Zen
BBC-1 | PBS | BBC | BBC One | Release Date: January 2, 2011
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandJul 18, 2011
Season 1 Review: The performances are superb, especially that of Sewell in the title role. He underplays the part to sublime perfection, making Aurelio Zen one of the most attractive and fascinating TV cops in years. Read full review
100
New York PostLinda StasiJul 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's all as addictive as an uber-fresh, ice-cold slice of watermelon on one of the hills of Rome in the scorching heat. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushJul 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: In this clever series of politically and sexually charged Masterpiece Mystery! movies based on books by Michael Dibdin, and beautifully filmed on location, lone wolf Zen finds his reputation for integrity challenged on all sides. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf SmithJul 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: The series is set in modern-day Rome, where the women wear tight skirts, the men are in sharp suits, and even the corruption is exquisite in its labyrinthine complexity. Read full review
80
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GrayJul 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: I'll just say that the three-episode run of Zen, based on a series of mysteries by Michael Dibdin about a Venice-born, Rome-based cop named Aurelio Zen--you thought maybe he was a Buddhist?--was absorbing enough that I'm planning to check out the books next. Read full review
80
The New York TimesGinia BellafanteJul 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: There is little resistance to cliche in all this, but the cliche is so visually appealing that you'll feel like a spoiled child if you complain. And you're given such a treat that you'll also feel like one, begging for more. Read full review
70
PopMattersLesley SmithJul 18, 2011
Season 1 Review: Despite the pleasures of these performances, the series drags. Inside each of Zen's 90-minute episodes lies, one suspects, a crisp hour. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydJul 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: Both as twisty mystery and armchair vacation, it's a good way to pass a summer night. Read full review
70
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanJul 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: Sewell looks good in the Italian suits and shades, the supporting cast is generally good and the atmosphere is effective even when the pacing has problems. Read full review
70
VarietyBrian LowryJul 15, 2011
Season 1 Review: Zen works, to the extent it does, thanks to Sewell's shell-shocked gaze as he navigates the shark-infested bureaucracy, the way-cool Adrian Johnston score and Rome's intoxicating beauty, with Murino (a Bond girl in "Casino Royale") among the more arresting of Italy's natural assets. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunDavid ZurawikJul 18, 2011
Season 1 Review: There are just too many problems with the lead character and writing for this to ever become a PBS staple like "Inspector Morse" or "Miss Marple" had been. Read full review
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