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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed shows.
Harper's Island
EMAILPRINTSERIES: CBS, Thursday 9:00p (60 minutes)
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 23 votes
Read user comments
Rate this show >
Show Info
Genre(s): Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Created By: Ari Schlossberg
First Air Date: April 9, 2009
Summary
Starring Elaine Cassidy, Christopher Gorham, Katie Cassidy, Cameron Richardson, Adam Campbell, C.J. Thomason, Jim Beaver, Matt Barr, Amber Borycki, and Richard Burgi
A group of friends at Harper's Island for a wedding are slowly being murdered one by one.
Episode Guide & More Info: More about this show at TV.com
Also On The Web: Official Show Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin
That single season will be hellacious fun. Stuffed with visual puns and sly homages to horror movies from Jaws to Poltergeist, Harper's Island relentlessly mocks film grammar with set pieces that take off in unexpected directions.
Read Full Review >Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker
Harper's Island is different, and Agatha Christie probably would approve because it's a bloody good time.
Read Full Review >New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Harper's Island is an elaborate horror movie, a twentysomething slasher flick with a really good wardrobe, a first-rate cast and 13 weeks worth of twists and subplots.
Read Full Review >Washington PostTom Shales
The fact is, Harper's Island is a cunningly constructed, habit-forming mystery that makes for an intriguing departure from normal episodic television.
Read Full Review >San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
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.
Read Full Review >USA TodayRobert Bianco
As much fun as Harper's can be if you're inclined to recline into it, the show was clearly produced with too little talent and, odds are, too little money.
Read Full Review >NewsdayVerne Gay
What a hoot. What a ridiculous, soap-operatic cutup of a series. But if you can stop giggling long enough, as I managed to--quite a feat, let me tell you--Harper's Island is also hugely enjoyable.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray
I managed to gallop through the nine increasingly addictive episodes CBS provided for review.
Read Full Review >Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
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.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara
Harper's Island does not attempt to rise above the confines of its genre because it's too busy rolling around in them. It's tense enough, mysterious enough for those of us who enjoy occasionally watching the screen from behind our hands.
Read Full Review >New York PostLinda Stasi
It's written like a dopey daytime soap, it basically makes no sense, but it sure is silly good fun.
Read Full Review >Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
As guilty pleasures go, Harper's Island may hit the spot. Though perhaps it would have worked best as a summer series?
Read Full Review >Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Part soap opera, part horror movie, all whodunit, Harper's is diverting, and only infrequently frightening, fantasy soap opera.
Read Full Review >Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart
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.
Read Full Review >The New York TimesGinia Bellafante
After the first few episodes it remains unclear who, or what, is behind the mayhem, so points, as cringe making as it is to acknowledge, for suspense. The show has missing cash, stolen cash, a freaky black sheep and a menacing brother-in-law.
Read Full Review >Entertainment WeeklyKen Tucker
R-rated horror flicks have rendered the scariness of Harper's abrupt murders mild stuff; the series could have used more of Christie's tight plotting.
Read Full Review >VarietyBrian Lowry
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.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-TimesMisha Davenport
Harper's Island is at times suspenseful and intriguing, but it's also a tad confusing.
Read Full Review >Slant MagazineBrian Holcomb
When a TV show is going to run the length of Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz, these people have to be more than expendable, and this "All-Non-Star Cast" doesn't have the instant audience identification required to fill in the blanks.
Read Full Review >PopMattersMarisa LaScala
Unfortunately, clumsy writing gets in the way of potential insight.
Read Full Review >Hollywood ReporterDaniel Carlson
Ultimately, the series commits the greatest sin of the thriller genre: It's boring.
Read Full Review >Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
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.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this show is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 23 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
j s gave it a10:
A homage to the horror genre, i didn't start watching till a few episodes in but after that i was completely engaged with it, references to many different horror movies, well acted despite some people negative reviews all in all a good show, shame its over.
mark w gave it an8:
This was the TV show that got me watching television every week after such a long time of nothing good being on. I waited tensely every week for the next episode, and it was an absolutely fantastic show.
Judit L gave it a10:
I'm Spanish, but I like the opinions of this site, so I must put my vote here. In my opinion, Harper's Island is a great TV series. The ending is surprising, because you don't expect that. I really liked it. I want more series like this!
Gwenneth S gave it a6:
For a show that is, in the most part, poorly written, badly acted and loosely directed...Harper's Island is fun, iif you are able to accept mounting bodies, as fun...But the end is thankfully near...running out of possible victims... It's like a "how-to" handbook on how to knock off a person per week, in as griisly a fashion as possible. Not to be taken seriously folks....Total camp !! A total hoot !!
nancy s gave it a10:
I think I love this show just because it is different from anything else on t.v. right now. I'm disappointed that CBS moved it to Saturday night as that is the night to have guests in or to be out with our kids. So I have to be content to DVR it and watch as soon as I can afterward. I think it's a better show than it is being given credit for. I know a lot of people who watch/DVR it and we talk about it all through the next week. I wish there was a way to just continue it, just keep bringing in new characters and let it keep on going. But I guess once everyone is dead, they are dead. It appears Harper's Island is almost as deadly as Cabot Cove in "Murder She Wrote". I guess it was the fact that in Cabot Cove the deaths seemed so friendly and that's the reason it stayed on for so many years. For "Harper's Island", I'll take all the episodes CBS will give me.
Ryan M. gave it a5:
Could be a really great show with tense moments and suspense. But poor writing and poor development make this show just mediocre. Yes, the show is appealing to the eye because of attractive cast. But fails because obvious reactions and normal human behavior aren't shown here. For example, no one notices that people are missing? Everyone is taken down to be so naive. Most of the show is ridiculous, but the eye candy makes it barely tolerable. Potential here but needs better direction.
kate l. gave it a7:
I pretty much agree with what the person before me said. my only complaint is that a lot of the times it's not so much cheesy as it is it feels like a soap opera almost, but that might be because it's lower budget. I thought the two deaths in the first episode were actually pretty good. they were creative, but yeah, it wasn't as in your face as supernatural or other shows like that. and the only other problem is that even though it's cool that one character dies off each episode, we're so used to more people dying in an hour as in slasher films, that sometimes it can feel like there's not enough happening. that and i'm not really so curious as to who the killer is, as to guessing which stereotype is going to die next. (And I like to think that the show purposely indulges in all the slasher cliches because it makes it more entertaining, kind of a wink and a nod to the audience. But i don't want people to think this is like watching Friday the 13th or anything (even though that was a terrible movie)--it's still really entertaining though.
