Critic Reviews

The best new network show of the season...It's bright, it's dark, it's stylized, it's realistic - in short, I haven't been this enthusiastic about a dramatic network show since "CSI" and haven't been as happy with an ABC show since "Alias."

If you're looking for the season's smartest, most comfy and engaging new thriller, 'Sisco' is it.

If Karen Sisco can keep its tart tone, heady pacing and scripts that continue to respect viewers' intelligence, there ought to be an audience for this. [1 Oct 2003, p.C5]

Sisco smolders but never flames up or burns out, played by Gugino with a steady, unflinching calm that reflects a character who never makes presumptions and who's willing to see the shades of gray in typically black and white situations, like any great Leonard hero or heroine. [1 Oct 2003, p.61]

Karen Sisco, from the very first frame, is a stunner - and a keeper.

A witty, mature drama that can hit both the chest and the heart.

One of the pluses of Karen Sisco is that, true to Leonard's fiction, the fugitives Karen tracks are more than generic baddies. [1 Oct 2003, p.G1]

With striking eyes and a seductive smile, she's pretty much the only thing you see when she's on the screen. But Gugino doesn't get by on looks alone. She impressively balances toughness with a sultry vulnerability and plays Karen with a well-modulated nonchalance that brings an air of mystery to the character. And through it all, she avoids coming across as a cartoonish action hero. [1 Oct 2003, p.D01]

TV needs another cop drama like it needs another makeover show, but when the genre gets an injection of energy like this, attention must be paid. [1 Oct 2003, p.4]

Most crime dramas these days, from Law & Order to CSI, concentrate on procedure. Karen Sisco favors personality -- and what a wonderful change of pace it is. [1 Oct 2003, p.E1]