NBC | USA | Release Date: September 30, 2001
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
10
Negative:
3
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80
VarietyLaura FriesFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: On the surface, the concept of Criminal Intent seems like a gimmicky way to milk some of the success from its predecessors, but in the capable hands of exec producers Wolf and Rene Balcer, who also serve as the show's head writers, it makes for taut, engaging television. This self-perpetuating franchise of cops and lawyers is hardly running out of steam. [28 Sept 2001, p.8]
60
Deseret NewsScott D. PierceFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: Criminal Intent is yet another watchable Law & Order, which has become TV's most popular cop/lawyer show. But does three Law & Orders constitute too many Law & Orders? Maybe. [29 Sept 2001, p.E08]
60
Orlando SentinelHal BoedekerFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: Cold and stale...Though sharply staged against New York locales, the show simply offers more of the same. Law & Order creator Dick Wolf came up with a marvelous formula for telling stories, but he's exhausting it. [30 Sept 2001, p.4]
50
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: It's not a bad show, just nothing special or innovative. It's another plot-driven, bland character drama from executive producer Dick Wolf. [29 Sept 2001, p.C-6]
50
Houston ChronicleAnn HodgesFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: They've already shot 13 episodes in New York City (long before Sept. 11), and the title's name recognition could draw a crowd...Without better scripts and acting to back it up, though, this Law & Order spin-off could wind up eating some of those first 13. [29 Sept 2001, p.9]
40
Seattle Post-IntelligencerJohn LevesqueFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: It looks like a lot of cop shows that have gone before, no matter what Wolf says about its criminal-based perspective. [29 Sept 2001, p.E1]
40
Baltimore SunDavid ZurawikFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: But it's going to take more than two or three minutes of near-art near the end of each hour to keep this series on the air. [29 Sept 2001, p.2D]
40
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: The talented Mr. Wolfwould disagree, but frankly, three is two too many. [29 Sept 2001, p.1E]
40
Dallas Morning NewsEd BarkFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: Mr. D'Onofrio is the best reason to watch Criminal Intent, particularly when he's in full metal insult mode...The show otherwise is weak from a story standpoint. Clues fall into place with remarkable, sometimes unbelievable precision. Wrongdoers are too easily broken down or duped during interrogations. The criminals' minds frankly aren't all that interesting anyway. And unlike its two fellow travelers, there are no palate-cleansing trials in Criminal Intent. Episodes instead end in abrupt arrests. [30 Sept 2001, p.3]
37
Season 1 Review: Criminal Intent should make the bird's tail-feathers droop with embarrassment. [29 Sept 2001, p.E-6]
30
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: Not only does this sort of McDonald's approach to crime drama represent a serious lack of network imagination, it also threatens the dignity of the original "Law & Order" as it clones its formula. Think of the show's trademark ching-ching as the equivalent of the Golden Arches. [29 Sept 2001, p.F1]
30
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan StormFeb 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: Yet another chapter in the Law & Order franchise, fails simply because it comes nowhere close to the expectations established by its ancestor. [30 Sept 2001, p.H01]