Smith

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

There is a challenge to "Smith." It may be wonderfully shot so far. It may be blissfully quiet. And it may be supremely acted. But how much can a viewer care about the bad boys and girls over the course of many episodes?

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

The best of a recent group of heist dramas, including NBC's "Heist" and FX's "Thief."

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

Though the crime thriller territory is familiar, Liotta and the talented supporting cast give "Smith" an extra kick of dramatic energy.

People WeeklyTom Gliatto

The pyrotechnics involved in the opening heist are good, and the cast is a dream. [25 Sep 2006, p.43]

Entertainment WeeklyKen Tucker

So odd, you must check it out. [22 Sep 2006, p.89]

New York PostLinda Stasi

If I hadn't seen the same thing done 56,000 times before - from both versions of "Oceans 11" to my all-time-favorite, "Snatch" - I would be all over this show like a groupie. But I did, so I'm not.

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

It’s a smart series with a pacing that sometimes takes your breath away. Still, once the action pauses, will viewers want to spend time with a bunch of amoral characters?

Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd

If anything is liable to make "Smith" above the well-made caper show it already is, it's what might be done with the relationship between Liotta and Madsen.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

At times Smith seems less like a crime drama than a character study of a collection of seriously damaged people. But the show's metabolism is enjoyably unpredictable.

Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik

Think Ocean's Eleven (2001) meets HBO's The Sopranos.

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

The premiere breathe[s] like a moody, dark theatrical release -- one that tastes like Quentin Tarantino muddled with Michael Mann -- as opposed to a pilot from executive producer John Wells.

Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz

Ambitious and well-made, good cast, but brutal.

Wall Street JournalDorothy Rabinowitz

This series... is, for all its noise, sharply plotted, visually rich, heavily informed by intrigues and intriguing characters

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

Setting up the first big heist takes all of the first episode, so our introduction to Smith and crew is too quick, more than a little forced and ultimately not compelling enough.

VarietyBrian Lowry

Interesting but not fully compelling, it's a long shot to make a big score.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

This story of professional thieves is beautifully shot, but the structure of the pilot -- it begins with the start of the robbery, flashes back to the planning of the robbery, returns to the robbery and shows its aftermath -- is a little repetitive, which takes away from attempts to build tension and surprise.

Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall

A schizophrenic pilot that's more interesting in parts than as a whole.

SlateTroy Patterson

[A] serviceable heist drama.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

Smith takes many risks for broadcast television -- and reflects fascinating tensions in the medium.... But an old-fashioned concept trips up Smith.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

For a serialized drama to catch on, though, it has to grab you from the start. Despite its impressive roster of actors, "Smith" doesn't.

Slant MagazineLen Sousa

If the producers of Smith could have chosen to focus on character development instead of a revolving door of action scenes, they might have had a top-notch show on their hands. As it stands, however, it looks as though Smith will be another victim of a good idea given a poor execution.

NewsdayVerne Gay

To love "Smith" is to love an ice cube. There may be a cold beauty to the craftsmanship of this enterprise, but there's a pinched, frostbitten heart at the center of it as well.

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

The cinematography is stylish, and the action sequences compare favorably to those shot for larger screens. The acting is good, sometimes even inspired, and yet there is a big problem with the show. Put simply, most of these characters are distasteful and sometimes downright repulsive.

Washington PostTom Shales

The pilot is admittedly a swift, brisk bit of escapist whimsy, but one has to wonder whether the idea of a heist every week will really prove tenable.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Maybe they'll play up all the complicated marital undercurrents in future episodes, but given the emptiness of Bobby's character, it's hard to imagine that anybody would care.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

“Smith” is so thinly written, and the characters so generic, that it’s hard to feel much for this series except admiration for its cinematography.

SalonHeather Havrilesky

The second and third episodes mostly felt like a retread of the pilot, with the same alluring but dangerous heist to execute, the same planning session between key players, the same conflicted feelings and suspicions.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Hands down the worst new show of the season.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

It's not entirely Liotta's fault, though, that there's so little passion in "Smith," that the Everyman situations that serve "The Sopranos" so well seem so, well, generic, here and that the intricacies of the gang's capers fail to fascinate.