The Secret Circle
The CW | CW | Release Date: September 15, 2011
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
11
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Miami HeraldGlenn GarvinSep 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: Secret Circle is competently performed and produced and liable to entertain anybody not old enough to remember Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty doing pretty much the same stuff in Charmed back in the 20th-century day. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleySep 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: The Secret Circle isn't stunning out of the gate. It does seem to understand what it wants and needs to be. Read full review
58
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertSep 12, 2011
Season 1 Review: The CW built this predictable teen supernatural romance as a companion to the similar and better "Vampire Diaries.". Read full review
50
PopMattersMichelle WelchSep 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: Unfortunately, The Secret Circle's first episode doesn't offer much beyond all this plotty set-up. Specifically, it's missing what made other supernatural shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Supernatural successful: funny, quirky, and layered characters. Read full review
50
USA TodayRobert BiancoSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: What they get is Diaries' less attractive little sister, one that, beneath all the witchcraft, is just another CW teen-driven soap. Read full review
50
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: There's nothing wrong with any of this except that it doesn't feel fresh or new; there's no added, bewitching spark to a familiar concept. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian LowrySep 12, 2011
Season 1 Review: As usual, it's a new kid who provides a wide-eyed introduction to the shenanigans, though nothing in the pilot conjures any genuine magic, TV-wise. Read full review
42
Uncle BarkyEd BarkSep 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: Secret Circle, replete with The CW's usual heavy doses of sappy pop music mood-ruiners, eventually gets around to outlining its basic plot point. Read full review
40
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GraySep 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: If this season's "True Blood" hasn't exhausted your patience with TV witches--as it has mine--Robertson's as appealing here as she was on "Life Unexpected." Maybe magic powers will help her keep this one on the air. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushSep 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: To say Secret Circle isn't spellbinding is an understatement. Originality and surprise are the main ingredients missing from this tepid witches' brew. Read full review
40
The New York TimesMike HaleSep 12, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's the entire supernatural teen-soap-opera template, but the execution is rushed and chintzy, without the languorous gloss that makes "The Vampire Diaries" worthwhile. Read full review
Current TV Shows
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 92 The Pitt: Season 2
2 90 The Celebrity Traitors UK: Season 1
3 88 Rivals
4 87 Hacks: Season 5
5 87 Industry: Season 4
6 87 Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal:...
7 85 The Beatles Anthology
8 85 The Traitors [UK]: Season 4
9 85 Bait: Season 1
10 84 Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
11 83 Lord of the Flies
12 83 Riot Women: Season 1
13 83 For All Mankind: Season 5
14 81 The Muppet Show (2026)
15 80 Outlander (2014): Season 8
16 80 The Other Bennet Sister: Season 1
17 80 The Mighty Nein: Season 1
18 80 The Comeback: Season 3
19 80 One Piece (2023): Season 2
20 80 Dark Winds: Season 4
SEE ALL