The OA

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Dec 16, 2016
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 389 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 286 out of 389
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 389
  3. Negative: 73 out of 389
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User Reviews

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  1. Rackjaw
    Dec 16, 2016
    2
    I just watched the first episode with a few friends and at around the 30 minute mark we were openly mocking the show's terrible acting and writing. If Netflix keeps putting out mediocre shows like this one the "Netflix Original" brand will mean nothing.
  2. Gilvie
    Jan 5, 2017
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Didn't know you could stop a mass shooting using interpretative dance. Thanks for the tip OA. As some have noted, this series begins promisingly, but around the halfway mark the wheels start to come off. I wish they had stuck with an examination of the psychological ramifications of long term captivity. Or the nature of consciousness. Or an intelligent discussion of the possibility of life after death. Or some other equally worthy topic. Instead, The OA devolves into a confusing, pretentious and increasingly improbable mess. Watch Stranger Things instead. It's just as goofy, but doesn't make the mistake of taking itself quite so seriously.… Expand
  3. DamnedThing
    Jan 2, 2017
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 4 episodes of The OA on Netflix is all I can take, I just don't care enough to sit through something so relentlessly humourless. Everyone's dour, like they've been sentenced to a remote part of Scotland to live on stale bread and vinegar, and the only news of the outside world they'll ever hear is of minor celebrity deaths.

    The main characters have all died and come back from near death experiences, they meet up to listen to one of them - the OA - tell the story of how she was kidnapped and escaped. Essentially it's an Emos Anonymous pity party for one of their members who suffered the great misfortune of recovering her sight.

    There's a 'mystery' element to it - who's kidnapped her and why - which I expect is supposed to hold our interest except it doesn't because it's more soul destroying watching exposition being padded to this extent than actually being held captive.

    Why is it that TV shows which strive to be 'deep' have to be so damned joyless and filled with such miserable one-dimensional navel-gazing sad-sack characters.

    Ugh.

    Next.    … Expand
  4. MurrayT
    Jan 10, 2017
    0
    About 10 or 15 minutes into the first episode the guy has his dog attack the newly famous formerly blind girl and says he doesn't ike the attention she's bringing to the neighborhood. As if it wouldn't be newsworthy that she was attacked, and that there would be no consequences for him. The girl uses her powers to subdue the dog. So contrived, so stupid. If you can't trust the writers thatAbout 10 or 15 minutes into the first episode the guy has his dog attack the newly famous formerly blind girl and says he doesn't ike the attention she's bringing to the neighborhood. As if it wouldn't be newsworthy that she was attacked, and that there would be no consequences for him. The girl uses her powers to subdue the dog. So contrived, so stupid. If you can't trust the writers that early on, there's no point hanging around. No thanks.… Expand
  5. Daniel_Daniel
    Jan 15, 2017
    2
    Good concept. Poor development/writing. Slow/Boring storytelling. Several plot holes. Lame ending.
    Just not worth wasting time on it. Stay away and save yourself 6+ hours
  6. cabbages
    Jun 12, 2017
    0
    the whole thing is just stupid, at first i thought it was kinda original, acting was good, there was a few dumb moments, carried on watching and it just got stupider and stupider, it just didn't make any sense by episode 5, so many plot holes, so many unbelievable moments.
  7. Usagi_Hime
    May 12, 2017
    0
    It's M.night Shyamalan all over it...ugh I can't even fathom how utterly disappointed i was with this series. the story grips you till the last episode and leaves you thinking WHY?? why did I sit through 8 episodes of this just to feel so unfulfilled. I knew something was fishy about this from the start, but stupidly kept going till the end and watching this writer's ego boosting,It's M.night Shyamalan all over it...ugh I can't even fathom how utterly disappointed i was with this series. the story grips you till the last episode and leaves you thinking WHY?? why did I sit through 8 episodes of this just to feel so unfulfilled. I knew something was fishy about this from the start, but stupidly kept going till the end and watching this writer's ego boosting, psychological drivel. Stop making crap like this NETFLIX you have better use for your money. I will make sure not to watch anything by this writer. What a horrible experience.… Expand
  8. ravenman
    Jan 1, 2017
    3
    I am stunned that people believe this is an interesting show. The writing is terrible, and so telegraphed. Did any of you watch The Wire? That was a great show.
  9. Azeriel
    Dec 21, 2016
    3
    The OA is what happened when the director and writer think their show is much edgier and deeper than it actually is. It started strong with its intrigue and mystery, but ended up with a bitter taste due to a disjointed and non-sensical ending on season 1. It's borderline offensive to anyone with a brain and frankly a waste of time.
  10. Jdigits
    Jul 18, 2017
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Starts with great promise, a story told through blurred lines of reality, the nature of existence and its inherit relationship to trauma, leaving the viewer asking if the central character is what she says she is or is mentally ill. However after 4 exasperatingly slow episodes it turns into some nonsense claptrap that tells us the world's ills can be cured by interpretive dance. By the end you feel grossly let down with a bitter taste left by the pretentiousness of it all and offended by the final "twist". Could have been great but in the end is a waste of anyones valuable time.… Expand
  11. Pedey67
    Dec 19, 2016
    1
    By the fifth episode, I was reasonably sold on the story, even if it was quite slow. And then, boy did it go downhill from there. Sweet dancing guys. I watched until the end hoping for redemption, but no, it was just embarrassing and we all erupted into laughter when the sweet moves came out in the climatic scene. Cringe level 10.
  12. ericrosar
    Jul 20, 2017
    3
    Firstly, let me preface the review by saying that this series was recommended by a family member who stated that this was, in his view, BETTER than The Crown and even went on to say this was better than Game of Thrones, so it already had expectations against it. However, I viewed this with the most objectivity I could; and objectively, this series was a load of pretentious,Firstly, let me preface the review by saying that this series was recommended by a family member who stated that this was, in his view, BETTER than The Crown and even went on to say this was better than Game of Thrones, so it already had expectations against it. However, I viewed this with the most objectivity I could; and objectively, this series was a load of pretentious, pseudo-intellectual, drivel about spirituality and the afterlife (among other ideas). It's comfort food for the New Age inclined individuals who are not concerned with plot holes and/or character development. From the first episode you felt the writers calling you out for thinking about quitting it. I can tell you that I couldn't stop watching it, partially due to the intrigue of the subject and partially to see the "brilliance" I was told about this show. A redeeming quality this had was the, genuinely laugh out loud, unintentional comedy I found in the dialogue, plot holes, and acting/movements (except for the parents, who were objectively great). I don't mind weird topics or different execution, but my dislike of the series is not based on my subjective opinion about the topic, but on traits it objectively was lacking (Story/Characters/Sense).… Expand
  13. SecherNbiw
    Dec 19, 2016
    3
    The OA is a well-acted morass of pseudo-metaphysics in the same vein as The Sound of my Voice. It is like a New Age madlibs, spouting nonsense chunks of philosophy and hokum. It's pretentious in the extreme, with an ending that is profoundly offensive, and exhaustively slow-paced.. The redeeming feature of this snooze fest are the performances of the young actors, and I suspect that weThe OA is a well-acted morass of pseudo-metaphysics in the same vein as The Sound of my Voice. It is like a New Age madlibs, spouting nonsense chunks of philosophy and hokum. It's pretentious in the extreme, with an ending that is profoundly offensive, and exhaustively slow-paced.. The redeeming feature of this snooze fest are the performances of the young actors, and I suspect that we will see several of these kids again.… Expand
  14. JPenguinEsq
    Dec 25, 2016
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Lots of loose ends, unanswered questions, corny acting...It was fun and they made a grand effort, but you'll be annoyed at yourself when you reach the end. It wasn't horrible, just lazily written. Like they just took a first draft and decided that was good enough...
    Unanswered stuff:
    1) why did they have to leave their doors open again?
    2) how did she manage to carve dance moves into her BACK? Knife? Glass? Rock? She did it over her shoulder and upside down huh? Yeah?
    3) she got her sight back how? From a bang on the head?
    4) the books they found at the end....So...What? She made the whole story up? Was she kidnapped or not?
    5) she's wearing an electronic bracelet on her ankle at the end. Why? Is she a criminal or someone who was recently a kidnapping victim?
    6) in the beginning she sort of displays superpowery stuff (surviving the bridge jump, scaring the attack dog) but that angle is abandoned...
    7) why did she jump off the goddamn bridge at all? What exactly was the point of that other than to have some bozo film it and put it on YouTube so she can be found? She couldn't have asked someone to call the police for her?

    And on and on. And on.

    What's kind of interesting is it takes place in a high school town with high school kids at the forefront.

    If this had been submitted as a creative paper, it would be covered with a teacher's red ink with questions all over it.
    "Who is this person?"
    "How did he hear about the woman in Cuba? Is there an NDE chatroom?"
    "From hearing Prairie play the violin he intuited she had a near death experience, really?"
    "So wait, he drowns them until their hearts stop? How do they come back to life? CPR?"
    "How come the guy prisoners are all clean-shaven? Does he shave them?"

    It's like a decent first draft that had potential but they were too lazy or rushed or delusional, and so the finished product is pretty stupid. Did Homer and the others exist? Maybe season two will be better. Hopefully with none of that gag-inducing interpretive dance actor workshop exercise garbage in it...    … Expand
  15. cynsaysthis
    Feb 4, 2017
    0
    I found the first episode interesting and then the scene where the OA schools the teacher about her disciplinary action of the gay-bashing throat-punching bully Steve was a huge turn-off. I'll keep watching but I smell an agenda here and I don't like it.
  16. dredgman
    Mar 22, 2019
    3
    Horribly pretentious. The best I can say is I kept watching to see if it would proved fruitful (it doesn't). There are enough puzzles to pique initial interest, but they are resolved in trite and sometimes laughable ways (The final reveal about the meaning of "The OA" made me audibly groan).

    I really enjoyed another Brit Marling project, Sound of My Voice, but this just retreads some    Horribly pretentious. The best I can say is I kept watching to see if it would proved fruitful (it doesn't). There are enough puzzles to pique initial interest, but they are resolved in trite and sometimes laughable ways (The final reveal about the meaning of "The OA" made me audibly groan).

    I really enjoyed another Brit Marling project, Sound of My Voice, but this just retreads some similar themes in a manner that is too drawn out and kitschy to have any real impact.    … Expand
  17. 2morovian
    Feb 3, 2017
    1
    The OA starts out with some really inspired ideas and concepts, but they end up being sadly half-baked. The series paints itself into a corner and cannot resolve what it sets the audience up for, organically and to any reasonable degree of satisfaction, perhaps due to a poorly thought-out strategy, but more probably, a lack of enough creative intelligence to take its themes and theThe OA starts out with some really inspired ideas and concepts, but they end up being sadly half-baked. The series paints itself into a corner and cannot resolve what it sets the audience up for, organically and to any reasonable degree of satisfaction, perhaps due to a poorly thought-out strategy, but more probably, a lack of enough creative intelligence to take its themes and the audience, to a brilliant, revelatory conclusion…a direction that the first 7 episodes suggests it is going in.
    We’ve all been sucked into countless films and stories where we go on a fantastic reality ride, only to find out that it was someone’s dream, which then becomes both the explanation and the resolution of the story, often times followed by a finale teaser which suggests that, well, maybe it was real, after all. The OA does exactly this but it leaves us feeling utterly manipulated and betrayed….angry, actually, that we have invested so much into the hope of being taken somewhere spiritually or metaphysically unique.
    The film has many great moments, but it also relies upon an extremely dark, perverse tool to keep us engaged…that of the worst kind of human abuse and horror. I’ve seen many films that were nearly impossible to watch due to the abject discomfort caused by the reality of what was happening to living human beings and The OA ranks right up there with the worst of them. The kind of staggeringly cruel, brutal and multifaceted torture that was being inflicted by the most horrible omnipotent monster was never more impacting than in this series….and it was the subtlety and the feigning of affection by the perpetrator that made the abuse so horrific.
    The OA, or should I say, Britt Marling and Zal Batmanglij decide to use this most compelling but disgusting tool of manipulation available to keep our attention, (which brings up questions about their unresolved inner monsters for me). Naturally, we join the deceived and doomed captives in their cells and hope against all hope that they will be liberated...somehow.
    I was initially very excited about Brit Marling when she came onto the film scene. I was thoroughly impressed with everything about “Another Earth” and couldn’t wait to see what she did next. But since then, I have watched her become a caricature of that brilliance…a weirdly attractive woman with an omnipresent, nagging urgency who never stops forcing the “I’ve got something really fascinating to share with you and you MUST listen to me, because I’m NOT going to get out of your face until you do” energy along with the “oh, I will SHOCK you with whatever I have to, to keep you focused on me” strategy. Her acting is a study in exaggeration, but she has to exaggerate, because the substance and the dynamics are simply not there. In The OA, she takes this to the point of becoming repulsive and grotesque.
    For all of the above, I cast my ballot for Brit Marling’s early retirement, and if I could make it retroactive to the film “Another Earth”, I would. This series left the worst taste I have had in my mouth for years. It is an exercise in heavily borrowed metaphysical themes in the hands of weak, unimaginative direction.    … Expand
  18. skerit
    Dec 23, 2016
    1
    I kind of liked Sense8, I started watching "Stranger Things" but lost interest halfway, but this... This had magical dancing and stuff. If it's an experiment, it's a failed one.
  19. pchoustontx
    Jan 23, 2017
    3
    Here's a great explanation: How about a weird tv show with horrible story line and pathetic twist
    with no real explanation because it was a mish mosh of garbage
  20. Bertucciop
    Mar 22, 2019
    0
    The ridiculous and pretentious is maximized by the grotesque dances. Empty of meaning.
  21. Arduga
    Dec 18, 2016
    2
    Critic indie darlings, Zal Batmanglij and Brit will get some great reviews just for their pedigree, but the show is just an embarrassing spiritual sci-fi, political correct oriented, full of mainstream solutions, far from an indie thing. I binged trying to find something and was worthless.
  22. PLNY
    Dec 19, 2016
    0
    Painfully SLOW and uninspiring. At points it is difficult to watch as there isn't any real plot going on. Tries to imitate Stranger Things (fantastic show btw) but is far from it. Honestly, its a wannabe indie show, which is not worth the time.
  23. NerfHerder911
    Dec 20, 2016
    1
    I love how Netflix releases a show and gives it high ratings before people have even seen it, then you watch it, fall asleep as 40 minutes in nothing has happened. Wake up, still nothing happening, girl sitting around a camp fire telling spooky stories about when she was a little girl....

    Watch the scene with the worst parenting possible, predict the crash to happen and turn it off and    I love how Netflix releases a show and gives it high ratings before people have even seen it, then you watch it, fall asleep as 40 minutes in nothing has happened. Wake up, still nothing happening, girl sitting around a camp fire telling spooky stories about when she was a little girl....

    Watch the scene with the worst parenting possible, predict the crash to happen and turn it off and go to bed. What Drivel...

    Look, I appreciate story telling and some slowness in movies/shows if it's to give you time to process what's happened. But terrible acting and cringe worthy scenes is what YouTube is for. I'll try one more episode but it's hard to forgive what I've seen so far.    … Expand
  24. TomJasendro
    Dec 16, 2016
    0
    Terrible, terrible stuff. Some of the worst TV I've ever watch and truly Netflix's first failure. Slow, boring, painful to watch and an insult to the great 'Stranger Things', which it tries and fails to imitate. The characters are bland and lacking in personality, the acting is beyond abysmal and the first episode runs for 71 minutes, despite having a story (or lack thereof) that doesn'tTerrible, terrible stuff. Some of the worst TV I've ever watch and truly Netflix's first failure. Slow, boring, painful to watch and an insult to the great 'Stranger Things', which it tries and fails to imitate. The characters are bland and lacking in personality, the acting is beyond abysmal and the first episode runs for 71 minutes, despite having a story (or lack thereof) that doesn't justify 40.

    It is made by indie filmmakers and they are obviously trying to rebel against the system. It comes off as pretentious, arrogant, and just plain awful. Absolutely ****    … Expand
  25. ptredux
    Dec 22, 2016
    1
    Q: What's brown and stinky and should have stayed in the bucket in the corner of that glass cell?
    A: The OA's movements.
    Wish I'd read more reviews before I wasted my time on this inane drivel. Shame on you Netrflix!
  26. Thejaywhip
    Jan 3, 2017
    0
    From the nasally voiced main character to the constantly pointless exposition of the script. If there is one word to sum this up it's "annoying". It is psychobabble at it's finest and then some. It's not cool or hip. It's not fashionable or artistic. It just sounds like retarded artistic wannabes trying to say something profound in as abstract ways as possible to make you think they knowFrom the nasally voiced main character to the constantly pointless exposition of the script. If there is one word to sum this up it's "annoying". It is psychobabble at it's finest and then some. It's not cool or hip. It's not fashionable or artistic. It just sounds like retarded artistic wannabes trying to say something profound in as abstract ways as possible to make you think they know what they are talking about. The main character is so annoying that I'm wishing she had jumped and died at the beginning. Would have saved us all a lot of time and headache.… Expand
  27. Ripandread
    Dec 23, 2016
    0
    OA should stand for Originally Awful.

    The premier episode kept on jumping from one plot line to another that by the time the show concluded I was thinking aloud "what the hell happened?" The acting was mediocre at best. The main character (Prairie/OA) is unbelievable while the supporting cast is a mishmash of stereotypical individuals one would see on almost any poorly produced    OA should stand for Originally Awful.

    The premier episode kept on jumping from one plot line to another that by the time the show concluded I was thinking aloud "what the hell happened?"

    The acting was mediocre at best. The main character (Prairie/OA) is unbelievable while the supporting cast is a mishmash of stereotypical individuals one would see on almost any poorly produced science fiction show.    … Expand
  28. griffinstorme
    Jan 22, 2017
    3
    In a sensationalist storyline like this, you need glimmering characters, and this show provides none. From episode one, you cannot connect with either the main character, Prairie, or the secondaries. The story itself was done poorly. It leaves you guessing and wondering with no payoff. Their gimmick is simply to have a built in cliff hanger ("What is Prairie's story?") to make sure youIn a sensationalist storyline like this, you need glimmering characters, and this show provides none. From episode one, you cannot connect with either the main character, Prairie, or the secondaries. The story itself was done poorly. It leaves you guessing and wondering with no payoff. Their gimmick is simply to have a built in cliff hanger ("What is Prairie's story?") to make sure you watch every episode. Additionally, I felt as though they use unnecessary sex in the first episode. I'm fine with nudity and sex scenes (I love GoT), but when there's no points, it can just make a story unrelatable.… Expand
  29. DBTFAN
    Dec 20, 2016
    0
    Well...I don't get the limit to posting a review since typically this 160 word minimum seems a bit crazy. Chirst, Just wanted to say that this series does something not often done ...it makes you think , and along with the superb acting by many of the "stars" , you are rewarded by staying with it till the end. Not sure if I have made the minimum yet but will try to end this and send.
  30. olimpia
    Dec 28, 2016
    3
    A kind of a fairy tale with a very bad male witch and a sort of supernatural young heroes. I ll recommend this only for lovers of meaninles fantasy movies.
  31. DBV68
    Apr 10, 2019
    2
    An ambitious effort to explore the notion of near death experiences that gets derailed with ineffectual efforts to create mystery and drama over excessively lengthy slow-moving episodes that fail to explore and exploit the full value of a potential thematic goldmine. Instead one is left with a horrible blend of The Breakfast Club and Flatliners with just a sprinkling of mad scientist, aAn ambitious effort to explore the notion of near death experiences that gets derailed with ineffectual efforts to create mystery and drama over excessively lengthy slow-moving episodes that fail to explore and exploit the full value of a potential thematic goldmine. Instead one is left with a horrible blend of The Breakfast Club and Flatliners with just a sprinkling of mad scientist, a series that is much more farce than fantasy.… Expand
  32. smfusr
    Aug 9, 2019
    0
    This show gives Netflix's "Another Life" a run for the money in the Worst Show Ever category. Seriously - if these are the productions being funded by Netflix today, sell your shares and run for the hills. Better yet, go short.

    As usual with turds, the series starts out with promise, and you can't help but feel there is something substantial in the plot. An episode or two in and sheer    This show gives Netflix's "Another Life" a run for the money in the Worst Show Ever category. Seriously - if these are the productions being funded by Netflix today, sell your shares and run for the hills. Better yet, go short.

    As usual with turds, the series starts out with promise, and you can't help but feel there is something substantial in the plot. An episode or two in and sheer nonsensical lunacy of the writing becomes apparent. This series starts with intrigue but then shortly thereafter, the brakes come off and it begins to go downhill... slowly at first and then whoosh! The earth drops out and we're off the cliff and hurtling into the abyss. Stereotypical, boring, slow and getting more and more moronic by the episode. AVOID!!!    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Most Discussed TV Season of 2016
30
#30 Most Shared TV Season of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 17
  3. Negative: 3 out of 17
  1. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Lorraine Ali
    Dec 22, 2016
    70
    Whether her story is real or the byproduct of extreme trauma is one of many questions at the heart of this haunting, graceful and often frustratingly cryptic series.
    Read full review
  2. We Got This Covered
    Reviewed by: Joseph Falcone
    Dec 19, 2016
    80
    The less you know about it before going in the better. This is a must-watch series and if a feeling of incompleteness should fill your cavity upon completing it, simply cleanse your palette and start over again.
    Read full review
  3. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    Dec 16, 2016
    80
    Anchored by a spectacular central performance and a series of increasingly wacky ideas, The OA is frequently mind-boggling, but worth the effort.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »