Nine, The

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

There are few answers in this excellent premiere, but The Nine makes you want to find out.

San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum

The way these characters interact and relate in the first hour is dazzling and involving without being self-consciously clever.

People WeeklyTom Gliatto

This could be the fall's finest drama. [9 Oct 2006, p.41]

USA TodayRobert Bianco

A satisfying, intriguingly complex ABC drama that emerges from the season's serialized pack as the best new show of the year.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

"The Nine," starting tomorrow, is the show most people will want to discuss at the office water cooler.

Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn

The biggest worry with The Nine is that its mystery will start to crumble after a dozen episodes or so. But for now, it's one smooth, creepy, cool operation.

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

Whether or not "The Nine" succeeds -- and, personally, I'm pulling for it -- it deserves credit for advancing the art of TV storytelling to new heights, both complex and rewarding.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

This season's best new show.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Easily the best of ABC's overly similar, large-cast ensemble dramas.

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

In a fall season full of lofty recommendations and solid, well-made pilots, it's the only series truly worth getting excited about.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

Though it has an almost flawless pilot, and one of the best casts of the season, how long will the writers be able to tease out the mysteries of those 52 hours without driving viewers mad?

Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz

It's a fantastic show, neck-and-neck with Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip for best new show of the season.

Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik

The writing is daring, the editing dazzling and bold... this is prime-time storytelling that pops.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

What helps separate "The Nine" from others in this season's crowded field are stellar performances throughout and a steady, sure hand in the pilot.

Christian Science MonitorGloria Goodale

It will certainly make you wonder how you might survive such an event yourself - though whether that premise can fuel a whole series remains to be seen.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

Based on the pilot, [the] mystery promises to be surprising, psychological, and addictive.

VarietyBrian Lowry

The challenge, structurally, will be finding a way to keep these characters interacting (logic that already seems a bit strained in the pilot) as the incident drifts into the distance.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

There is nothing supernatural behind the mystery, and there is no deep-rooted government conspiracy lurking behind seemingly mundane events. But suspense builds, personalities strengthen and change, and “The Nine” takes on a life of its own.

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

The first hour... hits you with a potent cocktail of action and intrigue.

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

"The Nine" unfolds with an abundance of emotion-charged imagination.

New York PostLinda Stasi

Sure, I'm in, but I'm not quite a hostage to the show - not yet, anyway.

Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd

Without making any great claims for the show's depth, I do sense a desire behind the sensation and soap to investigate something significant, if deceptively simple: how life changes in a moment.

NewsdayVerne Gay

"The Nine" may well be the best of the crop - smart, clever and especially wise to the ways of this genre - but the challenge remains the same. This is work - admittedly often pleasurable work, but come 10 p.m. next Wednesday, we've got to do it all over again.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

If you're willing to invest some time and brain cells, The Nine is an absorbing experience.

LA WeeklyRobert Abele

The Nine doesn’t quite feel like a Lost knockoff since its missing-piece, jigsaw-puzzle construct has a basis in reality: the unknowable feelings of those who have weathered personal crisis.

TimeJames Poniewozik

The tense pilot suggests the series has a few twists up its sleeve and a cast up to the challenge.

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

There's nothing wrong with "The Nine." It's just essentially a step above pedestrian.

The New YorkerTad Friend

Watching “The Nine” is like trying to do a crossword with only the Across clues. But it promises to reward our vigilance.

Washington PostTom Shales

It's not so much a narrative as a collection of character studies, and the characters aren't particularly fascinating.