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Carrier: Season 1
  • Network: PBS
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 27, 2008
  • Season #: 1
Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Gloria Goodale
    100
    Compelling.
  2. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Diane Werts
    90
    The 10 hours of PBS' immersive miniseries Carrier are frank and intimate, hard-hitting and heart-rending, rocking (with hit songs) and rolling (when the ship pitches so sharply, planes can't land).
  3. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    90
    That balance of viewpoints--positive and negative, tragic and comic--is what makes Carrier such extraordinary viewing.
  4. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Adam Buckman
    88
    Titled Carrier, this series from Mel Gibson's Icon Productions might be the most candid look at everyday life on board a U.S. warship in wartime that has ever been filmed.
  5. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    80
    With its scenic photography, slick editing and relentless pop-rock soundtrack, Carrier has the feel of a movie, or maybe the world's longest recruitment video. It's also an engrossing, rewarding and addictive study of personal endurance and sacrifice.
  6. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    80
    The filmmakers deliver a fine balance of both elated big-gun worship and humiliated bathroom cleaning, melting-pot team-making and the cliquishness of ethnic groups.
  7. Salon
    Reviewed by: Heather Havrilesky
    80
    With a careful mix of respect, curiosity and humor, the filmmakers offer a colorful and surprisingly nuanced tour of the day-to-day operations of the USS Nimitz during a six-month deployment in 2005, from California to Hong Kong, Guam, Bahrain and Perth, Australia.
  8. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    80
    What sets Carrier apart is the amount of time devoted to this single topic, a whopping 10 hours. I made it through the first three hours without losing interest, but I wonder how many viewers will gut it out for the duration.
  9. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    60
    Like the Navy, Carrier is perfect for some and probably isn't for everyone.
  10. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    60
    But even at 10 hours, Carrier feels cursory and incomplete. That's not to say that at most any given moment it's uninteresting--it's quite watchable--just that it doesn't add up to as much as it should.
  11. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    40
    Clearly, the producers have endeavored to offer a snapshot of their service, but because Carrier lacks a sharp point of view, there's a kind of "duh" quality to the results.
  12. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Tom Shales
    40
    Those who wade into Carrier might not want to be quitters, either, but after four or five hours, they may find they'd really rather be checking out who's survived on "American Idol."
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Mark
    10
    This is a great show. I've enjoyed every minute of it. Obviously it was done with the support of the Pentagon...if not, how else would the producers gain access to a nuclear aircraft carrier. I think this show does an excellent job of balance. There are differing views presented on whether or not we should be in Iraq. It touches on race in America. It shows the stupidity of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It points out who our country asks to go and do its work around the world. It shows how the military is the last option for young people who have no future. All-in-all, an excellent endeavor.… Full Review »
  2. BillC.
    6
    I was disappointed some by the lack of nuts-and-bolts in this series aboit the Carriers. The Human side takes center stage and it' isn't very comforting to see who's manning the stations.… Full Review »
  3. EdH.
    10
    This series was great. 99% of Americans have no idea what it means to be in the Navy and fewer know anything about carriers. This covered insightful information on the the young people who serve their country well, even though they may not agree with the mission of our government.… Full Review »
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