Revolution

:

Season 1
  • Network: NBC
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 17, 2012
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 369 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 178 out of 369
  2. Mixed: 87 out of 369
  3. Negative: 104 out of 369
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  1. A_Northerner
    Aug 5, 2013
    4
    Revolution is bad, really bad at times. The show suffers from the curse of its connections to Lost. The writers deliver some episodes of absolute dross, usually in the form of contrived tangents and side-quests to the character's main objectives, only to finish most episodes with some form of tiny reveal of the show's grand story, which the writers seemingly make up week by week.

    The    Revolution is bad, really bad at times. The show suffers from the curse of its connections to Lost. The writers deliver some episodes of absolute dross, usually in the form of contrived tangents and side-quests to the character's main objectives, only to finish most episodes with some form of tiny reveal of the show's grand story, which the writers seemingly make up week by week.

    The swashbuckling sword fighting nature of the show's early episodes give way to episodes loaded with some of the lamest, most repetitive gun fights ever, punctuated with characters of frustrating stupidity and tediousness. The main character Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos) is an annoyingly righteous, not to mention stupid, teenage girl in the Hunger Game mould, who repeatedly clashes with her self-serving, stylised bad guy Uncle as many times as she has to be rescued by him after more poor judgement. The writers clearly tried to make Miles (Billy Burke) the show's anti-hero, a womanising, boozing killer wrecked by his past indiscretions and the show would have been better if they would have stuck to their guns but they all too often give in because he's one of the good guys.

    Revolution's single shining light (no pun intended) is Giancarlo Esposito's turn as Captain Tom Neville, easily the show's best character. That is all.

    The similarities to Flashforward and Lost are all too obvious. The score, the flashbacks (actually more enjoyable than the present day action), the mysterious world changing event, the 'hatch' 'tower' are all borrowed with varying degrees of mediocrity.

    At times watching Revolution I wished that the world's power would blackout to save me, I'll be skipping season two despite the slightly intriguing set-up in the finale. Another interesting concept from the J.J. Abrams stable (see Alcatraz) fails to live up to it's potential.    … Expand
  2. theahsanhaseeb
    Oct 12, 2012
    6
    This show has an amazing concept but the creators and writers can't seem to utilize it properly. A few of the cast members are too bad at acting. I wonder what's the future of this show? Are they going to tell us what really happened or are they just going to do what the creators of Persons Unknown did? That's the one thing we need to think of.
  3. MonopolyBag
    Jun 14, 2013
    4
    This show is slow and a cheesy poor story line. It feels overdone and forced. The original loss of power is cool, but everything else is bad. Action feels forced. And the twists and other stuff that happens feels like I already know it is coming an episode before.
  4. MDG397
    Feb 24, 2013
    6
    I don't love the show, just because the plot seems rushed and there's too much stuff going on at the same time. Random power sources can sometimes seem to be a little bit more common than they should be in a world without power. I have to give it credit though for having an interesting concept with a realistic post apocalyptic setting.
  5. Corn112
    Aug 28, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pretty bad. Characters keep commenting on how well Charlie does in off-screen fights, but all of her action sequences involve her being helpless and someone saving her. All of the characters are unrealistic and are hard to form a connection with except for Aaron; the one believable character who isn't even needed to advance the plot. Monroe obsession with Miles is almost homo erotic. Jason character could be good if he would man up and take out his dad. All main ncharacter motivations are extremely farfetched. Supporting/cameo characters actually have meaningful and believable actions/responses. And ENOUGH with the flashbacks. Just do a prequel season or something. The premise of the show was so good, but got bogged down with love stories and meaningless flashbacks that are made to make the viewer care about the characters, but utterly fail. Focusing less on saving the world and more on day to day survival would make this much more watchable.… Expand
  6. treechicken
    Nov 2, 2013
    5
    This started out awful but got better halfway through the season. It was so bad that it was hard to get to that point, though. I hope it keeps improving.
  7. Dangerman1973
    Nov 24, 2012
    6
    It's probably a good, though not that great, post-apocalyptic series I've seen, the first since Jericho. The acting needs a bit improving and the characters I've yet to relate to. The only saving graces are the subject matter and the swordfight sequences. Too bad it'll be won't be back until sometime in March of next year. We'll see how it goes. I still have faith in J.J. Abrams though.
  8. shoeone
    Oct 12, 2012
    4
    I watched the first three episodes, but that's it for me. The writing was passable at first, but rapidly deteriorated into formula "damsel in distress" soap opera. I cannot sympathize with the main characters, whose actions are so stupid and counter-intuitive that any decent writer would have killed them off in episode one. And, of course, the central mysteries of "Revolution" aren'tI watched the first three episodes, but that's it for me. The writing was passable at first, but rapidly deteriorated into formula "damsel in distress" soap opera. I cannot sympathize with the main characters, whose actions are so stupid and counter-intuitive that any decent writer would have killed them off in episode one. And, of course, the central mysteries of "Revolution" aren't really that hard to figure out, are they?

    One bright spot is Giancarlo Esposito, whom I remember fondly from "Breaking Bad" as one of my favorite villains of all time. This series could have been really good, but it has turned into a low budget version of "The Hunger Games" instead. Teens with bows and arrows has been done better -- a lot better.    … Expand
  9. gg3395
    Oct 11, 2012
    6
    I feel that this show is something that we have essentially seen before (Jericho, Lost). However I do like the relationships set up in the show. Billy Burke is a stand out performance and is an asset to the cast. The character of Charlie is annoying but I am definitely willing to give the show a chance because its been okay so far.
  10. FrPotato
    Sep 17, 2012
    4
    The pilot was really boring,if you have seen the trailer you don´t need to watch the pilot because there is nothing more.In my opinion it very similar to "Terra nova" and i really doubt they will make more than two seasons.I didn´t like how they introduce the main characters,the story is very predictable ...just as terra nova.
  11. firedragon99
    Sep 17, 2012
    4
    Agree all the way with Fortius, and so many holes, this looks so amateurish for the likes of JJ Abrams and Jon Favreau to be on board with production. I mean swords really, they don't even explain the weaponry or world, and lousy screenplay here and there. I felt they underplayed the Father's death which you can clearly see in the trailer or previews so no spoiler there. But, seriouslyAgree all the way with Fortius, and so many holes, this looks so amateurish for the likes of JJ Abrams and Jon Favreau to be on board with production. I mean swords really, they don't even explain the weaponry or world, and lousy screenplay here and there. I felt they underplayed the Father's death which you can clearly see in the trailer or previews so no spoiler there. But, seriously felt they didn't capture my attention enough. Like Fortius said, the premise was so promising, and I was excited for some sort of Heroes/Lost, but acting is choppy and cheesy as well. What a bummer! Still going to watch probably. But what a disappointment. I think I am going to start screen play writing, and scriptwriting, and may switch my career to join hollywood soon, seriously, with the impact i think I could make, I can certainly create a better pilot myself.… Expand
  12. MikeRuaporo
    Dec 6, 2012
    6
    Revolution has a good storyline, its been developed well. I just believe its not a "must watch" T.V series. But I'm pleased that the main cast has the potential to make the show work.
  13. 9emeDane
    Oct 9, 2012
    4
    Seriously the storyline goes back to some 90 's RPG, just heading towards somewhere aimlessly. Though it's Sci-Fi it looks like some middle-school daydreams. Also I'm bored with a bright idiot heroine.
  14. stickyvalentine
    Sep 13, 2013
    4
    Not a horrible 'concept' for a television show, and has its moments. However, the acting is absolutely dreadful and the situational story lines are far fetched in their best moments. In short, very difficult to watch a whole episode without rolling your eyes a bit as yet another conveniently loose bolt frees your hero from near death situation once again. Sure are a lot of loose bolts inNot a horrible 'concept' for a television show, and has its moments. However, the acting is absolutely dreadful and the situational story lines are far fetched in their best moments. In short, very difficult to watch a whole episode without rolling your eyes a bit as yet another conveniently loose bolt frees your hero from near death situation once again. Sure are a lot of loose bolts in post apocalyptic Illinois huh? Two of them in the first four episodes. That is my warning to you. If lazy cliched action adventure writing and poor carpentry is your thing. This is the show for you.… Expand
  15. MarcDoyle
    Sep 18, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The pilot reminds me of many other shows of this type, including Jericho. I hope it strikes out on its own. Even the computer communication at the end of the first ep reminded me of Fringe. Who is she communicating with? Interesting, but they'd better learn from Fringe and start giving us some bread crumbs before the end of the first season. And they need to keep Giancarlo's acting very subtle - less bombastic - more like Gus from Breaking Bad, and less like his character from Do the Right Thing.… Expand
  16. FreeJeff
    Sep 25, 2012
    5
    If you don't mind the fact that the whole premise of the show is beyond ridiculous, and you can overlook the bad acting and cliche characters, then you might actually find this show entertaining. The plot has various mysteries to solve, and the sets are kind of cool looking, so that's something. Sword fights! I'm going to file this under "So bad that it's funny". Bonus game: Every timeIf you don't mind the fact that the whole premise of the show is beyond ridiculous, and you can overlook the bad acting and cliche characters, then you might actually find this show entertaining. The plot has various mysteries to solve, and the sets are kind of cool looking, so that's something. Sword fights! I'm going to file this under "So bad that it's funny". Bonus game: Every time something preposterous about electricity occurs, take a drink! (Warning: May lead to extreme drunkenness.)… Expand
  17. Nikola
    Sep 20, 2012
    5
    Unfortunately, I think that this series will suffer the fate of Alcatraz and Terra Nova. Plot was interesting when did not show the first episode. I personally do not believe that this series will renewed for the second season. After Lost and Fringe, JJ Abrams and projects in which it participates, suffered a complete fiasco.
  18. nerdyhousewife
    Sep 18, 2012
    5
    While I'm glad someone has released a show on network television that isn't serialized, I have strong doubts this one will go the distance. It attempts to be realistic, which doesn't leave much mystery for entertainment. Basically, it's a drama set in a world with no energy. This is dangerous, because it forces the entertainment value to fall solely on realism. Realism takes too much chaosWhile I'm glad someone has released a show on network television that isn't serialized, I have strong doubts this one will go the distance. It attempts to be realistic, which doesn't leave much mystery for entertainment. Basically, it's a drama set in a world with no energy. This is dangerous, because it forces the entertainment value to fall solely on realism. Realism takes too much chaos and despair to be viable for network television, and this show offers little of either. Without realism or intrigue, Revolution falls flat. This show should take a page from Lost and give a story so interesting the viewer doesn't care whether it's realistic. Revolution fails in suspension of disbelief.… Expand
  19. martinex
    Sep 28, 2012
    5
    The premise is preposterous however I was willing to suspend my belief in the laws of science and go along. The real crime is that the characters are boring as all get out. Sorry J.J., this one's looking like another Terra Nova.
  20. mako_psy
    Nov 4, 2012
    5
    To give the show a fair review, I've waited until the end of the sixth episode and even now I can't seem to say anything more than it's a fairly average show. Revolution is no Breaking Bad, Lost or anything of the sort; you won't wait all week to watch it, nor can you see it being a long running show. It's the sort of show that, like Terra Nova, is likely to get cancelled after season 2,To give the show a fair review, I've waited until the end of the sixth episode and even now I can't seem to say anything more than it's a fairly average show. Revolution is no Breaking Bad, Lost or anything of the sort; you won't wait all week to watch it, nor can you see it being a long running show. It's the sort of show that, like Terra Nova, is likely to get cancelled after season 2, because like Terra Nova, it's plagued by plot inconsistencies, extremely fast and downright rubbish character and plot development, and occasionally some very bad acting. That's not to say all the acting is bad; the show is essentially held together by the Twilight guy who plays Miles Matherson and Captain Tom Neville, aka Gus from Breaking Bad - but I could just be being biased there. The female lead protagonist feels kind of hollow, and it's hard to care what happens to her. Most of the story and plot is spoon fed to viewers, despite the fact you can on more than one occasion figure out what's happening or going to happen, before it actually happens. I can't say I'm a fan of something being so predictable, I like to keep guessing, making assumptions and having real plot twists that come out of nowhere. Of course, Revolution is an easy watch; it can be quite entertaining, but in essence it's nothing more than filler whilst you wait for better shows to come on TV. 5/10… Expand
  21. TheZeroPercent
    Jun 28, 2013
    6
    The only 1 hour show NBC puts out worse than this is Grimm. Record and watch this series when your DVR is empty.

    This sentence is for the character count bot.
  22. Harder
    Nov 16, 2012
    5
    I have seen episodes 1 through 6 and part of 7. I would not recommend this show to anyone. I really wanted to like Revolution, but it has sever flaws that numerous other reviews have already pointed out.
  23. Tapslisch
    Apr 8, 2013
    5
    This show has me conflicted, I'm intrigued by the idea of a post apocalyptic world that doesn't require mass extinction or a nuclear wasteland. It allows for a less bleak setting away from the radioactive smog and roaming bands of cannibalistic marauders you expect from films like "Book of Eli". It allows for a more reasonable society and one that can accommodate a broader range ofThis show has me conflicted, I'm intrigued by the idea of a post apocalyptic world that doesn't require mass extinction or a nuclear wasteland. It allows for a less bleak setting away from the radioactive smog and roaming bands of cannibalistic marauders you expect from films like "Book of Eli". It allows for a more reasonable society and one that can accommodate a broader range of characters and provide a lighter tone from time to time. BUT there are a number of examples of bad story telling, cheap set design and horrible direction that really bring it down

    1. The Premise: I love the idea of a heavily populated post apocalyptia that avoids all the horrifying stereotypes but asking the viewer to simply accept that "Physics went crazy" is more than a little unreasonable, particularly as an explanation would have to address why engines and generators and other small bits of machinery don't work but yet firearms do.

    2. Inconsistency: We're lead to believe that firearms have been stockpiled by the militia and we have seen proof that they remain unaffected by the "event" and yet the militia roams around with swords and flint lock rifles. Let's ignore for a second the idea that a 350 year old firearm is not only still functioning but is in fact the weapon of choice in 2028 and go straight to the fact that as I mentioned the Militia is said to ruthlessly stockpile guns yet they outfit their soldiers tasked with the most important mission of all with a sword each and two guys carrying guns that last saw action against the red coats....

    3. Art Direction
    This is perhaps my biggest complaint because it stops you from becoming immersed in the world they have created. A fictional world HAS to draw you in, a perfect example of doing this right is Walking Dead where everyone looks grubby and sweaty and unclean in keeping with their environment. In Revolution everything is too bright and beautiful and clean. The men all walk around in pristine fitted shirts that look like they have just been ironed and the main girl is still sporting the salon quality curls in her hair that have survived 3 or 4 nights sleeping rough. These are simply bad decisions and really mar the experience. Someone chose beauty over realism in a programme about a bleak and scary future, it is a stupid marketing choice aimed at drawing in the simple masses who like to stare at pretty things and it makes it impossible to engage with the environment in any real way. Beyond that the sets themselves look rushed as though a couple of shoots of ivy will depict 15 years of neglect.

    DESPITE all that, it is somehow entertaining to watch and if you can get past the glaring reminders that you are watching actors in a studio and forgive the logical absurdities and the cliches then there might just be enough here to justify your time.    … Expand
  24. CFM
    Aug 4, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first episode started well, then it went downhill. The power has gone off, why? One man can only answer this but he has just been shoot. His son, Danny has been kidnapped. Enter his sister, uncle Miles, his mother a bunch other misfits to rescue him. Spend months wondering a round forests, as the poor weak Danny tries to survive his captives. Finally, rescued from the baddies he is shot and dies. Thank God! You have to give credit to the writers because no-one is off limits and they knew killing off Danny was a great idea because, put it this way, the series was on the road to being a dud. Finally, after 9 episodes we start to get a series that has a plot and story line that is of interest. It is a pity because the second half is entertaining but you wonder how many people have already switched off by this point?
    If you can get through the first half of the series you may find something of interest.    … Expand
  25. Zero-Kelvin
    Sep 11, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This show had potential and it showed, but the execution of this was horrific. Not to mention some of the acting is just terrible. Tracy Spiridakos, or Charlie is an example of the acting going downhill. The most notable scene where her acting tanks is in the trailers where she asks Billy Burke, Miles, to help her look for her brother. Because her acting acts when it matters the most, I don't really believe the stuff they are trying to achieve.

    Beware of spoilers from here on in.
    Now, I can personally forgive terrible acting if the story is good. But, unfortunately, the story is a mess. The concept was full of potential than it got stabbed 37 times in the chest and left to die in the forest. Fifteen years before the official arc of the story, an even called the blackout happened, electricity seem to disappear as soon as a current is formed. For some unexplained reason, the United States fell from this even though they have enough men to send orders by horse-back to their military bases, but if the government didn't fall, we won't have this series. And so, a hand full of nations rose to power, one of them is the Monroe Republic.

    Here is plot hole number one: why does Charlie NOT know Miles was the general of the militia?! Here is the convenience to help explain that away: her village was isolated so she never really heard much of the militia or the Republic. I swear, these conveniences ruin the series for me as the writers couldn't write their way out of a giant paper bag.

    It seems the fate of every person in this series is determined by the writing gods. It seems every time the main characters are faced with a life or death fire fight, they seem to kill everyone and leave without a scratch. The only time they die or get injured is when the script calls for it or a sad attempt to make it believable. "Oh look, they haven't been injured in a while, we better hit them with a bullet now." The best example with this is the attempted assassination of President Monroe, Jeremy doesn't get hit, but the four men surrounding him does. This is to move the plot along, with failed attempts at emotion.

    Not only the father-daughter relationship between Miles and Charlie is unbelievable because of the acting on Tracy's side, it is also because of the lack of character development. Relationships pop out of the writer's asses. Jason and Charlie met in one of the first episodes, exchanged a couple of dialog than, he becomes a protective love sick puppy of Charlie. There is no reason for this so called love. There is none and there is no reason for it existing. It seems contrived like every relationship in this series. Miles and Nora, Miles and Rachel, Aaron and his wife, Miles and Monroe. We are always slapped with an underdeveloped situation with a quick sequence of why these relationships exist. Are we suppose to take these to heart, because there was no heart in any of them. Half way through the series I had forgotten who Maggie was. I am sure I'm going to forget Nora when season 2 comes.

    Contrived, convenient situations with no emotional backing. What's next for this nonsensical plot? Yeah, they kill off Danny, eliminating the whole point of the "saving Danny" arc. What they should done is to skip the whole saving Danny thing to begin with as it never mattered to me to begin with. Remember, as the characters are one-dimensional cardboard I didn't care for Danny.

    The whole "mystery" aura of the series actually works against them regarding Miles and Monroe. You are waiting to see what went wrong with their bromance and they possibly never even shown the tipping point yet. From what I can tell, this is another convenient point in the story as Miles never talked to Monroe about his troubles about him. Once he sensed Monroe was going too far, he just decides he wants to kill him. If you care for someone that much, especially when you're guilty of some of those atrocities yourself, can't you just talk it over?

    The thing with Randall Flynn, omg. He was working with the USA all along and was planning to destroy both Monroe and Georgia to make way for the government to come back. If all he needed to do was that, WHY ON EARTH DID HE GO TO MONROE IN THE FIRST PLACE? All that he had to do was to go to level 12 and launch the nukes. Than Monroe and Rachel won't have ever have got in. What about the Moe people? Don't worry about them, they can't hit stuff for their life and they let main antagonists go as Flynn CONVENIENTLY sneaks pass them to the launch room.

    Despite it all and more, I want to see what happens next. It is not a good show by any standard but, I'm interested to see what happens next. Like the majorly flawed shows like The Event and Terra Nova, they had good concepts, horrible execution, no emotion, yet the events that unfold are what hooks you. A war between two nations without power, but Monroe has working fighter drones. Not that I care about anything involving the characters, but I want to see what happens.    … Expand
  26. bailchanis
    Nov 23, 2013
    5
    Despite subpar acting and a little too many plot twists this show is still watchable if you have a good capability of suspending your disbelief. Scenery is really good and the story really goes forward.

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Best TV Season of 2012
6
#6 Most Discussed TV Season of 2012
26
#26 Most Shared TV Season of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: David Hiltbrand
    Sep 24, 2012
    60
    Revolution had better worry about generating some voltage of its own. The pilot was excellent, but where does it go from here?
    Read full review
  2. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Sep 21, 2012
    50
    This is well-produced, but it could just as well be Mission:Colonial. [1 Oct 2012, p.38]
  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: Troy Patterson
    Sep 18, 2012
    40
    On the bright side, no one is in danger of having to watch this inert action show.
    Read full review
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