I am – Hercules!!

A winning supernatural action-comedy from writer-producers Tara Butters & Michele Fazekas (“The X-Files,” “Ed”), “Reaper” is about a college dropout who learns on his 21st birthday that he was long ago inadvertently sold by his parents to Satan. Satan gives the kid unholy superpowers and a job hunting down Hell’s escapees.

Ray Wise of “Twin Peaks” fame is hilariously avuncular as The Devil, and it’s hard not to love the way the fat friend keeps besting the devil dogs.

USA Today gives it three and a half stars (out of four) and says:

… a supernaturally amusing refuge in a season that otherwise threatens to be paradise lost. … rather than play the devil like a substitute dad, Wise and the writers make a much funnier choice, turning him into a sort of warped CEO who sees himself as a mentor. Sure, he can be scary, as when he shows Sam the risks of giving up, but more often he's encouraging. It sets up a witty give-and-take dynamic …

Entertainment Weekly gives it am “A-minus” and says:

… With his shock of salt-and-pepper hair and his handsome-bad-man face, Wise has taken on many villainous roles over the years, but he's a standout comic here, playing the devil as a rascal on holiday, perpetually pleased with his awesomeness. He cooks chicken-fried steak in Sam's kitchen, gleefully noting how lucky he is not to have arteries …

The New York Times says:

… Comedy is hard to sustain in an hourlong episode, but “Reaper” mixes supernatural derring-do with deadpan slacker humor. It works, in large part thanks to Mr. Labine, who steals every scene he is in as a Seth Rogen-like sidekick. …

The Los Angeles Times says:

… it helps that the Devil (Ray Wise, from "Twin Peaks" and "24"), when he suddenly appears in the back seat of Sam's car, seems like not such a bad guy himself, more mentor than menace. ("Are you carjacking me?" "For this? If it was an Escalade -- maybe.") He is full of what might be called devilish good humor, calls Sam "Kiddo" and "Sammy," and will be the unexpected agent of Sam's maturity. … maintains a nice fairy tale tone even as it stresses the banality of the infernal. …

The Washington Post says:

… works on its own cleverly devilish level and proves one of the happier, snappier surprises of the season. It helps considerably that Sam is engagingly played by Bret Harrison and the Devil dexterously depicted by Ray Wise, who adroitly avoids the obvious and invests Old Red with more pizazz than he's usually had in movies, plays or other TV shows in which he's figured. … "Reaper" can be taken half seriously or only a quarter seriously and still be royally enjoyed -- a devilish good time, a helluva show, all that sort of thing, and a remarkably disarming lark besides.

The Boston Herald says:

… unexpectedly sweet, blessed with equal elements of comedy and action. … Wise has the time of his life in a role that calls for him to act both charming and menacing. His talents haven’t been put to such good use since he played Laura Palmer’s twisted dad on “Twin Peaks.” …

The Boston Globe says:

… All the details have color, and so do the characters, right down to Sam's guilt-ridden parents, with whom he still lives. And there are fleeting hints of drama in the scenario that will surely gain momentum and weight - if the show doesn't wind up in cancellation hell, that is. Now that would be an infernal shame. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… If you had made a drinking contest out of finding logical inconsistencies, you'd be in an alcohol stupor right about now. But why worry about all that when you can enjoy the unexpected thrills, the sweetness of Sam's crush on fellow box store worker Andi (Missy Peregrym), the occasional bits of devilish humor and Wise's silky smooth portrayal of Satan? The show is being bought and sold on its fun factor, and its future depends entirely on how much is put in succeeding episodes.

9 p.m. Tuesday. The CW.

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