Turn: Washington's Spies
AMC | Release Date: April 6, 2014
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
16
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The OregonianKristi TurnquistJun 24, 2014
Season 1 Review: It's quite a story, but the pilot for Turn takes a long time to get going, and isn't all that compelling. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonApr 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: Turn can be described as both sturdy and unsteady.... Mr. Bell is a less-than-charismatic centerpiece, but he also makes emotional sense. Read full review
60
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GrayApr 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: I just wish that its 90-minute premiere was a tad more entertaining, because I found a lot to like in two subsequent episodes. Read full review
60
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniApr 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: An uneven, if promising, period drama set during the American Revolution. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubEmily VanDerWerffApr 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: In choosing to center its story of Revolutionary War-era spies on relationships (particularly between Abraham and Anna and Abraham and his father), it has a fighting chance at finding its way to something compelling. The problem is that the show has yet to figure out a way to make those relationships fresh or interesting in the slightest. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanApr 7, 2014
Season 1 Review: Turn should be a lot more exciting than it is. It may eventually get there--but a lot of AMC’s series not named Mad Men, Breaking Bad or The Walking Dead never got there. And that’s an ongoing problem. Read full review
50
HitfixAlan SepinwallApr 4, 2014
Season 1 Review: Turn isn't bad, but it's also too forgettable to deserve a long look, cool credits or no. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushApr 4, 2014
Season 1 Review: [A] stubbornly bland potboiler. Read full review
50
USA TodayRobert BiancoApr 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: The problem is that for all its talk of Washington and Redcoats and all its shots of British warships in New York Harbor, nothing in Turn ever leaves you with any true feel for the period. Read full review
50
Uncle BarkyEd BarkApr 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: Turn never quite turns the corner in its first three episodes, but perhaps will perk up a bit if the recurring George Washington (Ian Kahn) finally makes his presence felt. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandMar 31, 2014
Season 1 Review: Turn is a fairly standard spy story. That doesn't mean it's bad, just not up there with what we've come to see as the gold standard for AMC: "Breaking Bad," "Mad Men" and "The Walking Dead." Read full review
40
VarietyBrian LowryApr 10, 2015
Season 2 Review: There are some nice elements, such as the infatuation of British officer Maj. Hewlett (Burn Gorman) with Anna (Heather Lind), who is working with Woodhull as part of the spy ring. There’s also the return of the venomous Simcoe (Samuel Roukin), so evil that he practically hisses out his dialogue. The pieces, however, never quite add up to anything with enough cohesion or narrative flow. Read full review
40
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenApr 4, 2014
Season 1 Review: Dull and sometimes confusing--why are those British soldiers loyal to the Red Coats not wearing red?--the 90-minute premiere too often encourages viewers to turn away in boredom or frustration. Read full review
40
SlateWilla PaskinApr 4, 2014
Season 1 Review: Despite this highly dramatic premise, Turn feels small and dull: if you want to have some fun learning about the Revolution, wait until Fox’s cheeky Sleepy Hollow returns. Read full review
40
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanApr 4, 2014
Season 1 Review: In execution, Turn is plodding, predictable and a bit confusing, though I might have tried harder to follow the plot had any of the characters made it worth my while. As it is, the characters are mostly paper-thin and forgettable. Read full review
40
VarietyBrian LowryApr 3, 2014
Season 1 Review: For all those neatly appointed trappings and period touches, Turn simply feels hollow at its core. And that, ultimately, is something even an accomplished spy ring can’t disguise. Read full review
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