For The People

:

Season 1
  • Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Mar 13, 2018
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
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Critic Reviews

  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Kristen Baldwin
    Mar 2, 2018
    91
    ABC’s new legal drama For the People is formulaic in the best way possible, meaning it delivers exactly what you want from a Shondaland drama--and perhaps a little bit more.
  2. Salon
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    Mar 12, 2018
    80
    This is still very much a Shondaland show. But For the People exhibits, quite well, how crowd-pleasing television can have a higher purpose by educated even as it seduces.
  3. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Mar 12, 2018
    75
    Intelligent, sharply produced and respectful of its female characters, For the People looks like a winner.
  5. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Daniel Fienberg
    Mar 13, 2018
    70
    Don't go into For the People expecting the sensationalist procedural melodrama often associated with the Shondaland brand and you might find yourself appreciating the simple pleasures of a deep ensemble cast delivering reams of clever dialogue and grappling superficially with the legal issues of the day.
  6. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Mar 12, 2018
    58
    For the People is OK but not great, too all over the place for any of the legal cases to make much of a dramatic impression.
  7. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Lorraine Ali
    Mar 12, 2018
    50
    The cases they work are interesting in a ripped-out-of-the-headlines sort of way, but they're not given enough attention to counter the predictable dramas enveloping them.
  8. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Mar 16, 2018
    40
    What’s mildly intriguing, at least in the first few episodes, is the chance to see a Shondaland series in its nascent moments of restraint, when the dialogue and plot still have a chance of resonating with reality.
  9. Variety
    Reviewed by: Sonia Saraiya
    Mar 13, 2018
    40
    Unlike Rhimes’ best shows, For the People lacks even a modicum of subtlety--a subtlety often provided by the lead actor, be it Viola Davis or Kerry Washington. It’s zingy, and follows the right patterns, but For the People is almost impossible to invest in.
  10. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Michael Starr
    Mar 6, 2018
    37
    You will struggle to care. ... The largely unknown cast is fine, but they’re working with such bland material that it’s hard to work up much enthusiasm.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 22
  3. Negative: 8 out of 22
  1. Ededed
    Apr 22, 2018
    0
    The promos couldn’t even get me interested in this show. Another ho-hum courtroom drama with social complications on the side. Nothing new here.
  2. EagerViewer
    Mar 28, 2018
    4
    Desperate to like this show, 3 episodes in and it all feels too forced. Maybe it will hit it's stride but with other shows out there doing itDesperate to like this show, 3 episodes in and it all feels too forced. Maybe it will hit it's stride but with other shows out there doing it "right" i'm not sure it can keep up… Full Review »
  3. TVBug
    Mar 16, 2018
    4
    It feels too much like other Rimes shows. Eager, bright--but cute--new attorneys (interns, gladiators, etc.) ready to do battle without theIt feels too much like other Rimes shows. Eager, bright--but cute--new attorneys (interns, gladiators, etc.) ready to do battle without the burden of a lot of depth.… Full Review »
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