Critic Reviews

Steven Soderbergh's The Knick is exhilaratingly alien.

Soderbergh has created a vibrant, dark and above all alluring Gotham. Owen's Thackery is its bracing human counterpart.

The Knick is the most detailed show on TV, but by grounding the characters in timeless themes--addiction, class, race, desire, competition--the show transcends its undeniable craftsmanship to become something even greater, something uniquely incredible in today’s TV world. In arguably the best year of television to date, it still stands out.

The show was created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, but it's Soderbergh's vision, from the brilliant but unusual score (minimalist electronic music) to the wry camera angles (the series opens on Owen's shoes as he lounges in a brothel). For a period piece, it's strikingly contemporary--and quite gory, although the surgery scenes never feel gratuitous.

The Knick rides the beautifully brutal, brutally beautiful nexus of 2014’s televised finest--Hannibal, True Detective, and The Leftovers all leap to mind--set aside by moments of true hope.

The Knick towers above previous original dramas Strike Back and Banshee, giving Cinemax a gold star on an increasingly crowded boulevard of bravura television.

Almost every scene demands that the viewer asks why it was presented in that particular fashion--not in a way that distracts from the narrative, but only helps convey the themes of the piece. And as the series jumps ahead to 1901, it's becoming more ambitious in those themes and its articulation of them.

Not since Deadwood has a period-drama production designed to a fare-thee-well and steeped in nasty atmosphere been so politically astute about who has power over whom and why--although the subtler brand of gallows humor and Soderbergh’s fondness for intricately choreographed long takes aligns The Knick with a different TV classic that Deadwood creator David Milch worked on, Hill Street Blues.

The Knick is an astonishing new medical drama that has the potential to be one of the year’s best and most talked-about shows, as well as a breakthrough into TV series excellence for its star, Clive Owen, and its director and executive producer, Steven Soderbergh.

The second season picks up immediately with Soderbergh's visual flourishes and sense of when to use music or make what amounts to a soundless cloud that surrounds his perfectly framed shots.... That said, The Knick is more than just a visual tour de force. The writing continues to stand out and the characters evolve, while the acting remains top-notch.