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Damages
SERIES: FX, Tuesday 10:00p (60 minutes)


8.4

based on 27 reviews
read critic reviews
how did we calculate this?

based on 65 votes
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Get more information on this show at TV.com.

Official Show Site

Starring Glenn Close, Tate Donovan, Rose Byrne, Ted Danson, Zeljko Ivanek, and Noah Bean

Newly hired Ellen Parsons (Byrne) enters the cutthroat world of New York attorney Patty Hewes (Close).

GENRE(S):	Drama
CREATED BY:	Daniel Zelman Glenn Kessler Todd A. Kessler
FIRST AIR DATE:	July 24, 2007

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy

Damages is dynamite. And the fuse is lit.

100

New York Daily News David Hinckley

The law-firm arena is one of TV's oldest and most familiar genres, but Damages enlivens it by defying expectations.

100

San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman

It's Close who makes "Damages" a series to contend with.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland

It demands commitment and a willingness to pay attention to the smallest bits of information, but it's also riveting. Once you decide to go take this case, you won't want to turn back.

USA Today Robert Bianco

Damages is an enjoyably complex thriller.

San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum

It's a mesmerizing tale of legal maneuvering with the distinctive FX moral ambiguity and splendid performances by Close, Rose Byrne ("28 Weeks Later") as her protege and TV veteran Ted Danson as her latest courtroom adversary.

Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan

An impressively constructed thriller and an intriguing, timely exploration of what people at the apex of society will do to hold on to their power.

Miami Herald Glenn Garvin

It's the lack of moral clarity that makes Damages so spellbinding. Every character wears multiple masks; every action is cloaked in ambiguity and, often, outright duplicity.

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

A legal thriller with the depth and structure of an engrossing novel.

TV Guide Matt Roush

Who's a villain and who's a hero here? Can you tell the pawns from the players? All excellent questions as we become absorbed in FX's latest thrill ride.

Wall Street Journal Nancy DeWolf Smith

Despite its fantastic nature, the story is an onion with a thousand layers, each one a satisfying mystery of its own.

Washington Post Tom Shales

Nearly everything is done right, most conspicuously in the casting of Glenn Close as Patty Hewes.

Newsday Diane Werts

Richness of detail permeates this modern tube-noir. The more damage done, the more juicy fun for us to savor.

Los Angeles Times Mary McNamara

Close's performance illuminates rather than outshines with its high wattage.

Philadelphia Daily News Ellen Gray

As taut and twisted a mystery as anything you'll find on television this summer.

PopMatters Cynthia Fuchs

Interactions are rendered in smart, layered compositions, with elements that crowd and obscure, colors that distract and focus your attention. Such plot intricacies might appear contrived, but twisting even in the first episode suggests otherwise.

Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm

A challenging and satisfying legal thriller.

LA Weekly Robert Abele

Close’s burnished enigma characterization works beautifully because Damages, which will spend its 13-episode season detailing the six months that led to the opening shots of a blood-covered Ellen escaping a murder scene, is more a well-oiled genre exercise than the stuff of rigorous personality study.

New York Post Linda Stasi

Problem is that Episode 1 is so out there and over-wrought that you might not make the trip back for Episode 2. That would be a mistake. Week two is when it gets riveting.

Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert

This New York legal drama doesn't have the living, breathing dimensionality and character depth of FX's finest, including "Rescue Me" and "The Shield," on which Close guest starred in 2005. But it's a tense fun ride like the better John Grisham movies.

Variety Brian Lowry

The producers have assembled a solid cast and deftly employ flashbacks to ratchet up suspense.

The New Yorker Nancy Franklin

The plot is difficult to follow - shot sequences, at least in the first two episodes, often pair sex and death (an FX trademark, practically; it’s the network that looks our animal selves in the eye), whether or not their pairing helps the story--but you’re strung along deftly enough so that you do want to know how it’s all going to play out.

Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall

Damages offers two superb performances by old pros Glenn Close and Ted Danson.... One thing it doesn't have: a compelling main character. It's a doughnut show: lots of sweet, satisfying goodness around the edges, nothing in the middle.

Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman

The direction is capable. And there are moments of shining in the script, though there aren't yet enough fine scenes.

Entertainment Weekly Gillian Flynn

Patty's suppose to be a manipulative liar, but that's too much to believe. Like pretty much everything about this show. [03 Aug 2007, p.61]

Salon Heather Havrilesky

Even as we're prompted to be horrified by Hewes, her unrepentant nastiness, when paired with her immense power, leaves us very little to hope for here.

Slate Troy Patterson

By far the dumber and hammier of the two shows ["Saving Grace" is the other].

The average user rating for this tv show is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 65 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Bebe B. gave it a10:
good writing, excellent acting. I think Ted Danson is great and Glen Close riveting to watch.

Barbara M. gave it a3:
Except for Ted Danson having the time of his life, and Glenn Close chewing up the scenery, all the other actors are clumsy, hammy and poorly cast, and in way over their heads.

Oli J. gave it a3:
Overblown.

Mary G. gave it a10:
This is by the far the best show I have ever seen. What makes it great is that it's always one step ahead of you. Brilliant writing. Brilliant acting. Watching all 13 episodes a second time makes it that much better. A must watch.

Howard R. gave it a10:
Season 2 of "Damages" is a no brainier. Great writing ...music and cast. We need more of this in todays TV! We have a crew that meets at our home for the show with discussion afterwards....once you enter the room, no cellphones or mindless chatter...focused on the plot. Please make the second season happen..pay the writers what they deserve!!!!

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
Outstanding

Martin S. gave it a9:
It's almost too good for television.

Damages SERIES: FX, Tuesday 10:00p (60 minutes)

Damages
SERIES: FX, Tuesday 10:00p (60 minutes)