Crisis ultimately gets its priorities straight by giving viewers a reason to care--about the characters, outcome and mystery.

The story itself relies on a series of coincidences that may be improbable, but the character responses feel authentic.

Based on Sunday's pilot episode, Crisis has the potential to be one of the spring season's most addictive network offerings. It's intense and suspenseful.

The mood music in Crisis can be over-wrought at times--and downright over-bearing when a male vocalist breaks into “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.” But the first two hours are nicely paced and eventful, with the ad hoc partnership between Marcus and an initially resistant Susie gaining traction as the stakes increase.

A little over the top--well, actually, a lot over the top--the pilot is filled with one eye-rolling surprise after another.

Crisis needs to lean more Blacklist: If you’re going to be dumb, at least be a good time about it.

You don’t have to take Crisis too seriously; it will happily do that for you, spreading its pompous misery evenly among a cast large enough to fill at least three or four mediocre TV shows, if you count all the teenagers.

10/10 This is a very high quality TV series and has a lot of content that can be added to it. Despite some critics arguing that it will be impossible to make it multi-season. In my opinion all the script writers have to do is create a new plot each season. Season 1 will be about the hostage crisis and Season 2 could be something else inter-related. I REALLY enjoyed watching the Pilot and enjoyed how different it was from cheesy TV series such has NCIS and action- packed but otherwise lacking Hawaii Five 0. This is the ultimate police police mystery drama being played today. Others include another NBC start up series Chicago P.D. but I find Chicago P.D. heavily lacking in plot. It seems like the plot is never going to be advanced because of how seemly unrelated each episode is. Crisis is an awesome and mind blowing TV series that SHOULD be renewed for a second season.

Oh, no! Another kidnapped school bus full of kids. I've lost count. Isn't that the opening of three or four series so far? At any rate, the pilot of "Crisis" was extremely well set and produced. Reasonably good suspense. Some (and only some) interesting characters. Many, many stereotypes. It held my attention but my mind kept repeating over and over, "This whole concept is ridiculous." And it is. I will stick around to see what happens but I suspect I will bail out about as soon as I did on "Hostages".

I really don't see how the show 'Crisis' is going to translate into a multi season vehicle for NBC. The premise has already failed multiple times in past years. The only thing that makes this different -- this time the hostages are kids. Think 80's, think 'Toy Soldiers' and you got it. Kids trapped in a building and someone is trying to get them out. Wow, wonder how this will end? Umm they get saved? The pilot ended with me having no hint of a connection to the characters. I don't even feel the kids are in any real danger. There were attempts to have contrived "moments" that would make me care, didn't work, I don't. The dialogue seems better fitted for a student film or B movie. One line zingers, minus the zing and the typical CSI styled fill in the blank commentary that accompanies most action/dramas that are on air today. Lance Gross tried his best to channel his inner John Mcclane but I'd rather just watch Die Hard on blue ray. As hard as it is to get a break in the industry today, this project made it to my screen? Just wow! Either NBC is saying they just don't care, or some of the higher ups in those nice comfy offices need to play musical chairs...because this show really ****. Don't get too excited about the initial ratings, they will drop off significantly if what you aired tonight is all you have in store. 'Crisis' gets two thumbs down and a series cancel on my DVR.

Crisis is ultimately bad in every aspect. The worst of all is that it's the type of series that one doesn't take seriously but has fun; Crisis, however, takes itself so serious that it becomes hilarious. Dermot Mulroney is pathetic as the super-smart villain-who-became-hero and everything gets so unbelievable by the mid-end that you keep wondering why you still watch this. I'd probably should be reading a book or spending some quality time. Whatever that means.

Holy crap. I don't think I've ever seen a show go downhill so significantly in such a short amount of time. I mean, it's common for shows to fizzle after a première but damn, did this show go into the gutter awfully quick. First of all, the pilot was very imperfect but it held my attention, even though it relied mostly on trickery. Despite some awful dialogue and a plot that would probably wear thin over time, I thought that I'd still kinda dig this series. Boy, was I wrong. The next two episodes are a snorefest and seem to work as padding. There comes a point when you can't take the bad dialogue and bland characters. That moment came sooner to me than I expected it to. I just don't care at all what happens next. I mean, what will happen next? Gee, I don't know, a parent will do something stupid and then never make a significant contribution to the plot again? This is the type of concept that simply doesn't work for TV. It plays out like an action movie a bit too much, and the writers are given no choice but to give us uninteresting plots to stall until the climax. Hell, I can take the fact that I don't give a **** about anyone in an action movie. But with an inexcusably terrible script, boring stories that are similar to one and other, and surprises that rely on nothing but cheap plot twists, you've got a show that's generally worthless. I usually like to wait a bit longer before I dismiss a show, but I don't think I can stand another minute.