Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town: With few exceptions, critics welcomed the return of the popular sketch comedy troupe to television, via their new eight-part mini, which also nabbed a promising one million viewers (2+) for its first episode on CBC.

‘The troupe’s eye for satire remains sharp as ever,’ maintains the Toronto Star, while Brad Oswald of the Winnipeg Free Press writes that Death Comes to Town is ‘distinctly different and definitely-an-acquired-taste kind of great.’ Maclean’s says the sketches are ‘some hit, some miss,’ while the Kids found no love from The Globe and Mail’s John Doyle, who called the show ‘just awful, an absolute mess of lame, laughless ineptitude.’

The Republic of Doyle: Critics are applauding Allan Hawco’s rogue yet charming private investigator character in the Newfoundland-set series, which also recently bowed on CBC.

Hawco (also co-creator) does a ‘great job as the sometimes smooth, generally rough-around-edges Jake,’ declares the Toronto Star. Hawco as Jake ‘has something going for him,’ agrees Bill Harris of the Sun, though he complains that the plot leaves something more to be desired: ‘We pray that the first episode is not the best episode.’ The show is a ‘welcome shot of testosterone’ on a CBC schedule that was ‘too girly after a string of Sophies, Wild Roses, and Ericas,’ remarks blogger Bill Brioux of TV Feeds My Family.

18 to Life: The Montreal-made sitcom about two quirky families caught up in a teen wedding is ‘pretty entertaining,’ according to the Torontoist, which praises the show’s ‘engaging’ cast, especially funnyman Peter Keleghan, who plays an uptight father in the new CBC series. Andrew Ryan of The Globe and Mail agrees that Life ‘benefits hugely’ from the presence of Keleghan, who is ‘born looking uptight.’ The Toronto Star is more subdued in its review of the comedy, noting that the writing ‘tends to go for the too clever and feels forced.’