Luck: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	Your Score
7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Ratings

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Luck

Now Playing: Luck

Season Details & Credits

HBO | Season Premiere Date: December 11, 2011

Starring: Ritchie Coster, Jill Hennessy, Dennis Farina

Summary: The lives of the people involved in horse racing are explored in this drama from David Milch and Michael Mann.

A sneak peak at the first episode aired 11 December 2011.

Creator: David Milch

Genre(s): Drama

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E9. Episode 9
Air Date: March 25, 2012
tbd
S1:E8. Episode 8
Air Date: March 18, 2012
tbd
S1:E7. Episode 7
Air Date: March 11, 2012

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Linda Stasi

Jan 27, 2012

With an impossibly good cast, writing so spot-on it's poetic, and slow-build stories, I, for one, was left wanting more--even after watching the entire season. Read full review

Ken Tucker

Jan 30, 2012

I suspect Luck will need its own kind of good fortune to persuade HBO Subscribers to get on its wavelength--to go with the undulating rhythm of its storytelling. But it's worth the effort. [3/10 Feb 2012, p.104]

Tom Gliatto

Jan 19, 2012

Luck is a true original, a show with a tone like no other. [30 Jan 2012, p.43]

Curt Wagner

Jan 30, 2012

Luck is a sometimes confusing yet fascinating study of the colorful characters--the jockeys, trainers, owners, gamblers and railbirds--who populate horse-racing tracks. Read full review

Rob Owen

Jan 30, 2012

Viewers who appreciate slow-moving stories set in gritty, somewhat sleazy environments with characters of questionable morals are most likely to be rewarded by betting on Luck. Read full review

Maureen Ryan

Jan 27, 2012

The parts that do work possess the doom-laden yet strangely optimistic romanticism of Milch's best work. Read full review

Emily Nussbaum

Jan 17, 2012

When it comes to story, unfortunately, Luck is a drag. Read full review

SEE ALL 29 REVIEWS

User Score

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7.3

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

User Reviews

JennetP

Feb 8, 2012

Okay, here's what we can conclude from the reviews of "Luck." Critics are getting dumber. If a TV series doesn't make every little thing clear at first glance, they get mad and call it "impenetrable." Had they reviewed "Hamlet" in 1601, they would have complained about the "impenetrability"Okay, here's what we can conclude from the reviews of "Luck." Critics are getting dumber. If a TV series doesn't make every little thing clear at first glance, they get mad and call it "impenetrable." Had they reviewed "Hamlet" in 1601, they would have complained about the "impenetrability" of the ghost. Critics also seem to believe that narrative momentum trumps all other dramatic qualities. If the plot doesn't flat-out gallop like a speed horse running wire to wire (sorry), then the show fails. Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times writes that "Luck," like "Treme" (!) sacrifices excitement to "lofty intentions and a certain snobbery," by which she means the effort to create a rich and vibrant sense of place. If that's snobbery, then call me Thurston P. Howell III, because I enjoy the sense of being immersed in a new culture or subculture, and few shows do that well. As for users, we fall into two categories. Those literate enough to write reviews celebrate "Luck" and understand it much more deeply than the critics. Those who have strong opinions but don't express them in words are much less enthusiastic, putting "Luck" behind "Spartacus: Vengeance" in the user polls. I suspect that the critics and the numbers-only users are more alike than different and that, if Metacritic really wanted to offer viewers a useful index of quality, it would publish three numbers: the critics' average, the user-raters' average, and the user-reviewers' average. A long shot, I know. Anyway, "Luck" is superb, a smoldering masterpiece in which, like gamblers studying their environment for signs, viewers accept that their knowledge will always be partial because the underlying reality is mysterious and immense. That is why many of the characters are so circumspect, their acting so restrained, and it's a good--no, a great--thing. The opening credits tell viewers exactly what to expect and how to approach it, from the banked fire of Massive Attack's theme song to the subtle sequence of images: some partial, some barely focused, many deceptively simple. Pay attention. Be patient. Don't assume a fire is dead just because you don't see flame. Oh, and because everyone else is confessing, I DO love horse-racing and could handicap like a champ when I still had my baby fat. "Luck" doesn't get every detail of racing right, but it gets what matters, and it is one of a very few shows today that rise to the level of art.… Expand

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

jonh

Jan 30, 2012

Quirky, understated, and original, like nothing else I've seen in a while. I'd watch it just for the gorgeous shots of the horses (and I am not a horse-racing fan at all). This drew me in, in a big way.

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

lakedog

Mar 5, 2012

It's complex, and it takes a few viewings to figure out just what is going on and to understand the different story lines. In other words, it isn't dumbed down and it doesn't even begin to throw the obvious in your face. The cast is fabulous, the production values are great, and there areIt's complex, and it takes a few viewings to figure out just what is going on and to understand the different story lines. In other words, it isn't dumbed down and it doesn't even begin to throw the obvious in your face. The cast is fabulous, the production values are great, and there are truly beautiful scenes at the track. I love it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Jacklpuzo

Jan 29, 2012

I don't like horseracing. It's boring, in my opinion. I loved Luck. Brilliant cast, brilliant writing and cinematography. I saw the pilot a while back so that's why I'm reviewing now. I definiely recommend it to everyone. People who like horseracing and to those who don't.

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

martinex

Feb 2, 2012

The beauty of a great drama is it takes at topic I'm not particularly interested in (aka horse racing) and makes it seem fascinating. This show is worth watching for the cinematography alone.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

w_underwood

Mar 28, 2012

Too bad the show was cancelled due to to bad luck with three horses dying during production. Otherwise, I thought it was a realistic look into the the sport of horse racing and all the people involved.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TantricSky

Dec 24, 2012

It's probably pretty good but the dialogue is almost incomprehensible, which is incredibly frustrating and annoying. I've got the volume turned up to deafing- maybe I'll get used to it after watching a couple of episodes.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

SEE ALL 10 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

75

Series Overview
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: December 11, 2011
Season 1

75
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: December 11, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E9. Episode 9
  Air Date: March 25, 2012
- tbd
  S1:E8. Episode 8
  Air Date: March 18, 2012
- tbd
  S1:E7. Episode 7
  Air Date: March 11, 2012
- tbd
  S1:E6. Episode 6
  Air Date: March 4, 2012
- tbd
  S1:E5. Episode 5
  Air Date: February 26, 2012
- tbd
  S1:E4. Episode 4
  Air Date: February 19, 2012
- tbd
  S1:E3. Episode 3
  Air Date: February 12, 2012
- tbd
  S1:E2. Episode 2
  Air Date: February 5, 2012
- tbd
  S1:E1. Pilot
  Air Date: December 11, 2011