Pacific Heat

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Nov 27, 2016
Metascore
27

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 3 out of 5

Critic Reviews

  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Dec 1, 2016
    50
    Pacific Heat isn’t in the same league as “Archer,” but it has enough laughs and potential to get there.
  2. We Got This Covered
    Reviewed by: Isaac Feldberg
    Dec 2, 2016
    40
    Pacific Heat refuses to give its characters any breathing room, instead overstuffing each episode with an overabundance of zingers and ultimately pointless gags.
  3. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Ben Travers
    Dec 2, 2016
    33
    It’s not anywhere close to what’s needed to make this kind of humor work, and just one more reason you shouldn’t be wasting your time on this wannabe when the real thing is one click away.
  5. Collider
    Reviewed by: Chris Cabin
    Dec 2, 2016
    20
    Pacific Heat feels hollowed out and devoid of even the slightest measure of personality. Even the animation design feels completely apathetic and bare-bones, which might have been fine if the writing had elicited any emotion beyond boredom and one or two blips of offense.
  6. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: William Hughes
    Dec 1, 2016
    0
    It’s visually unpleasant. The jokes make up in repetition what they lack in elegance or wit. And the dialogue doesn’t just flirt with racism: Occasionally, it takes racism to bed and makes sweet, discomfiting love to it.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
3.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 38
  3. Negative: 23 out of 38
  1. Det
    Dec 6, 2016
    9
    I enjoyed the pacing of the characters speaking, sometimes hard to keep up but it was just different and I enjoyed that. There is no plot butI enjoyed the pacing of the characters speaking, sometimes hard to keep up but it was just different and I enjoyed that. There is no plot but I'm sure that was purposeful. I personally liked the jokes. Also I'm curious as to how people would see this as racist haha. Like, I really didn't even notice the race of the main characters and I (as a minority) don't really care about which person of which race was dumb. Or how much representation or whatever is there. It was just a fun show, trying to actively look for things like this that's going to offend you is just not a good attitude. You don't have to like the show but to say it's racist is a bit of a stretch.… Full Review »
  2. irishrogue53
    Dec 6, 2016
    10
    It is a good mindless comedy show. People that are being negative are not wanting to watch mindless comedy. No it does not have a real plot.It is a good mindless comedy show. People that are being negative are not wanting to watch mindless comedy. No it does not have a real plot. It is a bumbling special police group on cases. Don't watch for serious story or depth. It is just to unwind and laugh. Slapstick comedy and in that respect it delivers very well.… Full Review »
  3. Graeg
    Dec 5, 2016
    0
    Pacific Heat is trying to be another show and failing. To make matters worse, that show is Moonbeam City, which itself was trying to bePacific Heat is trying to be another show and failing. To make matters worse, that show is Moonbeam City, which itself was trying to be Archer and failing. Against my better judgement, I forced my way through the first 3 episodes in the hope of finding something redeeming, but found only disappointment (mostly in myself).

    The plots are adequate, but nothing special - just your typical spec/ops tropes. The characters are bland and uninteresting and the dialogue jumps from 1 bad one-liner to another (mostly playing on the characters' apparent inability to understand whatever other characters are discussing, interspersed with poor attempts at Horatio Caine-esque puns, which the other characters Also fail to understand), all spoken in a deadpan manner.

    The level of stupidity each of these characters manages to achieve in most scenes is tiresome enough on its own (we get it, they're dumb), but it is made all the more perplexing when these same characters suddenly display incredible intelligence on a particular subject, despite having shown none on that same subject just minutes earlier. These bursts of intelligence are not shown as "aha!" moments, but are merely sprinkled in normal conversation, with that particular character speaking the line as normal - as if taking on the role of "the only smart one" for those 20 seconds before going back to normal. All characters - the suddenly smart one and the listening idiots - seem to take this in stride. If that is the joke, it has very clearly been missed.

    To make matters worse, each character - including ancillary ones - are written this way. It's as though this show's world only has one functioning brain and the characters merely take turns using it. Imagine Sealab 2021 without Dr Quinn's outrage at everyone else's stupidity - and all lines being read without any emotion whatsoever.

    This could all be tolerated if the show had some sort of physical comedy (slapstick) or intense action scenes to showcase, but those are also sorely lacking. The infrequent action scenes are as devoid of excitement as the dialogue. There was one or two action scenes that showed promise, where a character would do something right and say something in that stereotypical "cop show action hero" tone, but the same character quickly returned to normal by doing and/or saying something stupid.

    That pretty much sums up the whole show: It's Moonbeam City minus the 80's glitz, with characters torn from Sealab 2021 (excluding Dr Quinn), who all interact with poorly written dialogue, spoken in an almost entirely deadpan manner, that has little to no action (comedic or otherwise) to hold it up. It's not even "so bad it's good", it's just "bad". Don't waste your time, or at least don't say I didn't warn you.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »