Channel Zero

:

Season 1
  • Network: SyFy
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 11, 2016
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 83 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 83
  3. Negative: 12 out of 83
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User Reviews

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  1. greenisgood
    Nov 12, 2018
    10
    Not too sure what a lot of the the negative reviews are about, probably people trying to compare this show to other conventional shows.
    A couple of negative reviews i read hinted at not being able to understand what was happening, and i think this is cus we have other decently good shows like 'Stranger Things' (which is a comparison i keep hearing in my own circles) and other such    Not too sure what a lot of the the negative reviews are about, probably people trying to compare this show to other conventional shows.
    A couple of negative reviews i read hinted at not being able to understand what was happening, and i think this is cus we have other decently good shows like 'Stranger Things' (which is a comparison i keep hearing in my own circles) and other such variables which seem to lay out all the plot points for easy understanding which is not bad at all cus i loved Stranger Things.
    BUT I Think this this show has much better writing considering quite a lot of the plot points in the first season depends on your own understanding of how things are happening and what your understanding is about human psychology which I absolutely love.
    Almost every episode I watched held my interest considering i never watched and or heard about the creepypasta tht it is based on, and maybe because of my ignorance of the subject matter it was based on i never could tell where the story was heading and I kept enjoying myself not knowing. Even at the end of the season, which was not the most brilliant of climaxes, but suitable in its own narrative, quite a lot of the 'but why or but how' questions were left up to your interpretation.
    The acting was excellent all around, and especially the children felt like real kids i know, who are bratty, whiny, noisy and or cry very fast.
    I loved the story from the angle of a therapist cus his meek and almost calmly thought out way in interacting with all the weird on goings in the season was quite refreshing.
    MY Only regret is i was kinda putting off watching this show until NOW, thinking that it was just another 'kids going missing under un-natural on-goings' ordeal, and I had just only finished 'Dark' which is another well written show.    … Expand
  2. antz2be
    Oct 13, 2016
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I saw the first episode with great expectations. The Candle Cove Creepy Pasta is amazing, but the show is just wrong. Some of the twists of the creepypasta are just mentioned in the show and are lack of "punch" seems like fun facts. Also, they reveal all the mistery of the pasta in the episode so there is nothing much to see. The Candle Cove scenes are good, but the "monsters" in Channel Zero show (mr. Skeleton & mr. Teeth) are a couple of funny guys. In my personal opinion they just butchered the pasta and made a lame show.… Expand
  3. pengwyn
    Oct 31, 2016
    8
    One episode in and I'm hooked. It's laced with all the obvious tropes but isn't shy to display it in a self-aware manner, even manages to circumvent it. There's something cheeky about it but still oh-so delightfully creepy.

    Mixed with just the right amount of silence and dialogue and sprinkled with a few wtf moments. Makes for a very fun Halloween show.
  4. motorcity6
    Dec 27, 2016
    2
    The show starts off boring and it never properly picks up. The antagonist and the antagonist's helpers are corny. I remember hearing from a friend that there is a constant and regular sense of dread although I was too busy being bothered by the bad storytelling and plot holes. It is a bad show, and even though American Horror Story is a sub-par show, it is inferior to AHS.
  5. Qldgamer
    Oct 15, 2016
    5
    I came int the show with no idea what it was about and found it very confusing plot and some average acting. It has some interesting ideas but they are lost in the confusion.
  6. jamess
    Nov 17, 2016
    7
    It took me a few moments to recognize Paul Schneider, the laid back Mark Brendanawicz from Parks & Rec, as the lead character of Channel Zero. But that connection helps (and the good will he created through that character, you can't help but like him immediately), because his character, child psychologist Mike Painter, is laid back, even in the face of horror. But that helps also, givenIt took me a few moments to recognize Paul Schneider, the laid back Mark Brendanawicz from Parks & Rec, as the lead character of Channel Zero. But that connection helps (and the good will he created through that character, you can't help but like him immediately), because his character, child psychologist Mike Painter, is laid back, even in the face of horror. But that helps also, given that we can't always believe what Mike is seeing is real or not. And so soon after Stranger Things, another series that looks like the adaptation of some unknown Stephen King novel. The flashbacks of Mike and his twin brother have a very "It" feeling, sp. since they have to battle the local bully. Just two episodes in, and I'm curious to find out the secret.… Expand
  7. Soulforge
    Nov 20, 2016
    9
    An interesting premise, like a Stephen king novel, acting was passable, the monsters creepy and often times disturbing, a definite must see.

    The lines between innocence and sacrifice meet in-between the horrors and consequence of human nature.
  8. CelestialFox
    Jan 30, 2017
    4
    When I first saw the trailer for this show I was hooked. It looked like a fresh suspenseful new show with promise like Stranger Things with a creepy monster covered with human teeth. When it released, I became excited and began my binge sitting through the 6 episodes only to be completely disappointed about midway through all the way up until the end (I was hoping it would pick up, theWhen I first saw the trailer for this show I was hooked. It looked like a fresh suspenseful new show with promise like Stranger Things with a creepy monster covered with human teeth. When it released, I became excited and began my binge sitting through the 6 episodes only to be completely disappointed about midway through all the way up until the end (I was hoping it would pick up, the story would be explained and it would get better but it didn't AT ALL). After the first 2 episodes it became confusing. Events became unexplained and remained unexplained throughout the entirety of the show, the story was riddled with plot holes EVERYWHERE, the acting was decent at best, and let's not forget to mention the extremely long panning shots that give you enough time to get up to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, play a game of chess and go for a mile run before returning to your seat as the panning has finished.

    I cannot recommend this show at all. If you think this short 6 episode series is worth a watch, by all means go for it but don't say I didn't warn you.    … Expand
  9. Milord56
    Feb 7, 2017
    7
    Interesting concept, good story and weird enough to keep me guessing what direction it will take. Schneider as Mike is a rather unsympathetic leading man though very well portrayed. I have found nearly very episode much more watchable if you fast-forward through the ponderously long self-indulgent "director-thinks-this-will-build-suspense" sequences that can become quite boring. TheInteresting concept, good story and weird enough to keep me guessing what direction it will take. Schneider as Mike is a rather unsympathetic leading man though very well portrayed. I have found nearly very episode much more watchable if you fast-forward through the ponderously long self-indulgent "director-thinks-this-will-build-suspense" sequences that can become quite boring. The annoying background noise that someone must have thought passed for a musical sound track just makes my teeth itch. Killing off some of the more enjoyable characters was not the way I would have chosen to go, but it is possible they were logistical decisions (this or that actor had another project or was impossible to work with or had to spend time in rehab. Who knows?)
    Despite the flaws, it is superior to much of the dreck that airs these days. I think it is worth watching the second season if it comes to pass.    … Expand
  10. penkypoo
    Feb 27, 2017
    9
    There is not much that is original in entertainment anymore, Channel Zero is a welcome and refreshing change from the norm. The first six episodes are one story that was inspired by a "creepy pasta" called Candle Cove. The premise is spooky but the show takes spooky and changes it to outright disturbing, If you liked the Twilight Zone, the X Files, and Paranormal Witness..give this one a go.
  11. CarrieNotHere
    Apr 7, 2017
    8
    Great show with great atmosphere.
    S1 is not too long, and works well even without what comes next, which are two good points for me. Haven't seen the following seasons though.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Lenika Cruz
    Oct 26, 2016
    80
    Channel Zero’s more mundane approach to horror might keep it on the outskirts of popular attention, but the show is all the more compelling for its restraint.
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  2. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Jen Chaney
    Oct 11, 2016
    70
    Once it gets going, Channel Zero: Candle Cove smartly peels back additional layers of its central mystery so that the audience won’t be satisfied until they finally get to the core of what really happened in Iron Hill all those years ago.
    Read full review
  3. We Got This Covered
    Reviewed by: Mitchel Broussard
    Oct 11, 2016
    60
    Channel Zero might lack a distinct personality of its own to execute a hair-raising, short-form spook fest on the level of its concisely creepy source material, but it has an admirable, all-too-relatable emotional backbone centering on childhood fears, and a range of subtle and in-your-face frights, earning it at least a passing glance on your Halloween watchlist.
    Read full review
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