Surface

Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd

"Surface" is steeped in Spielberg, and is better Spielberg than Spielberg has managed in quite some time.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

Surface has no complex or cynical subtexts; it's straight-ahead sci fi.

PopMattersCynthia Fuchs

It helps that Bell is able to suggest complexity, emotional and moral, even when the dialogue fails her.

LA WeeklyRobert Abele

So far the stern-faced Lake Bell’s independent-minded oceanographer is too conventional a protagonist, while the series’ government cover-up thread... feels globally warmed over.

Entertainment WeeklyDalton Ross

This by-the-numbers entry is pretty damn toothless. [23 Sep 2005, p.81]

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

Lame storytelling and dialogue.

The Onion A.V. Club

Surface can be creepy fun, but the obvious debt it owes to the oeuvre of Steven Spielberg--from the hidden beasts and government stonewalling to the suburban angst and working-mom pluckiness--makes the rest of the show feel blandly familiar.

Chicago TribuneSid Smith

Though relentlessly ominous, "Surface" is, so far, only good for surface scares.

NewsdayDiane Werts

The pilot serves up flashy ooh-ah instead of anything tangible to wrap our arms around.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

The most enjoyable moments go to the North Carolina boy (Carter Jenkins). It's too bad Surface didn't narrow its focus and become "A Boy and His Blob."

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

Interesting, but the sprawling pilot doesn't do "Surface" any favors.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

There isn't a moment of wonder or suspense in Surface, or a single performance or character that is even remotely involving.

VarietyBrian Lowry

The best thing about "Surface" thus far is NBC's promo campaign, which, sliced into bite-sized bits, actually makes the program look considerably better than it is.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

Offers a ho-hum monster and the kind of stock characters that we've seen too many times before.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

It's a bland Spielberg wannabe that doesn't succeed in evoking much creepiness or wonder

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

There's nothing particularly appealing about any of the folks having the close encounters.

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

Whoever wrote the first episode of “Lost” didn’t crowd the screen with dimwits forced to recite grade-B TV drama drivel. By that standard, “Surface” doesn’t get a pass.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

At first glance... it comes off as silly sci-fi, a not-so-intriguing series that wades into all-too-similar waters as two other fall shows. The difference in this one is that the water is noticeably more shallow.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

Desperately trying to be mysterious like "Lost," this show, by any other name, turns out to be an ironically diluted version.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

You won't really want to spend another hour with these people.

TimeJames Poniewozik

The series hopscotches to so many locations (the Carolinas, the Antarctic, the ocean trenches) that you briefly forget that it gives you no reason to feel afraid or intrigued or anything else.

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

The most confusing ensemble drama of the new season.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

One of the lead characters is an evolutionary biologist, which makes sense, since there's not a lot of intelligent design here.