TV Review: TNT’s ‘Proof’

Jennifer Beals stars as Dr. Carolyn Tyler in TNT’s Proof. Tyler is persuaded by Ivan Turing (Matthew Modine) to investigate cases of reincarnation, near-death experiences and hauntings for evidence of life after death. The drama premieres Tuesday, June 16 at 10 p.m. ET. The following are reviews from TV critics around the web, compiled by B&C.

Proof explores the mother of all mysteries — what happens after we die? — in the most uninspired and banal of ways. Filled with cliches, the TNT series benefits from the casting of Jennifer Beals in the central role, but handcuffs her with a drab character and dead-end (pardon the pun) concept, which, as executed, demonstrates what would happen if a medical procedural and The X-Files had a baby.”
—Brian Lowry, Variety

“Beals and company (including Joe Morton as her remarkably flesh-and-blood boss) breathe life into this tale the way their characters restore life to patients, with skill and guts and, crucially, souls that radiate precisely what this show is about. Human consciousness. We're eternally curious about our own being.”
—Diane Werts, Newsday

“On paper, frankly, it sounds like a disaster: A new hour-long dramatic series starring Jennifer Beals (she of the Irene Cara-accompanied frolic in Flashdance) as a chilly, tormented physician tasked with searching for evidence of an afterlife. In execution, however, the bluntly named Proof reveals itself as a highly beguiling object — an unabashed melodrama that, based on the three episodes sent out for review, uses its high-concept hook as a way to explore some all-too-earthly longings.”
—Keith Uhlich, The Hollywood Reporter

“TNT’s Proof is not a terrible show, but it is a terribly ordinary TNT drama. Call it Medium meets House. Or maybe ‘Touched by a Focus Group.’”
—Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette