MTV’s “Teen Wolf,” in which the lead gets his superpowers from a bite rather than his dad's DNA, is masterminded by “Criminal Minds” vet Jeff Davis.
… a pretty by-the-numbers blend of teen angst and horror. … the goals of this "Teen Wolf" are so modest that, even though it meets them, I'd be more likely to listen to Mark Safan's synth-heavy "Win in the End" anthem from the 1985 movie than I am to become a regular viewer. …
… seems to believe an MTV scripted series is, more or less, a CW series, except less original. … The idea, in a nutshell, seems to be: "One of those vampire shows that girls like now, except with werewolves." …
… There is not much originality in this darker remake of the Michael J. Fox comedy, but it's well-executed and amusingly self-aware and boasts fine performances by Tyler Posey as the nerd-turned-wolfboy and Dylan O'Brien as his best friend. It takes a bit too long to get to where adults will know it's going, but odds are teenagers won't mind, and they're the target. …
… has more to say than “Jersey Shore.” ...
… Though there is some satisfaction in being reminded that supernatural curses were being used as metaphors for adolescence long before "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer was born (the original "Teen Wolf" was a homage/rip-off of the classic 1957 "I Was a Teenage Werewolf"), that may be all the satisfaction a viewer can derive from "Teen Wolf." … creator Jeff Davis also helps himself to the most obvious conceits of the high school drama … would be a much better show if it took its own advice — stop trying to imitate other people and just be yourself.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… definitely hews closer to "Twilight" than it does the original "Teen Wolf." … On a network where "Jersey Shore" is the biggest hit, it's sort of low-bar gutsy to see the network put forth a series with a smart kid in the leading role. But before I oversell "Teen Wolf," let me be clear: This is still pretty much a teen fantasy soap. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… billed as scarier and sexier than the lighthearted film series. It is that, but still plays it safer than, say, "Vampire Diaries" or the "Twilight" films. …
… the legend is fully intact and somewhat stylishly if unimpressively arranged …
… doesn’t bring much of anything new or vital to the table, as the show cycles through all the clichés of being a high school geek crushing on a girl who looks 10 years older than you. “Teen Wolf’’ is sharing the TV world right now with some far more inventive monster series, including “True Blood’’ and the BBC version of “Being Human,’’ and it’s arriving in the wake of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’’ The bar is so much higher than this overly familiar material …
... the pilot - tonally a macabre serial, not a comedy - sinks its fangs in just deep enough to likely inspire a respectable number of viewers return in less than a blue moon. … represents less a bold leap for MTV than a calculated hop, conceived to leverage the channel's existing marketing machinery. And in keeping with that ethos, as in "RJ Berger" the few adults depicted are initially reduced to the role of cardboard scenery. …
11 p.m. Sunday. MTV.
