Critical Reception
Review aggregate Metacritic indicated positive critical response for all five seasons. The average scores for the first through fourth seasons were 72/100, 71/100, 79/100, and 70/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The fifth and final season received an average score of 85/100, or "universal acclaim".
Heather Havrilesky of Salon.com said of Big Love, "There are elements of this new series that have a quirkiness that might seem deliberate or overly clever against a different backdrop, but that feels natural in its own gracefully odd environment."
Time magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the Top 10 Returning Series of 2007, ranking it at #5.
However, the Phoenix New Times's Robert L. Pela called the show a "hot-soccer-mom fantasy" and "about as down and dirty as the old sitcom Three's Company", and said its portrayal of polygamy was "just as tidy as a deodorant commercial".
In contrast, the San Francisco Chronicle's Tim Goodman called Bill Paxton a "wonderfully underappreciated actor" and the show itself "compelling, but not easy".
Read more about this topic: Big Love
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