Invasion

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

It may be hard to believe that "Invasion's" premiere could be touching in the context of Katrina, and effective as a sci-fi drama. But that is the power of high-quality storytelling.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

Invasion is an excellent show, the new season's best drama.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Tonight's pilot lays the groundwork for what could be a fabulous series, one that blends supernatural adventure with down-to-earth, complex family dynamics.

NewsdayDiane Werts

Layering such unnatural proceedings into the family-drama format only intensifies both story angles when you do it right. And Cassidy has, with strong casting, solid structure and a fine feel for what's most frightening.

Cleveland Plain DealerMark Dawidziak

Drenched in whom-do-you-trust paranoia and dripping with suspense, "Invasion" grabs you by the throat in the opening seconds and never lets go.

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

What gives this serious heft and its own unique feel is the family drama woven throughout the premiere. That, and a group of particularly talented and skilled cast members who, under director Thomas Schlamme, take their performances to the highest levels.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

Like ''Lost"... the mystery is provocatively open-ended and, assuming the writing continues to be good, absorbing.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Invasion has great production values and is tops among the three new alien series.

PopMattersBill Gibron

Perhaps the most satisfying element in the series is its patience.

San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum

"Invasion'' has the look of a winner.

Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith

It has cinematic production values that give it the heft of a movie, and the lead characters are so natural and believable that the alien angle is less ludicrous than usual.

LA WeeklyRobert Abele

It’s easily the most interesting of the three [new alien shows], taking the emotional chill and confusion that accompany a family divorce... and lacing them with a narratively complementary dose of body-snatching paranoia.

Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn

The series could move more quickly... Still, creator Shaun Cassidy has plenty of enticing layers at work.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

A potentially compelling sister series for "Lost."

New York PostLinda Stasi

Maybe it's not as great as "Lost," but then again, it could be awfully close.

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

A compelling tale of ordinary people ensnared in extraordinary circumstances.

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

Of all the new mystery-driven dramas aspiring to be this year’s “Lost”... “Invasion” is the most absorbing and least hokey.

Los Angeles TimesPaul Brownfield

Unlike "Lost," which ended its first season twisted around itself with mystery and mythology, "Invasion" doesn't seem poised to madden you that way. Its ambition is smaller and more self-contained; weirdness will visit a town and change relationships among an extended, and messy, family.

The Onion A.V. Club

Though the show has been tense and taut in the early going, creator Shaun Cassidy needs to figure out how to parcel out a narrative in episode form, with little stories playing out under the shadow of the big one.

The New RepublicLee Siegel

The show moves swiftly and suspensefully.

TimeJames Poniewozik

None of these [new sci-fi] series matches Lost's mix of character, wit and story, but the grim Invasion at least has the story part down, and keeps the horror at a nicely restrained simmer

VarietyBrian Lowry

A child's quizzical utterance near the end of "Invasion" provides enough of a chill to warrant a return visit to what's otherwise a mildly intriguing pilot.

The New York TimesNed Martel

"Invasion" is a step up from many new offerings on the Sci Fi Channel, but never quite as intricate or engaging as the ABC hit "Lost."

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

The pilot is enough to make you curious -- if it holds your attention to the end, that is.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

The drama's murkiness becomes frustrating.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

"Invasion" offers a few scares, but it's more a sense of dread and something subtly awry that gives this drama its creepy vibe.

Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik

Borderline over-the-top moments threaten the sense of verisimilitude usually expected in prime-time drama.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

There is something too pat, too telegraphed in "Invasion" to rile up the blood.

Chicago TribuneSid Smith

The whole enterprise is a bit sophomoric and transparent, its behind-the-scenes political battles the stuff of canned Hollywood war movies.

SalonHeather Havrilesky

Features vaguely uninteresting characters, flat scenarios and a less-than-intriguing alien/swamp thing.