Rami Malek (The Pacific) stars as an anti-social hacker in Mr. Robot, the new USA series debuting Wednesday at 10 p.m. The series, which costars Christian Slater, was created by Sam Esmail. The following are reviews from TV critics around the web, compiled by B&C.
“Yet despite checking so many different boxes on my no-no's list, Mr. Robot is compulsively watchable and interesting. It's a reminder that even the most well-worn cliches can still work with the right execution. In particular, the show (it debuts tomorrow night at 10, though the first episode has been available online for weeks) demonstrates how the right piece of casting can overcome a lot of material that might seem questionable in lesser hands.”
— Alan Sepinwall, HitFix
“Mr. Robot an intriguing new series that debuts on Wednesday on the USA Network, is a case in point: a cyber-age thriller infused with a dark, almost nihilistic pessimism about the Internet, capitalism and income inequality. And that makes it kind of fun.”
— Alessandra Stanley, The New York Times
“If casting and character are half the battle, Mr. Robot is more than halfway home. [...] While commercial prospects appear hazy, it’s hard to remember the last time USA put on anything more intriguing.”
— Brian Lowry, Variety
“Mr. Robot echoes Fight Club in its interest in how we live within ourselves—and live with ourselves—as people of conscience, and negotiate our relationship to society’s flawed, corrupt operating systems. The show may not click with everyone, but it left me electrified.”
— Jeff Jensen, Entertainment Weekly
“(And as good as Malek is at delivering his character’s frigid lines, he’s even better at silently reacting to others.) Hopefully, over the long haul Mr. Robot can sustain this unsettling tone — and do justice to this fascinatingly oddball character.”
— Keith Uhlich, The Hollywood Reporter
“For all its flaws, the Mr. Robot pilot isn’t without promise. Malek is riveting, especially when Elliot’s skills are giving him the upper hand, or when his neuroses turn him against himself. [...] Mr. Robot’s just not as revolutionary as it thinks it is.”
— Dennis Perkins, A.V. Club
“Well, please don't give up. Many series have tried to recreate the unsettling, nothing-is-what-it seems vibe that made a cult classic out of Twin Peaks. If it can live up to the promise of its pilot, Mr. Robot could be one of the few to get it right.”
— Robert Bianco, USA Today
