Winter/Spring TV Scorecard 2016

Critics Consensus: Competent acting and a sufficiently intriguing premise aren't enough to make up for Game of Silence's unnecessarily convoluted, heavily clichéd storytelling.

Starring: David Lyons, Michael Raymond-James, Larenz Tate, Bre Blair

Critics Consensus: Shadowhunters boasts visual thrills and a potential-rich premise, but they're not enough to overcome the show's self-serious silliness and dull, convoluted plots.

Starring: Matthew Daddario, Katherine McNamara, Isaiah Mustafa, Alberto Rosende

Critics Consensus: Lucifer's got sex appeal, but the show's hackneyed cop procedural format undermines a potentially entertaining premise.

Starring: Tom Ellis, Lauren German, DB Woodside, Lesley-Ann Brandt

Critics Consensus: The Shannara Chronicles wears its influences heavily on its sleeve and needs to find surer footing before it can tap its true potential, but it still might suffice for viewers in search of a teen-friendly Game of Thrones.

Starring: Austin Butler, Poppy Drayton, Ivana Baquero, John Rhys-Davies

Critics Consensus: Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life wins points for earnestness and a slight progressive slant, but an overall lack of smarts or structure keeps the show from living up to its full potential.

Starring: Jack Cutmore-Scott, Meaghan Rath, Charlie Saxton, James Earl

Critics Consensus: Uninspired performances and pedestrian writing make Containment just another in the long line of disaster movie scenarios we've seen played out countless times before.

Starring: David Gyasi, Christina Marie Moses, Chris Wood, Kristen Lee Gutoskie

Critics Consensus: Solid performances by Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta fail to lift Shades of Blue above the ranks of the pedestrian network procedural.

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Ray Liotta, Drea de Matteo, Hampton Fluker

Critics Consensus: Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny's chemistry remains intact, but overall, The X-Files revival lacks the creative spark necessary to sustain the initial rush of nostalgia.

Starring: Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, Mitch Pileggi, Lauren Ambrose

Critics Consensus: Fancy effects, comic-book nostalgia, and an alluring cast help keep it afloat, but DC's Legends of Tomorrow suffers from an overloaded cast of characters that contribute to a distractingly crowded canvas.

Starring: Victor Garber, Brandon Routh, Arthur Darvill, Wentworth Miller

Critics Consensus: The Family takes a confusing, convoluted course to solve its central mystery that few will want to follow, despite a game performance from Joan Allen.

Starring: Joan Allen, Alison Pill, Margot Bingham, Zach Gilford

Critics Consensus: While the humor is uneven and the characters verge on obnoxious, Animals compensates with its straightforward approach and wacky social commentary.

Starring: Phil Matarese, Mike Luciano

Critics Consensus: Mad Dogs boasts exciting twists and a rich landscape, but occasionally squanders its talented actors on stale midlife-crisis observations.

Starring: Ben Chaplin, Michael Imperioli, Romany Malco, Steve Zahn

Critics Consensus: Funny writing and a solid cast save The Real O'Neals from traditional sitcom perils.

Starring: Martha Plimpton, Jay R. Ferguson, Noah Galvin, Matt Shively

Critics Consensus: Fear the Walking Dead sets sail in its sophomore season with an intriguing backdrop that doesn't always disguise its deficiencies in comparison to its predecessor.

Starring: Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Frank Dillane, Alycia Debnam-Carey