Black. White.
FX | Release Date: March 8, 2006
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
9
Negative:
2

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
TV Guide MagazineMatt Roush
Season 1 Review: An endlessly curious and unexpectedly intelligent social experiment.
80
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Season 1 Review: It demonstrates the potential of reality television to go beyond determining who can eat the most worms or scream the loudest, to illuminate important social and cultural issues. Read full review
80
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: "Black. White." makes you think, makes you want to have a conversation about racial issues and makes you examine your own beliefs and biases. How often does a TV show do that? Read full review
80
Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
Season 1 Review: As these two families question their assumptions and experiences, we not only get insights into a thorny issue but, through the families on the show, we also get fascinating glimpses into lives we'd never otherwise lead. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterRay Richmond
Season 1 Review: This show goes in for neither cheap gags nor easy stereotypes, crafting a thought-provoking narrative that embodies genuine sociological heft without transforming its subjects into buffoons. Read full review
80
NewsdayDiane Werts
Season 1 Review: Uncompromisingly revelatory. Read full review
75
Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Season 1 Review: What may appear at first glance to be a cheap reality TV gimmick... soon evolves into something quite compelling. Read full review
75
New York PostAdam Buckman
Season 1 Review: It is quite simply one of the most fascinating TV shows I have ever watched - warts and all. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJoy Press
Season 1 Review: Black.White takes the reality subgenre to a whole new level, shining a beacon on American's most excruciating blind spot.
70
VarietyPhil Gallo
Season 1 Review: Consistently compelling. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Season 1 Review: Some results are interesting anthropologically. But "Black.White" bogs down in conversation and never fascinates. Read full review
60
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum
Season 1 Review: What I've seen suggests an intriguing show, although there's something so contrived about the series that it makes me more than a bit uneasy. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith
Season 1 Review: Ultimately, though, it's not what happens to the folks on this show that is so revealing. It's what goes on in our own minds as we watch and listen to them try to navigate the shoals of racial differences. Read full review
60
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: Clearly, the action in ''Black. White." has been manipulated and edited to justify its existence as a spark-filled TV look at black-white relations. Indeed, the show... can be downright hokey. But it nonetheless pushes you into questions about your own behavior and feelings. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd
Season 1 Review: It works best at its most intimate, as family drama, and as another variant on "The Real World," in which people who would not ordinarily live together are made to do so. Read full review
60
Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin
Season 1 Review: However badly you thought American race relations were going, Black. White. will make you feel worse. Read full review
60
The New York TimesGinia Bellafante
Season 1 Review: "Black.White." is most impressive as a feat of cosmetology. Read full review
60
SlateTroy Patterson
Season 1 Review: The show's an entertaining provocation, but it's also only skin-deep. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: It requires a lot of patience to get there, but the lessons may be worth it. Read full review
40
Washington PostChip Crews
Season 1 Review: It's a shame so much of the show is annoying, because it offers occasional small moments of enlightenment. Read full review
38
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: An abject failure both as sociology and as entertainment, this incompetent update of Black Like Me is no more than a gimmick in search of an idea. Read full review
0
The New RepublicLee Siegel
Season 1 Review: "Black. White." is not a provocative study in secret prejudice, followed by growth and awakening. It's a reinforcement of the stereotypes the show claims it wants to examine and expose. Read full review
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