Critical Thinker
Top notch show. Both Outstandingly written and acted!! Oddly, I thought the twist they threw into the last episode was clever, until I realized that the majority of the previous episodes suddenly didn't make sense because of that twist; an unfortunate writing oversight, perhaps? or a precursor to a twist the following season? (Unfortunately, we'll never know because there is no second season). Regardless of that, it is well worth the 21 episode watch. I stumbled across this gem on HuluPlus & I cannot believe that it was neither pick up a second season, nor had I ever heard of this 2002- Series before 2012. I just found this "2002" fact out a minute ago, crushing my hopes that there will be a 2013 season. But on the plus- side it goes to show, this program is timelessly-good, as I had no idea it was 10 yrs old. It is in my top 10 Series of all times for sure - up there with Lost, Arrested Development, Family Guy...etc.Watch it; it's a great mystery/suspense, you will not regret it.FOX was foolish for cancelling John Doe &/or for failing to market it well enough to get people to watch it...it's a pity; Arrested Development was the same way, I never saw it until it was already on the chop-block, and it's #1 on my Comedy list. *Shucks* The shows are great none-the-less!
chrichtonsworld
"John Doe" is one of the better suspense shows that only got one season! But should have gotten more! It was more than just another crime drama! Most of the episodes could be seen without having seen previous episodes! And in each episode they tried to play with different genres like Sci Fi, horror,fantasy and comedy! The great mystery was about who John Doe really is! And how he knows so much! He uses his knowledge to help the police in solving cases! While he is aiding the police he is confronted by an organization who seem to know more about him than he does! It is fun watching John Doe doing his thing! Dominic Purcell is an excellent actor who is convincing as the mystery man! He reminded me of "Macgyver" using his skills to improvise solutions on the spot! From the first episode till the last episode you will be drawn in this show! The cliffhanger ending is great and very disturbing! Even when the show didn't get renewed it is still worth watching the show! The main story arch is important and very interesting,but is not the only good thing about the show! The drama surrounding John Doe is just as important as his skills! Having extraordinary skills is one thing,to put them to good use is another! And how to deal with all this when you don't even know your own past! This show deserved better! Once again a clever show got canceled! Well, I enjoyed it! And you will also if you get the chance to watch it!
Ronald A. King
This show had all the makings of a great series; good plot and back story, characters you cared about and a "feel good" resolution each week. A "Lost" before there was one. But like a lot of good series that Fox didn't know what to do with, it was cancelled.But maybe this one wasn't Fox's fault. The end of the series came for me when they killed off one of the best characters it had. Karen did NOT have to die to move the plot forward. It would have been better to have John Doe chase the Phoenix group around for a few more episodes trying to rescue her and Theresa, the unknown woman from the ferry he tried to track down for the first half of the show.The weird airing schedule didn't help much either. You never knew if you were to see a new episode or an old re-run when you tuned in. Only one new episode in February? During Sweeps? Can you say "shoot my foot?" At least they were able to work for a year, most of them anyway.
TooCynicalToSpeak
I'm not a big John Doe expert, I don't live in the US and the show came here a little late so basically I've seen only the Pilot but I feel that even from this standpoint I can make a relevant claim. The episode was nice, but all too regular. In fact, for a Pilot episode it failed to achieve several important elements that are required or at least recommended. A Pilot is supposed to introduce the show give the viewer all the relevant information without swamping him with too much details and events. I know that the atmosphere is supposed to be a bit murky as John himself does not have any pertinent information about himself but still in this case there were undeterminable gaps in time, almost no introduction of the other cast members but yet scenes that were displayed as though we have already grown accustomed to everyone. There weren't enough important details and too many things that should've come later on. If only one character is at the center of a show after seeing the pilot the viewer should already get a pretty good idea about the character. That's not delivered in this case, we're shown only small bits about his internal turmoil though I can only imagine that a person in his condition would not be able to think of anything else. And yes, it does bare more than a slight resemblance to The Pretender, only, unlike what's been written here before it's not more interesting or more earnest in the least. Dominic Purcell does a nice job, he's believable- in better circumstances the viewer would be compelled to throw all their sympathies toward him, but honestly sometimes it seems like the guy is about to hyperventilate at any moment whereas Michael T. Weiss is sweet, touching and convincing. The mystery intrigue-like part of The Pretender is interesting, consistent and gripping and I doubt that any of John Doe's cast can imitate Andrea Parker's performance. So there's no comparing it to The Pretender, definitely not to anything the great Joss Whedon would conjure up and most definitely not the The X- Files (as I've seen many have been doing while commenting). In fact I don't think I'd even be as presumptuous as to compare it to Dark Angel. Don't get me wrong, I'm still gonna watch the second episode. In fact I'm probably going to watch them all because it does seem like a fine show, one that everyone who likes the genre and the type can definitely enjoy on perhaps more levels than one. (And by the way, how does he know he sees only B&W if he can't remember ever seeing colors?)