Haven
SyFy | Release Date: July 9, 2010
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
13
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart
Season 1 Review: The darker tone of Haven (including a haunting piano soundtrack) and reliance on paranormal, rather than technological, story elements form an ideal counterpoint to the wonkery of "Eureka." Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith
Season 1 Review: No vampires (so far). But no matter what materializes in the town, it's satisfying to see in the first episode that Haven already revolves around grown-ups. Read full review
70
Deseret NewsScott D. Pierce
Season 1 Review: It's not bad. It's actually sort of promising. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd
Season 1 Review: Viewers sad about the end of "Happy Town" and looking for another creepy municipal drama filmed in Canada may find this a port in the storm, though it is more cheaply appointed and less spectacularly cast. Still, it would be pointless to attack the show for not achieving things that are beyond its ambitions. Read full review
70
Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin
Season 1 Review: As a cop drama, Haven--marred by busy and blurry story lines--is barely competent. But as a narrative of eccentric, slightly damaged yet ultimately warm characters, it's quite successful. The deadpan my-badge-is-bigger-than-yours needling between Rose and Bryant is particularly engaging. Read full review
63
New York PostLinda Stasi
Season 1 Review: Sure, Haven is fun. But I get the feeling that I'm suffering from the same attack of "been there/done that" as the lithe and lovely agent. Read full review
60
The New York TimesMike Hale
Season 1 Review: Haven not only resembles its Syfy stablemates, but it's also just about as good, which means that if you like a cozy, lived-in mystery with some quirky characters in a pleasant setting--and you don't mind spotty writing and perfunctory camerawork--you may enjoy it. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyKen Tucker
Season 1 Review: The pilot doesn't possess much Stephen King grit--in fact, it's more like Syfy whimsy. But give it time; if Haven can become darker and more complex, as Warehouse 13 has, it could become fun summer sci-? TV. Read full review
58
Boston HeraldMark A. Perigard
Season 1 Review: Tonight's mystery ultimately doesn't hang together, but it does establish the show's light mythos in an easy-to-digest way. Read full review
50
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: The mysteries of Haven do offer some intrigue but coupled with fairly unextraordinary situations and plots, the show may have a tough time convincing viewers to become weekly visitors. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesPaige Wiser
Season 1 Review: Haven succeeds at laying on the whimsy, and the dialogue is cute. But it's impossible to follow the investigation, and each discovery raises more questions--not about the supernatural, but about the holes in the script. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
Season 1 Review: Why, Haven, why?? Without the Balfour, this might have been a blandish but watchable "X-Files" derivation. With the Balfour, well, his time on screen did not increase my desire to check out this "Haven" in future. Read full review
50
PopMattersMichael Abernethy
Season 1 Review: The reason we might stick around is Audrey Parker. She also provides an alternative to the usual dark mystery associated with Stephen King's work. Read full review
42
NewsdayVerne Gay
Season 1 Review: King didn't actually write Haven but "developed" it for the small screen, which is a form of plausible deniability if things go wrong. With Haven--as somnolent as a summer afternoon--they most likely will. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMatt Roush
Season 1 Review: There's nothing about Haven that isn't derivative at best and dispiriting at worst. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterRandee Dawn
Season 1 Review: Such a winning cast of characters and sharp dialogue deserved better than a midshow derailment, however. Read full review
40
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: The characters are so shallow, it's hard to invest interest in them. Read full review
40
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray
Season 1 Review: Maybe it's just too soon after the bitter nonending of ABC's "Happy Town," but there's nothing in the pilot of Haven that makes me eager to crawl down the rabbit hole of one more small town mystery with supernatural overtones. Read full review
40
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: Uninspired writing and Rose's lack of heft combine to undermine the Parker character, who is pivotal not only as the newcomer to this latest permutation of unusual TV hamlets but figures in a serialized twist about what might have brought her the assignment. Read full review
38
People WeeklyTom Gliatto
Season 1 Review: There's no real awe or fear-just a relatively safe Haven. So, no go.
38
Slant MagazineScott Von Doviak
Season 1 Review: Rose and Bryant make for a dull, chemistry-free duo. A love triangle seems inevitable--and inevitably tedious. Worse, the creative team has failed to make the title character, the town of Haven itself, a vivid presence. Read full review
37
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: A ludicrously see-through supernatural crime drama that wastes a perfectly fine performance from Emily Rose as an FBI agent who tracks an escaped convict to a Maine town. Read full review
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