| 80 |
Los Angeles Times Robert Lloyd
"Surface" is steeped in Spielberg, and is better Spielberg than Spielberg has managed in quite some time. |
| 60 |
Miami Herald Glenn Garvin
Surface has no complex or cynical subtexts; it's straight-ahead sci fi. |
| 60 |
PopMatters Cynthia Fuchs
It helps that Bell is able to suggest complexity, emotional and moral, even when the dialogue fails her. |
| 60 |
LA Weekly Robert Abele
So far the stern-faced Lake Bell’s independent-minded oceanographer is too conventional a protagonist, while the series’ government cover-up thread... feels globally warmed over. |
| 58 |
Entertainment Weekly Dalton Ross
This by-the-numbers entry is pretty damn toothless. [23 Sep 2005, p.81] |
| 50 |
Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy
Lame storytelling and dialogue. |
| 50 |
The Onion A.V. Club
Surface can be creepy fun, but the obvious debt it owes to the oeuvre of Steven Spielberg--from the hidden beasts and government stonewalling to the suburban angst and working-mom pluckiness--makes the rest of the show feel blandly familiar. |
| 40 |
Chicago Tribune Sid Smith
Though relentlessly ominous, "Surface" is, so far, only good for surface scares. |
| 40 |
Newsday Diane Werts
The pilot serves up flashy ooh-ah instead of anything tangible to wrap our arms around. |
| 40 |
Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker
The most enjoyable moments go to the North Carolina boy (Carter Jenkins). It's too bad Surface didn't narrow its focus and become "A Boy and His Blob." |
| 40 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland
Interesting, but the sprawling pilot doesn't do "Surface" any favors. |
| 38 |
USA Today Robert Bianco
There isn't a moment of wonder or suspense in Surface, or a single performance or character that is even remotely involving. |
| 30 |
Variety Brian Lowry
The best thing about "Surface" thus far is NBC's promo campaign, which, sliced into bite-sized bits, actually makes the program look considerably better than it is. |
| 30 |
The New York Times Alessandra Stanley
Offers a ho-hum monster and the kind of stock characters that we've seen too many times before. |
| 30 |
Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert
It's a bland Spielberg wannabe that doesn't succeed in evoking much creepiness or wonder |
| 30 |
Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron
There's nothing particularly appealing about any of the folks having the close encounters. |
| 30 |
Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart
Whoever wrote the first episode of “Lost” didn’t crowd the screen with dimwits forced to recite grade-B TV drama drivel. By that standard, “Surface” doesn’t get a pass. |
| 30 |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen
At first glance... it comes off as silly sci-fi, a not-so-intriguing series that wades into all-too-similar waters as two other fall shows. The difference in this one is that the water is noticeably more shallow. |
| 25 |
New York Daily News David Hinckley
Desperately trying to be mysterious like "Lost," this show, by any other name, turns out to be an ironically diluted version. |
| 25 |
San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman
You won't really want to spend another hour with these people. |
| 20 |
Time James Poniewozik
The series hopscotches to so many locations (the Carolinas, the Antarctic, the ocean trenches) that you briefly forget that it gives you no reason to feel afraid or intrigued or anything else. |
| 12 |
Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman
The most confusing ensemble drama of the new season. |
| 10 |
Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm
One of the lead characters is an evolutionary biologist, which makes sense, since there's not a lot of intelligent design here. |
