Reception
Caprica received generally positive reviews.
Home Media Magazine's John Latchem wrote that Caprica has "all the same dark overtones and richness of character that fans have come to expect from Galactica." He also wrote that the show " a feeling similar to Gattaca in its depiction of a potential near future, while infusing elements of the Matrix and Terminator movies to set up a bridge to the events viewers know will unfold."
The Futon Critic's Brian Ford Sullivan found the first fifteen minutes "A weird mix of teen angst, hedonism and virtual reality ... once established, the world of Caprica has the potential to be just as compelling, interesting and multi faceted as its "sequel" – minus of course the cool stuff blowing up in space. In just 92 minutes, Caprica manages to dish out a surprisingly dense, but not too overwhelming, array of plot threads."
Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gave the pilot four out of four stars, stating, "Caprica gives a more forceful, potential-filled first impression than the Battlestar Galactica pilot/miniseries." The Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall found the story intriguing, and Stoltz' and Morales' performances excellent, while director Jeffrey Reiner "creates an absolutely gorgeous looking pilot episode."
Joanna Weiss of The Boston Globe wrote that "if this episode is any indication, Caprica will be sinister compelling" and "while the technology is inventive, human emotion still drives the plot." Mark A. Perigard of Boston Herald gave it a B+, stating that the pilot felt more like an intellectual puzzle and lacked the life-or-death intensity of Battlestar Galactica. Lewis Wallace of Wired News rated the pilot an 8/10, saying that Caprica has inherited from Battlestar "the lean writing, the strong acting, the exceptional soundtrack by Bear McCreary", and that "the characters are richly drawn and ripe for further exploration."
Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, with particular praise for the casting of Stoltz, Morales, Malcomson, and Walker. The A.V. Club's Noel Murray said of the show, "Some BSG stalwarts may have some difficulty with the muted science fiction/action elements, but it’s a lovely piece of work on its own merits, imbued with real visual poetry by director Jeffrey Reiner."
Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly called Caprica "One of the 10 Best Shows on Now", in March 2010.
The New York Times' Mike Hale described Caprica as "the child of Galactica" that "hasn’t yet developed enough humor or authentic domestic drama" to reach beyond Battlestar Galactica's fan base. Hale concluded that, compared to its predecessor, "Caprica is, almost by default, a more ordinary show."
Metacritic listed the show as having a score of 72 from critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."
The series earned generally modest ratings, peaking with 1.6 million viewers for the mid-season finale. Season 1.5 debuted with lower ratings, drawing fewer than 900,000 viewers for each episode. Citing these low ratings, Syfy canceled the program on October 27, 2010 and removed the remaining five episodes of the series from its broadcast schedule. The remaining five episodes aired as previously scheduled on Space in Canada, but were not broadcast in the United States until January 4, 2011.
In January 2011, props for the series were auctioned off on eBay.
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