The show has achieved incredible success throughout its five seasons, with accolades including Shorty, TV Guide Magazine, People’s Choice and Emmy nominations and awards. It continues to receive high ratings, consistently defeating competing crime dramas such as beating “Hawaii Five-0” by about 2.8 million viewers last week.

The show’s delayed episode, “Still,” features one of the protagonists, detective Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic, standing on a pressure-sensitive bomb as her team searches for a way to disarm it. After the events at the Boston Marathon a week ago, ABC decided to postpone this episode, forcing the “Castle” team to swap it with another.

While this will mix up the season’s chronology, the cast was completely supportive of the decision. Katic addressed the swap via Twitter, saying the choice was made out of respect for those affected by the tragedy.

Katic’s tweet resembles the classiness that “Castle” aspires for. The show has a reputation for being tastefully clever. Each crime scenario is entertainingly original, and the character dynamics are satisfyingly sassy.

“Castle” revolves around the experiences of Beckett and her trusty sidekick Richard Castle, a famous mystery novelist who helps solve crimes while delivering quick-witted puns. In one episode, Castle nicknames his relationship with Beckett “Caskett,” the way celebrity couples are often categorized with a combination of names.

While the plot of each episode is typically independent from the previous one, the series follows a character-based chronology that centers on Beckett and Castle’s roller coaster relationship. At first, Beckett hates the idea of Castle following her around, fearing he will slow her down. But, she soon realizes that he is far more useful than he lets on. Castle’s ability to think like a criminal and generate specific details helps her solve many cases.

The climactic moment of Castle and Beckett’s relationship comes at the end of season four when the two overcome their stubbornness and proclaim their love for each other.

Although this highly anticipated moment triggered a nationwide “Castle”-loving celebration, it could have been the moment where the show jumped the shark. People tend to lose interest after a show’s two main protagonists get together—take “The Nanny,” “Smallville” and “Kyle XY,” for example — and I was afraid this is what would happen to the detective-cop duo.

On the contrary, the pair is still going strong. “Castle” has almost completed its fifth season and was renewed for a sixth. It’s great news for Castle and Beckett, and a great reason to binge-watch the series this summer.

But despite making leaps toward breaking down traditional family boundaries, the show has received criticism from the LGBT community for portraying Cameron and Mitchell’s relationship as unaffectionate. Fans even created a Facebook campaign to demand a kiss between the two, and the show had to have a special episode — appropriately titled “The Kiss” — to feature the couple kissing. In the background.

So where can we find a show that explores a modern family and portrays these families a bit more realistically, PDA and all? Enter The New Normal.

“The New Normal” is an NBC sitcom that airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. It centers on Bryan and David, a gay couple living in Los Angeles, and the daily struggles they face with each other and the people around them.

Much of this first season deals with the couple’s desire and preparation for having a baby: asking their good friend Goldie to be the surrogate, shopping for and naming the baby, etc. There are plenty of hilarious hiccups along the way that lead up to the season finale, when Goldie goes into labor during Bryan and David’s elaborate and well-planned wedding ceremony.

The show is without a doubt an in-your-face series with a bit of edginess that refuses to wait for society to make up its mind about homosexuality. Creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy claims his show “stands on the shoulders” of “Will & Grace,” the same-sex marriage-equality trailblazer.

It is clear that “The New Normal” pushes much further into normalizing homosexuality. Rather than acting outrageously flamboyant (Jack from “Will & Grace”), the men in this new show are secure in their homosexuality without having to flaunt it. Sure, there is plenty of kissing, holding and cuddling, but nothing more than what you would see between a heterosexual television couple.

What’s great about this show is that it blends quick-witted humor with important political and human-rights issues, protesting hot topics such as the Defense of Marriage Act. It also adds some unexpected sentimental moments, such as the tear-jerking scene when Bryan and David have an epiphany about naming their baby.

Despite its sophistication, “The New Normal” seems to have gone under the radar thus far, receiving mixed reviews that claim the show wants what “Modern Family” has. But it’s clear that the show has great potential. In order to get these numbers up, the writers may have to sacrifice their demand to express their political and human rights viewpoints for more humor and entertainment.

Keep an eye on this show. While laughing away at the cutting jokes, you may be surprised at how much you can learn in one episode.

Now add to the list ABC’s brand-new mob show, “Red Widow.”

The show has it all — stay-at-home moms turned drug-pushers, a Russian mob family, impromptu shootings and more. So why is it that the new show received premiere ratings that equaled those of “Zero Hour”?

“Red Widow” is a suspenseful mob-drama that follows the life of California housewife Marta Walraven. Marta is forced into an immediate transformation after she has no choice but to take over her recently murdered husband’s drug trafficking business.

The past four episodes focus on Marta’s struggle to balance her duties as a mom with managing the business. Within the course of a few weeks, Marta has begun to understand what being “in the game” truly means, especially when she witnesses her employee’s shooting.

Various critics argue that while “Red Widow” is good in theory — it has family drama on top of all of the mob drama — in reality, it has too much going on. The show threw a lot of information at us all at once and without much warning.

Within the pilot, we learn Marta’s husband, Evan, is involved in the drug dealing business, the entire family is involved with the Russian mob and Evan is in serious trouble after his partner stole cocaine from his biggest rival, Nicolae Schiller.

In addition, Evan’s murder – which might have been the most suspenseful part of the pilot – was done so quickly, viewers barely had time to register what happened.

Los Angeles Times television critic Mary McNamara argues the show tries too hard to balance Marta’s innocence with the fact that being in the mob is in her blood. Viewers are having a hard time sympathizing with Marta because she is not yet having much trouble adjusting to the life of a mobster.

Perhaps if there was more dialogue centering on Marta’s hesitancy to be a part of the drug circle, we would become more invested in Marta’s cause, and care enough to traverse this journey with her.

Hey, not all mob shows have the same potential as “The Sopranos,” but why not give it a chance? Save this show from getting the ax and check it out.

For instance, we’ve all heard of Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon from “Sex and the City,” and Eric McCormack and Debra Messing from “Will and Grace.”

But does the name Michael Patrick King ring a bell?

The executive producer of “Sex and the City” and writer for “Will and Grace,” King helped create these shows’ reputations for being quick-witted and hilariously sassy. Fortunately for viewers, King has teamed with comedian and actress Whitney Cummings to create the sitcom, “2 Broke Girls.”

“2 Broke Girls” is a relatively new show that follows the daily adventures of Max and Caroline, who are — you guessed it — two broke girls. The sitcom is filmed at Warner Bros. Studios, but is owned by CBS. The network successfully defeated others in a nasty bidding war for the highly demanded show.

It has done extremely well for CBS in its first one and a half seasons, as the show ranks in the top 15 among viewers ages 18-49 — the key demographic for advertisers — and within the top 25 for total number of viewers. “2 Broke Girls”has also received support from various big-spending sponsors including AT&T, Verizon, Apple, Toyota, Time Warner and Target.

Max, played by Kat Dennings (the emo girl in “The HouseBunny”) comes from a poor, working-class family. Caroline (Beth Behrs) was born rich but is now broke after her father got caught operating a Bernard Madoff-esque scheme. The two are pushed together by fate. They end up working in the same restaurant and become roommates and best friends.

Max and Caroline’s vastly different upbringings are the subject of much sarcastic and witty banter between the two. Although Max makes countless cuts about Caroline’s old life, she also realizes there is more to Caroline than trust funds and designer clothing. Caroline is able to look past Max’s tough exterior and discover her inner sweetness, especially her aptitude for baking incredible cupcakes.

The two plan to raise enough money to open a cupcake shop. They soon realize, however, that paying outstanding bills, saving money and maintaining healthy friendships and romances at the same time is extremely difficult.

Broadcast in more than 35 countries, “2 Broke Girls”has been nominated for eight awards, and has won both an Emmy and People’s Choice award.

Despite these accomplishments, the show has received mixed reviews, ranging from incredible appraisal to outright hatred. Those who applaud the show appreciate the acting and character chemistry. Other critics, such as Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker and Glenn Garvin of The Miami Herald, argue the show is absurdly offensive and profits from uncomfortable racist and sexual jokes.

Still, one could argue this show is no raunchier than “Two and a HalfMen.” It’s a viewer judgment call. And since “2 Broke Girls” is only in its second season, Spring Break provides a perfect opportunity to get caught up and decide which side you’re on.

Exactly what you were looking for, right? At least that’s what the executives at ABC must have thought when they decided to premiere a history and science fiction drama on one of the most romantic days of the year.

ABC’s new history, sci-fi drama “Zero Hour” did not rack up the numbers it was expecting. The premiere earned 6.3 million viewers, ABC’s lowest-rated in-season premiere for a scripted show ever. And it wasn’t just because it premiered on Valentine’s Day.

The premiere’s trailer advertised “Zero Hour”as a mix between “The Da Vinci Code,” “LOST” and the “National Treasure”movies. But at the end of 60 minutes, viewers were left in a sense of frustration and utter confusion. People expected more from “Prison Break”creator Paul Scheuring.

“Zero Hour” revolves around the life of Modern Skeptic Magazine editor Hank Galliston — played by “ER”star Anthony Edwards — and the journey he must take to find his kidnapped wife, Laila. His wife’s captor is after one thing and one thing only: a strange diamond inside the antique clock Laila bought before her disappearance. Viewers learn these diamonds are connected to both achieving and controlling eternal life. Thus, it is clear that in the process of finding his wife, Hank will also be finding the diamonds and uncovering the truth of their power.

Yes, this mix of history, religion and science fiction allows for an intriguing plotline, but the problem is that the writers were all over the place with the show’s premise.

First, “Zero Hour”appears to be about a husband trying to find his kidnapped wife. However, the show ends with a clockmaker telling Hank’s employees about the connection between the 12 new apostles, the Nazi regime and eternal life. While this conversation is taking place, shots of a demonic baby with translucent eyeballs fill the screen.

If you are lost at this point, don’t worry, because I was, too.

Perhaps the writers intended for the pilot of “Zero Hour” to create a mix of confusion and fascination. But in using this strategy, the writers also run the risk of frustrating viewers to the point where they do not care enough to continue.

In addition to jumping around while uncovering the plotline, the pilot also exhibited logical problems. If Hank is the editor of a pretty successful magazine, where is the rest of his staff? Does he only have two employees? What will happen to the magazine now that Hank is making impromptu trips across the world in search of his wife?

Additionally, I hope more character development takes place in upcoming episodes, because the lack of human emotion was truly cringe-worthy. Why does Hank display almost no emotion when he finds out his wife has been kidnapped? A few sniffles, a brief embrace with an employee and that’s it. This is either a result of poor acting or extremely dull writing. Whatever the case may be, the cast and crew of “Zero Hour” need to get their act together.

Who knows, maybe once the writers figure out in which direction they want to take the plot, “Zero Hour”will be able to survive and compete against the plethora of already established and successful dramas. After all, that’s what happened with Mike Kelley’s “Revenge.”

Despite its People’s Choice Award nomination for Favorite New TV Drama, and the fact that powerhouse writer and director J.J. Abrams produces it, “Revolution” does not seem to have reached the masses to the same extent as many other new shows have.

I’m just going to go ahead and blame this on the advertising team. Other than a few commercials in the weeks leading up to its premiere, there was really no push for publicity.

The teaser on the Internet Movie Data Base website reads: “We still don’t know why the power went out. But we’re hopeful someone will come and light the way.”

This teaser becomes clear when, at the start of the pilot episode, we are immediately thrown into a post-electricity world and introduced to the Mathesons, the show’s central family, and we soon find out that it’s not all fun and games in this society. The Monroe Militia (a dictatorial regime) now runs the country with an iron fist. Additionally, we discover that Ben, the Matheson patriarch, is keeping an extremely important secret.

Conflict immediately arises when Monroe militiamen show up to capture Ben and fight against the entire neighborhood that is trying to protect him. In the end, Ben is shot through the heart with an arrow and the militiamen take his son, Danny, hostage. Ben stays alive just long enough to give his trusted friend Aaron a curious pendant and instruct his daughter Charlie to find her Uncle Miles in Chicago to help her get Danny back. So, off Charlie goes, accompanied by Aaron and Ben’s girlfriend, en route to Chicago for Uncle Miles and Philadelphia for Danny.

Each episode presents a new and dangerous task or obstacle Charlie and the gang must overcome so they can continue with their journey. These challenges provide insight into each character’s strengths, fears and morals, and test how far they will go to survive.

The enemies they encounter and the obstacles they face in each episode are extremely unpredictable and so full of suspense that you may find yourself rubbing your eyes during commercials from staring at the screen for too long.

The most distinct and important aspect of “Revolution” is its flashbacks. Every flashback helps put into perspective what life was like for the characters pre-blackout. Aaron, for example, was a former Google Inc. executive and multibillionaire – we get to see the character contrast of confident and successful pre-blackout Aaron versus sweaty and mostly unhelpful post-blackout Aaron.

The flashbacks also reveal important details regarding the relationships between characters. We find out in the middle of the pilot episode Miles is, in fact, the best friend of Sebastian Monroe, the Monroe General, and was a founding father of the Monroe Republic.

In addition to providing character and relationship insight, the flashbacks also help viewers learn more about the over-arching plot question: How did the lights go out in the first place? We soon learn that Ben’s pendent is much more important than he originally reveals. If the Monroe Militia discovers what it can do and learns how to harness its power, its enemies better watch out.

But enough show promotion — the advertising team should pay me for doing their job.

To sum it up, check out “Revolution”if you want a show that will make you clasp your hands and say “Wow” while the credits roll down the screen. Who knows? Maybe “Revolution” will become more popular than “Homeland” and “Girls” this year, and you can rave to all of your friends that you were the one who discovered it first.

Things We Said Today

Let’s be honest with each other, we were expecting this return-from-break “Grey’s Anatomy”episode to be one for the history books. Ferry explosions, plane crashes and even icicles through the chest were used, but a motorcycle accident caused by a minivan? How surprisingly uncreative! No, this past Thursday wasn’t about the shock factor, it wasn’t about the gore, it wasn’t even about the hard-to-pronounce medical phenomenon that just so happens to occur all the time at Seattle Grace. Hemangioblastomas, anyone? Instead, the episode centered on relationships, and some pretty heavy stuff, might I add.

The writers did a spectacular job pairing off every single character before reaching the mid-season break. It makes sense that they did this, since most real-world hospitals have just the right ratio of attractive men to women and just the right amount of sexual tension to steer soul mates toward each other. But it seems like these setups were meant to serve a greater purpose this week. Each relationship was put to the test, their squirmy situations held under the microscope to see if they would pull through or completely tank.

April and Jackson’s flirtatious-turned-true love situation came to an abrupt halt when the two decided separation was a must. In an effort to prevent the seemingly unavoidable chemistry between the two, the lovebirds used their innocent interns, Shane and Stephanie, as physical and emotional buffers. The problem was, April was just using Shane, as we find out she’s not interested in him despite giving the poor guy obvious signals. Meanwhile, Jackson’s feelings for Stephanie became more intense than he could handle. The two were going at it in the back of Jackson’s car instead of attending Bailey’s wedding party (rude). Sucks to suck, April. You should have married Jackson when you had the chance.

Pull-throughs: zero. Break-ups: one.

While Jackson and April are trying to break apart, Callie and Arizona are trying to put the pieces back together. It seems like they’re heading in the right direction. This is the first time in months Arizona feels comfortable being intimate with Callie. Despite the slight hiccup when Arizona is too ashamed of her prosthetic leg to have sex with Callie, Callie shrugs her shoulders and settles for a good old-fashioned junior high make-out session. It looks like they’re going to make it, folks. This was actually a pretty powerful scene with some interesting Callie character development. Despite telling Bailey to run in the previous episode, Callie chooses to remain with Arizona. This proves that Callie’s moral fiber is still intact. I really thought she was going to heed her own advice and leave Arizona. Good thing I was wrong. Looks like Callie truly is a good wife after all.

So the score is now tied: one breakup and one pull-through. Let’s see how the others settle the score.

Meredith and Derek are still going strong. Karev and his new foster-care buddy, Jo, seem to be developing some sort of twisted yet oddly cute relationship. Bailey and Ben were on the rocks at the beginning of the episode but pull through and get married. Chief Webber’s wife passes away (a scene that should have been more depressing than it was).

And then there’s Christina and Owen, who end up signing the divorce papers, yet start kissing as soon as they put the pen down. What was the logic of having the two kiss after signing the papers? The writers made excellent use of the bikers when one of them told Owen he was a “cager” and stuck in a metal box. This conversation was absolutely necessary because it finally convinced Owen he needed to separate himself from his marriage. By having the new divorcees kiss after signing the papers, the writers do not accomplish what they set out to do: sever the ties completely. Instead of a clean break, there is now only confusion that will need to be cleared up next Thursday.

After a final count, it looks like the pull-throughs win. It was a smart move on the writers’ part; there was just the right amount of optimism to go with the heartbreak. Now that there’s enough relationship drama to last the rest of the season, let’s hope next week our Grey’swriters get back to a ratio of relationship-to-medical drama we’re used to. Save that over-the-top relationship drama for “Married to Jonas.”

Holiday ads flooded in as early as the start of November. Malls finally pulled all of their “Now That’s What I Call Music 23” CDs in favor of playing nonstop Christmas jingles. And ABC Family, because it just could not wait, had a countdown to its annual 25 Days of Christmas programming schedule.

Yes, that means 13 extra days of early festive fodder. But we don’t have time for 38 days of Christmas. Even 25 is daunting. So I’ve singled out four days of viewing pleasure to keep you in the spirit without going insane.

Dec. 9

Easily your best bet of all 25 days. ABC Family starts you off easy with the back-to-back powerhouse of “Santa Baby” and “Santa Baby 2,” starring the extremely relevant and well-remembered actress Jenny McCarthy. Then at 6 p.m. comes “Holiday in Handcuffs,” in which Melissa Joan Hart kidnaps Mario Lopez and makes him pretend to be her boyfriend in front of her family. Again, that’s Clarissa, who explains it all, forcing A.C. Slater to date her. I know you can’t wait.

But there’s more. The ABC Family original musical “The Mistle-tones” premieres at 8 p.m. Holly, the main character with a seasonal name, wants in on a Christmas singing group, but someone way less talented gets her spot. I guess that’d be all right, except the group was founded by her now dead mother. There is no way she is going down without a fight, so she forms her own group of misfits: The Mistle-tones. It promises to be exactly what it is: pretty people singing Christmas songs. But keep your fingers crossed for a campy train wreck. That’s all I really want this year.

Dec. 10

There are too many “A Christmas Carol” adaptations. But “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” getting the 7:30 p.m. slot, tends to be watchable. It helps that it’s only 30 minutes long and that its Scrooge is of the McDuck variety. The classic Disney cell animation is also much welcomed aesthetically over the creepy CGI Jim Carey of the Dickens novel’s most recent screen adaptation.

At 8 p.m. is the stop-motion picture “The Year Without A Santa Claus.” CBS holds most of the better specials, but this one tends to hold its own. The “Snow Miser – Heat Miser” song is a particularly worthy holiday earworm. So, if for no other reason, watch it for that.

Dec. 16

Take a break from the festive onslaught with the network premiere of “Toy Story 3” at 7 p.m. It is one of a couple of days that ABC Family has snuck in non-holiday movies and for that we should all be thankful.

Dec. 18

I’m certain that you could find “Home Alone” on TV before Dec. 18, but what plans do you really have for Dec. 18? Kevin McAllister wreaks havoc on two robbers trying to break into his house. How his twisted funhouse of torture never warranted so much as a “you need help” talk from his family is still baffling. Or maybe Kevin was in control of them the entire time. If you liked the ending of “Skyfall,” it’s basically the exact same as this movie.

And if you really want to devote more than four days to watching Christmas movies, you are certainly already watching “Elf” for the 65th time. So happy holidays.

That late at night, when the network comes to life, nothing else is ever on and the things on Adult Swim are always weird enough for a double take. A number of shows still cling to this idea, being little more than very weird, scatological cartoons like “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” or “Superjail.”

However, the network has its bright spots, and “Children’s Hospital” is by far its brightest.

“Children’s Hospital” is, at its core, a hospital-drama parody, and anyone familiar with even a few episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” is going to be in on the joke. The very idea that all these insane and implausible medical cases are being taken so seriously is inherently comedic. One character, Dr. Blake Downs, wears clown makeup and strictly adheres to the healing power of laughter instead of medicine. An extreme take for sure, but not beyond the ridiculous moral systems of oddball doctors like House, M.D.

But the show, now in its fourth season, has been around long enough that it occasionally gets bored with the medical dare and routinely spoofs other genres. In the past two episodes alone, both the legal drama and the gangster movie were targeted to great effect.

But even for those unfamiliar with the source material, “Children’s” is always funny. The episode’s plots are loose. The show is more concerned with doing extended bits and jokes, sometimes coming out of nowhere.

One of my favorite jokes in the series happens during an episode where there is an amnesia outbreak at the hospital. When curing it, one of the doctors finally comes to the epiphany that if he could make the disease forget it was amnesia, the problem would be solved.

He then “gives the amnesia, amnesia” by drawing a syringe from a test tube and then putting it back in the same test tube. Another bit, extended to most episodes, is a set of constant references that the “show” is filmed in Brazil, even though it is so clearly set in Los Angeles. Flags are Brazilian everywhere, and the show even flew two cast members down to Rio for a single shot in their “home country.” This is comedic commitment on steroids, and it works in just about every episode.

The cast is equally fantastic, full of comedy all stars like Rob Corddry, Megan Mullally, Ken Marino, Henry Winkler, Nick Kroll, Nick Offerman and Michael Cera’s voice. He’s the hospital’s P.A. announcer. And that list doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of all the guest stars that come through the show.

Because of the show’s quick production schedule, people like Jon Hamm and Adam Scott can always find time to drop by for one or two jokes. Even actors considered more “dramatic” in their fair, like Lake Bell and Malin Akerman, consistently deliver some very sharp jokes. It’s a nice way to bring variety to the show, and because of the show’s absurdist nature, they always fit into the new plot. Once, a character played by Rob Riggle was introduced and killed off, all during the “previously on” segment that opens the show.

At 15 minutes an episode, “Children’s” is packed with good material. There are at least three jokes every minute, so if you miss one, there’s always another one ready to deliver right away. It can sometimes feel overly silly, but the short run time never overstays its welcome. And as an added bonus, 15 minutes means having no commercial breaks to interrupt viewing, either.

So in whatever state you happen to stumble upon “Children’s Hospital,” I can virtually guarantee 15 minutes of solid comedy. Some full-length half-hour shows would be lucky to be as hilarious.

Rather than letting the show gather dust on network shelves, NBC instead premiered it as a Halloween special. If ratings were good enough, hey, the network just might give it a full season order. Most likely, however, this is the first and last we will see of “Mockingbird Lane,” and that’s a shame. Even though it isn’t spectacular, there are a lot of good things in this hour alone.

The show is an updating of an old ’60s black-and-white sitcom about a group of supernatural oddballs that live in a creepy house that is not called “The Addams Family.” Rather, it’s “The Munsters” coming back from the dead.

The plot centers around the son, Eddie, who has most recently come into “Munster” maturity by unknowingly turning into a werewolf, and then turning on the members of his Boy Scout troop. The catastrophe forces the family to move to their new, titular street address as his parents wrestle with revealing to Eddie his real, paranormal identity.

There’s also a subplot about his father, Herman, the stitched-together Frankenstein’s monster of the group, and how all the trauma is quite literally breaking his heart. A father dealing with stress. A son growing up. A grandfather being a vampire.

The creators have put an emotional core under what is a dark, stylized update of the classic horror genre. I was surprised at how both graphic the visuals were and how dark the humor was. To elaborate, viewers see Grandpa operating on Herman’s broken heart and then zip Herman’s open chest back into its quasi-functional place. I might expect that at the movies, or on HBO, but my mouth was left agape at the sight of a vampire preying on a mountain lion being broadcast on NBC.

That successfully dark style stems from some solid talent in front of and behind the camera. “Mockingbird” was created by Bryan Fuller of much loved but often canceled cult series, such as “Wonderfalls,” “Dead Like Me” and most recently, “Pushing Daises.” He has always brought a tinge of macabre fantasy to all of his work, and it’s never so playful as it is here in the hand of skilled comedic actors.

Jerry O’Connell does a decent job as Herman, if slightly underplaying emotion at times, but Portia de Rossi and Eddie Izzard steal the show. In particular, Izzard’s grandpa is given the most to do in terms of humorous set pieces and lines, and someone with his comedic sensibility seizes every opportunity out of a strong Fuller script. Even the line, “And your wife is … interesting,” delivered to one of the Munsters’ banal yet suspicious neighbors, is given life through Izzard’s persona. It’s worth watching for him alone.

Still, there are issues. It may be that “Game of Thrones” spoiled me this summer, but I am having some issues with recent TV CGI. Though Lily Munster’s smoke apparition is well done, Grandpa’s first appearance as a colony of rats looks cartoonish, as does the exterior of the Munster abode. The interior of it is designed beautifully with a gothic tinge, but the outside looks very fake. The whole of the show also feels rushed, but such is the downside of a “special.” It cannot do everything in only an hour.

Despite some missteps, “Mockingbird Lane” is still wickedly entertaining and a nice treat for anyone in the holiday spirit. It holds true to both classic horror roots while injecting doses of humor and family drama, making for a well-spent hour. I’d like to see more of it, but if this is all I get, I’m pleased. It’s a much happier Halloween getting a fun-sized candy bar than a tube of toothpaste.

That’s right Dr. Hall, I remember everything, and I’ll have my revenge yet.