BrainDead

:

Season 1
  • Network: CBS
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 13, 2016
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 133 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 105 out of 133
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 133
  3. Negative: 17 out of 133
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User Reviews

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  1. Superbuddha
    Jun 17, 2016
    5
    There's some great actors in this show. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Tony Shalhoub are doing a great job, But I'm not a fan of Danny Pino though and I feel the script was taking shortcuts at times.

    It's not possible to have a definite opinion on just one episode though and at the time I'm writing this only the pilot has aired. Still there's no clear indication where this show is leading    There's some great actors in this show. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Tony Shalhoub are doing a great job, But I'm not a fan of Danny Pino though and I feel the script was taking shortcuts at times.

    It's not possible to have a definite opinion on just one episode though and at the time I'm writing this only the pilot has aired. Still there's no clear indication where this show is leading yet and to be frank it can go either way.

    And I really hope "You might think" by The Cars is not used as a running joke, because having it played three times in the opening episode was seriously more than enough...    … Expand
  2. LamontRaymond
    Jun 13, 2016
    4
    Winstead is literally the only reason to watch this show.... and I vowed never to do that again - watch a show because of one pretty face. So I'm done after the pilot. I'm not going to sucked in to another summer show (see: Zoo, Under the Dome) that has a provocative premise yet - we all know - will go absolutely nowhere.
  3. cherold
    Jun 18, 2016
    5
    This show has an interesting premise, and after only one episode I can't really predict how well it will handle that premise, but I found the first episode too slow and soggy to continue.

    It's hard to say what this series is. I've seen it described as comedy/drama/horror/satire, but that gives the impression of a lot more punch than this show has. There are moments that I suppose are    This show has an interesting premise, and after only one episode I can't really predict how well it will handle that premise, but I found the first episode too slow and soggy to continue.

    It's hard to say what this series is. I've seen it described as comedy/drama/horror/satire, but that gives the impression of a lot more punch than this show has. There are moments that I suppose are mildly comedic, although not especially funny. It's got elements of a political drama, but not an involving one. Horror would suggest some element of suspense or chills, which were absent.

    Satire would require some bite, but the series seems to want to be a political show without politics. We don't know what the budget fight is about, the two people who will clearly have sex eventually do some mild political sparring that carefully avoids any significant conflict, and the approach is very much the both-sides-are-recalcitrant trope that doesn't jibe with the current reality of the anti-compromise Tea Party situation of the real world. (The series actually makes the Republicans seem slightly more reasonable, since their senator is just a drunk who wants to cut a deal while the other side's senator is quite Machiavellian; was this produced by a Republican or just by someone bending over backwards to even things out?).

    At some point the series may explain the invaders' purpose and why they like that Cars song so much, but based on the first episode, I don't expect the explanations to be compelling.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Most Discussed TV Season of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 37
  3. Negative: 4 out of 37
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Emily Nussbaum
    Jul 20, 2016
    80
    BrainDead is aggressively funny and a little sloppy, and it’s that sick-joke aggression, the refusal to take itself seriously, that is the key to its appeal.
    Read full review
  2. Sioux City Journal
    Reviewed by: Bruce Miller
    Jun 20, 2016
    80
    BrainDead comments better than a Sunday morning pundit, moves faster than a New York to D.C. train and never pauses to filibuster.
    Read full review
  3. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Jun 16, 2016
    80
    The genius of BrainDead, an enjoyably offbeat sci-fi/political satire hybrid, is in reminding us that it's possible to have fun without leaving one's brain at the door. [20-26 Jun 2016, p.17]
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