Brave New World: Season 1

"Both Brown Findlay and Ehrenreich seem frustratingly tamped-down here. ... No wonder the actors seem exhausted; their project, deep into its first season, doesn’t know what kind of show it wants to be."

"The nine-part debut season feels like it's built on miscalculation atop miscalculation, but the gravest one is that the citizens of New London are effectively extraterrestrials."

"It spends so much time reveling in its own aesthetic that dramatic momentum becomes an afterthought. ... [Series’s creator, David Wiener] has made improvements that are anemic and uneven."

"This adaptation looks great but is definitively hollow, and in turn all of its parties, extensive discussions, and choreographed orgy scenes become simply exhausting."

"Episodes are fast-paced and pulpy. Yet something is missing from the show’s core. Television thrives on rich characters, but, in large part because it’s set in a realm devoid of eccentricity, I struggled to get invested in this bunch."

"As it unfolds, “Brave New World” fits only the most nebulous sense of the word “interesting,” with its most relevant commentary left behind in the Savage Lands. Where Peacock could use a big bang, the series mostly just manages to look like plain old cable TV."

"Brave New World is caught in a feedback loop of references, one that only occasionally resonates with a culture in the midst of challenging systems, unseen and otherwise."

"Frequently obvious, but nicely designed and acted, with a thoughtful Nina Sosanya a welcome presence as the woman at the top."

"Interesting looking and provocative in its themes (updating the 1932 book for modern consumption), "Brave New World" starts out with considerable promise and doesn't end nearly as well; still, at least the show feels big, strange and slightly different."

"By the time the romantic triangle heats up, Brave New World has successfully put the “soap” back in “dystopia.”"

"It is a series well aware of its purpose as a confectionery gateway to synthetic emotion. As long as you're not expecting much longstanding value beyond that, you'll probably be happy with it."

"The plot devolves a bit as it builds to an overcomplicated finale, and Ehrenreich is a bit of a blank spot, rightfully refusing to carry John with a pure protagonist’s swagger, but without finding the charisma we know he’s got during key scenes."

"The new series is a clever modern adaptation, engaging deeply with the source material while dispensing with Huxley’s glaringly racist themes and some of the misogyny, too."