Emergence

:

Season 1
  • Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 24, 2019
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
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Critic Reviews

  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Mike Hale
    Sep 23, 2019
    60
    Tolman, with her knack for conveying alert intelligence and sardonic skepticism, is the best hedge “Emergence” has against being a generic broadcast-network thriller. She’s fine as Jo, but it’s a less interesting, more predictable role. ... As for the story, intrigue manages to stay a few steps ahead of implausibility in the first hour, which is a perfectly serviceable setup episode. But implausibility has a way of gaining fast in shows like this.
  2. Sioux City Journal
    Reviewed by: Bruce Miller
    Sep 23, 2019
    50
    There’s a supernatural feel to it, but the series also has a serialized format that makes you wonder who can hang in longer – the network or the viewers.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Tim Surette
    Sep 23, 2019
    40
    Maybe you've heard, but there's a lot of TV out there, and to play the long game with a mystery-box network show just seems like the wrong way to go.

Awards & Rankings

96
#96 Best TV Season of 2019
80
#80 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 31
  3. Negative: 7 out of 31
  1. bkristman
    Oct 19, 2019
    5
    As with the last new show i reviewed,Evil ,this is really cookie cutter stuff that is very reminiscent of numerous other shows or films.
    A    As with the last new show i reviewed,Evil ,this is really cookie cutter stuff that is very reminiscent of numerous other shows or films.
    A kid with psychokinetic powers who is likely a cyborg being chased down by the government or MIB .
    She is adopted by a kindly female cop and her father . The cop keeps guns seemingly everywhere in the house and waves them around as if it's a tv remote.
    Kinda comical that nobody seems to care.
    There's a lot of deception practiced by the cop,the kid in this which is bound to backfire of course .
    Poor series but the cop is body positive and a strong female role model.    … Full Review »
  2. Aryaman
    Oct 13, 2019
    10
    ABC's Emergence is really on-brand for the network. Just like with Downward Dog, the network is really trying to anchor longevity for AllisonABC's Emergence is really on-brand for the network. Just like with Downward Dog, the network is really trying to anchor longevity for Allison Tollman but viewers just won't give her a break with review bombing Downward Dog and now this! Guys please just stop doing this! It's ugly and does real damage to not only the actor's career but also the network. If you have some honest things to say then say it but don't put reviews for the sake of bringing the score down! I mean just come on!!! Not every show can be a Game of Thrones, Lost, The Good Wife or Succession. But they can be Grey's Anatomy, Fringe among others if they are given a chance. So don't just write bad review for the sake of it. I have gone over some of the reviews and they are just saying 'bad vibes' 'i don't trust ABC'. I mean really!! What kind of message are they trying to send. It does not say anything about demerits of the show and how that fails to meet expectations. The reason I gave a 10 is because I want the show to succeed and do well for the talent involved and also because I find it promising that it will deliver on those promises. So here's my 'constructive review' of the first episode. So I'll do a premier review, a middle of the season review and then the finale.
    Episode 1 - The opening sequence of the show was thrilling and kept me guessing right from the start. Allison's character is designed in a way to help us stay one step ahead of her. For e.g. the fake parents scene was something I knew right from the beginning but the way it unfolds in front of the character was interesting and adds to the naivety of the character. It is this naivety that help us sympathize with her and understand the story from her perspective. Her taking care of Piper is very Hopper and Eleven from Stranger Things but this seems fresh because of the way Jo is. She wants to protect Piper from anyone who would do her harm and that adds dept and an emotional foundation for their story which could have pay offs seasons later. Another interesting aspect of the show is its lighting. The nights seems really dark and mysterious with a tinge of delicacy. The way the lighting is shown on the characters make them seem delicate especially Jo. The directing was pretty standard, it didn't seem to do anything interesting with the pilot but the writing was one which I really liked. It did not give away plot points very easily except the fake parents scene. The kidnapping scene where Jo and everyone else are trying to find the housebreakers was also good and added real tension. Now, I really like that ABC is trying to market it as a mystery-box show when it clearly has science-fiction elements with Piper's telepathy powers (i'm going with it). The very end seem to suggest to me that Piper knows herself because the face acting sure seem to suggested that and when she takes out the chip from her side neck and then covers that area with her hair implied that fact. I don't know what Piper's origins are but I really hope that it's not an experimental accident because that would be just so boring! We've seen that on Stranger Things already so I don't want to see it happen again. My overall score for this episode: 7.5/10    … Full Review »
  3. UncleWillard
    Sep 26, 2019
    3
    To be fair, I only watched the first 20 minutes or so, but it immediately seemed like so many other series, it turned me off. That and thisTo be fair, I only watched the first 20 minutes or so, but it immediately seemed like so many other series, it turned me off. That and this idea that a small town sheriff can just tell the Feds to go sit in a corner when they are investigating something is so patently silly and over-used, I got bad vibes. It may be unfair, and I may revisit/binge later, but I really don't trust ABC after the Passage debacle. This is a ham-handed family attempt at sci-fi and it looks to be a slog.… Full Review »
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