• Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 31, 2008
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 24
  2. Negative: 4 out of 24
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Critic Reviews

  1. 70
    Eli Stone is not quite there yet; the characters are pretty thinly drawn in the first few episodes, and the law cases seem heavily tilted toward the "little guy" side.
  2. With these superb supporting players [Victor Garber, Tom Amandes, and Loretta Devine] helping drain away any potential drippiness from the show's magical-realist trappings, Eli Stone proves as solid as a rock.
  3. What makes the show worth watching are some old-fashioned character relationships; no single performance tears up the place, but together they make something interesting.
  4. 80
    It's hard to say which is more unlikely: That a corporate legal fang could be God's prophet; or that the Almighty would spread His word through visions of George Michael; or these matters could be blended into a daffily funny and affecting television show.
  5. 75
    Lots of fun. The acting and comic timing, when called for, are tremendous - and Miller's got the heft to carry it off.
  6. Eli Stone, lightweight and proudly quirky.
  7. Eli Stone offers a well-stirred mix of character comedy, relationship drama, legal cases and musical numbers.
  8. Effortlessly mixing drama and wit, mysticism and biting social commentary, there is a real glow to Eli Stone that will brighten your day and lift your spirits. That is a very rare thing on television.
  9. There's a strong supporting cast, including Loretta Devine as Stone's no-nonsense secretary, but the big attraction is Miller's Stone and his transformation from heartless corporate lawyer to protector of the little guy.
  10. There’s a cynicism balancing the upbeat goofiness of Eli Stone.
  11. 80
    Adorably quirky and emotionally surprising, Eli Stone is a legal drama the same way Pushing Daisies (how I miss it) is a mere whodunit.
  12. 75
    It's hard not to like a show that extends its warmth even to characters you expect to be unsympathetic and that expands its entertainment vocabulary to music, dancing and flights of fancy.
  13. Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    70
    It's a formula nevertheless--one that renders Eli Stone engaging but not fully involving, particularly once the vision/trial/puzzled-looks-from-colleagues ground rules are established, based on a sampling of two subsequent hours.
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 80 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 80
  2. Negative: 8 out of 80
  1. TomO.
    Feb 1, 2008
    4
    Evil corporations -- pharma no less! -- are just a progressive cliches in scripts no more insightful than these. It's boring and predictable.
  2. Oct 10, 2018
    10
    I am fan of the absurd. That a prophet could be getting messages through musical numbers I thought was very creative. I am not a fan ofI am fan of the absurd. That a prophet could be getting messages through musical numbers I thought was very creative. I am not a fan of musicals, but the singing, dancing, and choreography taking place in a lawyers office was wonderfully absurd. Too bad that idea did not last through the first season. I am giving this show a 10, not for the full season, but because I was taken with the creativity of the concept. Full Review »
  3. Dec 17, 2012
    5
    Not terrible, but pretty uninspired. I am always annoyed by things that are blandly "spiritual," poorly acted, and full of stereotypicalNot terrible, but pretty uninspired. I am always annoyed by things that are blandly "spiritual," poorly acted, and full of stereotypical characters and situations. Eli Stone has all three. I often find myself thinking that the cases that Stone champions are, based on the evidence that he has, wrongly decided. A couple of good actors and fresh faces with largely innocuous plots aren't really a problem, other than the kind of obvious left-wing agenda of most of the plots. Expect evil corporations, sinister churches, greedy businessmen and the shiftless lawyers who defend them. Meh. Full Review »