Standoff
FOX | Release Date: September 5, 2006
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
37
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
8
Negative:
10

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Christian Science MonitorGloria Goodale
Season 1 Review: The series' unique angle lends itself to interesting psychological drama as it explores the hows and whys of hostage negotiation - even as it dishes out a heavy helping of FOX's de rigueur hoppin' hormones. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn
Season 1 Review: Standoff doesn't recreate the genre, but it certainly refreshes it. [15 Sep 2006, p.64]
50
Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith
Season 1 Review: The main thing in its favor is the chemical tension between its stars. That may not be enough, but it's something. Read full review
50
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: It's hard to say what seems sillier: the show's misplaced attempts at comedy or the intuitive leaps that allow the agents to solve the case. Read full review
50
Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Season 1 Review: From start to finish, "Standoff" is slickly contrived, formulaic crime drama nonsense. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
Season 1 Review: Can we negotiate for a better premise if we release some hostages? Read full review
40
Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
Season 1 Review: There's potentially a good show here; the pilot's just a miss. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesPaul Brownfield
Season 1 Review: The standoffs... are less than exhilarating thrill rides. Read full review
40
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Season 1 Review: Chemistry is supposed to be the binding element of “Standoff,” and the two leads, while appealing in their own right, seem neither well matched nor sufficiently mismatched. Read full review
40
NewsdayVerne Gay
Season 1 Review: "Standoff" does seem to emerge miraculously out of the fumes of '70s TV - a near-perfect reformulation of every bone-weary cliche, every hackneyed piece of cop chatter (Dan Tanna lives!) that last-century TV glorified in. Read full review
38
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: These actors more than deserve a series of their own. They deserve a good one, and "Standoff" isn't it. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Season 1 Review: If Matt and Emily blow up, the show doesn't get a second episode. Because they'll be dead. Keep your fingers crossed. Read full review
30
Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart
Season 1 Review: I’m having a reverse case of Stockholm Syndrome with “Standoff”: The more time I spend with it, the less I like it. Read full review
30
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: The tonal dissonance in "Standoff" is deafening, like pairing up, say, Jewel and Meat Loaf for a duet. Read full review
30
Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
Season 1 Review: "Standoff" isn't a terrible show, it's just an unnecessary one. Read full review
20
The Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron
Season 1 Review: The series premiere suffers from a catalog of problems longer than most demand lists. Read full review
20
Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland
Season 1 Review: "Standoff" fails to connect on almost every level. Read full review
10
VarietyPhil Gallo
Season 1 Review: An awkward pairing of adult relationship drama and procedural cop show, "Standoff" bombs on both counts. Read full review
10
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: Never mind the unbelievable premise -- the way the audience is introduced to it is so strained it's painful to watch. Read full review
10
Washington PostTom Shales
Season 1 Review: It's hard to imagine a civilized audience of any significant size wanting to sit through these trumped-up conflicts and lazy-daisy crises week after week. Read full review
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