Critical Response
The Sarah Jane Adventures has been generally well received by critics and the viewing public. At the end of the first series, Abi Grant of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "With the debate about the future of children’s TV still rumbling on, this is what the BBC does best, and despite lacking the production values of Doctor Who, it’s still top tea-time programming." Daniel Martin of The Guardian described the show as looking very promising and more convincing than other Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood. Review website DVD Talk called the series wonderful, thoughtful and imaginative children's entertainment that was highly recommended. The series also received praise for its willingness to tackle "darker themes Alzheimer's, homelessness and loss."
"It’s not often that you get a character who appeals across the generations. What SJA gets absolutely right is that Sarah Jane remains immediately recognisable as this tenacious reporter of old, but with an added maternal touch that enchants its target audience. Its absence in the schedules is going to be keenly felt."
— David Brown of Radio Times on the last series.At Metacritic, the first series received an generally favourable score of 66 out of 100 based on 5 critics. As the series progressed reviews became slightly more positive with DVD Talk reviewer David Cornelius saying that the "second season is even better than the first." However Eric Profancik from DVD Verdict stated that the second series suffered from "poor scripts and horrible acting", criticising it for having "simple plots, too many conveniences and having corny humor." Series three is described by Guy Clapperton of review site ScreenJabber.com as being slightly braver than its predecessors. While Bullz-eye.com described it as "a sweet, fun little show, with some neat ideas" with "its heart very much in the right place." Reviews for the final series were sympathetic for the series' end and the unavoidably incomplete nature of the season and its story arcs. David Brown from the Radio Times stated that "Its absence in the schedules is going to be keenly felt." While Stephen Kelly from The Guardian said that it was "a fitting tribute to Elisabeth Sladen" and has occupied a "unique place in the Whoniverse".
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