s k The Pretender is definitely a cut above the rest. However, it's still far from flawless. Think of it as a combination of Quantum Leap (at least the first season of TP), Dexter, The Fugitive, The X-Files, Profiler, and Alias -- all rolled into one. It has tension, suspense, surprises, secrets, conspiracies, lessons to be learned, some eye candy, some cannibalism, a little bit of humor, and even a little bit less of romance. Unfortunately, it also has an annoying amount of formulaic predictability, and some instances of weak/lazy writing, including but not limited to the over-use of dead people who never actually died, as well as plot arcs that simply vanish for entire seasons (or longer). The Pretender is a show about innocence lost; innocence sought; innocence never fully recovered; vengeance; justice; 21st century end game global politics; and, most important of all, genetic manipulation coupled with extensive mind control. It's also about the importance of family, and while that's a good thing in itself, when it comes to the Parkers, that's more than an oxymoron. (The Parkers are more like the perennial winners on: "THE INFERNAL FAMILY FEUD".) Despite its strengths, there are some aspects of The Pretender that are claustrophobic -- meaning, things are too nuclear and too tight and too dense. (i.e. Miss Parker's maniacal obsession with "FINDING HER MOTHER'S KILLER"; "FINDING JAROD"; "FINDING JAROD'S FATHER"; and, possibly, most nauseating of all: "EARNING DADDY'S LOVE".) Then, on the other hand, there are elements so loosely connected to the story that they barely make sense. (i.e. Mitumbo, the "Circle Of Fire", the Jarod clone, the 3 Argyle episodes, Broot's daughter, Jarod's mother -- who is shown ONCE in real time, then never again, etc.) And of course there are the all too common for this genre stupid Keystone Cops moves made by a so-called clandestine intelligence agency, in this case, The Centre. (And the constant lack of voice, location, and email monitoring is just outright laughable.)The acting is about what you'd expect from a major network TV series. It's good at times, passable at other times, and poor some of the time. But the actors seem to be well cast, for the most part, and they pull off their respective roles admirably. (I just wish they would have chosen someone else as their hairstylist. Jarod's hair style for the first season was a distraction, and Miss Parker's hair style looked like a helmet/wig for most of the series. Her makeup also looked, at times, like it had been applied with a trowel.)Most of the seasons are solid, except for season 4 -- they really dropped the ball with that one. All we get are 18 formulaic "save/revenge" scenarios, and none of the "looking for father, mother, sister" arcs. It was silly -- and outright annoying -- especially considering the major revelations presented in season 3's finale. The writers clearly lost their way in season 4. (And if I were Michael Weiss, I'd stick to acting and forget about directing. His "Ghosts From The Past" directorial debut was probably the worst Pretender episode in the entire series.)Overall, however, the series is definitely addictive, and is at its best when Jarod ranges from innocent (i.e. the first time he tastes ice cream, the first time he sees Silly Putty, etc.) to Dexter-like (i.e. plotting and implementing appropriate revenge scenarios). It is also truly at its best when it shows the touching connection between young Jarod and young Miss Parker. It is also strong when it reveals the true evil elements via Dr./Mr. Raines, Mr. Parker, Lyle, Mr. Cox, Mitumbo, and even early Sydney. On the other hand it is weak when it tries to get too cutesy (i.e. the 3 Argyle shows), when it over-uses the "back from the dead" themes, and when it fails to allow Miss Parker to grow emotionally and intellectually from the start of the series to the final episode. She just never seems to "get it" (i.e. that Jarod is the ONLY one she can really trust, aside from Broots), and it gets really old after 84+ episodes.The most egregious offense, however, comes at the transition between the end of season 3 and the entire season 4. Season 3's finale was very powerful. Then season 4 ran for 18 weeks without a single reference to the major developments that occurred in Season 3's finale. It never even got tied up in Season 4's finale, and that's just inexcusable. The show teased its viewers, which is fine to a certain extent; it's what contributes to its addictive quality. But the Season 3 to Season 4 gap is just too large to be acceptable at any level. The writers clearly got lost and took the viewers along for far too many dead end rides. The shows also got a little too heavy handed with Jarod's delivery of the moral punchlines; they were too over-acted and predictable.When it's all said and done, however, The Pretender is one of the best shows, if not THE best show, of its kind to ever air. The characters -- and some of the lessons -- will stick around in one's mind for a long, long time.The Pretender: Rating: 8.5/10

gkingxx Listen, I don't take much of my time to write about shows on T.v. because I have always been into just movies. However, I have been proved wrong on how I feel about T.v. shows. I have to admit that I got caught (in 2002), with this show since it was shown twice daily back then on TNT. I quickly became a loyal fan to what the creators were trying to convey... because this production is so much different than any other production I can relate to. I've got season four, and I can say that the creators have outdone themselves allowing the Center to twist all reality to a max.Can fully relate to how the Center perverts all aspects to suit it's own evil ends.Definitely, a must - watch . . . for the person who always thought they were different! People in bondage to the mundane. . .probably will not understand or be able to appreciate being brought to the reality that this production reveals.C'mon, good people, it's time for justice and innocence to redeem this world. . . let's see how it's done. . .

kenderkat The Pretender is a show unlike any other! I was hooked the moment it first came on and unlike many of the shows that I discarded as I grew up, The Pretender never got boring. It was an intense, action-packed show full of mystery and suspense that kept you guessing. Even when you know the answers, you never get tired of watching the repeats. When TNT was running this, I saw the show twice a day and when the DVD came out, I watched it through and through. No matter what the twist, or lack of one, the characters held your attention if for no other reason than because they had a way of portraying the inner facets of the human psyche. My only regret was that the seasons stopped coming.

tattooedmunky75 I somehow missed this show in its original run in the mid/late 90's. But as luck would have it, I've recently discovered this show in re-runs and was so interested by it that I even bought the Season 1 DVD set. The show consists of a hero (Jarod) who is a genius capable of insinuating himself into any profession or situation. Kidnapped as a child and exploited by "The Centre", Jarod escapes and sets out to find his long-lost parents. During his search, Jarod uses his abilities to seek justice for strangers he reads about in newspaper articles. Part of what makes this series great is the relationship between Jarod and Centre psychologist/instructor Sydney who has raised Jarod from childhood and become the closest thing Jarod has ever known to a father. Additionally, Centre Hench-woman "Miss Parker" tracks Jarod relentlessly, while discovering more and more that the Centre has manipulated her own life almost as much as they have Jarod's. The only negative thing I have to say about this show is that it was canceled prior to its conclusion. An attempt at a TV Movie "Pretender 2001" was made to give us the answers about Jarod's family but I have yet to find a copy to see how it ends. It's too bad there aren't quality shows like this on today to save us from Reality-TV.