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Raines
SERIES: NBC, Friday 9:00p (60 minutes)


8.7

based on 26 reviews
read critic reviews
how did we calculate this?

based on 64 votes
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Get more information on this show at TV.com.

Official Show Site

Starring Jeff Goldblum, Matt Craven, Dov Davidoff, Linda Park, Nicole Sullivan, Malik Yoba, and Madeleine Stowe

Jeff Goldblum stars as a homicide detective who solves cases through the usual grunt work... and the not-so-usual conversations with ghosts of the victims. (We assume they're only talking to him because Jennifer Love Hewitt was busy.)

GENRE(S):	Crime, Drama
CREATED BY:	Graham Yost
FIRST AIR DATE:	March 15, 2007

Special premiere episodes air Thu 3/15 and 3/22 at 10:00p before the show moves to its regular Friday 9:00p timeslot on 3/30.

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...

New York Daily News David Hinckley

"Raines" not only deserves an audience - with any luck at all, it deserves a renewal, and a firm spot on NBC's fall schedule.

USA Today Robert Bianco

Intriguing and involving, if sometimes odd for oddness' sake alone, Raines is a novel twist on one of TV's oldest formats: the single, super-intuitive detective.

Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy

Yes, the premise may be decidedly derivative, but it's all in the witty execution.

New York Post Linda Stasi

While this all sounds fresh, don't think for a minute you're going to be seeing anything that hasn't been re-packaged before.

Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan

Goldblum’s thoughtful, enjoyable presence is — rather than the one saving grace of an otherwise tiresome procedural — the centerpiece of a generally well-crafted drama, one that’s sprinkled with loving nods to Raymond Chandler and “Double Indemnity.”

Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron

Working together, Goldblum and Craven create some of the most honest scenes in the genre.

Newsday Verne Gay

"Raines" is both thoroughly conventional and thoroughly unconventional; in fact, it often revels in its conventionality.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland

An immensely enjoyable premiere.

Washington Post Tom Shales

Goldblum... gives the character of Raines a solid and gratifying humanity, enough to lift "just another" cop opera into a considerably more rarefied realm.

Wall Street Journal Nancy DeWolf Smith

All of this might seem silly if it weren't for Mr. Goldblum.

TV Guide Matt Roush

One thing's for sure: Raines is weird.

Los Angeles Times Paul Brownfield

The show... doesn't seem to be aiming for anything higher than a comfortable middle ground, bypassing a chance to watch Goldblum send up our preconceived idea of Goldblum.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen

As close-ended procedurals go, "Raines" certainly offers an intriguing hook, but I'm not sure it's one with much staying power.

Variety Brian Lowry

This is a series for people with a reasonably high TV IQ, but not a particularly challenging formula.

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

An average, unoriginal series.

Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart

Goldblum has a commanding presence that may overcome the ho-hum storylines and overdone talking-ghost motif.

People Weekly Tom Gliatto

It's a hallucinatory riff on an old noir tradition (is Raines being played for a sap by his own daydreams?), but the gimmick doesn't click. [19 Mar 2007, p.39]

The New York Times Alessandra Stanley

The hallucination conceit is strange but not necessarily horrible.... The problem with “Raines” is that it tries too hard to be too many things at once.

New York Magazine John Leonard

The show seems to take forever to get anywhere.

Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm

Nothing really wrong with Raines, but not much reason to watch, either.

San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman

"Raines" is one of those shows that are enjoyable time wasters if you don't know what else is available.

Entertainment Weekly Alynda Wheat

[It] makes Los Angeles look as dreary and sluggish as Goldblum's performance. [16 Mar 2007, p.65]

Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman

The script -- like the direction and acting -- is only half on.

Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall

The hallucinatory gimmick can only do so much for the same old stories.

Philadelphia Daily News Ellen Gray

Raines' conversations with the dead... aren't exactly riveting.

San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum

All this talent can't make the premise - a police detective talks to murder victims - work.

The average user rating for this tv show is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 64 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Susan L. gave it a9:
"I see dead people." Crime victims, that is. Nobody does smart flakiness like Jeff Goldblum. I hope they bring it back.

Rory O. gave it a9:
Original. Believable. Easy to follow. Characters keep you very interested. Unable to guess the ending. WHERE DID IT GO? Bring it back or I could end up television set.

pam h. gave it a10:
awesome show - intriguing - something unique! please please please renew it!

jean s. gave it a10:
Raines is such an interesting show. Would love it if NBC would renew this show.

miriam h. gave it a9:
Was delightful and charming, thanks to Jeff Goldblum. NBC should have stayed with it.

Anne B. gave it a10:
Please bring back Raines! Jeff Goldblum is as outstanding as usual and the story lines and acting offer an alternative to the inane reality shows. As it is, Goldblum is dealing with his own kind of reality show! Interesting writing and twists and turns.

Jamie L. gave it a10:
This show is incredibly intelligent, not to mention well acted and scripted. I would definitely like to see NBC renew it for the Fall '07.

Raines SERIES: NBC, Friday 9:00p (60 minutes)

Raines
SERIES: NBC, Friday 9:00p (60 minutes)