Reviews & Ratings for
"Witchblade" More at IMDbPro »

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21 out of 26 people found the following review useful:

More women should be portrayed in action roles.

Author: level3op from Knoxville, Tennessee
15 July 2001

When La Femme Nikita was cancelled on USA, I was very upset because I enjoy seeing females in action roles. My husband told me he had seen previews of a show called Witchblade that he thought I might enjoy. I watched the movie and now I'm hooked. This show has definitely proven to be as good as Nikita, and now I don't miss her anymore. Yancy Butler does a wonderful job portraying Sara. I was disappointed to see that there are only 11 episodes in the making. Hopefully the ratings will be so high that more will follow. Thank you for giving me something to enjoy watching.

12 out of 12 people found the following review useful:

I Don't Know What You Guys are Talking About

Author: Christopher McBreen (drunkenwookiekiller@gmail.com) from United States
6 May 2007

I liked Witchblade as a TV series and I was disappointed when it was canceled. If this were released on DVD, I'd gladly shell out a few bucks to acquire it for my collection. There are far too few strong female characters on TV. Plus, Yancy Butler was freaking hot.

Now I do know that it departed from the story line from the comics but I also understand that sometimes that's necessary to make the show accessible to non-comicbook nerds. It was a little frustrating how they reset the entire story line after the end of season 1 but I've been asked to believe far more ridiculous plot points on other more well respected shows.

11 out of 13 people found the following review useful:

Difficulties of Crossing Genres and Uncommon Cultural References

Author: khadimir from United States
30 June 2006

Perhaps one would appreciate the series more if one was familiar with the mythological history that invigorates its story. I enjoyed the series tremendously for this reason, and because it presented a vital alternative to the usual fare. A different story with all the same tropes of the genre would have been unexciting. Also, the series tries to cross two genres (fantasy and cop dramas) that probably don't cross well in the American cultural consciousness. The people that enjoy high fantasy and ancient mythology (to put these two together) likely aren't the same people who enjoy gritty cop dramas. That is, the audience is not sufficiently large to justify the show's continued existence.

Likewise, though for different reasons, I attribute the demise of Farscape. It was innovative in ways that a large audience did not sufficiently appreciate, though I would have thought that its audience was sufficiently large for continued production. Again, the danger of breaking conformance to cultural consciousness.

15 out of 21 people found the following review useful:

Witchblade had it all.

Author: tookatyhoo from United States
2 May 2006

Witchblade was like a comet, briefly appearing in the sky and then gone before you knew it. The show was stellar. The writing, acting and production values were way off the curve for a television series. The complex relationships between the characters were fascinating and raised issues beyond the stories and the story arc itself was compelling. The climax of the first season was one of the most audacious moves I have seen in a story and I couldn't wait to see how they would play out the rewritten stories and then bam(!) the powers that be started messing with the show and then canceled it without resolving any of the questions. For something of that quality, critical acclaim and following to be canceled like that and then not be issued in DVD is mind boggling. I have not watched the network the show was on since then and still miss the series.

12 out of 18 people found the following review useful:

Thank you Witchblade

Author: akeleven from Alaska, United States
11 May 2006

How often can you say a TV series changed your life?

Witchblade, the wonderful cast, writers, crew came together to forge an unforgettable event. A TV series with soul. And for at least one season it was free of management interference. The second season was a valiant effort in face of great odds. But all good things must be crushed by the relentless interference of American managers. When something is perfect they can't let it be.

Thank you to Yancy Butler for her wonderful portrayal of a real heroine. Thank you to the photographic skills of the crew and thank you to the people who choose the unforgettable music.

And thank you to Warner Bros. for setting me free. Forcing me to give up on American TV and look for entertainment someplace else. From the TV series I looked to the comic book, and while I was in the comic store I discovered manga and eventually anime. Now, coming full circle the Japanese are airing an anime version of Witchblade. Sweet revenge. I don't need you anymore Warner Bros.

Isn't it about time WB released Witchblade to DVD? They have made money around the world even after destroying it. Let new American viewers rediscover it.

12 out of 20 people found the following review useful:

Witchblade 2001, Season 1 and Season 2

Author: dieselbear from United States
30 April 2006

Witchblade 2001, Season 1 and Season 2: One of the most intelligent and intriguing TV series I had the pleasure of viewing in years.

The acting was fantastic. The Actors: Eric Etebari, Anthony Cistaro, Yancy Butler, Will Lee, Lazar, David Chokochi and John Hensley were a pleasure to watch. Professional and believable in their roles.

It was a unique, well written, intelligent, and suspenseful and it was a completely different type of cop show rather than the same old tired cookie cutter shows still on the air.

The music was well thought out and exciting. Overall the entire show from the writers to the filming and directing, to the unique style of all of the actor's was fantastic. No episode was dull or boring and the actors brought their characters to life.

Why it was canceled is a mystery.

Why it hasn't been made into a TV series DVD set for purchase yet is also a mystery.

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:

Excellent escapist fantasy rooted in contemporary reality

Author: (bob@mail.szekely-home.net) from United States
6 January 2008

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I saw the series when it initially aired on TNT, and I found it fresh, exciting and captivating. The combination of pure escapist fantasy and cop drama worked well in this incarnation. Yes, it was strange, but strange doesn't mean that it wasn't entertaining. By juxtaposition of an ages-old metaphysical history against Sara Pezzini's attempts to cope with that in the framework of her contemporary physical world, it created a whole new universe for the writers to dabble in. I believe that people who enjoyed "Sliders" "Farscape" and "Quantum Leap" would have enjoyed this show, as well.

All good drama contains conflict, and in this case the conflict was manifest in Sara's efforts to reconcile the mundane and the metaphysical. At first a hard-bitten cynic, we see Sara slowly and begrudgingly grow spiritually and emotionally as she begins to accept and embrace her destiny as the current bearer of the Witchblade.

I was introduced first to the TV series, and then I want back to check out the comic: yet I found the series more accessible. At points during the series you were left wondering along with Sara if she was hallucinating or having visions of events that actually happened--which helped build tension in the storyline.

I also didn't object to the ending of the third X-Men movie, even though it strayed from the comic-book lexicon. The important thing is that within the context of that story, it made sense, and helped move the plot forward effectively. It makes no sense to attempt to bring comic-book characters to the big screen, if all you're going to do is regurgitate the comic-book legend exactly as it appeared in print. An effective re-imagining actually takes old characters and makes them fresh and relevant again, as in the re-imagining of the Superboy legend in the Smallville TV series. I've read the Superman and Superboy comics growing up, which were mostly kind of corny. Smallville has taken the development of young Kal-el and made him contemporary and interesting again.

If a film or TV adaptation of a story originally told in graphic novel or comic book format stays true to the spirit and intent of the character, and changes are made to improve the dramatic flow in that direction, then those changes should be embraced as a welcome improvement, and not dismissed offhandedly from the dogmatic perspective of it straying from the comic, or being too different.

11 out of 19 people found the following review useful:

Technical Excellence

Author: amazon-wolf from United States
13 October 2005

In addition to the wonderfully detailed plots and excellent characters, Witchblade was a triumph in technical performance. The sets were consistently excellent. The crew took chances (and succeeded) with different styles of lighting and camera angles. Time lapse photography and stop action were used to good effect, and yet they did not jar the viewer. The soundtrack was recognized with award nominations, and rightly so. The dialog was extraordinarily well written, and stayed fresh throughout the series. Editing was tight and crisp; there were very few lags in tempo and yet was not too fast either. One of the best production teams in years! Witchblade is a real treat to watch!

7 out of 12 people found the following review useful:

Been a Witchblade fan for years and TV series Awesome

Author: luvuian2001 from United States
25 February 2006

The actors and actresses were fantastic. Hemmecker and Oakie wrote some fascinating episodes... Comic book lover since the series and can't wait for the Movies!!!

Sara Pezzini wields the Witchblade and is the balancer just like the picture of Justice with her scales. The series symbolism was ahead of its time. It does have a matrix kinda feel...but more realistic.

Some of my favorite episodes dealt with Ian Nottingham and his dilemma. Love and protect Sara or break his loyalty to his master Kenneth Irons

Kenneth Irons the intriguing puppet master who also loves Sara but he loves the Witchblade more...

The series was ahead of its time...

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:

From Comic Book to TV Show - Best Transition

Author: hdsink from United States
9 May 2011

Although Witchblade did not last very long it would definitely compare with today's "Castle" as far as fictional investigation programs. The upside to it was that the actual witchblade was done well for its time and would hold up to today's standards for sci-fi shows.

I have to agree with others' comments that the writing was superb since it was done by the original writers along with the network. The female detective who ends up wielding the suspicious weapon goes through a learning process from one episode to another. This is just one of many aspects that makes the show so appealing to the viewer.

Personally, I did not know of the comic book until a couple years later, which made the program even more memorable knowing that I was witness to one of the best sci-fi detective shows that had ever been on television.

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