Emergence

:

Season 1
  • Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 24, 2019
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
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User Reviews

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  1. 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 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 sayABC'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    … Expand
  2. youngandgrey
    Sep 26, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really liked this show. Its pacing is good, the acting was excellent and the story is compelling. I think that I would have like to see a bit more of Clancy Brown's character. The story has elements of Stranger Things in it. (As a point of fact early in the show the main character needs a name and someone says "milly' in which might be a shout out to Milly Bobby Brown from Stranger Things). Its not gruesome except for the last 2 minutes. I would recommend this show to any of my friends and say that it is ok to watch with children over 10.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. Reason.com
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    Sep 29, 2019
    70
    Emergence's pilot is a pleasantly spooky hour, with some not-all-that-faint echoes of Netflix's Stranger Things. It's aided immeasurably by the casting of Tolman as a size-16 protagonist who is neither a vixen or a superhero, just a good cop with decent human instincts.
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  2. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Sep 24, 2019
    83
    Investing in ABC’s Emergence looks like it could be a winning proposition. And even if the suspense and premise begin to sag, there’s always Allison Tolman to keep hope alive. ... Tolman’s performance is thoroughly grounded.
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  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Daniel D'Addario
    Sep 24, 2019
    80
    It deserves a shot, at least on the basis of its first hour. With real tension, uncommon curiosity, and a knockout, chilling final shot, it’s a network pilot whose strength on its own merits is compounded by how unlike the rest of network TV right now it seems.
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