(Note: Haven premieres in the US Syfy channel tonight, but on Canada’s Showcase on Monday):
From Rob Salem of the Toronto Star:
- A little slice of Haven
“‘I’m pretty excited about this,’ he enthuses over lunch in a converted local curling rink, ‘because we put our eggs in the basket of character and look and feel. I mean, on Dead Zone we did a lot of cutting-edge visual effects, but we can’t compete with the budget of Lost, and we can’t compete with Fringe…'” Read more.
From Chris Lackner of Canwest News Service:
- Haven’s unsolved mysteries
“That is one of the central premises of Haven – which writer Sean Pillar describes as “Northern Exposure meets The Dead Zone meets Fringe/X-Files.” As the series unfolds, we learn of “The Troubles”, a vague time in the past when the townspeople’s supernatural abilities ran amok. For some reason, those afflictions are returning.” Read more. - Emily Rose finds her TV Haven
“On first impression, Emily Rose doesn’t look like an FBI agent. Her warm smile and wide grey-blue eyes are disarming; her fair skin, petite frame and wavy blond hair reminiscent of Reese Witherspoon, the classic American girl next door.” Read more.
From Neal Justin of the Minneapolis Star:
- Will Haven be TV’s next great show?
“But Dunn and Ernst are finally discovering that second dreams can come true — even if it takes a decade. Their series Haven, based on a Stephen King novel, debuts Sunday on Showcase with an ironclad guarantee of 13 episodes and an embedded fan base that will flock to anything with King’s imprint on it. The break came just in time.” Read more.
From Mike Hale of the New York Times:
- Charming Village, Check; Quirky Residents, You Bet
“If you think that sounds an awful lot like the premise of Syfy’s existing series Eureka  normal but dogged outsider polices abnormal but well-meaning residents of scenic hamlet  then you probably have what it takes to be a basic-cable programming executive. Bonus points if you note the more distant but still visible similarities to Syfy’s Warehouse 13.” Read more.
From Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Herald:
- A safe ‘Haven’ for shallow characters
“Haven is a bad thing, a third-rate summer series that starts happening to TV audiences tonight at 10 after the season premiere of the superior Eureka.’ It’s loosely based on a Stephen King novel called The Colorado Kid,’ but don’t let that mislead you into thinking Carrie or Misery or The Shining. This is the TV equivalent of a $3 Halloween mask.” Read more.
From Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald:
- ‘Haven’ takes page from ‘X-Files’
“Imagine an entire town filled with X-Files cases. Agents Mulder and Scully sure would have saved on gas. Welcome to Haven – a town in Maine whose inhabitants seem to possess paranormal abilities and a place that might hold the key to the past for one FBI agent who believes, she truly does.” Read more.
From Brian Ford Sullivan of the Futon Critic:
- The Futon’s First Look: Haven (Syfy)
“It’s not a straight adaptation of King’s novella as it appears to be only a loose springboard.” Read more.
From Michael Hinman of Rabid Doll:
- Preview: ‘Haven’ Has Potential, But Flaws Exist
“Because this is work based on King, the characters are introduced to us almost as if we’ve met them before, which is the beauty of his writing. Wuornos seems to be a detective only because his father is the police chief, and really didn’t take it too seriously until Parker shows up. Crocker is more of a free spirit, who doesn’t seem to care what people think of him, but still has a big heart in getting to do what’s right.” Read more. - ‘Haven’ Producers Want Stephen King Cameo
“We’re hoping for that actually,” Executive Producer Sam Ernst told reporters during a recent press conference that included Rabid Doll. “I know that King has been in, he has seen the pilot, he’s been involved in everything. And believe me, please say we would love to have Steve King come in.” Read more.
From Brian Truitt of USA Weekend:
- ‘Haven’ star Emily Rose adores the quirkiness of her new Syfy show
“The native Washington State actress checked in from Canada last week while finishing up the series’ seventh (of 13) episodes, so read below for our conversation about her love for mysteries and the master of horror. Also, check out a clip from tomorrow’s series premiere with Rose and Lucas Bryant, who plays Nathan, one of Haven’s resident cops.” Read more.
From IGN:
- Haven: “Welcome to Haven” Review
“Syfy is looking to step up its original programming this summer with Haven, an ambitious new supernatural drama that is certainly a worth a look as far as summer series go, but ultimately fails to distinguish itself as an engrossing thriller.” Read more.
From Fanbolt:
- Interview: Lucas Bryant and Emily Rose of ‘Haven’
“We had the recent pleasure of speaking to the stars of SyFy’s ‘Haven’, Lucas Bryant and Emily Rose, as well as series creators Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn. The group talked about the challenges of adapting a Stephen King book to the screen, the mystery of the show, and injecting humor into the script.” Read more.
