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Journeyman
SERIES: NBC, Monday 10:00p (60 minutes)


9.2

based on 26 reviews
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based on 152 votes
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Starring Kevin McKidd, Gretchen Egolf, Moon Bloodgood, Reed Diamond, and Charles Henry Wyson

After witnessing the end of ancient "Rome," Kevin McKidd finds himself time-traveling in modern-day San Francisco.

GENRE(S):	Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
CREATED BY:	Kevin Falls Brian Howe
FIRST AIR DATE:	September 24, 2007

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Hollywood Reporter Ray Richmond

This new NBC time-travel drama is fairly mind-blowing and harrowing, laying out a preposterous scenario that it makes feel nonetheless believable.

Miami Herald Glenn Garvin

McKidd and castmates Gretchen Egolf as his wife Katie; Reed Diamond as his brother Jack, a cop who used to date Katie; and Moon Bloodgood as his spectral fiance, Livia, play this with just the right mix of credulity and dry wit.

New York Magazine John Leonard

San Francisco shifts shapes nicely, and there’s sufficient tension in the pilot to keep our nerves strung out, and since executive producers Kevin Falls and Alex Graves are West Wing veterans, it’s no surprise that the characters pass for adults.

Entertainment Weekly Henry Goldblatt

Journeyman is an enjoyable romp--one that provides the accessibility of a procedural as well as the continuing mystery of "Lost" or "Heroes." [28 Sep 2007, p.94]

Newsday Verne Gay

The pilot still is often clever and engaging, but confusing too.

Wall Street Journal Nancy DeWolf Smith

Journeyman has a decent hook.

New York Post Adam Buckman

The biggest question you'll be left with after tonight's premiere is a big, fat "why?"

Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert

With its pleasing San Francisco locales and McKidd's sympathetic performance, "Journeyman" is entertaining enough.

Philadelphia Daily News Ellen Gray

An overly complicated pilot had me feeling that I, too, would like to time-travel, if not actually fast-forward, but a more straightforward second episode made me decide not to cancel my subscription just yet.

Variety Brian Lowry

Despite promising elements, then, Journeyman has set itself up with the daunting task of mastering a very tricky high-wire act

Orlando Sentinel

The drama weighs down its hero with domestic crises and creepy glimpses into his past. The show misses its feel-good target.

Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart

The problem with reviving a time-travel show is there needs to be a really distinctive and appealing twist so that critics won’t just write things like, "This reminds me of "Quantum Leap.""

Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman

The dramatic structure is overorganized around the linear detective-ing, and the show's too Dan-centric without a "Quantum Leap"-like partner to spice things up.

Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy

McKidd's a fine actor and there's promise here for an engaging romantic drama. But it's a bit too tangled, confusing and erratic in the opening weeks.

New York Daily News David Hinckley

Time travel looked so cool and carefree in "Back to the Future" that you wonder why it seems to become so difficult and often downright unpleasant when TV characters try it. In the case of Dan Vassar, the time traveler in NBC's new Journeyman, it also gets unreasonably complicated for the viewer.

San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman

It allows McKidd to shine as Mr. Fix-It, even though he never wanted the task. Some of the subtext needs more episodes to provide breathing room.

PopMatters Lesley Smith

Once freed from the scaffolding and backstory constraints of a series premiere, Journeyman may find itself.

Los Angeles Times

It certainly looked good on paper. Alas, like some seductive Internet suitor, Journeyman seems perfect until he actually shows up, weedy and uncertain, at your door. In an effort to keep things grounded in "real life," as opposed to groovy sci-fi counterculture, writer-producer Kevin Falls relies on an earnestness that grows irritating.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen

It's one thing when a TV show sets up a concrete mystery whose resolution you have faith will come, something like, "Who killed Mr. X?" But it's quite another when the show is so abstract that you aren't even sure what questions it asks. Kevin McKidd ("Rome") is an excellent actor, and it's only his skill that makes Journeyman tolerable.

The New York Times Ginia Bellafante

The series follows the supernaturally themed "Heroes," but it is to its predecessor what a cookie made with Splenda might be to a mille-feuille. Journeyman just feels squeamish.

USA Today Robert Bianco

Spend an hour with Journeyman and you'll wish you knew how to time-travel.

Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm

The next time McKidd hits the time warp, he should take his producers with him. Maybe they'd bring back a better show.

Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan

Everything about this time-traveling drama seems rote and stale. The show is a pallid, uninspired execution of ideas we've seen done better elsewhere.

Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall

Journeyman doesn't do anything especially interesting with its time-twisting premise. It's competently produced, but unless you have a tremendous amount of affection for McKidd left over from his work as the insane Lucius Vorenus on HBO's "Rome," it's skippable.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland

The only thing dull, disappointing Journeyman can do is lower our pulse rates to ready us for beddy-bye.

Washington Post Tom Shales

The premise is weak and leaky, the star is dull and dreary, and the only trip Journeyman ought to take is right back to the shop for repairs--or off to the dump for a decent burial.

The average user rating for this tv show is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 152 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Luke H gave it a10:
Journeyman was one of the best shows I had seen in a LONG time. I was glued to the TV whenever it aired, no other TV show has captivated me the way Journeyman did.

Connie C. gave it a10:
I wonder about these critics and their ability to judge quality entertainment. If you really want some honest fan critiques go to heynielsen.com and see what the Journeyman fans have to say. I watched all 13 episodes of Journeyman and found it to be great quality programming with wonderful entertainment value. The writing was superb and the storyline was different as Dan traveled back to his distant past. The character development showed lots of depth in the main characters and brilliant acting. The relationships between the characters was very appealing. Great musical scores and beautiful, skillful cinematography. Go to hulu.com to see all of the episodes for free.

Mark B. gave it a10:
NBC are masters of canceling the great shows. They give very little publicity and then wonder why it has poor ratings. It was a great show ---- Think outside the box NBC we don't need more reality shows!!!!!

Tony F. gave it a10:
One of the best shows ever, as far as the critics... are you serious a 52 out of 100? did they even watch the show?

Charles P. gave it a9:
Great show. It's so typical a show like this gets canceled, while other shows like CSI, Scrubs, ER, etc., are retained. Yes, time travel's been done before, but not quite to the death, like the flood of crime/law and hospital shows the public is subject to. Moreover, this show had a certain more down-to-Earth, more honest, and certainly less over-produced/contrived quality to it compared to most of the other shows we see today.

Matthew N. gave it a10:
One of the best shows of the season.

Linus l. gave it a10:
This was a real emotional ride for me and the writing was brilliant. It kept me wanting more after every episode. I'm so sad that they canceled it. I was really attached to the characters in the show...

Journeyman SERIES: NBC, Monday 10:00p (60 minutes)

Journeyman
SERIES: NBC, Monday 10:00p (60 minutes)