USA

CHICAGO – Is the USA model getting a little tired to anyone else? Does every show have to be a mystery-of-the-week series? Can they try something totally new? “Common Law” is not as quirky as some of their other programs but if you showed me the pilot and asked me what network it was on, I could easily pick it out as a USA show.

CHICAGO – USA continues to lead the way in terms of cable ratings. While FX and TNT have their loyal audiences and critics adore HBO and AMC, it’s really USA that can boast the most remarkable claims in terms of breakthrough ratings. Some of their biggest hits regularly clobber network competition. Two of them just hit DVD — “Suits: Season One” and “Covert Affairs: Season Two.” Fans will be happy with both but I have a clear favorite.

CHICAGO – Two of USA’s hits return tonight with the second-season premiere of “Fairly Legal” and the fifth-and-final-season premiere of “In Plain Sight.” Both shows work largely because of the talent brought to them by their lead actresses, a welcome change of pace for a network that can often feel a little bit testosterone-heavy (“Psych,” “White Collar,” “Burn Notice” — all driven by their male protagonists). Sadly, the writing could still use some work on both dramas but no one can deny the charismatic skill of the women at their centers.

CHICAGO – A consistent performer like “Psych” nearly defies the very concept of TV reviews. Want a full review here? “Have you seen “Psych” before? Did you like it? Then you’ll like the mid-season premiere.” That’s about it.

CHICAGO – Fans of the longest running series currently on-air at USA can get excited to know that the series has at least sixteen more episodes still to come. The USA comedy/crime series “Psych” has officially been picked up by the network for a seventh season.

CHICAGO – I feel like I’ve written a dozen reviews of USA’s hit “Burn Notice” and they all have basically the same theme — this is a show that could have been great but has now clearly settled for just being good.

CHICAGO – In the mid-season premiere of “Covert Affairs,” Annie Walker (Piper Perabo) is learning what it’s like to be alone. The fact is that CIA Operatives don’t have many friends. It’s too dangerous for both sides of the relationship. How can you keep your friends and family around when you know they could get killed? And what do you when it’s your very family who you learn you can’t trust?

CHICAGO – Television reviews of shows with as loyal an audience as USA’s “Psych” can be a tricky business. The show already has a devoted following and it’s unlikely that you haven’t sampled it by this point and decided for yourself if this sometimes-clever mystery series is worth your coveted Season Pass space. So the question for a season premiere like tonight’s episode is simple — does it mark a significant difference from last season? Is it any better or worse?

CHICAGO – Some movies don’t just use cliches, they practically bathe in them, finding little other way to tell their story. Despite yet another strong performance from Oscar winner Melissa Leo (“The Fighter”), “The Space Between,” being broadcast uncut on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 this Sunday, is such a movie. She keeps it interesting but the film takes a potentially resonant story and deflates it with paper-thin storytelling.

CHICAGO – USA’s new summer drama “Necessary Roughness” gives new meaning to the phrase “the psychiatrist is crazier than the patient.”