GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Television

2008-09 Midseason
2008 Fall Season
2008 Summer Season
2007-08 Midseason
2007 Fall Season
2007 Summer Season
2006-07 Midseason
2006 Fall Season
2006 Summer Season
2005-06 Midseason
2005 Fall Season
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss TV In Our Forums

 

 

Upcoming & Recent Series Premieres

Damages Season Two 80
FX, Wednesday

13: Fear Is Real 33
CW, Wednesday

Game Show in My Head 34
CBS, Saturday

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

I Shouldn't Be Alive
SERIES: Discovery, Friday 9:00p (60 minutes)

I Shouldn't Be Alive
Critic Score
Metascore: 61 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.5 out of 10
based on 7 reviews
read critic reviews
how did we calculate this?
based on 44 votes
read user comments
rate this tv show

This Discovery Channel series presents reenactments of real-life survival stories.

GENRE(S): Action / Adventure, Documentary
CREATED BY: John Smithson
FIRST AIR DATE: October 28, 2005

What The Critics Said

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...

80
Hollywood Reporter N.F. Mendoza
Gripping and thrilling.
Read Full Review
80
San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum
A gripping show.
Read Full Review
70
Los Angeles Times Tony Perry
Ghastly, grisly and yet pruriently gripping.
Read Full Review
70
The New York Times Ned Martel
A memorable horror show.
Read Full Review
60
Slate Dana Stevens
Sure, the re-enactment technique is cheesy by its very nature, but at the heart of this show is the ancient art of storytelling. The verbal accounts of the survivors are so vibrant, their evocation of extreme experience so precise, that the viewer huddles before the TV like a child listening to ghost stories around a campfire, undistracted even by the indignity of commercial interruptions.
Read Full Review
30
Variety Brian Lowry
This isn't to say what these folks experienced isn't harrowing, but these hybrids mixing dramatic and documentary techniques only enjoy a sense of authenticity if both halves work, which isn't the case at least in the maiden voyage.
Read Full Review
30
Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert
Relies so heavily on... amateurish re-creations that it undermines its otherwise mind-blowing survival stories.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this tv show is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 44 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ma C. gave it a10:
I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! Why oh why did they cancel it??? I'm buying every season and watching over and over again!

Ginny H gave it a10:
This show is awesome! I just wish new episodes could keep coming.

Wajahat. A gave it a10:
An Absolutely thrilling show.The re anactments made in this show r amazingly realistic.Firstly the music is very good,which gives the viewer a sense of thrill.Then,the other good thing about this show is that the commentator gives very detailed explanation of the happenings as well as the guests who under went the lingering thought of death.One thing which struck me the most,and i hope that the readers would also agree on is the fact that,the viewers could listen to the conversation between the actors,and the show doesnt really rely on the commentator as much as in other discvery shows like FBI Files or Forensic detectives in which a viewer only listen to the commentator.Every episode of this show has been very well directed and the realisism has been main tained in every episode,mine favourite episode would certainly be when a mine tracker was kidnapped by guerillas in the combodian jungle.But,like i said every episode makes the viewer stick to the tv show,and i really like the thinking of the makers when the show shows the happening inside the human body by animation.In short,very well presented show with brilliant commentary and the appreciation for the survivours.WELL DONE DISCOVERY.

crystal l gave it a9:
I watched a few of the episodes, and this particular one, 'the shark survivors" is a scary one. That lady named Meg died a horrible way. Is it true that she was really like this, being possessed and chanting words that couldn;t be understood? she looked real scary. My children were scared . I felt so sorry for her to die this way. It seems the lady survior(forgot her name) is a christian? She knows 'The Lord 's Prayer'. I think ,many survivors must have thought of God when they were dying. surely, many must have said their prayers but was not shown in the tv re-inactment. amazing true stories indeed! They live to tell their story! By the way, why did the 2 men jumped into the sea? Had they gone crazy and was it because they drank the sea-water?

Sage P gave it a10:
This show is amazing & shows how strong the human will to survive is. Every episode moves me and is highly memorable. It leaves a person feeling very grateful for what they have. Highly recommended!

Candy K gave it a10:
Finally a show that you can watch because it is entertaining, exciting and true! No sex..is that legal in America? I look forward to more shows like this. I almost thur my TV out and then I came upon I shouldn't be alive...!

Ravikumar G gave it a10:
The show is the best that's on my list. I would love to see more episodes but don't think they have a lot. The Direction is also very good. Now a days I have too much respect for water.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this tv show in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use