Sanctuary

:

Season 1
  • Network: SyFy
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 3, 2008
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 52
  3. Negative: 11 out of 52
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User Reviews

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  1. KyleB.
    Oct 4, 2008
    0
    Sucks...worst I have seen from Scifi... Amanda should return to Stargate. Scifi should re-start Stargate. Amanda"s English accent is terrible...not even close to believable. Her character is terrible and so is the writing. This show is for saturday morning for little kids. maybe. Amanda is a quality actess but the show and plot is absolutely terrible. Will never watch it again. Gets my Sucks...worst I have seen from Scifi... Amanda should return to Stargate. Scifi should re-start Stargate. Amanda"s English accent is terrible...not even close to believable. Her character is terrible and so is the writing. This show is for saturday morning for little kids. maybe. Amanda is a quality actess but the show and plot is absolutely terrible. Will never watch it again. Gets my vote for the worst new show!… Expand
  2. CalK.
    Oct 5, 2008
    0
    WTF? Quite possibly the most ridiculous show on television.
  3. SeanB.
    Oct 8, 2008
    0
    Horrible - Scifi needs to get rid of ALL sunday movies, sanctuary, all those crapy reality shows and focus on the kind of thing they do best - shows like Battlestar Galactica, Eurika, and Stargate.
  4. JoeR.
    Oct 18, 2008
    2
    Horrible show. After all the hype, it turns out to mainly be an X-Files clone (although it doesn't hesitate to ripoff other shows/movies - Hellboy & Blade for starters). I decided to cut my losses midway through the second episode. The campy special effects may have worked for X-Files, but they definitely look dated now. The monster in the premiere episode was about as believable as Horrible show. After all the hype, it turns out to mainly be an X-Files clone (although it doesn't hesitate to ripoff other shows/movies - Hellboy & Blade for starters). I decided to cut my losses midway through the second episode. The campy special effects may have worked for X-Files, but they definitely look dated now. The monster in the premiere episode was about as believable as Barney the Dinosaur. Tapping's accent and dyed hair sound and look silly. The daughter's hair looks like a wig and her acting is terrible. Michael Shanks/Dr. Jackson isn't so compelling that we need to see his clone as the male lead. How can you make a Geico caveman a central character? The panoramic views of England look like computer screensavers. Sanctuary may be the first show to "Jump the Shark" not once, but numerous times during the first episode.. Scifi needs to take the show off immediately and only bring it back when and if it has been recast and rethought from top to bottom.… Expand
  5. EliasC.
    Oct 24, 2008
    3
    Slow, uninteresting, visually unexciting, and Amanda Tapping's terrible English accent.
  6. PatrickM
    Nov 4, 2008
    3
    Poor quality story telling, yet again, from the Sci Fi channel. With wins like Eureka, SG-1, and BSG under their belt, you'd think that they'd have the formula for compelling sci-fi story telling down. While sci-fi fans await the next great science fiction drama, they're left with these scraps from many, many, many other stories losely tied together as some sort of TV show Poor quality story telling, yet again, from the Sci Fi channel. With wins like Eureka, SG-1, and BSG under their belt, you'd think that they'd have the formula for compelling sci-fi story telling down. While sci-fi fans await the next great science fiction drama, they're left with these scraps from many, many, many other stories losely tied together as some sort of TV show to deal with. Poor green screen work, lighting that implies that the sun never shines on TV (for some reason...) - here's a clue - darkness in a story is a tone - not actual darkness during every single episode.... Characters so badly drawn that I actually root for the "bad guys" (if there are such a thing in this show - since it's trying very weakly to portray a neutral judgemental position on nearly everything...) to eat one of them...please! The show needs a real villian - a yin to the yang of the crew. And not some cheesy typical American bad "company" - blah, blah, blah... Give us next generation Farscape - not this.… Expand
  7. [anonymous]
    Dec 7, 2009
    2
    sorry amanda but your english accent stinks why try to talk in english when your raised in canada.goesnt make sense. as for the show that stinks as well nothing new or original
  8. DerekD
    Dec 28, 2009
    0
    Special effects, Im sorry effects because my son could do better on the PC or Mac. Come on, I just watched avatar and thats special. I know they dont have a fraction of that budget but how old is Jurassic Park surely tv must be up to that level or close by know. Another thing whats with the over use of cute characters even the monsters are trying to be cute, look at sci fi succsess Special effects, Im sorry effects because my son could do better on the PC or Mac. Come on, I just watched avatar and thats special. I know they dont have a fraction of that budget but how old is Jurassic Park surely tv must be up to that level or close by know. Another thing whats with the over use of cute characters even the monsters are trying to be cute, look at sci fi succsess stories they are dark with truely evil characters. This show is supposed to be about non humans with destructive and amazing abilities and the best they can come up with is men with cartoon wings and lizard men!!! I can buy better costumes at the local shop. Overall Cr*p… Expand

Awards & Rankings

71
#71 Best TV Season of 2008
37
#37 Most Discussed TV Season of 2008
24
#24 Most Shared TV Season of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    60
    Sanctuary’s pace is a little on the stately side, and the show is competent if not particularly innovative sci-fi.
    Read full review
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    60
    Much of it feels dreadfully slow, not so much moody as stretched for time....Things do pick up significantly with the arrival of Christopher Heyerdahl as John Druitt.
    Read full review
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    63
    Given that, let me also say that virtual sets don't make up for virtual plots. Not that Sanctuary doesn't have its moments, and those moments might prove to be fast and furious after tonight's two-hour premiere when the show goes to a more manageable one-hour format.
    Read full review
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