Diane Garrett

Ferguson's voiceover hits the holiday season sweet spot: Just sentimental enough. Frankly decorous sex scenes and brutal conditions for men and women help save The Red Tent from becoming overly cloying. It's got just enough red blood pulsing through it to avoid that.

Finding the proper balance for dramedy isn't easy and Girlfriends’ Guide fails miserably at that task.

The writing does no one any favors, failing even to make the most of Alfre Woodard as president.

There have been an awful lot of movies and shows about lost children, but The Missing elevates the familiar dynamic to a new level with a gut wrenching mystery. By the end of the first episode, you really want to know what happened to the tyke while dreading where the answer might take you.

The production is exceedingly well put together and boasts a fine cast that also includes Ann Dowd (pivotal figure in HBO's melancholy post-Rapture series “The Leftovers”) and “Breaking Bad” co-star Jesse Plemons. McDormand is nothing less than extraordinary in the title role.

After an exceedingly violent first episode, it eases up a notch, and the show is better for it.

The “Rashomon”-style storytelling elevates the series from being just another conventional story about a middle-aged affair. But, that can't completely make up for overwrought moments in the opening episode.... But the biggest problem for The Affair is that neither Noah nor Alison is particularly appealing.

Tambor anchors the show with his sad eyes, but Landecker, Duplass and Hoffmann also turn in strong performances as the addled children.... Episodes might break your heart, but you'll keep coming back for more.

[Davis'] performance is riveting; you can't take your eyes off this powerful creature when she's on the screen. Alas, the students aren't nearly as compelling.... When the action shifts to them, the drama suffers.

Alas, some of the dialogue is extremely problematic, and the jokes tired.... but the action keeps moving, and there are enough glimmers of freshness to keep the show entertaining and warrant another viewing.