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- CBS
- Apr 9, 2009
- CBS
- Apr 9, 2009
Summary Harper's island is a murder mystery show where a group of people go a secluded island for a wedding- and for death. It turns into a struggle for survival, where every episode someone is killed and every person is a suspect. At the end of the 13 episodes, all questions are answered and only a few survive.
- CBS
- Apr 9, 2009
- CBS
- Apr 9, 2009
Summary Harper's island is a murder mystery show where a group of people go a secluded island for a wedding- and for death. It turns into a struggle for survival, where every episode someone is killed and every person is a suspect. At the end of the 13 episodes, all questions are answered and only a few survive.
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
63
55% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
36% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
9% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
63
55% Positive
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
36% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
9% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
The fact is, Harper's Island is a cunningly constructed, habit-forming mystery that makes for an intriguing departure from normal episodic television.
The writing is just clever enough to probably make the killing-a-week conceit work. And if you're into watching a phalanx of almost-recognizable actors you've seen in work you can almost remember, this is the series for you. Beyond that, it's just plain fun.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 31 User Ratings
7.3
71% Positive
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
23% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 31 User Ratings
7.3
71% Positive
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
23% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
6% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
This show amazed me when I watched it. I like the idea of people in a show being killed off one by one until it's just the killer and one person left. Unfortunately I can't seem to find many shows that can do it as well as this show did. I found the acting to be fine. The special effects were nothing special but they weren't bad. Also, it didn't go for very long. Now, if you're reading this you may be thinking "Then why did he rate it 10?", well, because the character development was amazing and there was a plot twist that most people wouldn't have seen coming. After finishing the finale I think my mouth was open (okay I'm kind of exaggerating but whatever). I'm not entirely sure why but I am left with extremely fond memories of this show and in the end isn't that what really counts? I know it's not a professional review but I loved it and I can't entirely explain all the reasons. Now you might be thinking "Why did he type this if he couldn't completely explain it?", well, SHUT UP!
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SEASON 1
Just finished re-watching Harper's Island. Quite frankly, I love this show. If I can get the full series on DVD, I will be. I don't know why people make disparaging comments about the acting, I've seen far worse. And while the murders are horrific, they are not too 'in your face'. It does have a 'And Then There Were None Feel', and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It is good story telling with lots of twists and turns, red herrings, and suprisingly good character development.. This show is well worth anyone's time. I just wish they made more series, though lets be honest, after watching it, would YOU want to stay on Harper's Island?
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SEASON 1
It's an entertaining enough diversion that may grow more intriguing as other series end their season-long runs next month and viewers become more desperate for fresh entertainment.
As guilty pleasures go, Harper's Island may hit the spot. Though perhaps it would have worked best as a summer series?
It is a stew made from a teen-slasher base with chunks of prime-time CBS crime shows and some daytime spice stirred in. If the first six minutes work for you, you’ll probably want more.
Harper's Island too often indulges in slasher-movie absurdities, with a murderer who seems to be everywhere at once and genuine clues in too-short supply.
After July 2, you won't need to worry about stumbling across this enervating, vapid, and obscenely over-promoted thriller when you're channel surfing.
Despite the predictable ending, "Harper Island" is a linear story with good performances overall and good story twists. The absence of plot holes and the fact that it actually gives you all the answers that you need, makes it the best slasher show around.
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SEASON 1
Harper's Island was a Mini-Series on CBS in the summer of 2009. Had it been in a decent time slot or debuted in the fall, this would have been a huge franchise. Instead this unique and exciting show was buried due to bad ratings. Harper's Island is a small island off the coast of Washington state, where rich people come to vacation, a small fishing village exists, and it was the home to a serial killer. 7 years earlier, John Wakefield killed 6 people on Harper's Island including Abby's mother. Now she is returning home for the first in 7 years for the wedding of her best friend. Harper's Island is back to normal, Wakefield is long dead, and all that remains are memories...Until people start dying again. The show is terrific, full of twists and turns and all kinds of things you won't see coming. I love shows that keep you guessing and make you think, however the one drawback of this show is that it was in fact designed as a mini-series. There is so much good stuff here, but they only have 13 hours to tell the story, so a lot of it is rushed and at points it feels like you're watching a soap opera. I wish the network saw the potential and took this gem and made it into a series, but they didn't. Harper's Island is hardly remembered now, 4 years later, but it was a show that was clever, fast-paced, and adored by its fans. The true killer of Harper's Island is Nielsen, as once again the ratings killed a gem in the making.
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SEASON 1
This show really needs to just ****ING GET ON WITH IT!! Every episode is just full of the characters doing boring mundane stuff, then someone dies at the end. So your thinking in the next episode they find the body and it will all kick of - Wrong! The bodies somehow go unnoticed and everyone just carries on doing boring crap. It may well get better later but you have to sit through at least 4 episodes in which absolutely nothing happens to get to it.
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SEASON 1
