Criminal Minds

Did someone say elite FBI team? Yes, folks, CBS is bringing us yet another unique crew of ultra-brilliant detectives who solve only the hardest and most perverse of crimes. But the Behavioral Analysis Unit of "Criminal Minds" doesn't obsess over microscopic fibers and the angles of bullet wounds during their hourlong journey to make us feel well protected. These guys are all about psychology. Did the perp's mother love him? Does he like to smoke cigars? On the show, which premieres tonight at 10 on Channel 4 before moving to Wednesdays, the detectives focus on the more...

Ever since his childhood, Bill James has been obsessed with Murderers’ Row. No, not the 1927 Yankees. James, the highly regarded baseball statistician known for his scrupulous rethinking of the way the game is evaluated, has a similarly consuming interest in the real-life psychopaths for whom the team of Ruth and Gehrig was nicknamed. Known as the sharp-eyed analyst who single-handedly overhauled baseball strategy, James has also devoted an inordinate amount of his time to the study of major murder cases.

Mr. Sunshine 9:30 p.m., Channel 5 Wow. This sitcom is just not good, not good at all. No one is quite disgracing themselves, but the show just doesn’t have a groove. All the characters are one-note, including Matthew Perry’s cranky, cynical Ben (pictured) and Allison Janney’s wacky, narcissistic Crystal. And the writing is lazy — last week, for instance, when Ben’s insulting cards blew into the stadium for all to read. Who didn’t see that one coming? The writers need to take a few risks, and they should probably give Perry’s character a friend or two so he’ll have more layers.

Mr. Sunshine 9:30 p.m., Channel 5 Wow. This sitcom is just not good, not good at all. No one is quite disgracing themselves, but the show just doesn’t have a groove. All the characters are one-note, including Matthew Perry’s cranky, cynical Ben (pictured) and Allison Janney’s wacky, narcissistic Crystal. And the writing is lazy — last week, for instance, when Ben’s insulting cards blew into the stadium for all to read. Who didn’t see that one coming? The writers need to take a few risks, and they should probably give Perry’s character a friend or two so he’ll have more layers.

If TV shows could be said to have personalities, then “Breakout Kings’’ would be the lazy dude. While “The Mentalist’’ is the clever fellow, and “Burn Notice’’ is the athletic guy with the tan, and “The Closer’’ is the shrewd Southern belle, “Breakout Kings’’ just hangs out not wanting to do any work. This new A&E series from the makers of “Prison Break’’ is the kind of light crime drama that flagrantly cuts plot corners and doesn’t bother with the rigors of logic.

Howard Stern isn't the King of Prime-Time TV. At least not yet. Stern's debut last week as a panelist on NBC's "America's Got Talent" drew 10.5 million viewers on Monday and 10.6 million viewers on Tuesday, the Nielsen company said. That's down sharply from the 15.3 million viewers who watched the season debut of the talent competition last year. Radio star Stern replaced Piers Morgan as one of the judges this year. Stern's debut was the least-watched season premiere of "America's Got Talent" dating back to 2006.

"Revolver," the latest Guy Ritchie shoot-em-up, is a joke. You laugh with it but mostly at it. He's plucked some quotes from his copy of Bartlett's (Julius Caesar, Machiavelli) and tried to go deep into matters of being. And naturally when you think "ontology," the name "Jason Statham" comes to mind. So Ritchie has Statham, who appeared in the director's first two films, wear a lot of soggy-looking hair to play Jake Green, an extremely well-dressed gambler who finds himself tangled up in one of Ritchie's usual booby-trap plots on his...

Ever since his childhood, Bill James has been obsessed with Murderers’ Row. No, not the 1927 Yankees. James, the highly regarded baseball statistician known for his scrupulous rethinking of the way the game is evaluated, has a similarly consuming interest in the real-life psychopaths for whom the team of Ruth and Gehrig was nicknamed. Known as the sharp-eyed analyst who single-handedly overhauled baseball strategy, James has also devoted an inordinate amount of his time to the study of major murder cases.

We're told chef Gordon Ramsay has temporarily set up shop in the North End, where he's taping an episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" at La Galleria 33 on Salem Street. Last week, the brusque Brit shot a segment at Barefoot Bob's in Hull. . . . Matt Light will be honored Saturday at Walt Disney World with the 2012 Pop Warner Humanitarian Award. The former Pats lineman is being recognized for the work of his Light Foundation, which helps kids through sports and other outdoor learning experiences.

If TV shows could be said to have personalities, then “Breakout Kings’’ would be the lazy dude. While “The Mentalist’’ is the clever fellow, and “Burn Notice’’ is the athletic guy with the tan, and “The Closer’’ is the shrewd Southern belle, “Breakout Kings’’ just hangs out not wanting to do any work. This new A&E series from the makers of “Prison Break’’ is the kind of light crime drama that flagrantly cuts plot corners and doesn’t bother with the rigors of logic.

"Revolver," the latest Guy Ritchie shoot-em-up, is a joke. You laugh with it but mostly at it. He's plucked some quotes from his copy of Bartlett's (Julius Caesar, Machiavelli) and tried to go deep into matters of being. And naturally when you think "ontology," the name "Jason Statham" comes to mind. So Ritchie has Statham, who appeared in the director's first two films, wear a lot of soggy-looking hair to play Jake Green, an extremely well-dressed gambler who finds himself tangled up in one of Ritchie's usual booby-trap plots on his first...

Did someone say elite FBI team? Yes, folks, CBS is bringing us yet another unique crew of ultra-brilliant detectives who solve only the hardest and most perverse of crimes. But the Behavioral Analysis Unit of "Criminal Minds" doesn't obsess over microscopic fibers and the angles of bullet wounds during their hourlong journey to make us feel well protected. These guys are all about psychology. Did the perp's mother love him? Does he like to smoke cigars? On the show, which premieres tonight at 10 on Channel 4 before moving to Wednesdays, the...