SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Metacritic (http://www.metacritic.com/), the Web's most robust roundup of entertainment reviews, and a property of CBS Interactive, today announced the scores of the top rated new TV series that debuted this Fall. Metacritic carefully screens and selects the most respected reviewers within each entertainment category and combines all of the individual critics' scores into a Metascore, an overall grade for each release, so users can gauge the critical consensus at a glance. Television Metascores(R) are compiled using weighted scores from the most respected television critics and publications in the U.S.

Following is a list of the highest Metascores for this year's new fall shows:

1. Life on Mars (ABC) 78 2. Sons of Anarchy (FX) 68 3. The IT Crowd (IFC) 68 4. Fringe (Fox) 67 5. Easy Money (CW) 67 6. The Mentalist (CBS) 65 7. True Blood (HBO) 64 8. Worst Week (CBS) 62 9. The Ex List (CBS) 62 10. Little Britain (HBO) 61

Metascores range from 0-100, with higher scores indicating better overall reviews, and lower scores indicating less favorable reviews from critics. Various ranges of Metascore are also identified by different colors, so you can tell at a glance how critics felt: generally, green scores (61-100) indicate favorable reviews, yellow scores (40 - 60) denote mixed reviews, and red scores (0-39) are used for unfavorable reviews.

The Metascore is considered a weighted average because Metacritic assigns more significance, or weight, to some critics and publications than to others, based on the overall stature and quality of those critics and publications.

In addition to critical reviews, entertainment enthusiasts can also voice their opinions by submitting their own ratings and reviews. By providing a weighted Metascore and an average consumer score for each release, Metacritic helps consumers make informed decisions about how to spend their entertainment dollars and time.

About Metacritic

Called "...the Web's best film review site" by Entertainment Weekly, Metacritic provides access to and summarizes the vast amount of entertainment criticism available online for film, video/DVD, music, games and television. With the belief that multiple opinions are better than one, Metacritic launched in January 2001 and has remained true to its goal to help people make an informed decision about how to spend their money on the many entertainment options available today.

About CBS Interactive

CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corporation, is the best online content network for information and entertainment. Its portfolio of leading brands, which include CNET, CBS.com, CBSSports.com, GameSpot, TV.com, BNET, and Last.fm span popular categories like technology, entertainment, sports, news, and business. With more than 150 million people visiting its properties each month, CBS Interactive is a top 10 web property globally.