Raines

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.

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.

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

Yes, the premise may be decidedly derivative, but it's all in the witty execution.

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.

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.”

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

Working together, Goldblum and Craven create some of the most honest scenes in the genre.

NewsdayVerne Gay

"Raines" is both thoroughly conventional and thoroughly unconventional; in fact, it often revels in its conventionality.

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

An immensely enjoyable premiere.

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.

Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith

All of this might seem silly if it weren't for Mr. Goldblum.

TV GuideMatt Roush

One thing's for sure: Raines is weird.

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.

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.

VarietyBrian Lowry

This is a series for people with a reasonably high TV IQ, but not a particularly challenging formula.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

An average, unoriginal series.

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

Goldblum has a commanding presence that may overcome the ho-hum storylines and overdone talking-ghost motif.

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.

New York MagazineJohn Leonard

The show seems to take forever to get anywhere.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Nothing really wrong with Raines, but not much reason to watch, either.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

"Raines" is one of those shows that are enjoyable time wasters if you don't know what else is available.

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.

Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall

The hallucinatory gimmick can only do so much for the same old stories.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

Raines' conversations with the dead... aren't exactly riveting.

San Jose Mercury NewsCharlie McCollum

All this talent can't make the premise - a police detective talks to murder victims - work.