Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 219 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	Your Score
8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 219 Ratings

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Halt & Catch Fire

Now Playing: Halt & Catch Fire

Season Details & Credits

AMC | Season Premiere Date: June 1, 2014

Starring: Toby Huss, Kerry Bishé, Scoot McNairy

Summary: Former IBM sales executive Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace) recruits reluctant Cardiff Electric engineer Gordon Clark (Scoot McNairy) and programming prodigy Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) to reverse engineer IBM's BIOS system, setting up the PC revolution.

Creator: Christopher C. Rogers and Christopher Cantwell

Genre(s): Drama

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E10. 1984
Air Date: August 3, 2014
tbd
S1:E9. Up Helly Aa
Air Date: July 27, 2014
tbd
S1:E8. The 214s
Air Date: July 20, 2014

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Metascore

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Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Jeff Korbelik

Jun 2, 2014

The thrill comes not from the actual computer building, but the people doing the building. These characters are complex and well-developed, especially Pace’s fiery exec, who is a mesmerizing manipulator. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

May 28, 2014

It’s not quite as nuanced as "Mad Men," but it could be before the end of the season. Read full review

Mary McNamara

May 30, 2014

Though the pilot of Halt and Catch Fire, AMC's latest character-driven drama premiering Sunday, doesn't hit the gloriously high bar set by the opening episode of "Mad Men," it is provocative and promising nonetheless. Read full review

Marisa LaScala

May 30, 2014

With the relationships among MacMillan, Clark, and Howe in the foreground, Halt and Catch Fire makes impressive use of its time period without treating it as an elbow-to-the-ribs joke. Read full review

Maureen Ryan

May 30, 2014

There's a tentativeness to Halt's first hour--it doesn't end especially strongly--but overall, the drama has a mostly credible pilot and lead actors who will probably be able take the show in compelling directions. Read full review

Melissa Maerz

May 30, 2014

There are still quite a few good reasons to watch this flawed show. The pilot features some clever twists that I won’t ruin here. The dialogue can be highly quotable, in an engrave-this-mantra-on-your-iPad way. (“Computers aren’t the thing–they’re the thing that gets us to the thing!”) And McNairy is fantastic, simmering with quiet intensity that suggests that there’s much more to Gordon than we’re privy to in the pilot. Read full review

David Wiegand

May 28, 2014

At least in the one episode sent to critics--Halt doesn't offer up complicated, three-dimensional characters. Instead, we get versions of familiar types pulled from the character storage room by the writers. Read full review

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User Score

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8.4

User Reviews

grinny

Jul 29, 2014

This show keeps getting better and better with each new episode. Do not watch this show expecting it to be factually based. It's good fiction and with enough facts thrown in to keep credible. The character development becomes more and more interesting with each episode and the computer'sThis show keeps getting better and better with each new episode. Do not watch this show expecting it to be factually based. It's good fiction and with enough facts thrown in to keep credible. The character development becomes more and more interesting with each episode and the computer's development gives you a perspective of "what if there had really been a developer like Cardiff at the time?"… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

DakotaFred

Jun 6, 2015

Yep, it's a great show! Great story, cast, cinematography, score etc.... one of the best series on! Hopefully, the network realizes this and green lights more seasons! Anyone giving this a negative rating has an agenda, must be working for a different network or something...

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

Sonofspam1972

Jun 1, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While the comparisons to Mad Men aren't exactly there, this show seems determined to make it's own path by exploring the early days of the personal computer boom in 1980's texas and by showing these three desperate characters making it much more personal.
Joe Macmillan seems to be the lead star with the almost Patrick Bateman-esque bad boy charisma.

The only real fault of the show so far is rushing through some of the technical details like in the montage in Gordon Clark's house when they are taking apart an IMB computer.… Expand

6 of 8 users found this helpful62

truerock

Jan 16, 2021

It took me 6 years to get around to watching Halt and Catch Fire. One of the reasons was that professional critics were so detached and incompetent in their reviews that I just intellectually separated from the opportunity. I knew it was an excellent series - but, I wanted to be removedIt took me 6 years to get around to watching Halt and Catch Fire. One of the reasons was that professional critics were so detached and incompetent in their reviews that I just intellectually separated from the opportunity. I knew it was an excellent series - but, I wanted to be removed from the stupidity of the entertainment industry before I watched it.

Halt and catch fire is the intersection of excellent writing and excellent acting. It is an amazing piece of work… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GamergodsFail

Jun 30, 2015

Season 1 had a very strong cast and a solid story that gave a keen and intense insight to the computer boom of the early-mid 1980's. The season finale took a bit of a nosedive almost as if it was meant to be a miniseries. I'm glad it was renewed though, it's a great AMC original thatSeason 1 had a very strong cast and a solid story that gave a keen and intense insight to the computer boom of the early-mid 1980's. The season finale took a bit of a nosedive almost as if it was meant to be a miniseries. I'm glad it was renewed though, it's a great AMC original that deserves more viewers.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

MightyThor

Aug 13, 2014

This show is good, I don't care what the critics say. I really hope it gets renewed cus viewership has been kind of low.

First I like the unique setting. How many shows are about the 1980s at all, let alone the computer business in any era? TV is littered with cop dramas and angstyThis show is good, I don't care what the critics say. I really hope it gets renewed cus viewership has been kind of low.

First I like the unique setting. How many shows are about the 1980s at all, let alone the computer business in any era? TV is littered with cop dramas and angsty romantic comedies, and now the new wave of fantasy and zombies, Halt is a really refreshing change up. Although it's nothing like Mad Men, the uniqueness is similar in that both explore a time period and field that no other show really does.

Second the acting is really good, outside of Cameron. For some reason I think she comes across as super moody and not realistic. She seems shallow to me, she's so obsessed with making a perfect computer experience I feel like the writers have to kind of push her to be extreme to make the show go certain places. It just doesn't feel quite natural. But every other actor does a stellar job. Donna is amazing as the conflicted wife. Bosworth is a very compelling figure, torn between the new generation's way of thinking and progressing to the future and the old guard that he is part of.

I don't really see any major plot holes although a few things that happen seem a little far fetched like how quickly they complete certain tasks for one. But otherwise the story never really dragged and had plenty of twists without feeling like the writers were reaching for anything. In all it's a great show I hope more people check out.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

colossalcarl

Jul 8, 2014

Show was hanging by a thread in the first three episodes. The baffling events of episode 3 made me literally turn it off 3/4 of the way into it. Boring, uninteresting characters with almost no resemblance to reality. A shame considering how much I really wanted to like this show.

5 of 14 users found this helpful59

SEE ALL 40 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

75

Series Overview
Season 4

92
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: August 19, 2017
Season 3

83
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: August 23, 2016
Season 2

73
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: May 31, 2015
Season 1

69
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: June 1, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E10. 1984
  Air Date: August 3, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E9. Up Helly Aa
  Air Date: July 27, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E8. The 214s
  Air Date: July 20, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E7. Giant
  Air Date: July 13, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E6. Landfall
  Air Date: July 6, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E5. Adventure
  Air Date: June 29, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E4. Close to the Metal
  Air Date: June 22, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E3. High Plains Hardware
  Air Date: June 15, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E2. FUD
  Air Date: June 8, 2014
- tbd
  S1:E1. I/O
  Air Date: June 1, 2014