Briarpatch
USA | Release Date: February 6, 2020
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
PrimetimerAaron BarnhartFeb 6, 2020
Season 1 Review: On Briarpatch that protean mind [of creator Andy Greenwald] is put to surprisingly good use. Maybe the best idea Greenwald had was taking Benjamin Dill, the hero of Ross Thomas’s long-forgotten 1984 detective novel Briarpatch, and turning him into Allegra. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydFeb 5, 2020
Season 1 Review: Characters flirt with type but finally come across as original and real and thus worth caring about, while the performances are first rate, rooted in decades of film history but individual and modern at the same time. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushFeb 5, 2020
Season 1 Review: Even at its murkiest, Briarpatch is furiously entertaining and wildly unpredictable. It's that rare thrill ride with smarts--and exotic animals. [3-16 Feb 2020, p.8]
80
The OregonianKristi TurnquistJan 30, 2020
Season 1 Review: Dawson is a confident lead. ... She’s joined by a beautifully cast group of eccentrics. ... “Briarpatch” isn’t weighty, and thank heavens for that. There’s something to be said for a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that goes down as easy as a frosty drink on a hot afternoon. Read full review
80
VarietyDaniel D'AddarioSep 9, 2019
Season 1 Review: USA’s plan is to treat “Briarpatch” as an anthology, and to create subsequent seasons focusing on new characters within its creative world. Based on their success with Allegra, it’s easy to imagine that’s doable; for now, though, the time we have with this well-wrought, sharply observant but fallible sleuth is reward enough. Read full review
75
IndieWireBen TraversSep 8, 2019
Season 1 Review: Slick, colorful ... "Briarpatch" isn’t a knockout — much of the fun is in the discovery; in seeing the weird things emerge, not return. Read full review
70
DeciderJoel KellerFeb 7, 2020
Season 1 Review: The world that Andy Greenwald has set up in Briarpatch is one that’s worth visiting, despite the heavy hand on quirk. Read full review
70
TV GuideKaitlin ThomasFeb 3, 2020
Season 1 Review: There was a lot of potential for Briarpatch, and the series is definitely watchable, but by never fully committing to one thing, it ends up with several interesting ideas rotating around one another rather than coming together to tell a fully realized story. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubAlex McLevyFeb 4, 2020
Season 1 Review: Briarpatch has a wonderful cast and some inspired ideas; if it can slow down and figure out a more elegant way to deliver its fusion of icy cool and ramshackle quirk, St. Boniface will become a wry and appealing place for viewers to put down some roots. Read full review
62
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenFeb 4, 2020
Season 1 Review: A self-consciously strange series can’t quite settle on a tone. Sometimes absurdly funny, other times a little dull and draggy. Read full review
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