• Network: ABC Family
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 11, 2012
  • Season #: 1
Bunheads Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 38 Ratings

  • Summary: Michelle Simms (Sutton Foster), a former ballerina leaves her Las Vegas showgirl career to marry Hubbell Flowers, move to his hometown of Paradise, California, and helps out at her mother-in-law's dance studio.
  • Genre(s): Comedy, Drama
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    Jun 11, 2012
    100
    It just feels like nothing else you've seen on TV.
  2. Reviewed by: Willa Paskin
    Jun 11, 2012
    80
    Bunheads pilot is largely a a showcase for Sherman-Palladino's best stylistic and thematic trademarks.
  3. Reviewed by: Dave Kehr
    Dec 31, 2012
    80
    It's worth the effort to figure out what this offbeat cast of characters is up to.
  4. Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Jun 11, 2012
    50
    Bunheads will take some work and it could just as easily become either annoying or likable.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 17
  2. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. Charming, funny, serious at times, and completely reminiscent of "Gilmore Girls," both in Amy Sherman-Palladino's snappy dialogue and quirky small-town characters and in the wonderful performance of the Lauren Graham-esque Sutton Foster. While not perfect in the first episode (the startling ending left me a little worried), all the pieces seem to be in place for a fun little series. I think it's only going to get better as we get to know the characters and the town of Paradise better. Collapse
  2. A completely fresh face to grace TV. The pilot displayed just enough to get you hooked on the graceful world of ballet, small towns and most of all, art. If you aren't watching this, you aren't keeping up with new TV. Expand
  3. I've just watched the pilot of 'Bunheads.' Despite the usual obstacles that a pilot needs to both endure and overcome, the show has a nice feel to it. I am not from North America, and avoid anything that gravitates towards the word 'family' (eg 'family values' -- urrrrgh my blood just ran cold), so when I saw 'abc family' watermarked on the vid, and not having any previous awareness of this channel/network/whatever, I almost didn't bother. Instead, I braced myself for an onslaught of heterosexual-only marriage espousing monogamous Christian fundamentalist saccharine and clicked 'play.' I was very surprised. Very pleasantly surprised. Nicely written. Understated, even. Well...as far as a show about a showgirl can be, I guess :-) Already the characters show more than just signs of depth and humanity, except for one who truly irritated me -- but I can see that I might truly forgive her, in time to come. Let's see if it remains engaging, or if it becomes what I (a non-North American) see as formulaic American pap. Fingers crossed. Expand
  4. This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I wanted to like this. It's snappy enough and pretty and has actors with charm but not overly beautiful, which I am usually a fan of, but it is just painfully over the top with some crazy characters who don't shut up and others who don't ever express themselves. Is it just me, or are characters speaking too fast these days, spinning out all sorts of eclectic references to make cleverer-than-thou jokes? And the only male character (of the first two episodes) dies.... leaving us with a whole world of sniping, cranky women and girls. Any show that has ballet dancing to Tom Waits and jokes about making **** napkins with the Dalai Lama's face on them is maybe trying just a bit too hard. Expand

See all 17 User Reviews