Human Target

NewsdayVerne Gay

Target is pure, utter, ridiculous, over-the-top-into-the-ravine entertainment.

Boston HeraldMark A. Perigard

Fox’s Human Target is the closest thing on TV to swigging a keg of Red Bull. It’s one hour of pure energy, a blast of fun action and stunts.

Entertainment WeeklyKen Tucker

Target is a helluva lot of fun. Valley delivers punchlines as well as he does elbows to the faces of villains.

VarietyBrian Lowry

Although the series departs from its comicbook roots, the premiere establishes a topnotch look, clever style and bigscreen tone. Perhaps most significantly, the second hour happily matches or surpasses the first.

Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara

Writer and executive producer Jonathan E. Steinberg does an admirable job preserving the smart-mouth humor and ker-pow, splat fun while creating story lines and characters grounded in the alpha-male charm that made guys like Pierce Brosnan, Bruce Willis and Robert Conrad so popular.

Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall

In that way, he's not unlike the super-competent Michael Westen from "Burn Notice," and "Human Target" has the same fun, retro-chic vibe as that USA series. But because it's on a broadcast network, the show works on a broader scale.

TV GuideMatt Roush

Mark Valley, droll and dashing, is long overdue a hit series, and I’d like to think this fast-paced piece of popcorn fluff could be the ticket. I’d watch Human Target for the retro-cool opening credits alone.

Zap2it (Inside the Box)Rick Porter

It's a somewhat old-fashioned and pretty kick-ass hour of TV, with great action sequences in the first two episodes and, probably more important, well-turned performances by its three regulars: Mark Valley, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley.

San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesChuck Barney

Whatever the case, it's a blast to watch Valley's character squirm his way out of a major mess, while keeping his droll sense of humor intact. Human Target never will be a big-time Emmy magnet, but as a piece of good, escapist fun, it definitely hits the mark.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

The tweaks this new Fox hour brings to the template are a higher degree of special-effects-fueled action, a faster pace and a consistently amusing tongue-in-cheek tone.

New York PostLinda Stasi

Think Jack Bauer with excellent grooming. Or in Jack's case, with any grooming [in] Fox's entertaining new all-action-all-the-time series.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

Right now it's an action-packed drama that entertains with ease. That's plenty good enough.

Chicago Sun-TimesPaige Wiser

I managed to follow the action without even trying. So if you find Jack Bauer overwhelming, try Human Target. It's the non-thinking man's "24."

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

Although this Valley is too deep at times, there are enough elements to provide a fun, action-packed experience.

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

Whether Chance has any actual superpowers might be a point worth debating if watching Human Target weren’t so much fun.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Seems like they're off to a decent start.

Deseret NewsScott D. Pierce

It's a slam-bang action adventure with comedy and a little bit of personal drama. And it doesn't aspire to be anything more than that.

People WeeklyTom Gliatto

The show, despite good stunt work, is clunkily overfamiliar. [1 Feb 2010, p.37]

Washington PostHank Stuever

The premise of this new series seems charmingly assembled from leftover "Magnum P.I." and "Spenser for Hire" polyforms kept in a storage bin somewhere.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

Nothing very important is happening here, but if you love "24" for its silliness rather than its sometimes muddled message, "Human Target" might just hit the bull's-eye for you.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

Human Target lays a good premise and an intriguing character over a fairly stock detective story. It's not the worst way to spend an hour.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

Human Target is perfectly adequate action fluff. It’s fast-paced, chock full of fight choreography, and filled with gimmicks including an out-of-control train and an upside-down airplane.

The New York TimesMike Hale

There’s too much hinting around about Chance’s troubled past--reflecting the solemn pretensions of the comic book-- and the writing, in terms of both humor and plotting, isn’t at the level of the show’s role models.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

Despite a terrific cast, Human Target feels like a soulless thing created from bits and pieces from better TV shows and movies.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Valley has long displayed a flinty appeal and here he adds a knowing sense of humor. But it will take more than that to get viewers interested enough to take aim at Human Target on a weekly basis.

PopMattersCynthia Fuchs

Even the flashy action is of a piece with all this conventional structuring, as Chance regularly takes a few minutes to run and jump or punch and shoot. Such predictability does Human Target no favors.