"Cheesy? Sure. But there's enough sword-clanging action -- not to mention homoerotic tension -- to keep viewers happily entertained for a spell."
-- Entertainment Weekly
"For those new to the legend, this is a fresh, and delightfully color-blind, approach to the tale."
-- Hollywood Reporter
"A lighthearted, quite charming medieval adventure series made by the BBC, is tailored to the age of Obama."
-- The New York Times
Well, that doesn't sound too bad, does it. They seem to have enjoyed those episodes a lot more than I did! It's always interesting to hear American opinions on British shows, as Americans usually perceive a level of charm missing from their own shows (see: Doctor Who), or else hate it for the "silly accents" and comparatively tiny budgets. But then, sometimes, the general concensus from across the pond is entirely at odds with British opinion: to wit, Torchwood being twice as popular as Doctor Who, despite the latter being (to my eyes) better in every respect.
Of course, there were some bad reviews of Merlin, too:
"The middling show plays too much like The O.C. -- with swords, crowns, and a cheesy CGI dragon (voiced by John Hurt)."
-- Boston Globe
"t takes the stuff of legend and imagination and makes it dry and commonplace. You look forward not to the next exciting chapter, but for the whole enterprise to go "poof" and disappear."
-- Washington Post
"It's just that Merlin is clearly shopping for tricks in the bargain bin, and like the song says, the new Camelot's shining moments are all too brief, indeed."
-- Variety
"Merlin looks, well, typically British with shoddy production values. Worse, it tells dull stories."
-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Yeah, that's more like the reaction I expected!. The series does get better as it goes along, but it's a little frustrating that Merlin nabs the NBC primetime slot while Doctor Who languishes on Sci-Fi or BBC America. Anyway, the double-episode premiere only attracted 5 million viewers, so maybe NBC will yank it from the schedule.
