| 63 |
Chicago Sun-Times Misha Davenport
Some may take issue with the cynical tone of both series [Saving grace and The Cleaner] or the fact that there is very little divine intervention in either. |
| 50 |
Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall
It's not a bad show, but the mechanics of how they're going to abduct their latest target are far less engaging than how the team interacts with each other and how each member fights his or her compulsions. |
| 50 |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen
The Cleaner is the latest in a string of unremarkable basic cable dramas with a brand-name star playing the tough but damaged lead. |
| 50 |
New York Post Linda Stasi
This brings up the writing, which is strictly discount--and so are the plots, which don't tell us enough in the victims he saves. |
| 50 |
Newsday Verne Gay
The thing looks stylish, has a nice cast, is well written, and Bratt--scruffy, unkempt, a little more than off-center here--has the requisite intensity for the role. But it also is jarringly slick and borderline seamy; maybe that's just part of the fast world Banks and his cohorts find themselves in, but the tone ultimately robs the show--or at least the pilot--of heart and passion. |
| 50 |
The New York Times Ginia Bellafante
You see Mr. Bratt with his goatee and expressions of martyrdom, but you hear the voice of Nancy Reagan. |
| 50 |
San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman
It's solid for what it is, despite the worrisome gimmick and sometimes obvious story. |
| 50 |
Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert
The show is an extremely mixed bag, but he's an extremely likable extreme interventionist. |
| 37 |
USA Today Robert Bianco
It's all meant to be exciting, but like everything else about The Cleaner, it comes across as almost profoundly silly. |
| 33 |
Entertainment Weekly Gillian Flynn
I'd describe it as ludicrous, but that might give the impression that it's remotely entertaining. |
| 30 |
Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron
Without more skillful dialogue and lively stories, this won't help A&E kick the reality habit. |
| 30 |
Salon Heather Havrilesky
If these dorky team-on-the-move scenes look like something out of "Charlie's Angels," the shiftless-druggie scenes in the show's premiere look like they were pulled straight from an "Afterschool Special" about the dangers of snorting heroin. |
| 30 |
Washington Post Tom Shales
It's the end of the hour, and we're still waiting for the real show to begin, too. |
| 30 |
Variety Brian Lowry
A&E bet heavily on "The Sopranos" reruns to brand the channel, but its grit and blue language notwithstanding, The Cleaner doesn't represent the kind of hour destined to build on that foundation. |
| 30 |
Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker
Despite a fine cast and a harrowing topic, The Cleaner rarely gets beyond the surfaces. |
