Magic City

:

Season 1
  • Network: Starz
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 6, 2012
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 27
  3. Negative: 5 out of 27
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Critic Reviews

  1. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Apr 5, 2012
    83
    So far this is solid and very picturesque entertainment, with a strong sense of foreboding built in.
  2. Denver Post
    Reviewed by: Joanne Ostrow
    Apr 6, 2012
    80
    Creator-executive producer Mitch Glazer draws a loving and critical portrait of the awesome and awful fantasyland that actually existed in that time and place.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Apr 6, 2012
    80
    After an episode or two, when you sort out the characters and how their lives bang together in the dark, elegant shadows of late-1950s Miami Beach, you'll find rich drama, well written and beautifully styled.
  5. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    Apr 2, 2012
    80
    The sordid ugliness that festers inside Magic City's voluptuously beautiful wrappings makes irresistible television.
  6. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    Apr 6, 2012
    75
    The acting for the most part, is first rate....Too bad the writing isn't better.
  7. RedEye
    Reviewed by: Curt Wagner
    Apr 5, 2012
    75
    Although you've tasted many of the ingredients before (in "The Sopranos," "Mad Men," "The Godfather" movies), creator Mitch Glazer mixes in enough new elements to keep things tasty.
  8. San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
    Reviewed by: Chuck Barney
    Apr 3, 2012
    75
    Through the early episodes, nothing really happens that you couldn't see coming. Still, the setting is so seductive, the period details so vivid and the acting so stellar, that it's as intoxicating as a potent mojito.
  9. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Mar 30, 2012
    75
    The story is promising. [9 Apr 2012, p.42]
    All this critic's reviews
  10. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Sarah Rodman
    Apr 6, 2012
    70
    The performances and the writing in the pilot don't quite reach the bar set by those predecessors [Mad Men and The Sopranos], but Glazer stakes his claim to his own little corner of the beach, and we're hopeful the series will eventually produce similar magic.
  11. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    Apr 5, 2012
    70
    A big, sexy drama that doesn't take itself as seriously as "The Sopranos" or "Mad Men" and doesn't seem to expect us to, either.
  12. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    Mar 29, 2012
    70
    Early on, there's enough intrigue and style in Magic City to keep the viewer wanting more, but it's not as fully realized from the get-go as shows like Mad Men, Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad.
  13. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Apr 6, 2012
    67
    Magic City burns with ambition. [13 Apr 2012, p.74]
    All this critic's reviews

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Best TV Season of 2012
68
#68 Most Discussed TV Season of 2012
29
#29 Most Shared TV Season of 2012

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 39
  3. Negative: 4 out of 39
  1. mdefil232
    Apr 30, 2012
    10
    I love this show. I live in Miami Beach and most of the residents here know about Magic City and like it. It has me captivated. Ben Diamond isI love this show. I live in Miami Beach and most of the residents here know about Magic City and like it. It has me captivated. Ben Diamond is my favorite character. This is the first show I've regularly watched since the Sopranos. I like the time period element a lot! Very surprised to see some negative reviews. Everyone I know loves it.… Full Review »
  2. NoahCoward
    Apr 5, 2012
    5
    This show is OK. It's enjoyably splashy to look at, plenty of beautiful naked woman and other attractive romanticized images....

    Everything    This show is OK. It's enjoyably splashy to look at, plenty of beautiful naked woman and other attractive romanticized images....

    Everything about the plot seems vaguely familiar: a little bit of Godfather 2, Hiram Roth; a lot of the recently cancelled LUCK from HBO and a lot of Boardwalk Empire...

    Bottom line is that STARZ doesn't seem able to get it right. Their shows are too broad, not subtle enough, and not as smart as AMC or HBO. Maybe they cater to a less sophisticated audience but they don't seem able to produce a smart or original product.    … Full Review »
  3. stormD23
    Mar 31, 2012
    8
    It's a good show with a lot of promise... The depiction of the era is as spot on as your gonna get, from the Cadillacs to the great musicalIt's a good show with a lot of promise... The depiction of the era is as spot on as your gonna get, from the Cadillacs to the great musical score, from the style to the setting, everything seems to come together nicely to form a solid idea of what it was like to live in the late 1950's. The acting is as good as your gonna get and the premise of Mad Men meets Sopranos is compelling. Unfortunately, though, critics and viewers will probably not be able to get past the Mad Men comparisons, since everyone seems to be one sided when it comes to period dramas. Its a shame cause it really is a great show, but i'm almost certain that it's dead on arrival.… Full Review »
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