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Painkiller Jane: Season 1
  • Network: Syfy
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 13, 2007
  • Season #: 1
Metascore
29 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 15 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 10 out of 15
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  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Gloria Goodale
    75
    Moody and fast-paced, this is good, only minimally pretentious, sci-fi fun.
  2. Kansas City Star
    Reviewed by: Aaron Barnhart
    60
    The effects-laden pilot of "Painkiller Jane" is certainly watchable.
  3. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    60
    "Painkiller Jane" doesn't soar to the dramatic heights of "Battlestar," but it is a step above some of the network's other programs, a procedural thriller with a sense of humor and stylish action scenes.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Clark Collis
    42
    This creaky, cliché-strewn, and pretty cheap-looking sub-X-Files enterprise needs to drastically improve if it wants to become as death-proof as its lead character. [13 Apr 2007, p.69]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Orlando Sentinel
    Reviewed by: Hal Boedeker
    40
    Think CSI or Cold Case with a bionic woman tossed into the mix.
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Neil Genzlinger
    30
    The stories are flat, and the repartee between Jane and her teammates isn't zippy enough to amuse even the comic-book crowd.
  7. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    30
    [A] colorless angstfest.
  8. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    30
    No, they're not ripping off "Heroes" - "Jane" was there first - but looking at the two shows side by side demonstrates how much execution matters to even the most promising concept.
  9. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Ray Richmond
    20
    "Painkiller Jane" has been reincarnated as a far lamer show than it was on first view more than a year ago.
  10. San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
    Reviewed by: Charlie McCollum
    20
    The series doesn't come close to capturing the edgy tone and visual style of the print original.
  11. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Robert Abele
    10
    Not helping matters... are the wretched dialogue, indiscriminately moody lighting, stock characters (gruff boss, dweeby tech guy, ripped chauvinist colleague), and crushing lack of suspense.
  12. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    10
    The imaginations behind "Painkiller Jane" are so thin, and each hour's progression so randomly executed, that one imagines the scripts were written using the Mad Libs method.
  13. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    10
    The show's mired in stiff dialogue, clunky voiceover narration, uneven performances and indifferently staged action sequences.
  14. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    0
    What's most mind-boggling about this show is how it manages to get every single thing wrong.
  15. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    0
    The show is long on concept and short on execution which would actually be OK if the writing and acting were not so simply terrible.
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User Reviews

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User Score
6.2 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 6 out of 15
  1. SwarleyStinson
    5
    PKJ has a good premise and could have been a good show. Generally a show that has super people should be about the super people, like Heroes, or show both the Feds and the super people like The 4400. Showing just the Feds side of things can be good like in Alphas but in PKJ it just doesn't work because the writing is so bad. Its not terrible but the plots are just too bland.… Full Review »
  2. RustyC.
    1
    wow. im completely amazed on how many painkillers i had to take to watch the pilot. camera 0/10 script 0/10 acting 0/10 charakters 0/10 dialoge 0/10 postproduction 1/10 i could go on and on... If you are over 12 years old, you will need a full pack of painkillers to overlook all the things that went wrong in this show - and even then - whats left? Opinions are diffrent, but if your first impression comes close to how i see this show, its going to get even worse... sad but true - and i expected a great show...i think the power-rangers had better plots - remember those?… Full Review »
  3. JunaidS
    10
    Well, its different from HEROES but certainly its wonderful in its own way. I watched the whole 6 DVD's back to back this weekend and im hell looking for season 2. What happens to BRIAN, and Robert, like i can't wait. Kristina is excellent in these episodes against certain movies like Blood Rayne. She is a genuine depiction of personal vs professional conflicts. You should shine star :) All hands for the show.… Full Review »
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