A silly but generally watchable enough new series about a family of spies, NBC’s new hourlong “Allegiance” was adapted from an Israeli series by George Nolfi, writer or co-writer of big-screen projects “Timeline,” “Ocean’s Twelve,” “The Sentinel,” “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “The Adjustment Bureau.”
It stars Hope Davis (“In Treatment,” “The Newsroom”) and Scott Cohen (“Gilmore Girls,” “The Carrie Diaries”) as former KGB agents who used their loins to produce both a hot Russian spy and a ridiculously brainy CIA analyst.
Well, sometimes ridiculously brainy. Sometimes he seems smarter than any human being could possibly be. At others he doesn’t even seem as smart as I am.
The cliffhanger that ends the first episode is crazy-pants, but I think it could get a lot of viewers to tune into its second episode. But doing so could precipitate a flood of regret. Because things get even crazier-pants (and not in a good way) next week.
Though “Allegiance” is set in contemporary New York, I dare you to try to find a review that does not mention “The Americans”:
... There are too many characters — including various hierarchies in the CIA, FBI and SVR (the latter-day KGB) — the creative team (led by producer George Nolfi) haven't bothered to make interesting enough to make anyone want to learn their names, let alone to care about their clashing agendas. It's not terrible, but rather aggressively mediocre. …
... a fairly conventional network series and not nearly as subtle and complex as “The Americans.” That doesn’t mean the NBC version is unwatchable, though, just more homogenized and predictable. “Allegiance” is a contorted spy story with a Slavic kick to it, and it’s kind of fun. …
... Early episodes are, regrettably, filled with television tropes (Alex has an Asperger-like brilliance, a wise-cracking mentor and an attractive female partner) and a few accidentally hilarious film references (the third episode involves the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia where it is difficult not to scan the crowd for Nicolas Cage and the "National Treasure" team). Still, "Allegiance" could evolve into the show it clearly hopes to be. But only if it plays to its strength, which is to say Hope Davis.
... exhibits the pacing and requisite preposterousness of most network action-dramas (see: “State of Affairs”), with the usual added silliness of wildly upgraded technology …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... not terrible, although its characters are paper-thin, and, beyond feeling derivative, the show isn’t all that credible. It feels like a TV show, not a believable real-world story, which makes it difficult to buy into the central conceit. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... moderately engaging at first, until it squanders much of its fragile credibility in what can only be judged as a desperate attempt to set itself apart from “The Americans.” …
... Judging from the first three episodes, he’s more idiot than idiot savant. …
... The central premise feels much more like a launching pad for a miniseries or “limited event” run, but if the creative team can maintain the quality of the first few episodes, they might find viewers declaring their loyalty to “Allegiance.”…
... The potentially suspenseful premise is undercut by plodding storytelling and a cast lacking chemistry. …
... Allegiance isn't The Americans, which is OK — and just OK. …
... what emerges proves fast-paced and enjoyable in a check-your-brain-at-the-door kind of way, with the disclaimer that the perilous premise can take a left turn from amusingly silly to distractingly ridiculous at any moment. …
… a broadcast network series that doesn't have the writing or the acting chops to compete with its FX counterpart. ... NBC's modern-day Russian spy series has a whole different set of problems aside from being compared to FX's Cold War-era Russian spy series. For starters, in an effort to hook viewers, Allegiance has to strenuously ramp up the storytelling energy, but it hits such a frantic pace that you can't imagine the show being able to sustain it, or viewers to endure it, over the course of an entire season. …
10 p.m. Thursday. NBC.
