Enlightened

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 10, 2011
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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Critic Reviews

  1. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Oct 7, 2011
    60
    The show's ethereal qualities are interesting in places but never particularly enlightening.
  2. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Oct 7, 2011
    60
    Whether viewers find Enlightened all that funny may depend upon whether they have a person similar to Amy in their lives--and whether they want to spend time with an irrational, hysteria-prone fictional character, too.
  3. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Oct 10, 2011
    58
    A rare HBO misfire--but I do hope Amy finds peace.
  5. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Oct 10, 2011
    50
    I wish I were as invested in Amy's journey as she is, but as she blathers on about being an agent of change at her uncaring corporation, I find myself restless to change the channel to something that's actually entertaining or, yes, enlightening.
  6. Zap2it (Inside the Box)
    Reviewed by: David Eckstein
    Oct 10, 2011
    50
    The biggest downfall of Enlightened is doesn't know what it wants to be. It's in no-man's land between a comedy, a drama and a satire.
  7. Hitfix
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Oct 10, 2011
    50
    As set up by White (and Dern, who's a producer and a contributor on the pilot script), Enlightened feels too lightweight to work as a short drama, and too clumsy in its attempts at humor to work that way.

Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Best TV Season of 2011
24
#24 Most Discussed TV Season of 2011
41
#41 Most Shared TV Season of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 114 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 114
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 114
  3. Negative: 15 out of 114
  1. shellview
    Oct 24, 2011
    1
    This is one of the worst shows I have seen on HBO. The Dern character is so unlikeable and pathetic I cringe at her every word. She isThis is one of the worst shows I have seen on HBO. The Dern character is so unlikeable and pathetic I cringe at her every word. She is "Enlightened" and feels she is on a mission to change the world. The kind of person most people go out of their way to avoid. The supporting characters are one dimensional and annoying as well. I watched two episodes, the second to see if maybe I missed something but it only got worse.… Full Review »
  2. Tresidentevil
    Jan 7, 2012
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Where do I start? I'm a few episodes into this, and tend to watch it after American Horror Story for something a bit more uplifting and some balance. Being a comedy/drama I don't see how this is unreasonable, I'd imagine the average viewer is probally trying to get something similar from this. This is where my issues with this series begin. Humour is incredibly sparse, even for an American production. The central string of the story slumps along at a snails pace, which isn't helped by the fact episodes are so short. With hindsight the reason for this is related to my next point. Enlightened is boring! I can't imagine having to sit through 45-60 minutes of this show. All the show seems to do is communicate these messages to us about self discovery and awakening but does so at the total expense of any decent plot or storyline action. Messages are cool but not like this. They just swirl around aimlessly without being bound to something tangible and thats my central problem here because it gives those messages no value. Watching this I assume it's been written by somebody experiencing a mid-life crisis, as a 25-30 year old this doesn't appeal to me at all. Maybe I'm the wrong audience for this, but I just find zero entertainment here. Laura Dern does a fairly good job, but thats to be expected from an actress of her calibre. She is perhaps wasted on this, I'm also not convinced shes totally perfect for the role. I want to be positivewhich is hard here, but underneath all of the bad stuff a real (albeit very slow) storyline does exist, which could be brilliant if it engaged with the viewer better. Perhaps Englightened has been 'over written', but it's hard to tell. Making this show a little more silly, with some light hearted jokes would be a good first step for improvement.… Full Review »
  3. greenhorses
    Oct 13, 2011
    10
    This series is a call for those who are tense and trying to keep up with a good life with success but ruining it at the same time...and that'sThis series is a call for those who are tense and trying to keep up with a good life with success but ruining it at the same time...and that's it! What can be more identifiable nowadays in a world full of rational power? This approach to the spiritual subject in the edge between a life lesson and a parody makes it special for me. The humor and the characters are a lot like those of a Todd Solondz film. I love the ending. Watching the last scene in the elevator made me think of a spiritual enlightened direction of the authors. Dern and White should stay as a team for a long time. This is the most comfortable fiction show I've ever seen.… Full Review »
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