- Network: FX
- Series Premiere Date: Mar 28, 2006
Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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Braugher's performance as Atwater is intense, scary, seductive and astonishing in its range of emotions. It leaves little doubt that he is still among the best actors ever to grace the medium.
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It walks the walk of Important Series Television, but no matter how hard it tries to be gutsy and existential, it rings hollow.
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The minute "Thief" begins running tonight on cable's FX, television reclaims its best actor.
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[A] smart, hard-edged new crime drama.
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Braugher [has] never been better... rarely has a character hopped onto the screen feeling so completely real. [31 Mar 2006, p.51]
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It benefits immensely from the presence of Braugher, at long last in a role that, like that of Det. Frank Pembleton on "Homicide: Life on the Street," suits his particular intensity.
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"Thief" brims with strong, potent performances.
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We don’t yet know if Thief will go anywhere surprising.
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So what is there to like about this show? The same thing there was to like about "The Sopranos" and "The Shield" - great writing, insanely good acting, deeply troubled and deeply layered characters and a plot that will keep you glued to your seat.
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Watching Braugher, who won an Emmy for Homicide, proves highly satisfying. But there's a big hitch: the maddening show around him.
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This is all well done, and it's a great-looking production, but the weight of the drama keeps tugging toward a side plot about Braugher's 14-year-old stepdaughter. [10 Apr 2006, p.35]
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Thief is in a different league, simultaneously intense and flamboyant, propelled by Braugher, who's even better here than in Homicide: Life on the Street.
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"Thief" offers strong moments aplenty, but what it lacks are strong connections, both between those moments and among some of its characters.
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As a character study of one man, "Thief" works, but it's going to take a lot more than that to pull us into this very dark, very unforgiving story.
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"Thief" doesn't levitate with genre-busting genius, but it is very FX, which means it's very real and well executed, a series that doesn't pander.
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"Thief" is a worthy addition to [FX's] schedule.
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The storytelling and performances are peerless in their intensity.... At the same time, there may be too much going on here for six episodes to do this show justice.
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The show would probably be too ponderous to enjoy if Braugher weren't an actor of tremendous restraint.
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Creator-writer Norman Morrill's drama is so taut and his approach to the genre so sharp that the only significant complaint is that the first "season" is only six episodes.
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"Thief" pays homage to all the conventions of a traditional thriller and weaves into it complicated issues of guilt, race and family. It's a little like some of the better dramas on HBO, but finds its own unorthodox way.
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Bores by being relentlessly glum.
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Like plots on "Hustle," "24" and "The Shield," there's a bit of incredulousness that comes with each caper. But with persuasive writing, sharp visuals and editing, as well as a steady directorial hand, "Thief" is always convincing.
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Hopefully this overkill of plot twists is just series finale syndrome in reverse--an opening-episode gambit to snag viewers--and the show will settle down to work on its more subtle elements.
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It requires a certain patience to stay with "Thief."
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A stand-up, standout piece of work, one that works wonders on a seemingly tired genre.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 65 out of 76
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Mixed: 1 out of 76
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Negative: 10 out of 76
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pathApr 3, 2007This was a GREAT show, to bad it had to end.
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AkeishaWJan 29, 2007
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AnnaDec 28, 2006I think this was a pretty good show, I watched every episode some were better than others and I was looking foward to a 2nd season!