Night Stalker
ABC | Release Date: November 30, 1999
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
5
Negative:
10
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
New York PostLinda Stasi
Season 1 Review: A really good, really weird show. Read full review
75
Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Season 1 Review: Right from the dark start, the new "Night Stalker" is a more provocative, emotionally layered thrill ride. Read full review
70
The New York TimesNed Martel
Season 1 Review: There's something stylishly scary at work here. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron
Season 1 Review: A dependable source of entertaining fright. Read full review
70
Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart
Season 1 Review: For all those who are not confirmed “CSI” fans, this is worth a look. Read full review
63
People WeeklyTom Gliatto
Season 1 Review: This doesn't have as distinctive a style as The WB's Supernatural--that's more like a jeans ad for the undead--but Kolchak three decades on still knows how to move. [24 Oct 2005, p.41]
63
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Season 1 Review: The show's weaknesses, in its first two episodes, rest in some slack dialogue and unevenly edited payoffs of suspense. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: What the show lacks most is the humor that lightened the original. Read full review
60
VarietyPhil Gallo
Season 1 Review: [It] lacks the flavor of the original and would have worked better under a different title. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd
Season 1 Review: Perfectly fine and nothing special. Read full review
50
PopMattersBill Gibron
Season 1 Review: Despite these obvious missteps and in between the blatant attempts to appease original fans, Night Stalker shows promise. Read full review
50
Cleveland Plain DealerMark Dawidziak
Season 1 Review: Give it some style points, no doubt, because there are several very cool moments. But you get the feeling that Spotnitz knows where the problems are, and he's trying to fix them. Read full review
40
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: If a show could get by on atmosphere alone, ABC's stylishy shot "Night Stalker" would be an outright success. It is creepy, spooky and scary.... But all this isn't enough to overcome what will likely prove to be an insurmountable problem: casting. Read full review
38
San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
Season 1 Review: The first episode is moody and violent but not particularly frightening. The second is psychobabble nonsense without much suspense. Read full review
38
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: There are two major things you need to know about Night Stalker. One is that it's a third-rate rip-off of a superior series. The other is that the series it's ripping off is The X-Files. Read full review
30
NewsdayVerne Gay
Season 1 Review: What is missing here is heart, drama, and - most inexcusably - horror. Read full review
30
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Season 1 Review: Individually and as a team, Townsend and Union exhibit less chemistry than a third-grade science set. Read full review
30
Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland
Season 1 Review: It looks a lot less like "Kolchak" than like a cup of weakly brewed "X-Files" -- minus the spice and clever humor. Read full review
30
L.A. WeeklyRobert Abele
Season 1 Review: This is one decidedly unfrightening resurrection of the Night Stalker. Read full review
30
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: It's not the weakest of the new supernatural pilots, but it so quickly falls into generic horror moves and a stifling atmosphere that it doesn't make for a terribly auspicious hour. Read full review
30
Chicago TribuneSid Smith
Season 1 Review: A bland, routine echo of its predecessor, even if it boasts much more spectacular effects. Read full review
20
SalonHeather Havrilesky
Season 1 Review: The story is weak and, based on their performances, the cast knows it. Read full review
10
Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin
Season 1 Review: Kolchak's ridiculously precious writing is not the only thing that rings false about Night Stalker. Read full review
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