TV Review: NBC's ‘Rock Center'

NBC debuted its Brian Williams-hosted newsmagazine, Rock Center on Monday night at 10 p.m. ET. The following are reviews from TV critics around the web, compiled by B&C.

“Substantive without being stuffy, workmanlike but something less than a wow, the show often seemed indistinguishable from his Nightly News gig, albeit with longer stories and more opportunity for in-studio banter.” — Matt Roush, TV Guide

“Either way, of course, there’s still a demand for a guy like Brian Williams, in late night or early evening. Rock Center may not be a ratings smash, and not all of its experiments may work. But the good news is, Williams and Stewart can both keep their day jobs.” — James Poniewozik, TIME

“In general, Rock Center was lively without being crass, disappointing in that it didn’t engage much in the news of the day. It could also use a voice other than Williams’ - what about some good old fashioned op-ed commentary or cultural criticism?” — Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly

“To some viewers Rock Center may have looked like a smart attempt to reflect the way news consumers can shift gears. To others it will seem like dad’s desperate attempt to play cool.” — Hank Stuever, Washington Post

“Unfortunately, Rock Center also intends to show us the lighter, funny sides to Williams - sides he doesn’t have time to display on NBC Nightly News. It doesn’t seem like a worthy pursuit, given the caliber of the correspondents, who include Ted Koppel and Meredith Vieira.” — Hal Boedeker, Orlando Sentinel