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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed shows.
Raines
EMAILPRINTSERIES: NBC, Friday 9:00p (60 minutes)

Mixed or average reviews
Based on 26 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 64 votes
Read user comments
Rate this show >
Show Info
Genre(s): Crime, Drama
Created By: Graham Yost
First Air Date: March 15, 2007
Summary
Starring Jeff Goldblum, Matt Craven, Dov Davidoff, Linda Park, Nicole Sullivan, Malik Yoba, and Madeleine Stowe
Jeff Goldblum stars as a homicide detective who solves cases through the usual grunt work... and the not-so-usual conversations with ghosts of the victims. (We assume they're only talking to him because Jennifer Love Hewitt was busy.)
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...
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
"Raines" not only deserves an audience - with any luck at all, it deserves a renewal, and a firm spot on NBC's fall schedule.
Read Full Review >USA TodayRobert Bianco
Intriguing and involving, if sometimes odd for oddness' sake alone, Raines is a novel twist on one of TV's oldest formats: the single, super-intuitive detective.
Read Full Review >Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Yes, the premise may be decidedly derivative, but it's all in the witty execution.
Read Full Review >New York PostLinda Stasi
While this all sounds fresh, don't think for a minute you're going to be seeing anything that hasn't been re-packaged before.
Read Full Review >Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
Goldblum’s thoughtful, enjoyable presence is — rather than the one saving grace of an otherwise tiresome procedural — the centerpiece of a generally well-crafted drama, one that’s sprinkled with loving nods to Raymond Chandler and “Double Indemnity.”
Read Full Review >Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron
Working together, Goldblum and Craven create some of the most honest scenes in the genre.
Read Full Review >NewsdayVerne Gay
"Raines" is both thoroughly conventional and thoroughly unconventional; in fact, it often revels in its conventionality.
Read Full Review >Washington PostTom Shales
Goldblum... gives the character of Raines a solid and gratifying humanity, enough to lift "just another" cop opera into a considerably more rarefied realm.
Read Full Review >Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith
All of this might seem silly if it weren't for Mr. Goldblum.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles TimesPaul Brownfield
The show... doesn't seem to be aiming for anything higher than a comfortable middle ground, bypassing a chance to watch Goldblum send up our preconceived idea of Goldblum.
Read Full Review >Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
As close-ended procedurals go, "Raines" certainly offers an intriguing hook, but I'm not sure it's one with much staying power.
Read Full Review >VarietyBrian Lowry
This is a series for people with a reasonably high TV IQ, but not a particularly challenging formula.
Read Full Review >Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart
Goldblum has a commanding presence that may overcome the ho-hum storylines and overdone talking-ghost motif.
Read Full Review >People WeeklyTom Gliatto
It's a hallucinatory riff on an old noir tradition (is Raines being played for a sap by his own daydreams?), but the gimmick doesn't click. [19 Mar 2007, p.39]
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
The hallucination conceit is strange but not necessarily horrible.... The problem with “Raines” is that it tries too hard to be too many things at once.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Nothing really wrong with Raines, but not much reason to watch, either.
Read Full Review >San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
"Raines" is one of those shows that are enjoyable time wasters if you don't know what else is available.
Read Full Review >Entertainment WeeklyAlynda Wheat
[It] makes Los Angeles look as dreary and sluggish as Goldblum's performance. [16 Mar 2007, p.65]
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
The script -- like the direction and acting -- is only half on.
Read Full Review >Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
The hallucinatory gimmick can only do so much for the same old stories.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray
Raines' conversations with the dead... aren't exactly riveting.
Read Full Review >San Jose Mercury NewsCharlie McCollum
All this talent can't make the premise - a police detective talks to murder victims - work.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this show is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 64 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Susan L. gave it a9:
"I see dead people." Crime victims, that is. Nobody does smart flakiness like Jeff Goldblum. I hope they bring it back.
Rory O. gave it a9:
Original. Believable. Easy to follow. Characters keep you very interested. Unable to guess the ending. WHERE DID IT GO? Bring it back or I could end up television set.
pam h. gave it a10:
awesome show - intriguing - something unique! please please please renew it!
jean s. gave it a10:
Raines is such an interesting show. Would love it if NBC would renew this show.
miriam h. gave it a9:
Was delightful and charming, thanks to Jeff Goldblum. NBC should have stayed with it.
Anne B. gave it a10:
Please bring back Raines! Jeff Goldblum is as outstanding as usual and the story lines and acting offer an alternative to the inane reality shows. As it is, Goldblum is dealing with his own kind of reality show! Interesting writing and twists and turns.
Jamie L. gave it a10:
This show is incredibly intelligent, not to mention well acted and scripted. I would definitely like to see NBC renew it for the Fall '07.
