Conviction (2016)
ABC | Release Date: October 3, 2016
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
12
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: Judging from the premiere episode, Conviction is not just compelling and topical, it’s a master class in TV-series construction. Read full review
75
Newark Star-LedgerVicki HymanOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: The procedural element is smartly done, the stakes realistically high, and Atwell's chemistry with Cahill's D.A. compelling. Read full review
67
TVLineDave NemetzSep 29, 2016
Season 1 Review: A show like Conviction, which is fine but not terribly inspiring. Read full review
63
New York PostMichael StarrOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: The show’s pacing is brisk, the acting is fine on all fronts (the British-born Atwell’s American accent slips a bit here and there) and it’s nice to look at--which just might be enough to keep Conviction going. Read full review
60
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: It’s slightly above average as this type of series is concerned but not something that will satisfy "Castle" fans still smarting from its cancellation. Read full review
60
ColliderAllison KeeneSep 28, 2016
Season 1 Review: The self-imposed restriction of having only 5 days to handle each case gives the episode some urgency, but the clunky dialogue and viewer hand-holding sets it back. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubGwen IhnatOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: Hayley Atwell tries her hardest, but Conviction has too many clichés for her to overcome single-handedly. She deserves a better show than this one. In fact, we all do. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyDarren FranichSep 30, 2016
Season 1 Review: Conviction doesn’t have the courage of its, errr, principles. It wants to prove the justice system is broken, but it still believes justice comes from a cool office with glass walls and attractive people. Read full review
58
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertSep 16, 2016
Season 1 Review: The weekly cases aren’t going to dazzle, based on the pilot. That means the cast has to shine, and it only flickers. Read full review
50
Los Angeles Daily NewsRob LowmanOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: Much of this is pretty standard stuff, part legal drama, part soap. Atwell, though, is always so lively and interesting to watch. But the material may sink her at the end. Read full review
50
Uncle BarkyEd BarkSep 30, 2016
Season 1 Review: Atwell’s performance is solid enough, particularly when Armstrong is around for badgering purposes. But the weekly skirmishes with “The System” end in ways that at best strain credulity. Read full review
50
VarietySonia SaraiyaSep 12, 2016
Season 1 Review: Atwell is skilled, but with just 42 minutes and a whole murder case to get through, her First Daughter backstory and the wide net cast for her character feel a lot like grasping at distant, barely visible straws. Still, Conviction is a fun watch, and a series that will likely resolve its initial hiccups. Read full review
42
NewsdayDiane WertsSep 30, 2016
Season 1 Review: Conviction is so into overkill, it’s hard to tell what to take seriously. Read full review
42
Washington PostHank StueverSep 15, 2016
Season 1 Review: Conviction, co-created by Liz Friedman and Liz Friedlander, prefers the blunt approach, in strict accordance with ABC’s predictably melodramatic house style for one-hour dramas. The edits from scene to scene can feel more like amputations than quick cuts. Read full review
40
Reason.comGlenn GarvinOct 1, 2016
Season 1 Review: In short, Chelsea Clinton's evil twin from a parallel and even more dysfunctional universe! Any way we can beam back to the days of Amy Carter? Read full review
40
We Got This CoveredMitchel BroussardSep 28, 2016
Season 1 Review: Atwell showing up nets it brownie points, but the show has no idea how to use her to its strengths, and subsequently only reveals its own glaring, fumbling weaknesses. Read full review
37
USA TodayRobert BiancoOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: There are twists and turns, as you’d expect, but few of them are any more believable than the characters, who feel like empty vessels into which traits and quirks have been randomly poured. Read full review
30
The WrapAmber DowlingOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: [Conviction] is a mess from beginning to end, full of clichéd characters and confusing rules. Read full review
30
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: The cases are unsurprising, the central characters’ back stories are contrived, and the show’s efforts to be sexy and saucy are clumsy. Read full review
30
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GrayOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: IF House of Cards and Scandal didn't convince you that Hollywood has mixed feelings about political wives with their own political ambitions, you should check out ABC's Conviction. Beyond that, I can't think of a reason to bother. Read full review
30
The Salt Lake TribuneScott D. PierceSep 30, 2016
Season 1 Review: There are worse things on TV than Conviction, but this is a waste of time and talent. Read full review
25
St. Louis Post-DispatchGail PenningtonOct 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: The plot is ridiculous, the writing is bad and Atwell seems embarrassed to be there. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandSep 30, 2016
Season 1 Review: An overheated, overwritten and implausible story. Read full review
20
Cleveland Plain DealerMark DawidziakOct 14, 2016
Season 1 Review: Coercion might be the only way to get an audience for this incredibly labored legal drama. Read full review
20
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanSep 28, 2016
Season 1 Review: A law procedural so paint-by-numbers it's like everybody gave up halfway through and added terrible colors out of boredom. Read full review
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