| 75 |
Chicago Sun-Times Paige Wiser
In summer, we feel less guilty about guilty pleasures. And Royal Pains is just what the doctor ordered for a shameless seasonal fling. |
| 75 |
New York Post Linda Stasi
Perfect, mindless, summer fun. |
| 75 |
Entertainment Weekly Ken Tucker
No one's ever going to say Royal Pains, with its pun title (although Scott is the only royalty around, most of the upper-class patients prove to be real pains), is a classic addition to the medical genre, but it certainly is zippy fun. |
| 70 |
Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert
The one-liners are broad, the plots preposterous. And yet it all works in a lighthearted-summer-fare kind of way, helped along with almost pornographic images of Hamptons wealth. |
| 70 |
Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall
Royal Pains can't help but suffer in comparison, but it's not a bad summer diversion--which, frankly, is all that "Burn Notice" was in its first season. |
| 70 |
Philadelphia Daily News Ellen Gray
Royal Pains, with a sunny star and even sunnier setting, might be just what the doctor ordered for those who can't take one more minute of pseudo-celebrity antics. |
| 70 |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen
USA's Royal Pains is an amusing, enjoyable addition to basic cable. |
| 70 |
Miami Herald Glenn Garvin
Royal Pains has some moments of genuine wit--a lot more of them after Costanzo shows up. |
| 60 |
PopMatters
Royal Pains is a pleasant excursion, with some great one-liners and a chance to tweak its well-worn formula. |
| 60 |
Variety Brian Lowry
Simply being quirky, however, only goes so far, so my preliminary diagnosis is that these Pains don't amount to much more than a second-degree "Burn." |
| 50 |
Salon Heather Havrilesky
Like some of the CW's less captivating offerings, this show is a cheese pizza with cheese-stuffed crust. But if that sounds tasty, by all means, enjoy! |
| 50 |
Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan
Though the show apes “Burn Notice’s” beachside vibe, the new program is too predictable to make much of an impression. |
| 50 |
The New York Times Ginia Bellafante
The series may want to say something about the inequities of the medical care system or it may just want an excuse to produce panning shots of the velvet lawns and iron gates of Gin Lane. It seems safer to bet on the second and to remain grateful for the “House” reruns that are shown more or less continually on USA. |
| 40 |
New York Daily News David Hinckley
If it all sounds a little contrived, it is. But that's not the show's real problem. The real problem is that instead of having goofy fun with all its eye candy, Royal Pains mostly wants to sit around drinking in the excesses of the uber-wealthy, with an occasional joke as an afterthought. |
| 40 |
New York Magazine
Royal Pains is a crappy but watchable series about a “concierge doctor” in the Hamptons, radically unambitious but better at balancing the guilt with the pleasure. |
