a confession: I am not a die-hard "Nip/Tuck" fan. I keep tabs of the show, and I'll watch maybe half the episodes in a given season. I appreciate its satirical edge and its cynicism, but there usually comes a point every year where the show goes a little too far over the top for my taste, and I have to cool it for a while. Read more »

TV Review: 'Scrubs' Season Seven Premiere

NBC's hospital comedy begins final season on its game "Scrubs" was initially scheduled to return at midseason last year, but various pratfalls on NBC's fall 2006 schedule moved the premiere date up to late fall. Consequently the early episodes of last season felt a little unfinished. Read more »

TV Review: 'Viva Laughlin'

Hugh Jackman's the best part, but don't expect to see much of him Narratively lax, creatively unfocused and in every way inferior to its British source material, "Viva Laughlin" isn't a very good show. But do you know what has been amusing? Watching CBS scramble to promote an unpromotable show. Read more »

TV Review: 'The Price Is Right'

New host Drew Carey seems a little uncomfortable, but the look and games remain intact By the time I first became aware of "The Price Is Right," Bob Barker had already been the show's host for roughly a decade. While I've probably seen highlights from Barker's earlier years, I've certainly never watched unedited versions of his first episodes. Read more »

TV Review: 'Samantha Who?'

Great cast props up a slightly flimsy premise The question with "Samantha Who?" is whether its premise -- amnesia victim tries to piece her life back together -- is sturdy enough to sustain what in success would be several years on the air. Read more »

TV Review: 'Women's Murder Club'

ABC hopes it finally has a winning crime-show formula The joke around the Zap2it office this summer is that we'd be more interested in "Women's Murder Club" if it were about a group of women that committed murders. But that's probably a cable show. Read more »

TV Review: 'Pushing Daisies'

Whimsical and magical, but will that be enough to make anybody watch? In the past 20 years, the American League Rookie of the Year has gone to future superstars including Mark McGwire, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and Ichiro Suzuki. In that same period, other players to win that same award include Pat Listach, Bob Hamelin and Marty Cordova. As we're at the start of both the fall television season and the baseball playoffs, I use this analogy to make a simple point: Sometimes a great start is an indication of a legendary career, but other times it's better to quit while you're ahead. Read more »

TV Review: 'Carpoolers'

Off-kilter comedy has its moments but is too disjointed Confession time: I laughed a few times during the second episode of "Carpoolers," one of two new ABC comedies premiering Tuesday night. Having seen the pilot earlier this summer, I wasn't expecting that. Read more »

TV Review: 'Aliens in America'

Irreverence/borderline offensiveness offer a passport to comedy The CW's "Aliens in America" is a perfect example of how a sitcom should work. Take a simple premise -- a typical small-town Wisconsin family takes in a Pakistani Muslim exchange student -- and draw on human nature, good writing, competent actors and a healthy dose of irreverence/borderline offensiveness to create a passport to comedy. Read more »

TV Review: 'Moonlight'

With a reworked cast, reworked creative team and reworked plot, how can 'Moonlight' still need so much work? A creative overhaul in the pilot phase need not be damning for a new TV series. Sometimes you get a show like "Brothers & Sisters," which started off rough, but came out of its troubled genesis as a stronger finished product. More often, though, I suspect you get something like "Moonlight." Read more »

TV Review: 'Big Shots'

Four guys behaving cartoonishly on ABC In the premiere episode of "Big Shots," the rakish character played by Dylan McDermott utters the following line: "Men -- we're the new women." Read more »

TV Review: 'Life'

Damian Lewis is a good reason to watch, but not if he can't stop obsessing about fruit While almost comically rocky at times, "Life" is the only new NBC drama to become more encouraging after watching multiple episodes. Read more »

TV Review: 'Dirty Sexy Money'

Peter Krause keeps ABC soap on the right side of camp Peter Krause does exasperated exceptionally well, and he gets to do it a lot in ABC's crackling new soap "Dirty Sexy Money." Read more »

TV Review: 'Private Practice'

'Grey's Anatomy' spinoff needs to grow up Just about everything that's wrong with "Private Practice" is encapsulated in a scene a few minutes into Wednesday's (Sept. 26) premiere. Read more »

TV Review: 'Bionic Woman'

NBC's remake has promise but needs some more modification In Michelle Ryan, NBC has found a potential breakout star for its new series "Bionic Woman." The show also gets a great villainous turn from "Battlestar Galactica's" Katee Sackhoff. Read more »

TV Review: 'Bones' Season Three Premiere

As intriguing as it is comfortable Getting left at the altar is no big deal if you're not the one who expected to get married that day ... right? Read more »

TV Review: 'Cane'

Yes, you've seen these soapy intrigue before, but not with Jimmy Smits in the lead Although the first episode of CBS' "Cane" trowels on the South Florida atmosphere by the mojito-soaked bucketload, don't be fooled into thinking the series offers anything particularly new. "Cane" takes a pinch of "King Lear," a dash of "The Godfather," a pinch of "Skin," a dollop of "South Beach" and serves over crushed mint leaves and ice. Read more »

TV Review: 'House' Fourth Season Premiere

Can the medical drama work without Chase, Cameron and Foreman? Yes. There has long been debate in the "House" fan community over the importance of the cottages (condos?) to the overall success of the show, whether Hugh Laurie has ever actually needed Jennifer Morrison, Omar Epps and Jesse Spencer or whether those supporting players will just complimentary pieces. Read more »

TV Review: 'Reaper'

One of the fall's best shows is -- surprise -- on The CW The CW didn't exactly shock the world in its first year on the air. It introduced a grand total of two scripted series last fall; one ("Runaway") was gone inside of a month, and the other, "The Game," enjoyed an un-buzzed-about run as part of the network's Monday comedy block (it at least did well enough to return this season). Read more »

TV Review: 'Journeyman'

Kevin McKidd's compelling performance is reason enough to watch Time-travel stories seem to pop up every few years on network television, with the latest entry in that line being NBC's "Journeyman". Within that familiar frame, though, the show manages to do something a little bit different. Read more »

TV Review: 'The Big Bang Theory'

It's a scripted, less funny version of 'Beauty and the Geek' There is a difference between smart writing and writing for smart characters. I tried posing this question to "The Big Bang Theory" co-creator Chuck Lorre at the Television Critics Association press tour back in July. He agreed with the basic premise, but couldn't explain how the writing would be different. Read more »

TV Review: 'Chuck'

NBC's comedic spy thriller just wants to have fun It's Monday night. Your weekend is over, and you're staring at a good 96 hours before you have another waking moment to yourself. How to break the monotony? Read more »

TV Review: 'Family Guy: The Star Wars Episode'

George Lucas' classic yields one of the funnier 'Family Guy' episodes yet When it was announced that "Family Guy" had been given permission to do a "Star Wars" parody for its season premiere, I had a pretty good idea of how the episode would go. Read more »

TV Review: 'The War'

Ken Burns' WWII film is both epic and personal Ken Burns has built his considerable reputation as a teller of uniquely American stories. World War II is not such a story -- if ever there were a global event in the past century, that was it. Read more »

TV Review: 'How I Met Your Mother' Season Three Premiere

Mandy Moore and Enrique Iglesias help the CBS comedy return in style ...Dary. Read more »

TV Review: 'Kitchen Nightmares'

Gordon Ramsay swears at people and they appreciate it One of the most commonly heard complaints about Chef Gordon Ramsay's summer reality hit "Hell's Kitchen" is that the entire show is just an elaborately staged set-up for the host to verbally abuse the contestants. Of course, one of the most commonly heard compliments for "Hell's Kitchen" is that the entire show is just an excuse for Chef Ramsay to rant and rave about less gifted chefs. People who have experienced both reactions may be pleased with Ramsay's new FOX series, "Kitchen Nightmares." Read more »

TV Review: 'Gossip Girl' : Book vs. Show

OMG! The bestselling teen series goes to the small screen With "Gossip Girl's" rampant depiction of teen drinking, sex and drug use, The CW's latest drama will certainly draw the ire of anyone concerned with the lax morality on television today. Read more »

TV Review: 'Back to You'

So far, FOX's new comedy isn't up to the level of stars Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton Last fall, FOX tried two different approaches with their comedy series. On one hand, they went with "Happy Hour," a cheap looking, poorly written mess of a series that featured a group of actors who were and remain relatively unknown. On the other, they went with "'Til Death," a poorly written dud of a series that featured a group of brand name actors. "Happy Hour" showed no signs of life and was immediately cancelled. "'Til Death" showed the most moderate signs of creative life and was gifted with the plum time slot after "American Idol," becoming one of TV's most suspect hits. The lesson apparently learned by FOX? Bank on big names and hope the show grows into their talent. Read more »

TV Review: 'K-Ville'

It's an uncomfortable gumbo in which the authenticity is simmered right along with the cop drama cliches During Mike Darnell's long run as FOX unscripted guru, the network has aired at least a dozen shows that were difficult to evaluate because merely thinking about them made you feel so dirty that qualitative evaluations became impossible. Read more »

TV Review: 'Nashville'

More for fans of 'Laguna Beach' and 'The Hills' than fans of country music In 1975, Robert Altman's "Nashville" used Music City as a backdrop for a multi-layered ensemble about country music, politics, Vietnam and the state of the American Dream in the Bicentennial. Read more »

TV Review: 'Tell Me You Love Me'

HBO's new series has lots of sex, but it's not about that We'll get to the sex in a minute. But if you're watching "Tell Me You Love Me" for the sex, you're not watching the right show. Read more »

TV Review: 'Anchorwoman'

Professional ineptitude can be funny, but this show is just blah Figuring the audience's enthusiasm for behind-the-scenes newsroom hijinx is limitless, FOX is using the unscripted summer show "Anchorwoman" as a logical appetizer for the fall scripted comedy "Back to You." Read more »

TV Review: 'Weeds' Season Three

Things just keep getting darker for Nancy Botwin and her drug-dealing friends and family Although those silly Emmy voters may not have recognized it, Showtime's Weeds is certainly one of TV's five best comedies and it's good to have the show returning on Monday (Aug. 13) night. Read more »

TV Review: 'Damages'

FX reinvigorates the legal thriller The serialized thriller has taken a beating on television over the past year. The 2006-07 season is littered with the corpses of a number of new plot-driven serials, and even the granddaddy of all pulse-pounders, "24," went off its game. Read more »

TV Review: 'Mad Men'

Stylish AMC series sells its era well AMC is a head-scratcher of a cable channel. The network formerly known as American Movie Classics has sort of abandoned the "classics" part -- it issued a press release last week touting a marathon of Chevy Chase movies -- and edits the ones it does show, like any commercial network. Read more »

TV Review: 'The Bronx Is Burning'

The baseball works, but the history is pushed to the background The 1977 New York Yankees were more than a baseball team -- they were a phenomenon, the pinstriped personification of their flamboyant owner and one of the most tumultuous summers in Gotham's history. Read more »

TV Review: 'Burn Notice'

Sharp, stylish and silly show is a summertime success USA's latest original series "Burn Notice" is what the summer TV season should be all about. Neither programming burn off nor a guilty pleasure, the dramedy revolving around a secret agent who's abruptly cut off without resources is sharp, stylish and just a little bit silly. Read more »