Enlightened

:

Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 10, 2011
Season #: 2, 1
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
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User Reviews

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  1. Hilary
    Oct 11, 2011
    5
    This was...weak. Laura Dern is way better than this. I hope it improves. It's also not that funny. Take comedy out of its description. HBO needs to retool this.
  2. Beau
    Oct 10, 2011
    6
    This was okay. Laura Dern is fantastic, and her character has a lot of depth, but everything else is flat. The first episode started out very good, but as it went on, it became relatively annoying and not as entertaining. Hopefully it finds itself quickly, because I'm not quite sure what it can do to grow.
  3. geedup
    Jul 25, 2013
    5
    I checked this show out because of the high score from meta users. I watched 5 episodes and found NO enjoyment in it. Plot surrounds a woman who has emotionally imploded and goes to rehab herself. become enlighted, sort of speak. She returns to the community she lived in and struggles to keep herself whole. Good premise but lazily uninteresting. Always seems she is going to go off onI checked this show out because of the high score from meta users. I watched 5 episodes and found NO enjoyment in it. Plot surrounds a woman who has emotionally imploded and goes to rehab herself. become enlighted, sort of speak. She returns to the community she lived in and struggles to keep herself whole. Good premise but lazily uninteresting. Always seems she is going to go off on people, but really doesn't. Waited and nothing. Self-doubt and constant re-assessment become a central idea to the show and after 5 episodes, i got the idea. Maybe this show is geared for women, but I didn't enjoy it at all.… Expand
  4. MaxOpower
    Oct 16, 2011
    5
    I like dark and dry humor, but this wasn't really funny, just dark and dry. I liked Luke Wilson though, but beyond him, the rest of the characters just seemed forgettable.
  5. Lambo442
    Feb 23, 2013
    6
    This show started off really well, being very dark and funny, but also quite touching and insiring. I liked the fact that you were'nt quite sure if Amy was still unhinged or not. She seemed very serene but at the same time there was something bubbling under the surface. Then all of a sudden it started to take itself a bit too seriously and seemed to be pushing a moral message about drugThis show started off really well, being very dark and funny, but also quite touching and insiring. I liked the fact that you were'nt quite sure if Amy was still unhinged or not. She seemed very serene but at the same time there was something bubbling under the surface. Then all of a sudden it started to take itself a bit too seriously and seemed to be pushing a moral message about drug use too. The show started to act like it had all the answers. And some of the narrative became cheesy as hell. We forget our sad stories..like yesterdays dreams, or shadows in the lake or whatever blah blah, the humour just evaporated. What gives? Episode 4 just turns rubbish. I'm giving up now.… Expand
  6. Tessler
    Oct 11, 2011
    4
    WOW. This was average. Not funny at all. Laura Dern is good, but everything else just didn't work. Hopefully it gets better. Because this won't last.
  7. TVCritical
    Feb 14, 2012
    6
    I applaud this show for being very moral and mature and praise HBO for being a cable network that finally has a show like this. The show is great at intorducing moral issues such a environmentalism & human rights through a woman who tries a little too hard to get other people to help in such causes and usually fail in very comical & dramatic ways. The show has superb acting in its castI applaud this show for being very moral and mature and praise HBO for being a cable network that finally has a show like this. The show is great at intorducing moral issues such a environmentalism & human rights through a woman who tries a little too hard to get other people to help in such causes and usually fail in very comical & dramatic ways. The show has superb acting in its cast members Diane Ladd, Amy Hill, and especially Laura Dern. Although not everyone in the cast are good actors such as Timm Sharp, Sarah Burns, and most of their guest stars while Luke Wilson & Mike White are only decent actors. This show is good but tend to very standoffish that disconnects it from viewers due to its almost all its characters being very cruel, uncaring, and unlikable leaving only the lead character Amy Jellicoe to being the only good character on the show and if the very self centered, condescending, and manipulative Amy is the only good character on this show then it's gotta be very hard to watch this show unless someone do something to the characters to make them more likable and they also have to spruce up the stories/writing in this show too because these stories aren't that interesting they are near drop dead boring so if the writers make the stories better then that along with making the characters actually likable will make this show watchable if not then well kiss this show GOODBYE.â… Expand
  8. hoops2448
    Oct 13, 2011
    6
    Enlightened does start promisingly with some great characters and actors putting in their all. However the show at the moment seems more like a good concept than a fully thought out series. The idea of a show about the rough road to recovery and how to stay healthy once you got there is an intriguing thought and hopefully one this series can discuss but at the moment it tries to hard to beEnlightened does start promisingly with some great characters and actors putting in their all. However the show at the moment seems more like a good concept than a fully thought out series. The idea of a show about the rough road to recovery and how to stay healthy once you got there is an intriguing thought and hopefully one this series can discuss but at the moment it tries to hard to be just a comedy. The thing about Enlightened is despite the fact it is sitcom length (20ish minutes) it isn't that funny. Its a great little drama in parts but because its trying to be something its not, it seems to be relying a bit to heavily on cringe humour and shocks when it should be delving more into Laura Dern's psyche which in my opinion is the main draw of the show. This is also evident in Luke Wilsons character who at first glance is an interestingly flawed character who is incredibly interesting but then he does a line of coke and all that mystery/uniqueness to his character is obliterated. Enlightened has the opportunity to really be something great but it needs to stop trying to fit a genre and really play into the unique qualities of the story and the characters.… Expand
  9. GeekFurious
    Jun 22, 2013
    4
    A show about a loser who becomes enlightened and keeps losing at life. Season 1 is great if you want to watch someone fail. And fail. And fail. And then fail.

    And fail.

    Season 2 is very good. Skip this one. Go watch that one instead.

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Oct 24, 2011
    83
    By this third episode, the tone has become open, generous, and alert to every sort of character.
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  2. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    Oct 19, 2011
    70
    A black comedy working many shades of gray, Enlightened is about dark mornings of the soul and the fool's-golden glow of the new convert, and it measures the weight of the world with an eccentric scale.
    Read full review
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Alessandra Stanley
    Oct 10, 2011
    80
    The series embraces the absurdities of its subject with enough compassion to avoid outright parody.
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