Alcatraz (2012) User Reviews (83)

Great show... no ending...

[rittings-117-442485 · 8/10 · 1 August 2012]

This is a show that shows all the same sort of promise and excitement that Prison Break showed a few years back. Sadly, with the network axing it before we even get a sniff of a conclusion, there is little point in watching this.

Over zealous American Network bosses doing what they do worst - judging shows on the dollar bills in their pockets. No wonder the USA doesn't have the same cult shows that the UK produces so regularly. It helps to keep up the poor reputation of American Television though.

If you have nothing better to do, then watch this - but I warn you, you'll be disappointed when the series ends abruptly and leaving you wanting more.

Compelling series killed off before its time

[irishm · 7/10 · 27 May 2015]

Interesting that so many people are comparing this unfavorably to "Lost". I actually hated "Lost"… well, past the third or fourth episode, anyway, when it started collapsing under its own weight and stopped making any kind of sense at all. "Alcatraz", I liked… I already knew it had been canceled and wouldn't have an ending when I started streaming episodes, like with "Carnivale", but it was good enough that I knew I really wanted to see as much of it as was ever going to exist. Generally the supernatural and/or JJ Abrams isn't my cup of tea, but I thought this show was extremely well done. The cast is top-notch and the premise really grips the viewer. I'm sorry they never got a chance to wrap it up.

its shame the show got cancelled.

[filmbaz · 8/10 · 29 June 2020]

I liked the show. yeah, it had its ups and downs but after all it was a very entertaining show. acting were pretty good specially Jorge Garcia and Mr. Sam Neil. of course since we haven't seen the ending we cant say how the producers gonna get us to the final encounter with the warden and are they successful to do the job or not but from what we've watched, id say that would be a great final head on. but shamefully we will never have the chance to watch it. sometimes i hate the capitalism for these kinda results! in a non-capitalist economy, this great show would make it to the end no matter the majority of viewers like it or not (and prefer to watch some silly show like teen-wolf instead) but in USA, if the idiots have got the upper hand, the stupid shows like vampire diaries n teen wolf ... will go on n on and a good show like Alcatraz simply got cancelled. what a shame!

I love this show!

[bobbie_mayfield · 10/10 · 20 May 2015]

I stumbled across this show by a complete freak accident and was hooked from the pilot. The characters were believable and likable ... I loved the character of Doc played by Jorge Garcia, such a lovable person and Sam Neill was a perfect person for Emerson Hauser and I loved how each person had their own back story. I am just devastated that it only lasted one season. It just kills me that I will never know what happens to Madsen and her family. How did it happen? Where is the warden? Did her grandfather kill her parents? Oh my God I need to know. Why was this show canceled? It won some awards..... why wasn't it promoted more. why did it not get picked up by a different channel?? 13 episodes was not enough.

Disappointing to say the least.

[t-rowla · 6/10 · 3 February 2012]

Before the pilot episode aired, there was a lot of hype generated by the degree of marketing the producers of the show invested in, towards its success. Naturally I was excited too, the show possessed that spark of intrigue and mystery that I so desperately craved. However, upon watching the first few episodes, I was disappointed upon discovery, that the show was merely your stereotypical and unoriginal crime thriller. Despite the paranormal twist, the show incorporates similar elements from other crime dramas like 'NCIS' and 'Criminal Minds', where the protagonists piece together puzzle pieces to find themselves a killer and save the day. I can only hope that the storyline loses that boring and unoriginal linearity as it progresses, but the ugly truth is, I've already given up.

A quite interesting idea which adds more to the expectations

[mpouraklas · 9/10 · 10 February 2012]

I can't understand why all this hate, this is a great show. Abrahams (as i think it is spelled) gives exactly what he promises, a show with an interesting plot to follow, some good characters and a mysterious conspiracy for which the more you learn the most you want to stick with it until the end I loved lost, I loved its style and that is exactly why i will continue to watch this series, hoping not to stop before it is supposed to. Watch it, give it some time, lost wasn't all that great from the start. I am sure that after 2 or 3 episodes you will be captivated. J.J did it again and i am sure that this sci-fi genius has many aces up to his sleeve. All of you who don't believe, think of lost and fringe, and if you haven't checked them yet, don't waste any time. Stop hating,start watching and i am sure you will be pleased

you've seen it all before

[russmillerwy-957-682439 · 6/10 · 17 January 2012]

This is the second Lost-type show to spin up this year and it's not the best. It borrows heavily from cop/buddy movies ("He killed my partner! I want revenge!"), Prison Break, Quantum Leap, and typical present day Vancouver syfy/horror serials for the pre-teen bunch. The characters, especially the escaped criminals, are more like comic book caricatures than real people. It uses the same techniques as Lost and Once Upon a Time to slowly reveal its mysteries. Unfortunately it doesn't have any profound or compelling theme motivating the story, like redemption or the nature of good and evil in people. The acting in the regular cast is good, partially because most of the actors (Neil and Garcia) have already played characters exactly like the ones they're doing here. The main problem with the show is that, like in Prison Break, each new tidbit of the big mystery they reveal makes it seem just that much more cheesy and far-fetched, instead of inspiring or enlightening. It's just not special.

Good show

[supermaling3 · 8/10 · 11 March 2012]

Hey all..

I have read some reviews here on the site for this show. And people are giving this 5 stars and has only seen 17 min or the first 2 episodes. Come on guys make and review when you at least have seen 5 or more episodes. Its a slow start but this show is getting more interesting further it goes! Maybe they could have found a better Female cop for this show but overall the acting is good and the story is getting better and better. I will look forward to see where this series is going!

Sry for the bad grammar but i am from Denmark :-)

Marking Time.

[sagei · 22 January 2012]

That's what watching it felt like.

Lame cop show dolled up with spatiotemporal hocus pocus.

Problem with hocus pocus is that Lost went and poisoned that well.

If you could delude yourself with talk of "purgatory" last time, then you should be okay. Otherwise you will cast a decidedly jaundiced eye on this one.

No, you won't like what you see.

Sam is suitably sombre.

'Hugo' is competent straight man.

Elfin cop is cute but her pants and shoes make her look like an urchin escaped from some Dickens adaptation.

Music tries desperately to convince that things are oh so mysterious and exciting.

Not.

Villains were laughable.

As was the plot.

Guess they are hoping you will swallow the "unexplained" as easily as the leads.

Elf blindly dives in headfirst because "my grandfather killed my partner".

This from the alleged hard-boiled cop.

FBI guy devoted decades to waiting for these guys to reappear but apparently never bothered to examine the files and effects in storage. He had to wait for these two to show up and solve the cases using that information.

Instead he built a spanking new replica of the prison.

Not to mention a command centre that looks remarkably fake coming as it did on the heels of shots of the real prison.

The 'missing' number in the hundreds and include guards and prisoners. Theoretically sews up a lot of episodes. However on current evidence such a life expectancy seems wildly optimistic.

Abrams needs a makeover. Should distance himself from stuff like this until he finds something that is genuinely compelling and coherent.

Wish them well.

Thank you.

Cancelled.

Predictable but nevertheless enjoyable.

[nancy-ji97 · 7/10 · 29 February 2012]

It's a typical "one prisoner a week, captured or killed by the end of each episode", like most other crime shows. The three leads don't have memorable performances by a long shot (in fact they're quite mediocre) but every episode ends on an unfinished note, just forcing you to watch it again the next week, making you hooked--and in a good way.

Produced by J.J. Abrahms' Bad Robot Productions, 'Alcatraz' falls short of other great shows by the same producers, such as 'Lost' and 'Fringe', two cult TV shows. Not to say they don't emit the same sort of vibe. The whole premise of the show is that in 1963, all the Alcatraz prisoners and guards mysteriously disappeared one night and all reappeared in modern-day San Francisco, not having aged one bit. And of course, it's up to three detectives, Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), Doc Soto (Jorge Garcia) and Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) to find and recapture them all.

There are some interesting backstories with the three characters that have great potential but aren't developed too well. Madsen's grandfather was an inmate who recently "killed my parter!!", Soto is (very conveniently) the most well-read person about Alcatraz to ever live and Hauser himself was a guard at Alcatraz all those years ago. Neill is probably the most interesting out of them all and even he isn't that interesting. Garcia seems to be nothing except "awkward comic book guy" and don't even get me started on Sarah Jones. She's boring, has no character and is just a female, more kick-ass version of Sherlock Holmes (though no way as cool).

Undoubtedly, the series depends on the frequent flashbacks of Alcatraz during the 1960s. These scenes are exciting, well-shot and reveal many plot twists, notably the character of Lucy Banerjee/Lucy Sengupta (Parminder Nagra), who exists both in 1960 and 2012. Other characters who are only seen in flashbacks are Warden Edwin James (John Coyne) and Deputy Warden E.B. Tiller (Jason Butler Harner). The two actors provide chilling performances which I hope will be developed further.

Like other Bad Robot productions, the show might take a little time to get started and really delve into the action. We just need to give it a little more time.

Compared to most other new shows, it seems kinda good--but most other new shows are terrible

[bandarmae · 5/10 · 18 January 2012]

Alcatraz looks better than it is because its weaknesses are masked by:1) good camera work/cinematography, 2) good production design/costume design, 3) good editing, 4) decent enough music score, 5) many good actors, and 6) Sam Neill. Check him out in The Tudors, My Brilliant Career, and The Piano.

Will Sam Neill turn out to be the big bad antagonist? Well, he certainly can get the job done...if the writers can do a hell of a lot better. Unfortunately, Sarah Jones can't get even half the job done as the protagonist. Sorry, nothing personal, but she's gotta tumble off a rooftop (in the storyline)--or this series is gonna tank. Jorge Garcia is a good actor but just miscast. Same might prove true for Parminder Nagra. Only time will tell, depending on both her and the writers.

Makeup department applies foundation and eye makeup with too heavy a hand, especially on Garcia in brightly lit shots. Conspicuous makeup distracts me, just as glitches in the story do.

The pilot for Alcatraz was mediocre. The pilot for Lost remains one of the best I've seen in recent years. Will tune in for a few more episodes. Thank Sam Neill for that.

Good Things to Come.

[nasfhs04 · 8/10 · 30 January 2012]

After watching a few episodes, I think the show is a keeper...for now. When I first heard Fox was developing a story like this, I literally laughed and thought they were crazy. My opinion has changed.

If you liked X-Files or Cold Case you will like the show. I get that vibe from the show. The show's developing story line brings you back to the 1960's to where it all started. The story starts 3 years before the inmates disappear. You get the feeling there are sinister actions in taking place well before the disappearances occur.

Sam Neill and Jorge Garcia are great in this. I would even go as far to say Johnny Coyne is great too. Johnny Coyne plays the warden and he puts evilness at another level.

The show will only get better if Sarah Jones' acting gets better. She is the main detective and you can tell she has that "made for TV" background. Right now the inmates roles are very limited. I hope these inmates get extended action as the series continues. Early criminals dropped off in present day. It will be very predictable. Make them less so.

Like an episode of X-Files turned into a series...

[mag6581 · 6/10 · 17 January 2012]

...not that that's a bad thing.

Besides the fact that Sam Neill really should give up on any hope of mounting a believable American accent, the premise of the show is intriguing enough -- before Alcatraz ended operation as a prison, all of the inmates and staff vanished, kind of like a Philadelphia experiment on an island gone even more than wrong.

The execution (ha! funny pun, not), at least in the pilot, perhaps didn't do as much justice to the plot as I would have liked, but at the end of the pilot I was left wanting more, despite Sam Neill's dodgy accent. The rest of the acting was competent, and the entire program seemed a bit reminiscent of previous time-travel sci-fi shows such as 7 Days. It has good pacing and you're unlikely to be bored by it.

It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

Alca Trash

[brandonsullivan91 · 5/10 · 18 January 2012]

I have to let go of Lost, I know this. I keep getting amped up for the next awesome sci-fi show and I am let down time and time again.

Alcatraz is OK. I don't have time to watch just "ok" TV. I gave up on Alcatraz 17 minutes into the show.

Right from the start the show bothered me. The setting is the 60's, two guards land on the island for some kind of prisoner transport. The old wise guard says "hey sonny boy get your gun out this is bad, no one is here to greet us..." (more or less) and the banter continues about how strange this is and finally when they finish their walk through the prison and see that the whole dang place is empty (GASP!) then they finally decide to radio this factoid in. HMMM, in real life I think the second a police procedure breaks protocol they radio it in and go to high alert.

Flash to present day. One of my favorite gags in the biz is used...a young kid wanders into restricted Alcatraz areas (parents checked out and clueless, zero security in place to stop a child?) and finds a hobo man sleeping. Kid screams and everybody clamors to the kid to see what is going on. Come to find out that this hobo man is really an old fashioned criminal time traveled from the 60's! Cool.

We then get introduced to the emotionally damaged female lead detective. She follows some clues to Hugo Reyes, er, some new cool person in this show who owns a comic book store. Hugo Reyes wrote a book or something about Alcatraz and detective lady thinks he can help.

Their conversation is painful, predictable, and not funny. At this point I sigh, glance at my dinner fork and think about poking myself to feel something. Instead I turn off the tube and read.

I deserve something better, so do you! I would pass on Alcatraz.

Awesome Cast, Show, Direction!!

[floridaprofessional · 9/10 · 17 January 2012]

I love the cast it had me watching it without taking my eyes away. I got the storyline but I could see where others may not. It is a first run of the show so therefore you must give it sometime, but I really liked it. The cast was not bad and the direction was great. I don't know if the show will get to 5 seasons but it is a great show. Its very unique from someone like me that only likes Sons of Anarchy, Modern Family. I will be adding this to my list of shows to watch. Many things going on at the same time as the story develops the first time. It has some CSI mixed in with some Castle mixed in with some Law and Order in my opinion at least.

A cool beginning for an anticipated series

[veitiajesus · 7/10 · 20 January 2012]

(-) The series started well, but with a very quick and not convincing empathy between Sarah Jones (Rebecca Madsen) and Jorge García (Diego Soto); besides the acting of this two lacks of something that i not quite understand. The music may not make much sense, sometimes adding to much music can be uncomfortable even when we know it is part of the process.

(+) There is a good performance by Jeffrey Pierce (Jack Sylvane) and an acceptable of our Jurassic friend San Neil (Emerson Hauser). The prison looks great, it was about time we get a series of this particular place, although i don't think we're going to see Al Capone.

P: Hurley goes from island to island.

Great Show

[jason98798 · 9/10 · 28 January 2012]

The show was written by J.J Abrams, who also wrote LOST, my favorite TV show of all time. The show LOST features Jorge Garcia, so seeing as he was acting in Alcatraz, I gave it a go. This is now my new Monday event. The show is cleverly written, and J.J Abrams has not let me down with this show. You definitely should start watching it on Fox's website if you haven't seen the first few episodes, just to get caught up.

If I gave this show a rating out of 10, I'd give it a 9.8, mainly because the selection of music is wonderful and features great variations of popular Hollywood themes. The music is written by Micheal Giacchino, the same person who wrote music for LOST.

This show has MANY similarities to LOST, and I hope you enjoy this show as much as I do.

It's getting better

[Bluebonnet100 · 7/10 · 16 February 2012]

The info contained in here is only a spoiler if you haven't seen the episode of 2/15. Yes, I agree with most people who said "Alcatraz" started out as so-so, but I think it's getting better. Now that we have another link between two of the characters (one past, one present), it is definitely getting more interesting. I liked "Lost" and the fact that it didn't answer everything in 60 minutes. And I like it that they are doing the same thing with this show. Yes, some shows need to be pulled immediately because they really stink and there is no hope for them getting any better. This is not one. Sometimes story lines need time to be developed and the characters need time to be fleshed out. It's not like reading a two page article in People magazine - this show is like reading a novel - the story and characters are coming to life as time goes on. I love Sam Neill and Jorge Garcia. Don't remember seeing the girl before, but she seems to be getting more comfortable in her character. I hope Fox gives it at least two full seasons to develop a following.

Love it

[mkenyon719 · 10/10 · 28 January 2012]

I am definitely addicted to the show. I recorded the first three and watched them back to back. I couldn't get enough. I think they'll have to change the writing up soon to keep people coming back, but so far, it's really good. I think the cast is fantastic. The chick cop is hot, Jorge Garcia is amazing, and Sam Neil is awesome, as usual.

I found it The Event-esque, so I'm hoping it doesn't plummet after 5 episodes and they keep it fresh. Because Abrams (spelling?) produced it, I have high hopes. I could see this series sticking around for 4 seasons or more. Check it out and give it a chance!

I found it easy to follow the story line...

Supporting Players the Best in the show1

[ShelbyTMItchell · 6/10 · 18 January 2012]

Show is not good or bad. It is somewhere in between. As the supporting players are the best. Especially the Dr Diego who is played by Jorge Garcia of "Lost" fame. And the lady that plays Lucy that used to be on ER.

Really the female lead played by Sarah Jones is not good nor bad. As maybe just needs to be developed. As the show is about of course, Alcatraz as 302 prisoners and guards are missing. And the job of the main characters, four of them is to get them all back.

Into a new Alcatraz played by Sam Neil who plays a "government guy." Either he is good or bad. Neil's character is way one dimensional. As I just can't get into or like his character for that matter.

This is being the new "Lost" or the new "Fringe" for that matter. The leads are the weak links in the show. Hopefully they will develop. But it is the supporting players, especially Garcia that shows you care about them.

What makes people think that they care about the prisoners as the leads really seem you don't care about them. Which is a huge mistake on JJ Abrams part.

promising but not grabbing

[dazbull823 · 4/10 · 21 January 2012]

Brought to us from most of the team responsible for the greatest TV show ever...Lost ! Music by giacchino,direction by jack bender and produced by JJ Abrams, throw in some familiar faces Neil and garcia and sure to be a winner right? ...... Wrong! I was so looking forward to seeing this for some time but after 2 episodes I gotta say i'm left disappointed. The plot is yet another time travel thread but woven this time around weak characters which I find as a viewer uninteresting or attached to. There is very little character build up so the show is fairly fast paced but at the same time quite predictable. Unlike Lost, which grabbed and sucked me right in on the first episode Alcatraz did not, but as a big abrams fan I will mush on and continue to watch at least till the end of the first season. Thank the lord we still got Hurley!

not fresh...but nevertheless intriguing

[harsh007 · 8/10 · 18 January 2012]

j.j Abrams is a name to reckon with but his tea is not always sweet,this is the impression with which i watched the pilot episode of ALCATRAZ.

Keeping J.J Abrams aside,the writers of Alcatraz are also credible(the writers of lost,kyle X,deadwood) remember these shows??They were awesome right??

Now,coming to Alcatraz,the main plot is intriguing ,it brings back the same mysterious atmosphere that once LOST had created.The pace of unfolding of the story is fast,the viewer will not be bored for a second.The writers have successfully sprinkled elements of mysteries,eeriness which tease the viewer from time to time.

In the end i was left asking for more...that should be enough for any one in two minds about the show...watch it have fun.. i'll give it a solid 8 out of 10....lets see where the show takes us from a very promising pilot..

I skipped one episode, that's a bad omen

[aaalllrrraaammm · 7/10 · 12 March 2012]

SPOILERS-AHOY!

I gave it 7 because I think there is a decent potential. However, I agree with greeniz18 on most points.

There is no chemistry between main characters. I do not think it is casting. I think the actors are doing a great job. The series suffers from poor story development and lack of logic.

1) For several episodes now no one seems to even pay attention to the fact that the series is about time travel. No head scratching and no one seems to be trying to solve the mystery which is the skeleton of the whole show.

2) Not a single character seems to like the skin they are in. Inmates are a given, but the 3 main characters also feel like they are forced to do what they do.

3) Anyone who hasn't seen this show yet can literally watch the first episode and then just read synopses for the rest. It basically just reveals one inmate per episode. They appear in 2012, have no idea how they got there and don't even care. They quickly continue doing what they did before they ended up in Alcatraz. At this rate it will probably take them about 2 seasons (or so they hope) to just do that without revealing anything as to what force or thing or person caused them to jump several decades into the future.

4) I don't know if I should memorize each inmate or not. a) If they all have something unique to do with the plot, then it is a disaster similar to Heroes where they turned a great idea into a national memory test with the number of characters. b) If they are just a part of some over-caffeinated villain's plot to do something naughty to an as yet to be determined geographical area, then the one episode per inmate approach is an epic waste of airtime.

The series is dead in the water but only because the crew decided to turn off the engines.

Never becomes interesting

[jens-wegar · 5/10 · 22 April 2012]

I got into the show more or less by accident, and because my nature of not wanting to give up on something right away once I've start it, I ended up watching the entire 1st season.

I know plenty have done so already, but I have to compare it to Lost because of one reason, and it's not the time jumping aspect of it: Lost had me hooked from the opening scene all the way through the first 3 seasons. Right away, from that first stare of Jack's eye, his run through the jungle, the mayhem on the beach, I knew it would be an interesting show to watch. With Alcatraz I never got to a point of really caring what will happen. I never got invested in any of the characters. Another review here said that the show would have been much better had it stayed in the 60's all the time, and I have to agree. The scenes from that era are all great. You're immediately questioning the wardens motives along with his lackeys, and the back stories of the criminals promised much more potential than any of the stories for the present day people. And did I mention the warden? Must say, I think Jonny Coyne does an awesome job with his character.

In the present day parts of the show, everything is much more cliché. You have the tough female lead, the not so tough but brilliant side kick, a shady boss, the good mentor with a gray story of his own... And then you have the crime of the week which you can be 100% certain will get solved, already simply because the episode names suggest who's turn it is to be processed. Basically, it all plays out like any other crime drama on TV at that point, except you already know who the bad guy is. I don't think it's the fault of the actors really that the show doesn't take off. They're just not given an interesting back story to develop from. Let's be honest, the good cop trying to understand her past and having to chase the black sheep of the family in order to do so is not exactly ground breaking story telling.

Also, like another review stated, it is somewhat weird how little interest the task force shows in trying to figure out "how and why" the bad guys keep popping up from the past, instead they're always focusing just on catching them and putting them back in their cage. That doesn't feel like a good game plan. It's like always just putting a bucket on the floor when it rains instead of trying to fix the leak in the roof.

The somewhat strong rating of the show here on IMDb would suggest that it could get a second season, and the last episode does leave enough of the plot unsolved for it to be possible. But I doubt I'll be tuning in for another go at this one.

Alca-Fringe

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 8 February 2012]

Or Fringetraz if you like.

Even to the point of using the same location for a chase scene in the Pilot ep that was used in Fringe S4E1. And, the return of Jason Butler Harner (Richard Steig in the Pilot ep of Fringe). Comic Book Writer/Store Owner Jorge Garcis (Of Lost) and SF Detective Sarah Jones join with secretive FBI guy Sam Niell in what looks to be a Fringeresting show. Just waiting for Olivia Dunham and Walter Bishop to show up.

IN 1963, over 200 Inmates and their Guards vanish from AlcaFringe without a trace. In 2012, the inmates start showing up... One by One.

Who took them? Why? In Typical JJ Abrams fashion, we're not gonna find out unless we watch the show. Pretty good TV Tactic, works for me.

There is some crossover here from Fringe, some of the Production team is the same. Ultimately a show is a combination of the Writing, the Acting, and the Production. The Acting talent is OK so that is covered, and the production team has been proved in several shows. So it's the writing that I'll use to judge the show.

So Far, we have the Fringian process of 1) Reveal Conundrum 2) Solve part of it 3) More questions come about by answer of initial conundrum.

Yah, sure "We've seen this before" - But NOT in this combination or with this quality. Also, the filming of some exteriors in The City, and I've lived in SF so I recognise some of the places. Wherever they are shooting the rest of the shots, makes a Good SF - They blend pretty well. And also I understand they were allowed to shoot IN Alcatraz as well- So, as I have watched the first 2 and a half 'sodes, there is a viable, believable illusion of this all happening in 1963 and 2012 in the city of SF.

I hope they do make some kind of reference to Events in Frings, maybe even a crossover ep in both shows. So Far, JJ Abrams wins with 2 good shows on the air, Frings and Alcatraz. Makes me want to go out and rent the entire run of Lost and then Alias when I am done with that - JJ is a great filmmaker, I respect him cos he just does not quit, even when Fringe is not quite done squeezing out every last Impossibility, JJ comes up with this. From what I understand this show is a collaboration. From what I see it works and well at that.

I love these actor and actresses that are used in these productions, I see them all the time, many of them in JJ's feature Films and other shows.

I've just watched the first 5 eps, took a while but it peaked my interest. It's building into something good, and now I've got 2 good shows to watch each week. It's a good start, now I'm hooked - Not as fast as I was hooked on Fringe, but this show has a lot of Promise.