Crossing Lines

Though constructed from off-the-rack tropes and predictable dialogue, the show also keeps moving forward, causing its characters enough trouble that you feel compelled to stick around at least to see how they get out of it.

It seems that international crime fighting has the same wearying turf wars as American police work and that border-crossing serial killers practice the same sorts of sadistic violence against women that domestic ones often do.... Still, Crossing Lines makes for satisfying viewing; with Mr. Fichtner’s and Mr. Lavoine’s performances it might continue to do so for the summer.

[Crossing Lines] offers exotic locales, a veritable United Nations of a cast, and a revered actor (in this case, Donald Sutherland) phoning it in. [19 Jul 2013, p.82]

The cops, led by Marc Lavoine, are an interesting mix, and the scenery's great. If only the crime itself didn't seem so drearily familiar.

Crossing Lines isn’t breezy enough for a summer diversion. Instead it’s ponderous, pretentious and too predictable.

The whole melting pot of European coppers swapping insults is a rather stale twist on an old formula. That’s not to say Lines is without its merits, starting with Fichtner.

The pilot is fast-paced and gripping, as the team closes in on the killer. After the fact, it's all fairly preposterous, but there's enough going on through the show to maintain our interest.