It’s a sci-fi hourlong, from writer Shaun Cassidy (“American Gothic,” “The Agency,” “Cold Case,” “The Mountain”) about a small town secretly plagued by extraterrestrial body snatchers who arrive in the wake of a hurricane. It stars Eddie Cibrian (“Third Watch”), Kari Matchett (“5ive Days to Midnight”), Ariel Gade (“Envy”), Evan Peters (“Sleepover”), Tyler Labine (“My Boss’s Daughter”), William Fichtner (“Crash”), Lisa Sheridan (“Freakylinks”), and Aisha Hinds (“The Shield”).
Variety says:
… 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 … For a while, the series seems as if it's going to be blown away by an interminable (and, given recent events, unfortunately timed) hurricane sequence, as well as a child-in-peril plot involving an annoyingly cute kid. Nor is it easy initially to track the extended soap-opera web of relationships. … unlike "Lost," which had the brilliant device of the flashbacks to flesh out its array of characters, "Invasion" must inch this narrative forward with more alacrity or risk losing impatient viewers
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… 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. … The premiere, even with its well-drawn characters, raises countless questions but provides virtually no answers. That's fine for the opener but, at some point soon, the series needs to take on more shape and direction or run the danger of becoming a mecca for a cult following of Internet chatters. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… 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 Orlando Sentinel gives it three stars (out of five) and says:
… the drama's murkiness becomes frustrating. … William Fichtner exudes creepiness as the sheriff who's Mariel's new husband. Tyler Labine provides refreshing comic relief as Russell's goofy brother-in-law. Maybe Invasion will become more of a serial about a fractured family. But in the premiere, Cassidy doesn't dangle enough lures to hook the audience. The hurricane sequence provides laughable, unbelievable moments. The show endangers characters with trite terror, pushing one to put his hand in obviously dangerous waters at night (a trick repeated by NBC in Surface).
Newsday says:
Here's the twist in this latest psychological stew from "American Gothic" creator Shaun Cassidy. If your family members are acting so peculiar they might as well be aliens, well, perhaps they are. Cassidy likes probing the injured souls of parents and kids, so here he echoes the setup of his 1995 CBS cult fave (which hits DVD Oct. 25), further fracturing the family into a divorced structure with new spouses to complicate matters. Then he revisits the spooky authority figure who just might be evil personified, a la Gary Cole's demonic Southern "Gothic" sheriff. William Fichtner gets the Southern sheriff role this time, all eerily serene as a new husband of doctor and divorced mom Kari Matchett. … Take away the apparent "War of the Worlds" overtones, and you'd still have a pretty interesting saga. 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. …
USA Today gives it four (out of four) stars and says:
… not just the best pilot of the season, it's also the best broadcast premiere since Lost. … Clearly, like Lost, Invasion is layered in secrets: Peel one off, and a new one reveals itself. Those kinds of shows are notoriously hard to maintain, but all we can ask of a pilot is that it create a world and draw us in, and Invasion does so in sterling fashion. …
TV Guide says:
… Invasion gets off to a spectacular start. We meet likeable characters and are immediately drawn into their exotic, isolated world. …
10 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.
for just $129.99!! That’s like all 144 hours for – what? – 90 cents per hour!! A better Christmukkah gift is unimaginable!!!
