- Network: FOX
- Series Premiere Date: Jan 16, 2012
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Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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The show has the makings of great--what else can I say?--escapist entertainment. [23 Jan 2012, p.39]
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It was a dark and stormy night--and a weird, fun, trippy one, too.
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For now, Alcatraz is a sinister bag of sinister pleasures.
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The pilot looks great, offers an intriguing plot and effortlessly introduces the show's characters and premise.
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It's all very creepy, mysterious and loaded with questions.
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The pilot moves along well, is a lot of fun--but Madsen is just too blond and bland to create the kind of excitement that Jennifer Garner or other of Abrams' female kick-ass characters were able to do with both hands tied behind their backs.
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Alcatraz is easy enough to follow tonight, with twists and surprises that are enjoyable and not enervating.
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Alcatraz sure is [fun].
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For now, though, this is a series that's seemingly built on an arresting foundation.
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Here he has both--mood galore and a premise strong enough to not only sire a great pilot but to sustain a solid series.
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A spunky upgrade over the collection of interchangeable police procedurals clogging the television schedule.
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Inquiring minds who liked "Lost," or "The 4400" and "The Event" will find much to feast on.
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Alcatraz lacks humor and suspense but it could morphs into something interesting. [20 Jan 2012, p.69]
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There is something to like in Alcatraz's smooth momentum. The show has a spirit that comes through in spite of the flavorless cheese crumbles piled atop it.
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There's enough in the premise and the performances (particularly those of Garcia and Neill) to keep us watching, but to really hook us in Alcatraz needs to decide what kind of show it wants to be.
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Happily, there are reasons to watch Alcatraz, starting with an appealing cast and a premise that really does not require a college degree in the mythology of other worlds.
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Although there's no shortage of romance surrounding Alcatraz -- and the idea of hardened criminals becoming dangerous anachronisms is a time-worn concept -- there's a nagging sense these are just going to be (very) cold cases, which will grow tedious without something more, and quickly, to fuel the larger mystery.
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It's much too generic given Abrams' reputation from "Alias," "Lost," the better years of "Fringe" and the "Star Trek" reboot.
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I'm not hooked, but I'm not yet planning my escape, either.
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Alcatraz's early crime stories are competent enough, in a moody, achey, men-gone-wrong kind of way. But there's a coldness to the show, and no sense that these are characters I want to invest in and spend time getting to know.
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The mysteries of the mythology--Where were they for the last half-century? Who's pulling their violent strings?--are more compelling than the plodding mechanics of the weekly manhunt.
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There's not much payoff to the premise. Which is a real shame, because there's a good show here somewhere
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Alcatraz isn't bad, but it's not exactly brimming with the kind of engaging magic and memorable people that you want from a J.J. Abrams project.
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Based on the first two episodes, Alcatraz is a middling show.
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Obviously, it's necessary to give viewers the backstory on the returning thug of the week, but let's hope that if the show finds its legs, it won't need quite as many reminders of its fundamental concept.
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Now, if Alcatraz would only ditch Michael Giacchino's melodramatic score, go all-in on the lingering gloom, and give Sam Neill something to do besides scowl, it'd be a show worth watching.
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Like "Lost," the show is burdened with flashbacks and divides its time between the present and the prison 50 years earlier.
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The characters are so TV cute (and in some cases TV pretty) and the storytelling so mechanical, that I couldn't give myself over to it either way.
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Soto helps the mood of the show with his wry attitude and occasional gee-whiz-ardry, and he helps to move the plot along by stating facts that Rebecca would otherwise have to pause and look up.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 87 out of 148
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Mixed: 41 out of 148
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Negative: 20 out of 148
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Jan 18, 2012This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view.
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Jan 17, 2012
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Feb 3, 2012