| 75 |
San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman
"Vanished" is indeed compelling. And it is without question Fox's best fall offering (though, having seen all its shows, that praise is not as high as you might expect). |
| 63 |
New York Post Adam Buckman
As in other TV serials of this type, the plot thickens long before it ever starts to thin. |
| 63 |
USA Today Robert Bianco
Whatever one thinks of the format, the briskly paced setup is effectively done. |
| 60 |
Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan
Nothing that happens next is particularly surprising, though the plot rolls forward with workmanlike efficiency. |
| 60 |
The New York Times Alessandra Stanley
“Vanished” offers suspense and high-society melodrama. |
| 60 |
Variety Brian Lowry
Lacking "Prison Break's" tough milieu and its initial narrative drive, "Vanished" doesn't exactly scream "Watch me." Nevertheless, it's polished enough and very much a work in progress. |
| 60 |
Wall Street Journal Nancy DeWolf Smith
The pilot moves along at a cracking pace, introducing new clues and characters and settings so fast that it's very tempting to sit back and enjoy the ride, ludicrous though some of it may be. |
| 60 |
Washington Post Teresa Wiltz
For all its cribbing from plots gone by, "Vanished" still makes for good, escapist fun. |
| 50 |
San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum
This is a series trying to be fresh but succeeding only in trading on the predictable cliches. |
| 50 |
People Weekly Tom Gliatto
The case seems more like a good crusade for Nancy Grace than the starting point for a series. [28 Aug 2006, p.35] |
| 50 |
Entertainment Weekly Gillian Flynn
So far, Vanished seems more interested in keeping us spinning than pulling us in. [25 Aug 2006, p.75] |
| 50 |
Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron
For those who make the effort to stay tuned, the reward at the end of the first episode is meager. One hopes for bigger payoffs in subsequent outings. |
| 50 |
Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy
Though the glossily well-made "Vanished" may prove intermittently diverting, it lacks any of the original serial thriller zing of far better shows like "24," "Lost" or "Prison Break." |
| 50 |
Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart
The show teeters at times on incomprehensibility but is brought back each time by its two stars. |
| 50 |
Los Angeles Times Robert Lloyd
I, the Jury, am still out on this one; it could go either way from here. |
| 50 |
Miami Herald Glenn Garvin
A dumb but powerful serialized mystery that has an equal shot at being the season's biggest cult hit and its most mind-boggling flop. |
| 50 |
TV Guide Matt Roush
This is what you'd get if Without a Trace somehow turned into a cartoonish conspiracy chase thriller. |
| 50 |
Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert
The premiere... doesn't inspire an instant commitment the way the premieres of "Prison Break" and "24" did. |
| 40 |
Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall
"Vanished" is already lacking in the kind of star performances that make "Prison Break" or "24" worthwhile even when they're foot-dragging. |
| 38 |
Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman
It's not a bad show.... But I don't care about the characters or plot after watching the first episode. |
| 38 |
New York Daily News David Hinckley
The initial story... is a lot more complicated than it is compelling - and by the time tonight's first hour is up, you aren't hungry for more. |
| 30 |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen
"Vanished" is a show that should leave viewers begging for more, but instead engenders more of a shrug because nothing in the pilot is convincing -- not the characters, not the setting, not the performances. |
| 20 |
Newsday Diane Werts
The filming is urgent! The dialogue is obvious! The actors get choked up! It's as if a film school class put together a thriller following all the rules precisely. |
