Crossing Lines (2013–2015) User Reviews (176)

Fabulous... Until season 3

[qneelizabeth · 7/10 · 23 July 2016]

I LOVED Crossing Lines, right up until season 3. Half the cast left, new writers were brought on and the show went from being intelligent, fascinating and intense to just another blase version of Law and Order. Elizabeth Mitchell brings the whole show down several levels. She looks ridiculous next to the better actors from seasons 1-2 who now play smaller rolls. The writers make the actors explain everything to the audience, and repeat everything multiple times which kills any flow or dynamic the characters might have. The original actors try so hard to keep the magic of the previous seasons, but the writers don't leave any room for that.

Overall, I'd highly recommend watching seasons 1-2, but do yourself a favor and stop there. Season 3 will only disappoint.

good ..new idea...grouping the the best investigative minds together for international crimes

[newfreeman66 · 8/10 · 25 June 2013]

This is one show worth watching in my opinion and I am surprised at the negative reviews that are rubbishing it. It is obviously not technical enough for those reviewers. I find William Fichtner character very likable and I also like the way he goes about his work. He is a really good detective who thinks outside the box. Nothing seems to get in his way and even if it is a bit unbelievable that he gets to solve every crime in record time, it is still entertaining. The supporting cast is also excellent,i For this show to be successful, I do believe it will need to take on more interesting dark themes or it runs the risk of becoming a run-of-the-mill forensics series like Law and Order or Kojack...no knock on these shows.....

Great idea, but bad acting and weak script

[crkfotos · 6/10 · 17 March 2014]

The first episode draws you in very well. Some of the cast are very good actors, but some are very bad and when these bad actors are "acting" It feels like listening to nails scratching a wall. Sutherland and the Ameircan guy are good. The leader of the team is a very bad actor. His dialogue delivery is ridiculously bad imo. The script seems contrived in many instances. The scriptwriter has this bad habit of injecting "romantic" interludes between the characters in very serious situations, where no sane person would be "hitting" on anyone. For Pete's sakes, in the first story, one of their co-worker Annamarie has been kidnapped and is in the process of being killed by a mad man, when the Irish guy and the woman who dies are are hitting on each other in the park instead of being focused on finding Annamarie. Just stupid. But I still kinda like the show. So watch it and enjoy it for what it is..just a made up TV show!

Smart new show that draws you in

[garfieldcamp · 10/10 · 3 July 2013]

Another great show that NBC will probably cancel for some idiotic reality show. Because it is filmed in Prague and Paris (not Vancouver for a change), the scenery is beautiful and refreshing for us Americans. The acting is top-notch (Fitchner and Sutherland are great), with some interesting back stories already introduced after only two episodes. The story is fast-paced and has smart dialog. The whole concept of "Crossing Lines" opens so many doors...cases they can pursue throughout the numerous locales of Europe. The actors have good chemistry, which is a refreshing change from so much of the junk they try to pass as "TV" today. Some of the negative comments on here are pure drivel...from the same types who help keep Survivor and Big Brother on the air. If you like this show, please help keep it on the air by writing a positive review to counter the clueless morons who are always contributing to great shows getting canceled.

Great concept, lousy marketing

[stephenjfeldman · 9/10 · 25 June 2013]

Like the other reviewer, I stumbled across this series by accident when I was looking through the ratings and didn't know what this show was about. Recognizing several actors I enjoy watching, I decided to look it up and found it buried on NBC's website. The synopsis looked interesting and follows similar crime dramas we also enjoy and felt to me like a Criminal Minds Europe type of show.

We watched the first two episodes and thoroughly enjoyed them. It had a Spooks feel (MI-5 to US folks), Criminal Minds and a bit of Law and Order mixed in with a lot of suspense, action and a few twists. It has a great cast and I'm not bothered by its size. It's a very cerebral show that gets you thinking and I do hope it lasts the 10 episodes its scheduled for to see how it plays out. Given the poor quality of shows available for viewing this summer, this is a breath of fresh air.

Shame on NBC though for keeping this jewel hidden... a little bit of marketing and it could be owning its time slot easily.

First 2 seasons entertaining and engaging 3rd season destroyed this show

[efeldman2000 · 8 July 2018]

I really enjoyed the first two seasons of the show. The flavor of the EU was a wonderful departure from the usual American fare. The cast was fun and were close and each had an interesting back-story which highlighted the countries where they were raised. They had personality and heart and fascinating stories, all of which kept me engaged. That is what my rating is based upon. Don't bother watching season 3. New cast, new show runners. Terrible writing. Very cold and procedural. Wooden acting. I think they tried to slick it up for American audiences, whom they clearly think are idiots so they explain everything. The characters are very stiff and all-business. The acting is bad and the relationships unfriendly. Instead of warmth and 'family' atmosphere between them, a lot of criticism and meddling. I absolutely loathed it. What a waste to murder a fun show that gave us a feel for the world outside the US.

Slick Euro Drama Rivals CSI & Criminal Minds

[mrbobzima · 7/10 · 1 August 2013]

Crossing Lines is a smartly written, cleverly acted and well produced drama about an international crime fighting unit that investigates multi-national (hence the name: Crossing the "boundary" lines of EC countries) high end and highly sophisticated crimes. The characters are intriguing yet follow similar patterns found in shows like CSI and Criminal Minds: aloof male leader (king archetype), warrior, princess and magician (computer genius) archetype as well.

The show's writers and producers have created some interesting twists in the first several episodes in terms of the main character's back stories and developing relationships with in the ICC unit. In addition, the crimes themselves are fresh and do not follow typical "clean all wrapped up nicely endings" often associated with other high end crime dramas on television.

The dialog is smart and treats the audience as viewers with a brain and soul in that there is plenty of passion and cognitive material to digest in each episode.

The writer's plot twists are risky and make watching the show intense since you are never quit sure where the producers will take the characters and story lines.

I want the old cast back :/ 9 stars up until Season 3

[panzdorabox · 9/10 · 12 June 2018]

Started watching this on Netflix and got hooked. Then Season 3..what the H.. Talk about being left hanging. Almost whole new cast with no explanation as to what happened to the others. Do people not realize that viewers get attached to characters? Guess not.

Why did you change the team? Ruined the show!

[Josephine30 · 7/10 · 16 December 2015]

Just to be clear, I have nothing against the new actors, but why did the producers made such a dramatic change of the cast? I still miss Carl Hickman, Eva Vittoria and Tommy. That wasn't fair. The first two seasons were great. I like the idea of an international crime unit investigating series of murders committed in various countries across the globe. I really appreciate the fact that many countries from the Balkans are involved in the story lines. Indeed, each episode followed a truly captivating story. And just when the characters began to reveal themselves so we can take a closer look at their personalities, they disappeared from the show, out of nothing. The first two seasons were amazing and really stand out. Please, bring these characters back!

Rating only for seasons 1 & 2

[ronbell-23984 · 10/10 · 23 May 2020]

Talk about how to screw up a show up. Seasons 1 & 2 were great, good characters and stories. Then at the end of season 2 it hits you like a brick. Come season 3, dear god I lost interest. No idea what happened here but this show was turned from great to cr@p

10 stars for seasons 1 & 2 only. Avoid season 3 like the plague.

Brilliant show...until season three

[Littlemicki · 7/10 · 1 July 2016]

The first two season of this show are amazing. Brilliant writing, fantastic acting and interesting story lines. The formula is similar to your Law and Order or NCIS type shows, but the European setting adds an extra element. Every episode is set in a different country, instead of your usual New York or LA story lines. The cast are truly diverse, with German, French, Dutch main characters. Several episodes have you on the edge of your seat, with some very exciting and dramatic events.

Then season three happened. Suddenly half the cast was gone...including the main character Hickman! There had been a few story arcs in the second season that are just forgotten. What happened with Ava's search for her father, did Hickman end up with Amanda (she was such a great character who deserved more screen time) and the story lines of the other major characters such as Tommy's ongoing family problems. Really disappointing to have such a good show turned into an entirely new series. 10/10 for the first two seasons, forget the third.

Great show

[Salonroxie · 10/10 · 28 July 2013]

I love this show and all actors are of highest caliber! I find it more interesting because we don't see the same backgrounds and a lot of it is not familiar. I really hope this show does not get cut. Please watch it and give it a try. I really like the actor William Fichtner, I have enjoyed his acting in past movies and he certainly deserves the starring role that he has now. The other actors are new to me but they are equally compelling. I have to say though that Mr Fichtner is a standout for me. I hate that I have to write so many lines because I'm not good at creative writing. So this will probably be the last one I do.

A smart new crime drama

[billhepner · 7/10 · 26 July 2013]

Crossing lines brings an international flavor to the TV Crime Scene. It provides not only the chase and capture for the viewer but also provides enough suspense to require the viewer to also think! This the type of crime show that many of the U.S. do not offer and for those whom really like mysteries find when viewing British TV. While it does misinform those with a lack of knowledge about the workings of the International Court the fictional group does its job showing that crime is an multi national problem. A more feasible scenario would be that the fictional group is a part of Interpol. I give it rating of 7 based on the following: Good Imaginative writing. Good Acting. Good Photography. Enough Action without becoming boring.

Spoiler alert. Here's my beef

[topsail33-1 · 1/10 · 4 February 2017]

I loved this show. I just spent 22 hours watching the first two seasons on Netflix. All of a sudden, on the last episode of season 2, Eva and Louis are dead. The next episode - season 3 - EVERYONE except two cast members are gone! Replaced or killed off. WHat ????? No wonder it didn't make it past season 3. Viewers invested all this time in these characters, and just like that, almost all are written off. I'm now watching season 3, and I could care less about this show. I doubt I will make it past the first episode. I would have rated this show 8/10 stars, but I am so irked about the regime change, that I'm giving it 1 star, for wasting my time.

LOVE it

[grlzor · 10/10 · 15 July 2013]

Excellent show with an international feel, intelligent scripting and great cast. Feels like criminal minds with a European flair. I've read the negative reviews about the accuracy of the International Criminal Court which I think takes away from focus of the show. I don't think people are particularly interested in whether certain elements are true facts or not. It's fictional and we know it. I believe that with better marketing, the viewership can increase and be as successful as, say, criminal minds. Have some faith NBC!!! I'd hate to lose such a great show that has a lot to offer... A lot of potential indeed. Kudos again for unearthing such marvelous cast members.

Cross Border Communications

[mariabjazzin-519-383278 · 8/10 · 22 July 2013]

I absolutely love this show. I love that it takes place in Europe with team members from different countries who speak languages other than English. I always love Donald Sutherland and hope that his presence in the series can be increased. I was a bit disappointed at hearing everything in English. As an American living in Europe I hear different languages all the time. However, for example, when a German person speaks with a German person, they do not speak in English. I know that Americans are not accustomed to reading sub-titles, but I would give this series a 10 if this had happened. It's an NBC production. Perhaps if it were a cable production, the extra time and expense for subtitling and speaking in like languages would have been permitted. Still, I love the show. Hoping for more of the same.

At last!

[mgs4real · 26 June 2013]

.....something for the grown-ups!!!! NBC shame on you for not playing this one up --- I might have missed it altogether but somehow I caught wind of Donald Sutherland and put it on my DVR!!!! I've only watched the first nine minutes so far and I'm captivated. William Fitchner --- so good in "Prison Break" --- a delight to see him on screen again --- and --- NBC --- if you will go LOOOK at the ratings on IMDb for Prison Break they are still at 8.5! This looks great...an ensemble cast of interesting sounding characters. (In that, not unlike Prison Break...some of the best acting EVER happened in that series (Robert Kneppner "T-Bag" to name another), while Wentworth Miller certainly was not hard to look at. In fact, if you really want to mix it up a bit, NBC, throw T-Bag and Wentworth a bone, and bring them on in some surprise roles on Crossing Lines (says she with a sardonic little grin).

Not everything has to be pablum for the kiddies. There are still some of us out here who want REAL TV....not REALITY TV!

I mourn Seasons 1 and 2 ...

[mdjr1111 · 6/10 · 14 November 2019]

Along with many other reviewers, I loved this show in seasons 1 and 2! Yes. I know this is not the way the ICC works. But I thoroughly enjoyed a multinational team traipsing though Europe. The cast worked. They meshed well. The team in charge of things like ensuring the correct license plates in whichever country they were in, the train routes, the cobbled streets were all correct. (I told friends and family in the U.S. to watch this just to see where I live) Then ... we hit the brick wall of the final episode of season 2, followed by the snore-fest of season 3. I say brick wall because characters we had grown to love were suddenly killed on camera, apparently killed off camera, lost theor mind and forgot how to be a cop, and what happened to Tommy, hmm? Season 3. Where to start. Zero enthusiasm from the new cast members. Were they instructed to act stiff, to sound as if they were reading from a book, and show no emotion? I was much more interested in watching the ice in my drink melt. I can't believe i wasted my time, and still had no series wrap up. I mourn seasons 1 and 2, and mourn what could have been ...

Exotic and exciting, Crossing Lines is like being on location

[curanderapro · 10/10 · 16 July 2013]

I am so impressed by the atmospheric quality of this program. From the intersecting stories of their separate lives, to the rhythmic pace of their unified search across the borders of European countries, these characters deliver the goods.

The shows' creators, the writers, the actors, and the film crew really succeed in capturing the colors, the lighting, and the beautiful people that make up the night time haunts of the rich and famous lifestyle. Following the action being shot on location in these exotic locales, combined with the accents of the actors only adds to the incredible feeling of being there. During several of the scenes in the second episode, I felt like I could literally taste and smell the density of the air in the room. (no spoiler...LOL)

Thanks NBC! I am amazed and grateful.

Nice series, whit a lot of factual mistakes/creative freedoms

[michaelwesten-264-479236 · 7/10 · 30 October 2013]

I actually like the series, its here and there cleverly made, and the cast is also pretty good.

But i just really hate it, the way Americans just got real easy important factual things wrong, and in this series there are some thats just really annoying.

First, of all, i am pretty sure the headquarters of any police force would not be located in side a Parliament building, and there are plenty of other old buildings to pick from, but serious to pick the parliament building, It would be like it was located in the US Congress building. o_0

Second, why did creators make the EU sorta look shortsighted, whit the elimination of most of the European internal borders, it became clear at the same time that there was also a need for more dedicated police force like the FBI in the EU, and that Interpol was not cutting it any more, so in 1992 the creation of Europol was decided, and operations started 1998.

Third, and above all the abuse of the "International Criminal Court" (ICC), that has no jurisdiction at all in any EU country other then what it has in any country that has ratified the "ICC" international treaty.

The scope of what the ICC is and dose totally different then what is assumed in the series,and i really hate these kind of artistic reedoms, as the ICC is (imho) a important institute, and the last resort ware people can go to, to get justice, when there is in there home country no justice.

Quote Wikipedia: "The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression"

The only one that could very very maybe have the jurisdiction to sanction a group like these police officers, would be the "European Court of Justice", but what would be the point, as Europol dose the same thing. >_<

epic and fabulous

[the_white_heart91 · 10/10 · 4 July 2013]

I saw the first two episodes and i found the show is really interesting and epic it like European criminal minds, the actors are more than good they are great and i do love watching their acting especially William Fichtner. the characters are fabulous,it's appeared that everyone of them has his special way to work and also they have their own problems and I'm getting curious about how they will deal with these problems?, and if Hickman will deal with his disability and fix his hand? and how he will avenge?, how Louis will find the man who killed his son? and did he kill him or what? and is it true that this man is the same man who shot Hickman? a lot of questions and i'm waiting for their answers and can't wait to watch the next episode, and i hope this show will last for more than one season, actually it could be more than 10 seasons with this amazing cast and its ideas

What happens when you can't pay your actors enough

[geocapital · 6/10 · 7 April 2020]

This show has a few great ideas but misses in the implementation. It is about the International Criminal Court, which in this series takes over a very active, part CSI part criminal minds approach to all sorts of criminal cases that involve crossing borders within Europe. Thus criminals tend to act across Europe and that makes the basis of this show quite interesting. The crimes are interesting, the members of the ICC come from a few different places around Europe, so a bit different aattitudes and accents, the action is good, there are some fine side stories and some effort for character development. The major issue is the large overhaul that happens at the end of season two. It's irrational and it looks like it was the result of an effort to close several chapters at once, but failing to do so in a smooth and logical way. My bet, the actors that were asking too much for the third season had their character terminated... Then, there is an American in the team. Being also an American production, I guess it was part of the deal. He is some kind of the Mentalist but more down to earth, more sad, and destroyed kind of guy. Let's accept him. Another issue is time travel. ICC apparently uses that a lot to transport themselves from one country to another. Crimes are fine. But finding the solutions looks more like the detectives have read the script and know what to expect. So, we see that X happens, and the next scene at the meeting someone suddenly out of the blue says, "what if X had happened". Another annoying thing was that many episodes finish in a rush. From complete ignorance to total enlightenment, it takes often a few seconds, and the bad guys are caught in. Season 3 seems to lose its multinationality, as the characters behave in a more flat, univeral way. My guess is that they thought that if shows like CSI can change their protagonists, then they could do it too. However, the ones from the first two seasons were far more interesting than both CSI and the Crossing Lines third season. Lastly, there are the usual factual gaps that are common in most of these crime shows. So, dont take it too seriously-

So, overall, there are some interesting ideas and the first two seasons, although a bit superficial, they are fun to watch. At the end of the second season you will be definitely disappointed. The third season looks like a totally new show.

Actually quite good

[equialuvchic · 8/10 · 10 August 2013]

I only started watching this after I saw that Donald Sutherland and William Fitchner were going to be in it. I wasn't really sure what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know why people are complaining about this show so much. It's your average summer show - entertaining without having to be too thought-provoking. I will admit that sometimes I don't know how they got certain places or things, but that could be because NBC does cut about 8 minutes of footage each episode. Why? who knows. But the acting is pretty good, even for fairly unknown actors, the story lines are fairly interesting, and it has the action to keep you hooked. I'm sincerely hoping for a season two!!

Two solid seasons and a disappointing third and final season.

[IonicBreezeMachine · 7/10 · 18 September 2020]

Crossing Lines follows the cases of a special crime solving task force of police officers from all over the EU on loan to the ICC who specialize in cross boarder crimes in the EU. The show not only follows the cases but also the personal lives and inner turmoil of our group of characters.

Crossing Lines at first glance may seem like "just another" police procedural, but thanks to some solid acting and writing it manages to elevate itself and stand out from the crowded field. Former NYPD officer Carl Hickman played character actor William Fictner serves as an anchor for the team with his concealed inner pain from a case left unresolved serving as a great springboard for character scenes. The show also has other well developed characters such as Marc Lavoine's Louis Daniel, Tom Wlaschiha's Sebastian Berger, and Donald Southerlands' Mikael Dorn. Every character serves a purpose and thanks to its longer running time in comparison to American police procedural we learn a lot more about the characters.

And then season 3 happened. Not that season 3 was bad by any stretch, but the fact it cast away much of the cast with the exception Wlaschiha and Sutherland left me personally with a lack of investment as 70% of the team was comprised of characters who I didn't know and had no investment in.

Crossing Lines is an above average police procedural with some intriguing cases and good characters, I only wish they'd had better retention for their cast.

Started out as new and fresh, then turned stale.

[ericnhall · 4/10 · 13 August 2016]

This started out as something different. Yes, it's a cop show. But it wasn't so boringly formulaic as the standard stuff. The international element, and the creation of the "team of experts" made it fun. Although some of the original cast were acting-challenged (and some were subsequently killed off because of it), the series had a charm and a magic that made it fun to watch. There were good episodes, marginal ones, and a few duds. But overall, it was good enough to get at least a 7 rating out of me.

Now, in season three, they completely changed the show. It's like the network finally noticed they had something good and stepped in to fix it. They did fix it. Like a prize bull being turned into a steer. They added big-name actors (other than Sutherland) and then proceeded to ruin the show.

The team is now boring. There are no Sherlock Holmes styled experts (except the computer geek who is thoroughly unbelievable, but that's always the case with Hollywood). The plots are straight out of the normal Hollywood playbook and are therefore dull and unbelievable. The plots are formulaic and are straight out of NCIS or any of another dozen shows. There is now nothing fresh here at all. It's very stale. I'll give it one more try, and if they fail in season 4, if they get a season 4, then i'm done.

It is very sad that they took a good show that just needed a bit of refinement, and turned it into something that would not have made it past the pilot if it had started out that way.