Tonight, Anthony Edwards returns to television. Will his new TV series, Zero Hour, last for many seasons like ER or will it be cancelled like Last Resort? Is it worth watching?
On Zero Hour, Edwards plays the publisher of a magazine that debunks myths and cracks conspiracies. His wife disappears and he finds himself pulled into a compelling mystery that goes back centuries and has world-wide implications. While he and his team try to find answers, they must keep what they learn out of the hands of a sinister, mysterious man known only as White Vincent. The series also features the talents of Addison Timlin, Carmen Ejogo, Dylan Baker, Jacinda Barrett, Michael Nyqvist, and Scott Michael Foster.
Sound interesting? Here’s what some of the critics think:
Time: “If you last this long, you will probably ask yourself how this show made it on air. No doubt it sounded great in a pitch meeting: a little Lost, a little Dan Brown, and the pedigree of the creator of Prison Break, which was at least good crazy before it went bad crazy. But we’ve seen this over and over again: a series built around an elaborate concept, dressed up with a spooky mythology, then filled in with characters so poorly conceived, they may as well be called Kidnapped Wife Lady. All that said, while I think life is too short for hate-watching, this is the kind of show you might want to watch a few minutes of just for the experience. ”
LA Times: “A terrific pilot does not guarantee a terrific television show and there is a corollary to that — sometimes a bad pilot can morph into a good show. Zero Hour has decent enough bones, with the added benefits of a built-in Da Vinci Code fan base and a likable star. Once the quest gets going, things seemed to grow a bit less clunky, or perhaps it was just a case of ‘resistance is futile.’ Either way, it’s difficult not to hope Zero Hour gets better. And miracles do happen, especially here, at the end of days.
Salt Lake Tribune: “I was excited to watch the Zero Hour pilot. It promised adventure, mystery, bad guys-vs. good guys and – hopefully – fun. Boy, was I disappointed. It was pretty much a big ol’ bore. And the parts that weren’t boring were amateur and lame.”
Washington Post: “For a brief bit, I tried to enjoy Zero Hour as accidental camp, something so bad that it’s actually entertaining. That didn’t work either.”
USA Today: “Part of it is the writing; too many of the breakthroughs tonight are made by other people, with Hank just following along. But part of the blame goes to Edwards, who sometimes seems oddly unenergized for someone who suddenly finds himself battling homicidal, Nazi-loving, clock-stealing conspirators to rescue his wife and save the world.”
Boston Globe: “Come on, network TV. You’ve got to be smarter than Zero Hour if you want to hold your own against the cable revolution and the Internet-TV power move that has begun in earnest with Netflix’s House of Cards. ABC’s Zero Hour is a conspiracy drama that makes you wonder if network programmers are running their own conspiracy — to lose viewers in a Producers-like act of self-sabotage. This new ABC action-suspense series is really weak. The acting is half-hearted, the characters are paper thin, and the dialogue and plot development are embarrassing. It’s as sophisticated as Jonny Quest.
Hollywood Reporter: “Despite a mystical storyline with potential for over-the-top silliness, this is a rare network drama that takes risks and therefore is worthy of viewers’ attention.”
What do you think? Do you like the sound of Zero Hour? Will you watch? If you’ve already seen it, will you watch again?
Great show! ABC shouldn’t cancel this show!
“Zero Hour” was an entertaining ride. Was it serious and deep like “The Killing”? No. But there are different flavors of entertainment. “Zero Hour” moved at a good pace in all it’s episodes, the villains were bad in a good way, and the 13 episodes were self contained with closure (I was able to see the finale before it’s US showing). I would like broadcast TV to have more 13 episode seasons for some shows. It works for cable TV and for British TV with less filler and tighter writing. Thanks to ABC for letting it’s cancelled series have closure.… Read more »
My husband and I just watched episodes 4 & 5 of zero hour. Just loved this show. We haven’t seen a really good show since Lost ended.
The well paid critics hated star trek too! Lame no-brainer “un”reality suits them better. I don’t think. Any of them watched it. I think their candy brain interns did. Do they know anything of culture, history, or suspense? Maybe they read too much pulp during their formative years. Someone should review the negative critics.
I think writing, acting, research, concept, filming, and real location presentation was superb. Factual inserts and cultural diversification was excellent as well.
I enjoyed Zero Hour enough to at least have one season and an ending. It sucks when they just leave you hanging in mid-season.
I am truly sorry this was cancelled. It was an unusual show which I believe took a risk with its’ content. Anthony Edwards should be proud of the way he portayed his character. I would love for it to continue.
It is a good mystery. Want to know how the world and God will defeat the enemy. Let it grow a good solid fan base. I recorded all 3 shows.Have watched at least 2 times. Please renew,renew, the show.
Frances:
I agree with you, they should continue airing the show…..it really captured my attention.
My family and I love Zero Hour! We made that our t.v. family night. So where has it gone? There hasn’t been an episode in a few weeks. You haven’t cancelled it have you? It is just a great show, and usually when critics bomb a show, it is great, and once again, the critics prove me right! Keep the show on, it is very intriging, and makes you want the next episode sooner than a week!
I love a good mystery and Zero Hour had a great plot and I would have continued to watch it in spite of the less than great acting because I am really tired of the cop, CSI and lawyer and reality shows (which are no where near my reality). It seems that everytime there is a show that isn’t CSI or Law and Order it gets cancelled. Another example is Last Resort or what bout Terra Nova. Maybe if ABC had advertised Zero Hour a little more, maybe more people would have watched, however, I agree with what someone said… Read more »
With the huge number of tv and cable stations available for viewing, of course the audience is spread a little thinner. What did ABC expect? That all the world would drop their long time favorites to have an audience of 50 million? Get real!
The previews for Zero Hour really intrigued me, so I watched the first episode. It took me awhile to get into it, but I was following the series. I don’t care for the demonic qualities of the show, but the air of mystery made me hang on. Other than Body of Proof, and Revenge which I love and watch religiously, I seldom watch ABC because of their poor show choices. Except for Big Bang Theory, we don’t watch any sitcoms at all because of their grade school humor. I do pose a question to consider in the issue of ABC’s… Read more »
As with any good TV show, it gets cancelled due to lack of sex and violence. I get tired of all of the trash that is broadcasted. ABC needs to wake up and keep Zero Hour.
leave it…..I love it want more don’t spoil xmas for me. Meaning since I had to downgrade due to lack of employment. I look forward taking my son to school and coming back home to watch the shows I can’t when he is home. Hulu is my xmas present everyday. i love Zero hour it has me not want to move until its over and always wanting more. i’m tired of being teased like 666 park avenue, The Gate, and many others 5 million people watching is better than none. People will catch on, i just heard about deception only… Read more »