Panic: Season 1 - TV Reviews (2024)

A gripping tale of class strife and thrilling danger, Panic is a guaranteed instant hit.

Full Review | Sep 27, 2022

There are so many twists and reversals that by the end, Panic can no longer spring back into coherent narrative shape.

Full Review | Jul 1, 2021

Panic has its share of flaws, but if you're in the market for a compulsively watchable teen drama that doesn't require much intellectual commitment from the viewer, it might just be the perfect summer show.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 9, 2021

It has a seamy "sin and scandal in a small town" vibe that's not unlike Riverdale, but Olivia Welch breathes such life and pathos into main character Heather that this series transcends cliches.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 8, 2021

Panic Season 1 has a character problem, not so much from the main group of people, but from having a large number of those involved in the story.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.6/5 | Jun 7, 2021

The series has a good idea and an engaging young cast, but it's hard to see it sustaining 10 episodes.

Full Review | Jun 7, 2021

Panic is a nail-biter of a series that, even with a familiar formula, goes to unexpected places. It's as dramatic and pastiche as any teenage media ought to be...

Full Review | Jun 5, 2021

It finds its real stride in building out complex characters, some of whom aren't even playing the game. And it's a show that understands how everyone in real life sees themselves as the protagonist of their own story.

Full Review | Jun 4, 2021

A true edge of your seat type thriller with so much more to watch for than the game - lots of mysteries with twists and turns - while perfectly setting up for season two.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 4, 2021

"Panic," in its best moments, suggests that facing down individual demons doesn't really matter when the demons can make money off of you

Full Review | Jun 4, 2021

Panic has a difficult time finding its focus, and the YA tropes are abundant, but it has the potential to be a special series.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Jun 3, 2021

If you're the type who can vibe out with a trashy teen drama, "Panic" might just be the show for you.

Full Review | Jun 2, 2021

Panic does not exist to challenge your mind; it exists merely to occupy it. To that end, it is wildly successful.

Full Review | Jun 2, 2021

Panic is an entertaining show for thrill-seekers who would watch a real-life version of the game, which makes it a shame that the show doesn't focus enough on the game itself.

Full Review | Jun 1, 2021

It is so fun, it's so twisted.

Full Review | Jun 1, 2021

So much of the show also requires viewers to suspend their disbelief-remember, there is a tiger on the loose-that it feels like various aspects of the story are in constant opposition with one another.

Full Review | Original Score: 5.5/10 | Jun 1, 2021

It's not every fictional series that has a "don't try this at home" disclaimer attached.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Jun 1, 2021

It would be one thing if the show were brain-dead but emotionally rich, messily interesting or just plain fun... [But] the obligatory love triangle between Heather, Bishop and Ray is so insubstantial, it practically evaporates into thin air.

Full Review | Jun 1, 2021

This is precisely the kind of thing I want to watch as summer rolls in. Is it great TV? Not really. It it a blast anyway? Absolutely.

Full Review | Jun 1, 2021

Rather than being The Hunger Games transplanted to an unremarkable small town, it's merely a bloodless Saw for tweens.

Full Review | May 30, 2021