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Painkiller Jane
(Series)
SERIES: Sci-Fi, Friday 10:00p (60 minutes)

Painkiller Jane
Critic Score
Metascore: 29 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
6.9 out of 10
based on 15 reviews
read critic reviews
how did we calculate this?
based on 16 votes
read user comments
rate this tv show

Starring Kristanna Loken, Rob Stewart, Noah Danby, Sean Owen Roberts, Stephen Lobo, Nathaniel Deveaux, and Alaina Huffman

A woman who can heal from any injury works on a secret government project to track genetically-enhanced humans with mind-control abilities in this adaptation of the graphic novel (which also aired on Sci-Fi as a movie with a different cast in 2005).

GENRE(S): Action / Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
CREATED BY: Jimmy Palmiotti
FIRST AIR DATE: April 13, 2007

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...

75
Christian Science Monitor Gloria Goodale
Moody and fast-paced, this is good, only minimally pretentious, sci-fi fun.
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60
Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart
The effects-laden pilot of “Painkiller Jane” is certainly watchable.
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60
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen
"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.
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42
Entertainment Weekly Clark Collis
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]
40
Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker
Think CSI or Cold Case with a bionic woman tossed into the mix.
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30
Philadelphia Daily News Ellen Gray
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.
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30
The New York Times Neil Genzlinger
The stories are flat, and the repartee between Jane and her teammates isn’t zippy enough to amuse even the comic-book crowd.
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30
TV Guide Matt Roush
[A] colorless angstfest.
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20
Hollywood Reporter Ray Richmond
"Painkiller Jane" has been reincarnated as a far lamer show than it was on first view more than a year ago.
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20
San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum
The series doesn't come close to capturing the edgy tone and visual style of the print original.
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10
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland
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.
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10
LA Weekly Robert Abele
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.
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10
Variety Brian Lowry
The show's mired in stiff dialogue, clunky voiceover narration, uneven performances and indifferently staged action sequences.
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0
Los Angeles Times Mary McNamara
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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0
Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan
What’s most mind-boggling about this show is how it manages to get every single thing wrong.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this tv show is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 16 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Bob B. gave it a10:
It rocks- no seriously.

Edward Eddie gave it a10:
I think its awesome.

Ken L. gave it a10:
I thought it was one of the more interesting show on recently. I don't watch a lot of new shows and it take something unusual or special to get me to come back week after week, PKJ did.

kyle gave it a2:
i watched a couple episodes of this show and it didn't suck COMPLETELY... but it still sucked. The script isn't written very well. I've written better and i'm only a high school student. This short review is probably more entertaining than an entire episode of this show.

Marc S. gave it a10:
This show is a very good show. I like the sci-fi approach to an old police/Govt agency type show. I think the non-sci-fi comentators should stay out.

Adam S. gave it a2:
painful to watch

SCOTT M gave it a10:
Loken is great, hope the rest improves.

Read more user comments...

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