Surface
NBC | Release Date: September 19, 2005
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
39
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
10
Negative:
12
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd
Season 1 Review: "Surface" is steeped in Spielberg, and is better Spielberg than Spielberg has managed in quite some time. Read full review
60
Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin
Season 1 Review: Surface has no complex or cynical subtexts; it's straight-ahead sci fi. Read full review
60
PopMattersCynthia Fuchs
Season 1 Review: It helps that Bell is able to suggest complexity, emotional and moral, even when the dialogue fails her. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyRobert Abele
Season 1 Review: So far the stern-faced Lake Bell’s independent-minded oceanographer is too conventional a protagonist, while the series’ government cover-up thread... feels globally warmed over. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyDalton Ross
Season 1 Review: This by-the-numbers entry is pretty damn toothless. [23 Sep 2005, p.81]
50
Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Season 1 Review: Lame storytelling and dialogue. Read full review
50
The A.V. Club
Season 1 Review: Surface can be creepy fun, but the obvious debt it owes to the oeuvre of Steven Spielberg--from the hidden beasts and government stonewalling to the suburban angst and working-mom pluckiness--makes the rest of the show feel blandly familiar. Read full review
40
Chicago TribuneSid Smith
Season 1 Review: Though relentlessly ominous, "Surface" is, so far, only good for surface scares. Read full review
40
NewsdayDiane Werts
Season 1 Review: The pilot serves up flashy ooh-ah instead of anything tangible to wrap our arms around. Read full review
40
Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker
Season 1 Review: The most enjoyable moments go to the North Carolina boy (Carter Jenkins). It's too bad Surface didn't narrow its focus and become "A Boy and His Blob." Read full review
40
Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland
Season 1 Review: Interesting, but the sprawling pilot doesn't do "Surface" any favors. Read full review
38
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: There isn't a moment of wonder or suspense in Surface, or a single performance or character that is even remotely involving. Read full review
30
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: It's a bland Spielberg wannabe that doesn't succeed in evoking much creepiness or wonder Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron
Season 1 Review: There's nothing particularly appealing about any of the folks having the close encounters. Read full review
30
Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart
Season 1 Review: Whoever wrote the first episode of “Lost” didn’t crowd the screen with dimwits forced to recite grade-B TV drama drivel. By that standard, “Surface” doesn’t get a pass. Read full review
30
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: At first glance... it comes off as silly sci-fi, a not-so-intriguing series that wades into all-too-similar waters as two other fall shows. The difference in this one is that the water is noticeably more shallow. Read full review
30
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Season 1 Review: Offers a ho-hum monster and the kind of stock characters that we've seen too many times before. Read full review
30
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: The best thing about "Surface" thus far is NBC's promo campaign, which, sliced into bite-sized bits, actually makes the program look considerably better than it is. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: Desperately trying to be mysterious like "Lost," this show, by any other name, turns out to be an ironically diluted version. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
Season 1 Review: You won't really want to spend another hour with these people. Read full review
20
TimeJames Poniewozik
Season 1 Review: The series hopscotches to so many locations (the Carolinas, the Antarctic, the ocean trenches) that you briefly forget that it gives you no reason to feel afraid or intrigued or anything else. Read full review
12
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Season 1 Review: The most confusing ensemble drama of the new season. Read full review
10
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Season 1 Review: One of the lead characters is an evolutionary biologist, which makes sense, since there's not a lot of intelligent design here. Read full review
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