From Myles McNutt of Cultural Learnings:

• Series Premiere: Haven – “Welcome to Haven”
  “Haven was filmed about a half hour away from my current location in the suburbs of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and so there is a certain novelty to watching the premiere and seeing familiar locales. I worked for three summers driving around the province putting out traffic counters, and so I not only recognized Lunenburg (which doubles as Haven) but also the roads which they drive to get to the town, or the intersection where the main action seems to be located. As a result, Haven came to life for me in a way which kept me engaged – it’s too bad, though, that I’m not sure many other viewers could say the same.” Read more.

From Alex Strachan of Canwest News Service:

• Hush, or the fog will get us
  “From its eerie early minutes, Haven may remind some horror-movie fans of The Fog. The analogy is apt, but also a little misleading: Haven, based on the Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid, is its own tale, and it has a way of getting under the skin and burrowing inside the viewer’s head. One thing is clear: It’ll take a lot more than an hour or two of screen time to solve all Haven’s mysteries.” Read more.

From Rob Vaux of Mania:

• Haven: Welcome to… Review
  “The pilot for Haven aptly demonstrates both its modest strengths and its copious weaknesses. Its principal failing is that it doesn’t feel significantly different than Eureka, Warehouse 13 or any of Syfy’s other bastard X-Files stepchildren.” Read more.

Haven (13x60min) [HD] (Canadian Broadcast Premiere)

Monday, July 12 at 10pm ET/PT

Haven starring Emily Rose (Jericho, Brothers and Sisters) and Lucas Bryant (MVP, Queer as Folk), is based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King. The series follows the Audrey Parker (Rose) a shrewd and confident FBI agent with a lost past who arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case. The town turns out to be a longtime refuge for people affected by a range of supernatural afflictions. Audrey chooses to stay in Haven and explore its many secrets, not only to unravel the mysteries surrounding the troubled locals, but to dig deeper into the unsettling truths about her own history and unique ties to this extraordinary place. Audrey quickly learns that life is different in Haven as the town reveals itself to be a supernatural abyss.

From Andrew Ryan of the Globe and Mail:

• Super scenery, yes, but supernatural, not so much
  “Haven is based on a Stephen King novella, so you might expect scary business, but the chills are so few it’s spooky.” Read more.

From TJ Rosene of Rabid Doll:

• ‘Haven’ – Welcome to Haven
  “Stephen King fans were excited to learn that his “The Colorado Kid” was going to be turned into a television series. The novel had an interesting, almost film-noir quality to it that could translate well onto film: there was mystery, suspense, but most importantly there was a good story at the heart of the novel that had all the ingredients for an intriguing and unique series. Time will tell whether the series will deliver, but as of now, unfortunately, the pilot episode of “Haven” does not dish up the story very convincingly.” Read more.

From Mike Moody of TV Squad

• ‘Haven’ – ‘Welcome to Haven’ Recap (Series Premiere)
  “While ‘Eureka’ offered a fun and engaging time-travel story with James Callis (‘Battlestar Galactica’) amusingly attempting a new accent on Friday, ‘Haven,’ based on Stephen King’s 2005 novel ‘The Colorado Kid,’ offered a tepid murder mystery plot with a tacked on sci-fi bent.” Read more.

From Mel Odom of Blogcritics:

• TV Review: Haven – “Welcome to Haven”
  “Call it X-Files Lite or X-Files fun, maybe even the new Twin Peaks, but I’m planning on plopping down each Friday night, or as soon as I can get to the DVR, to watch the new episodes of Haven, SyFy Network’s new drama. The first episode premiered last night and was a little rough in places, but mostly because it strove to introduce a whole menagerie of characters in a short amount of time while throwing out a handful of plot threads. Not in the least was the heroine’s potential missing mommy being on the front page of the local newspaper twenty-five years ago.” Read more.