Houdini & Doyle
FOX | ITV-EU | Release Date: March 13, 2016
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
17
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Los Angeles Daily NewsRob LowmanMay 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: Though lightly entertaining, the series needs a bit more character grounding. So far Weston and Mangan are quite good as the flamboyant famous characters, but the scripts will have to flesh them out more. That may never happen. Read full review
58
Colorado Springs GazetteTerry TerronesMay 2, 2016
Season 1 Review: The series gets off to a sloppy start, but with two solid leads and an intriguing premise, Houdini and Doyle is worth investigating. Read full review
58
The Detroit NewsTom LongApr 29, 2016
Season 1 Review: It’s not necessarily bad, understand, just surprisingly underwhelming considering it’s called Houdini & Doyle. One expects fireworks; instead we get consternation. Read full review
58
Uncle BarkyEd BarkApr 28, 2016
Season 1 Review: Houdini & Doyle likely won’t set anyone’s heart aflutter or the ratings on fire. But it looks like a passable spring/summer diversion and also just a bit of a history lesson on what these two guys were all about. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyJeff JensenMay 3, 2016
Season 1 Review: A dusty, ghostly imitation--theme-park TV at its most square and earnest. [6 May 2016, p.50]
50
USA TodayRobert BiancoMay 2, 2016
Season 1 Review: Unfortunately, the mix for Doyle too often also includes “dim-witted,” thanks to the script, and “lethargic,” thanks to an unenthusiastic performance from the usually more animated Mangan. Read full review
50
Sioux City JournalBruce MillerMay 2, 2016
Season 1 Review: The sets and costumes are great. Now, the mysteries need to rise to the occasion. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydMay 2, 2016
Season 1 Review: It is less exciting than it sounds. Read full review
50
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenMay 2, 2016
Season 1 Review: From the music to the dialogue, Houdini & Doyle seems laughably flashy given the characters involved and time period (London, 1901). But the plot is fairly standard in its procedural trappings. Read full review
50
VarietyMaureen RyanApr 29, 2016
Season 1 Review: Fox has shoved Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle into a crime-solving partnership that anchors a 10-episode series which aims for a generally light tone, but too often is merely amiably pallid. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoApr 28, 2016
Season 1 Review: There are decent performances buried in Houdini & Doyle (especially the always-good Weston) and the design values aren’t bad for network TV, but the writing isn’t memorable enough for the program to stand out in an increasingly-crowded landscape. Read full review
50
Las Vegas WeeklyJosh BellApr 28, 2016
Season 1 Review: It’s a forgettable time-filler that doesn’t aspire to anything more. Read full review
42
NewsdayVerne GayApr 29, 2016
Season 1 Review: An interesting, compelling idea for a TV series. Too bad a boilerplate cop procedural had to be the series they got instead. Read full review
40
Cleveland Plain DealerMark DawidziakMay 2, 2016
Season 1 Review: The depictions of Houdini and Doyle never seem authentic. The mysteries aren't particularly riveting. And the mix of fact and fancy is anything but magical. Read full review
40
The New York TimesMike HaleMay 2, 2016
Season 1 Review: The mysteries--involving nuns possibly murdered by a ghost in the pilot, and deaths connected to a faith healer in a subsequent episode--are too thinly constructed to hold your interest, and the characters are likewise one-dimensional and dull, quite a trick considering how interesting the actual Conan Doyle and Houdini were. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushApr 28, 2016
Season 1 Review: They may sound like a jokey law firm, but any amusement to be had in the fictionalized odd-couple crime solving partnership of Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle is sadly short-lived in this stilted Canadian-British import. [2-8 May 2016, p.19]
40
The Salt Lake TribuneScott D. PierceApr 28, 2016
Season 1 Review: The period trappings are cool. The show looks great. But it feels false. And for science fiction to work--for drama to work--you have to be able to buy into the premise. That's pretty much impossible with Houdini & Doyle--a crazy idea that just doesn't work. Read full review
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