The Listener

Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith

The plots are complex enough to sustain mystery, and if the mean streets of Toronto aren’t all that scary, this is a good thing for a show that is trying not to shock, but to entertain.

Chicago Sun-TimesPaige Wiser

His light blue eyes are so piercing you may forget that his special skill isn't X-ray vision. But he's supported by writing and characters that may induce eye rolling.

NewsdayVerne Gay

In a word, The Listener is boring. Or, if you prefer alliteration, listless.

Hollywood ReporterDaniel Carlson

Listener is a serviceable supernatural drama with legitimate narrative potential that's undercut by its visually bland presentation and geographically nonspecific execution.

New York PostLinda Stasi

It's all dopey--and as believable as a telepathic paramedic, a supermodel detective and a partner who doesn't notice he's riding around with a psychic.

Entertainment WeeklyKen Tucker

This guy Toby the Listener wouldn't even qualify for NBC's Legion of Substitute Heroes.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

The writers, while showing a certain lack of imagination in feeding Toby the voices of passers-by--no, it's unlikely that woman who passes you on the street, guys, is thinking what they think she's thinking--have at least invested their lead with a mildly intriguing backstory.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Canadian actor Craig Olejnik sports choppy black hair and piercing blue eyes--the only standout attribute in NBC's The Listener, an otherwise generic procedural drama.

The New York Times

A co-production with the Canadian network CTV that is a ponderous exercise in the paranormal. Yes, here the science fiction is intentional, but The Listener is plagued by the same gloomy lack of urgency that afflicts “Flashpoint.”

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

For the moment, it would be nice if the show could just make the present more compelling.

Boston GlobeJoanna Weiss

A show so stunningly derivative that it feels a little bit insulting.

VarietyBrian Lowry

Actually, it's really just more of a bore (bore ... bore).

Washington PostTom Shales

The premiere is filled with flaws that may well be endemic to the series, one of them being that the characters behave so stupidly that one loses sympathy for them.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

Chemistry is just one of the ingredients lacking in the Canadian-made The Listener, NBC's new drama about a psychic paramedic. Others include but are not limited to plot, dialogue and acting skill.