Underground

:

Season 1
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 33 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 33
  3. Negative: 10 out of 33
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User Reviews

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  1. Thirdrail
    Apr 8, 2017
    6
    This show has a lot to like, and a lot to dislike, frankly. Both the subject matter and the time period are compelling, but the story suffers a little bit from uneven characters. The white couple in the process of joining the underground railroad are by far the most interesting characters on the show (their scenes are very fresh, not reminiscent anything you've watched before), followed byThis show has a lot to like, and a lot to dislike, frankly. Both the subject matter and the time period are compelling, but the story suffers a little bit from uneven characters. The white couple in the process of joining the underground railroad are by far the most interesting characters on the show (their scenes are very fresh, not reminiscent anything you've watched before), followed by the slave women who work directly for the master (and his mustache twisting wife) in the "big house", followed by the slave hunter/single dad guy who has a slave that doubles as his own father figure (played by the wonderful Clarke Peters from Treme and The Wire), and then the plantation owner has interesting scenes revolving around a run for political office, and his affair with one of the house slaves. Then, in distant last place, as the least interesting group of people on the show, you have the central characters - the male slaves who are planning and executing the escape. Their sections of the show are mostly boring, refurbished versions of scenes we've all watched a million times, in every prison movie and tv show ever made, only now those scenes take places in fields and next to trees instead of the cells and broom closets around a prison. The soundtrack is my other big sticking point. It slides directly into cringe worthy whenever they try to weave in modern music, which is fairly often. Despite these flaws, the show remains pretty watchable, and anyone with a personal investment in the subject matter is likely to find these foibles easy to overlook. If metacritic allowed half points, I'd rate the show 6.5/10, rather than the flat 6, because Underground is SO CLOSE to hitting enough right marks to actually be good, instead of almost there. I'm a little nervous about the second season, too, simply because this is not set up like an ongoing or indefinite scenario, it's one of those stories with a very clear cut mission, where you should either succeed or fail and then have reached the ending, one way or the other.

    Edit: I've never had to add an addendum to a review before, but this series takes such a hard drift, it only seems fair. As the story progresses, what started as a historical drama slowly turns into pulp fiction. By the time Underground reaches the end of the first season, it borders on being a super hero comic. This transformation actually improves it a little bit as a tv show, as it's clearly more in the comfort zone of the writers, but also completely tosses aside whatever sense of historical realism it had in the beginning in favor of sheer comic book opera. In the end, as weird as it may seem, Underground has far more in common with shows like the Walking Dead, Outcast, or Black Sails than it does more serious fare like Roots. Also, they completely squander Clarke Peters, which is extremely disappointing, to say the least.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Best TV Season of 2016
17
#17 Most Shared TV Season of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. TVLine
    Reviewed by: Matt Webb Mitovich
    Apr 6, 2016
    91
    The solid cast, compelling overall storyline and deft twists (Rosalee’s mother is full of surprises) add up to an engrossing, enlightening drama.
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  2. Vox.com
    Reviewed by: Caroline Framke
    Mar 10, 2016
    80
    As of its first four episodes, Underground is in a solid position moving forward, thanks to its breathless momentum and wonderful anchoring performances from Hodge, Smollett-Bell, Vann, and Miller in particular.
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  3. The Wrap
    Reviewed by: Mekeisha Madden Toby
    Mar 9, 2016
    80
    Underground celebrates the small, exceptional group of black and white heroes who risked it all for the sake of freedom. And it’s that story, the amazing cast and the historically accurate writing behind the drama that make this series worth the investment.
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