In every episode there are at least two moments that make me roll my eyes at the ridiculous behaviour of characters BUT this show is still entertaining and we looked forward to every episode, because it did keep you hanging on to see the outcome. Give it a try!
549 Reviews
The reason I watched
ruthburley25 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a big fan of Ryan Phillippe. He was one big reason I decided to put this one on my watch list. I feel like this was a bait & switch & I'm pissed off about it. We'll see how it goes, but shame on you for false advertising !!!
Soapy start, then the twist....
mlv-lb20 November 2020
The first 3/4 of the show seemed to be silly soapy drama in the mountains... the teenage girls inviting trouble like fools...the girlfight ...silly.
But then, in what seemed like a casual exchange, the entire dynamic and direction of the show changed...now the way evil lurks in the seemingly benign corners of a given community, the additional layer of mystery we didn't expect and the terrifying danger of those victimized makes this a show to watch. I think it will only get better from here.
But then, in what seemed like a casual exchange, the entire dynamic and direction of the show changed...now the way evil lurks in the seemingly benign corners of a given community, the additional layer of mystery we didn't expect and the terrifying danger of those victimized makes this a show to watch. I think it will only get better from here.
It's more enjoyable as a pastime
AfricanBro30 July 2022
If you get into it expecting a great series then you'll probably get disappointed. It's one of those shows I started watching as a pastime and just kept on, plus I had only seen Katheryn Winnick in Vikings and loved her character so I wanted to see what she's like in something else. The idea of the show's decent, starts as a drama involving minor league sex traffickers and a pair of private investigators looking for them. It's not the most captivating but it's a decent show. There are some unconvincing scenes that just seemed disingenuous and effortless from the writers; and some of the actors performances are over the top at times. Some dialogue's also painfully predictable and the plot and/or characters often get riddled with silly decisions. There are of course several side plots added to the main one, I am impressed with how brave they are with adding or changing stories instead of just dragging one mystery all season. I was surprised how quickly the story developed, solved the mysteries halfway through the season so I was curious to what the remaining 8 episodes were going to be about since most shows often go for 10 episode only seasons; I was amazed that the story kept building, there aren't any filler episodes. I hate daytime cop shows because they don't take time to develop the plot, they find the villain, chase him down and have him arrested all in one episode; Big sky actually takes the time.
That's Big Sky's best feature in my opinion. I also liked that some episodes ending on cliff hangers or twists to get you enticed for the next. It's one of those shows you might enjoy better if you get invested and have no high expectations getting into it. Despite it not being that great, I still think it's an okay show, something to watch when you have nothing else to.
That's Big Sky's best feature in my opinion. I also liked that some episodes ending on cliff hangers or twists to get you enticed for the next. It's one of those shows you might enjoy better if you get invested and have no high expectations getting into it. Despite it not being that great, I still think it's an okay show, something to watch when you have nothing else to.
It's not a "Yellowstone" inspired, it's the "Big Little Lies" formula
emboquet19 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This show is very obviously inspired by the success of Big Little Lies not Yellowstone, so some of you are missing the focus from the start. If you've seen BLL it's clear that abc was going for a copy- from the music, to the way the scenery is shot, and of course the show creator is the same. Also anyone calling this a soap opera compared to Yellowstone, you realize Yellowstone is totally a night time soap opera right? It'a like "Dallas" shot forty years later in Montana.
It's also annoying that people rate a series on here based on five minutes of watching... if you don't even watch the whole first episode don't rate or review the show! That is idiotic.
I enjoyed the first epsiode, and will keep watching to see what happens. It had faults (that bar fight- ugh!! So dumb and so bad, and killing off the best character at the end) but I'm interested and I think it has potential. The twist was unexpected for me at the end and the shock was in a good way.
I will not rate the series until I see a lot more, but I rate this one episode between a 7 and 8. I marked 9 here to balance people who didn't even finish the episode before throwing down a 1. I've seen horrible shows that perhaps deserve a 1 and this show isn't even the same category as those levels of bad.
It's also annoying that people rate a series on here based on five minutes of watching... if you don't even watch the whole first episode don't rate or review the show! That is idiotic.
I enjoyed the first epsiode, and will keep watching to see what happens. It had faults (that bar fight- ugh!! So dumb and so bad, and killing off the best character at the end) but I'm interested and I think it has potential. The twist was unexpected for me at the end and the shock was in a good way.
I will not rate the series until I see a lot more, but I rate this one episode between a 7 and 8. I marked 9 here to balance people who didn't even finish the episode before throwing down a 1. I've seen horrible shows that perhaps deserve a 1 and this show isn't even the same category as those levels of bad.
Good pilot, great start
Top_Dawg_Critic18 November 2020
As far as the overall production goes, the pilot was well directed, has a nice country setting, and great cinematography. Casting and performances are excellent, and it's good to see John Carroll Lynch and Ragnar Lothbrok's wife in Vikings, Katheryn Winnick. I'm hoping this series doesn't have too many melodramatics mixed in with soap-opera romances, and sticks to the story at hand. The ending was certainly a surprise and leaves an entirely new dynamic from the initially perceived plot-line. I'll adjust my review and rating if need be as the season progresses. So for the pilot, it's an 8/10 from me.
Bad Scheduling
SRT5J26 September 2021
It's definitely got it's issues. Sometimes I find myself asking..."why am I watching this?" However, the fact that I do indeed keep on watching must mean something. However, this, like many other shows, just seems intent to shoot itself in the foot. Show two episodes, then off for 3 weeks, show another 2 and then off for 3 weeks again. That's no way to keep an audiences interested.
What's with the bad reviews??
serenity-5424 November 2020
I dont leave reviews often but after seeing all the negative reviews I felt I had to give my input. I don't get it. I found the pilot episode riveting and got more so as it went along. Shocking twists and edge of the seat scenes. Great acting. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
2 month break?
craigschwier31 December 2020
I really like this show but to release only five episodes and take a two month break......why? I just asked my wife "what was the name of that show we really liked about the kidnapping?" "What ever happened to that? Was it canceled?" It seems to me it's a good way to get people to lose interest.
I'm out
pumping_iron-123 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
First the positive. The cast is beautiful. All the characters are very attractive people. The first season held a lot of promise. The story was interesting and I could hardly wait for the next episode. Now the negative. The acting is horrible. Not one good actor in the cast. I thought I was watching Lifetime or LMN. The stories started going downhill for me with the Tonya and Donno story. What was that relationship all about. Were they just business associates? Were they falling in love? What was their end game? Did they get away with their crimes? Then there was the Buck and Sunny story. How weird was that! It also annoyed me that when Buck kidnapped Denise and Emily, the sheriff never showed any concern for finding Denise. He only worried about finding his daughter Emily. He was the sheriff and his duty was to show concern and protect everyone in the town. Well , I won't be watching anymore. The actors are too stiff and dry. The stories drag on too long and get boring. The characters get boring.
Disappointing
spikerchick01330 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This show had me hooked off the pilot. But about halfway through the first season, they kill off their strongest, most interesting character, and then the entire show goes off the rails. The characterization of the main villain totally changes without warning or explanation, and then we completely stop focusing on the hunt for him & instead we focus on a random, unconnected story about a corrupt family farm, which then fizzles out and doesn't matter at all. It feels like they couldn't come up with enough from plotline A to fill a whole season, so they had to shoehorn in a less developed plotline B to fill time. Would have been a great show had they been restricted to a 10-12 episode season, but network TV doesn't usually work that way.
Talented actors wasted by abysmal writing .
Stevensson18 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
After all the hype from the social media . I expected something near to the quality of HBO and Netflix . Given the good cast but oh boy was i wrong ! I can't belive this show was written by the same guy who created some decent shows back in the day ( BIG LITTLE LIES - GOLIATH - MR MERCEDES - BOSTON LEGAL ) and the list goes on .
- The dialogues are cheesy asf
- The plot itslef is a joke ( Two women fight for a man - the detective slept with his ex wife and also having an affair with his co-worker. Really ????? and don't let get me started with the truck chase it's one of the most unrealistic things i have ever scene in my life )
So far it's so good
robynmichelle-3741420 November 2020
What is the point?
rwynn-935-17746613 November 2021
Vastly different from the books
djmotiv23 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
So if you're a fan of the Cassie Dewell series of books, which I am, you should approach this with an open mind.
There are aspects of the books that obviously would have been too gory for TV and character development on a TV show requires more connection with a wider group of people to create appeal - so we get a lot more differing personality angles of people who were only supporting characters in the books. Jenny Hoyt is a prime example - she's a minor character in the books who doesn't feature much beyond Cody's death.
The Lizard King differs wildly from his book counterpart, as does his mother who is a hoarder and overweight in the book. Cassie herself is also described as having problems with her weight in the books, but not here. Legarski is killed when shot by Cassie in the book, he's also divorced and there's an additional backstory to the young girls - originating from the Back of Beyond book featuring Cody Hoyt is the main character.
Erik, who is Kyle in the books is a major character in the North Dakota set Badlands book and he doesn't meet the Lizard King until the following book.
Long story short - don't expect the books or even a close follow of the books, as the stories have been mashed into a made for TV series.
Does it work? Yes, kind of. I approached it as both connected but isolated from the books and in that respect it works.
I am however looking forward to the new Cassie Dewell book due out September 2022 for my next fix.
There are aspects of the books that obviously would have been too gory for TV and character development on a TV show requires more connection with a wider group of people to create appeal - so we get a lot more differing personality angles of people who were only supporting characters in the books. Jenny Hoyt is a prime example - she's a minor character in the books who doesn't feature much beyond Cody's death.
The Lizard King differs wildly from his book counterpart, as does his mother who is a hoarder and overweight in the book. Cassie herself is also described as having problems with her weight in the books, but not here. Legarski is killed when shot by Cassie in the book, he's also divorced and there's an additional backstory to the young girls - originating from the Back of Beyond book featuring Cody Hoyt is the main character.
Erik, who is Kyle in the books is a major character in the North Dakota set Badlands book and he doesn't meet the Lizard King until the following book.
Long story short - don't expect the books or even a close follow of the books, as the stories have been mashed into a made for TV series.
Does it work? Yes, kind of. I approached it as both connected but isolated from the books and in that respect it works.
I am however looking forward to the new Cassie Dewell book due out September 2022 for my next fix.
Everything is bad BUT.......
cfoster-437943 December 2020
Acting bad, writing bad, characters bad.
Only thing that saved this show and had me watching is the story. It's pretty interesting and I want to know how it turns out. That's the only reason I'm sticking around.
Oh and the main sheriff is pretty good though. He's the best actor in the whole show.
Well this pilot episode's ending surely grabbed my attention!!!
Ed-Shullivan18 November 2020
Great start with a shocking surprise ending in the pilot episode which I for one did not see coming at all. Prostitutes as well as young school aged girls have gone missing in every state for many years now and if you have ever watched TV crime shows such as Forensic Files, Dateline and/or 20/20 , there are always clues left behind which sometimes lead to an arrest and ultimately to a conviction, but there are also many open investigations which have remained open for decades.
In the Big Sky pilot episode we witness a young prostitute at a truck stop being abducted, as well as two sisters who were on a road trip when there car suddenly breaks down late at night. (No spoiler here, this scene was advertised a thousand times in the series preview commercials for the past few months).
So the chase has begun to find out what happened to the two missing sisters who were expected to arrive in Montana hours earlier but they never showed up. The young man Justin Hoyt (Gage Marsh) who was waiting for his girlfriend Danielle Sullivan (Natalie Alyn Lind) and her sister Grace (Jade Pettyjohn) to show up at his place is worried so he calls his dad Cody Hoyt (Ryan Phillippe) and mom Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) who own a Private Investigation firm who jump into action as they know how important the first 24 hours are in finding missing persons.
The private investigator Cody Hoyt is currently seperated from his wife and has been romantically involved with his other female detective Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury) who also works with his wife Jenny who is a former policewoman. So there is marriage strife at the Hoyt detective agency as well as some uncomfortable moments between the two female detectives. As all these relationship issues are going on in the office, Cody Hoyt hits the road to see if he can assist his son Justin in finding Justin's missing girlfriend Danelle and her sister Grace.
There is a state trooper named Rick Legarski played by the always impressive John Carroll Lynch who would rather be out helping motorists on the highways he patrols rather than spending any quality time with his wife as they are now empty nester parents.
This pilot episode is a great start which had an even greater ending for the pilot episode. I hope the series which includes truckers, prostitutes, state patrolman, private investigators, missing women, and kidnappers leads us up and down the highway with more intrigue and surprises.
I give this the pilot episode a perfect 10 out of 10 IMDB rating.
In the Big Sky pilot episode we witness a young prostitute at a truck stop being abducted, as well as two sisters who were on a road trip when there car suddenly breaks down late at night. (No spoiler here, this scene was advertised a thousand times in the series preview commercials for the past few months).
So the chase has begun to find out what happened to the two missing sisters who were expected to arrive in Montana hours earlier but they never showed up. The young man Justin Hoyt (Gage Marsh) who was waiting for his girlfriend Danielle Sullivan (Natalie Alyn Lind) and her sister Grace (Jade Pettyjohn) to show up at his place is worried so he calls his dad Cody Hoyt (Ryan Phillippe) and mom Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) who own a Private Investigation firm who jump into action as they know how important the first 24 hours are in finding missing persons.
The private investigator Cody Hoyt is currently seperated from his wife and has been romantically involved with his other female detective Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury) who also works with his wife Jenny who is a former policewoman. So there is marriage strife at the Hoyt detective agency as well as some uncomfortable moments between the two female detectives. As all these relationship issues are going on in the office, Cody Hoyt hits the road to see if he can assist his son Justin in finding Justin's missing girlfriend Danelle and her sister Grace.
There is a state trooper named Rick Legarski played by the always impressive John Carroll Lynch who would rather be out helping motorists on the highways he patrols rather than spending any quality time with his wife as they are now empty nester parents.
This pilot episode is a great start which had an even greater ending for the pilot episode. I hope the series which includes truckers, prostitutes, state patrolman, private investigators, missing women, and kidnappers leads us up and down the highway with more intrigue and surprises.
I give this the pilot episode a perfect 10 out of 10 IMDB rating.
Starts good but...
veinctor17 February 2021
The first 5 episodes were good. But after that, it was like they were pushing it. The ending was anticlimactic. And felt like a Tesla ad.
I liked the first episode because it actually trolls the audience into thinking that the main character is the main character.
I liked the first episode because it actually trolls the audience into thinking that the main character is the main character.
Hilarious
dk77725 June 2021
After a somewhat promising first episode, the show becomes hilarious.
The script is catastrophic, the dialogues are so unrealistic that the show resembles a parody.
After a somewhat watchable first episode, the show goes in a predictable direction and becomes tedious. The third episode is especially hilarious, so unrealistic that it really acts like a parody.
Three episodes are quite enough to conclude that it is not worth wasting time on this disaster.
Every police officer in the show is either lazy and stupid or evil, and Ronald's mother is a total caricature, but the other characters are equally hilarious. Their behavior is completely unrealistic, and the dialogues only confirm that those who wrote this show had no intention of entertaining the viewer at all.
The cast isn't bad, but that's it, everything else is a disaster.
Writing is pathetic, the entertainment industry has nothing to do with entertainment anymore. Another show that the writers managed to destroy.
There is definitely no need to waste time on this disaster.
The script is catastrophic, the dialogues are so unrealistic that the show resembles a parody.
After a somewhat watchable first episode, the show goes in a predictable direction and becomes tedious. The third episode is especially hilarious, so unrealistic that it really acts like a parody.
Three episodes are quite enough to conclude that it is not worth wasting time on this disaster.
Every police officer in the show is either lazy and stupid or evil, and Ronald's mother is a total caricature, but the other characters are equally hilarious. Their behavior is completely unrealistic, and the dialogues only confirm that those who wrote this show had no intention of entertaining the viewer at all.
The cast isn't bad, but that's it, everything else is a disaster.
Writing is pathetic, the entertainment industry has nothing to do with entertainment anymore. Another show that the writers managed to destroy.
There is definitely no need to waste time on this disaster.
What's with the bad reviews????
ladylapel28 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
First one review said why they use a doll as probable cause to break in to someone's house....umm are you blind....there was blood on the ground next to the doll. And you gave a bad review possibly ending a good show and putting good actors out of work for that.
Most of the bad reviews are just criticizing the writer, especially about another show he wrote, comparing it to another show they didn't like. Already going in to watching this show with some prejudgements. Too bad really.
Yes, could this show have been better with some minor tweaks of course. I gave it a 10 to help balance out the unfair reviews but I think I would have rated this a 7 out of 10.
All the actors were great and very believable. The scenes did not look low budget, but some scenes didn't make sense because of the timing.
Making a big deal of the back of the farm for that family with the barrels in the back didn't make sense. When they finally revealed the secret, I thought "that's it" a whole family did all that (don't want to spoil it too much) for that. Kind of disappointed at that part.
And a few more disappointments I can't mention without spoiling it.
Overall good show and I look forward to season 2 and hope everyone gives it a real chance. Maybe they read these reviews and tried making season 2 better.
Most of the bad reviews are just criticizing the writer, especially about another show he wrote, comparing it to another show they didn't like. Already going in to watching this show with some prejudgements. Too bad really.
Yes, could this show have been better with some minor tweaks of course. I gave it a 10 to help balance out the unfair reviews but I think I would have rated this a 7 out of 10.
All the actors were great and very believable. The scenes did not look low budget, but some scenes didn't make sense because of the timing.
Making a big deal of the back of the farm for that family with the barrels in the back didn't make sense. When they finally revealed the secret, I thought "that's it" a whole family did all that (don't want to spoil it too much) for that. Kind of disappointed at that part.
And a few more disappointments I can't mention without spoiling it.
Overall good show and I look forward to season 2 and hope everyone gives it a real chance. Maybe they read these reviews and tried making season 2 better.
Pilot was amazing, but what will come?
2movieguy218 November 2020
The pilot was absolutely amazing. Great scenery, great acting and great directing. I am worried about it being a show that tries too many twists it becomes confusing and gets away from the main storyline. So many things have happened and it's only one episode in!
Can't wait for next Tuesday
Wriiten by a 9 year old
r-patton-857-24254218 February 2021
This show believes the audience has no indication of any intelligence, but for some reason it's still watchable. Good show to create a drinking game... everytime something idiotic happens you have a drink, alcohol poisoning by the end of the show.
This is an awesome show by amazing writer David E. Kelley!
UniqueParticle9 November 2021
I wasn't expecting to enjoy the show with the 6.8 rating and some harsh reviews I was way wrong. Big Sky has one of the best soundtracks ever and I really enjoy thrillers. John Caroll Lynch is one of my favorite actors has been for awhile I think he's worth watching alone and so is the exceptional writing! I love craving movies/shows than most others don't it's satisfying.
Watching it just for Jensen Ackles
prironka20 January 2023
Watching it just for Jensen Ackles and how amazing an actor he is. Donno is my favorite character as well as Deputy popstar ;)
Best casting decision ever, to cast Jensen as the sheriff. He looks so damn good in that role!
Season 1 was really good.
Season 2 was okayish except for Donno who is absolutely an amazing character.
Season 3 is really interesting. Maybe because it has Jensen in it.
Perfect blend of action, drama and comedy just from Jensen Ackles! He is literally the best actor ever and any character he plays automatically becomes the best character in any series or movies.
Must watch for Jensen's fans!
Season 1 was really good.
Season 2 was okayish except for Donno who is absolutely an amazing character.
Season 3 is really interesting. Maybe because it has Jensen in it.
Perfect blend of action, drama and comedy just from Jensen Ackles! He is literally the best actor ever and any character he plays automatically becomes the best character in any series or movies.
Must watch for Jensen's fans!
See also
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