Rake (American TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series was added to Fox's 2013–14 schedule on May 8, 2013.
• The series originally aired Thursdays, then moved to Fridays late in the first season, and eventually to Saturdays for the final two episodes.

Production

The early episodes were aired out of order. The original pilot, directed by Sam Raimi and written by Peter Duncan, was refigured to tone down an overload of sadness, according to producer Peter Tolan. Episode 13, "Mammophile", should be viewed after episode 5, "Bigamist", to maintain continuity.

Critical reception

Rake scored 62 out of 100 on Metacritic based on reviews from 33 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives the show a rating of 66%, based on 38 reviews, with the site's consensus stating that the show's blend of comedy and drama makes it a vehicle for Greg Kinnear's offbeat charm and dry humor. Hank Stuever of The Washington Post gave it a B+ grade, calling it one of the more confident network dramas and noting that House comparisons would likely arise. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times stated that the show owes more to family and female-based comedies like Modern Family and Parks and Recreation than to Rescue Me. Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly awarded a B grade, noting that the show is defined by its differences from the unlikeable antihero archetype. James Poniewozik of Time stated that the show seems to vacillate between being a raw indictment of reckless masculinity and a picaresque version of House. Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post said that part of the problem is the show's diffidence about how bad a guy Keane is supposed to be, and that it does not appear to have the courage of its convictions.