87 reviews
Like ramsey-48408 said I don't understand why they couldn't just set it in Australia where it is obviously filmed. As it is it's largely a series of good to bad American accents and the occasional US flag on someone's shoulder to say...SEE! It's America. They couldn't even get the steering wheels on the correct side for the US.
My advice is just to let the Australian accent fly and there would be a great improvement!
My advice is just to let the Australian accent fly and there would be a great improvement!
- davepasnthru
- Jun 27, 2019
- Permalink
This is one of those shows that you probably won't admit to your friends you watch but set the timer for every week.
Yes it's cheesy but the setting is gorgeous, the acting is solid and makes you feel a bit warm and fuzzy afterwards. It has a bit of a throwback feel to shows like Tropical Heat which brings some nostalgia with the modern feel.
Recommended.
But it's so obvious that it's an Australian show with bad American accents. Should have either used American actors or made it set on a an Australian island and used Aussie accents. Also I don't think Poppy Montgomery was right for the role.
If you can get past that it's an ok show and was somewhat entertaining.
If you can get past that it's an ok show and was somewhat entertaining.
- fatelovesthefearless
- Jun 21, 2019
- Permalink
I'll skip the synopsis of the show, because that's not what a review is. Reef Break is a light, dramedy that leans slightly to the corny side. Normally I would slam the corniness, but it works here. Maybe it's the beachy set and setting. Or maybe it's the airy vibe a summer series craves. Either way, I found myself enjoying it and look forward to the next episode. For the most part, the cast is great. Some pairings feel forced, while others have incredible potential. Reef Break is a nice "break" from the police/medical/dark crime shows on the air and so far, it's off to a good start.
- NicoletteSteele
- Jun 20, 2019
- Permalink
Poppy's character is very similar to her Carrie Wells character in Unforgettable which is good. The scenery is great and the writing is good, but not great. Some kinks need to be worked out as with any new show. I would suggest strengthening the supporting cast.
- johnscreek
- Jun 25, 2019
- Permalink
Poppy Montgomery's character, Cat Chambers, is so arrogant it's hard to like her. Ruins the show for me. Great scenery though.
- katntrek-55165
- Jun 28, 2019
- Permalink
The main problem I have with this show is the terribly mis-cast role of an ex-FBI agent played by an Irish actor whose accent is clearly distinguishable and whose long hair, beard and mannerisms don't seem at all credible for the role.
- craigwfoster
- Jul 15, 2019
- Permalink
When she was in her first US series, Without a Trace, she was very credible - her American accent and acting were really believable - maybe due to being surrounded by good actors, including foreigners who could nail an American accent in Marianne Jean-Baptiste and fellow Ozzie Anthony la Paglia, whose Emmy proves his skill. Her native accent began to slip in in Unforgettable, and so did her annoying habit of being a flippant, reckless hair tossing coquette, which gets really old really fast. The credibility level of that show - as far as plausible situations and believable police procedures - was far below that of Without a Trace, but it was still entertaining.
With this mess, a lazy, half-assed attempt to present a breezy, escapist show for summer audiences, clearly created by using a formula written by committee (Cute lead character name? Check? Potentially interesting, if convoluted, backstory to reveal piecemeal to keep viewers coming back? Check. Criminal with a heart of gold? Check. Cops with feet of clay? Check. Strong women with mad varied skills like hand to hand combat and nurturing? Check. Lots of nasty rich people playing with expensive toys to gin up class envy? Check. Diverse enough for the woke community? Check)
Poppy's actiing has declined even further - her acting is by turns, mannered and affected, or smug and jejune - not becoming on a woman of her age. Sure, it is great to see a normal looking woman in clothing that actual women wear to the beach, but her arrested adolescence undermines anyone's ability to take her seriously. Any comparisons to Hawaii Five-O, the original or current, is a gross insult - as that show, as over the top as it can be, at least has cohesive writing and somewhat plausible plots and far more talented actors.
Poppy's character behaves as though she is the only person with a functioning brain or moral compass in the Southern hemisphere, let alone on The Reef. The rest of them are mediocre actors or worse, save the burly Irishman Ray Stevenson, who plays the soon to be ex-husband who lied to her about being an undercover Fed and who now answerable to nobody even though he still seems to be a working agent. Any scene he is in makes the rest of the actors in it look even more lame, even though he allows Cat to lead him around by his, well... you know.
The guy who plays the horny cub to her cougar is definitely tasty eye candy, except for his execrable hair - it just hangs there in thin strings glued together above his shoulders. I hate man buns when they are not on a samurai, but I found myself begging this clown to bundle that raggedy mess up! Plus he is so wooden, he could be confused with a mast on one of the many sailboats populating Reef Island (really, who names an independent island nation something so banal - is it on the Wet Sea?)
Melissa Bonne, who plays Cat's cohort/nemesis, is the second best actor after Stevenson, but her character needs only a Snidely Whiplash mustache that she can put on and off between being an amoral political hack for a creepy politician and a Strong Female showing her vulnerability as she fights the sisterhood bond she feels from Cat.
I won't even get started with the monumentally lazy work by the writers and producers, who cannot even be bothered with continuity, let alone making sure that the cars are on the correct side of the road. Other people have done a stellar job pointing out that egregiousness.
It is not even awful enough to be So Bad It's Good - which at least affords viewers the opportunity for unintended hilarity. No, it is just bad. I would not be surprised if Poppy's next effort includes the talent free Rachelle Lefevre, whose last series was atrocious, despite the presence of a lot more talent than Poppy's co-stars. It must be the red hair and curvy bodies that keep production and casting companies hiring them. However, we know Poppy CAN and HAS done better, Lefevre just continues to demonstrate her shortcomings as an actor.
So, if you want something for background noise and pretty pictures, with a little bit of a train wreck from which you cannot look away, keep this on in the background when you are working or doing something else that requires minimal attention.
With this mess, a lazy, half-assed attempt to present a breezy, escapist show for summer audiences, clearly created by using a formula written by committee (Cute lead character name? Check? Potentially interesting, if convoluted, backstory to reveal piecemeal to keep viewers coming back? Check. Criminal with a heart of gold? Check. Cops with feet of clay? Check. Strong women with mad varied skills like hand to hand combat and nurturing? Check. Lots of nasty rich people playing with expensive toys to gin up class envy? Check. Diverse enough for the woke community? Check)
Poppy's actiing has declined even further - her acting is by turns, mannered and affected, or smug and jejune - not becoming on a woman of her age. Sure, it is great to see a normal looking woman in clothing that actual women wear to the beach, but her arrested adolescence undermines anyone's ability to take her seriously. Any comparisons to Hawaii Five-O, the original or current, is a gross insult - as that show, as over the top as it can be, at least has cohesive writing and somewhat plausible plots and far more talented actors.
Poppy's character behaves as though she is the only person with a functioning brain or moral compass in the Southern hemisphere, let alone on The Reef. The rest of them are mediocre actors or worse, save the burly Irishman Ray Stevenson, who plays the soon to be ex-husband who lied to her about being an undercover Fed and who now answerable to nobody even though he still seems to be a working agent. Any scene he is in makes the rest of the actors in it look even more lame, even though he allows Cat to lead him around by his, well... you know.
The guy who plays the horny cub to her cougar is definitely tasty eye candy, except for his execrable hair - it just hangs there in thin strings glued together above his shoulders. I hate man buns when they are not on a samurai, but I found myself begging this clown to bundle that raggedy mess up! Plus he is so wooden, he could be confused with a mast on one of the many sailboats populating Reef Island (really, who names an independent island nation something so banal - is it on the Wet Sea?)
Melissa Bonne, who plays Cat's cohort/nemesis, is the second best actor after Stevenson, but her character needs only a Snidely Whiplash mustache that she can put on and off between being an amoral political hack for a creepy politician and a Strong Female showing her vulnerability as she fights the sisterhood bond she feels from Cat.
I won't even get started with the monumentally lazy work by the writers and producers, who cannot even be bothered with continuity, let alone making sure that the cars are on the correct side of the road. Other people have done a stellar job pointing out that egregiousness.
It is not even awful enough to be So Bad It's Good - which at least affords viewers the opportunity for unintended hilarity. No, it is just bad. I would not be surprised if Poppy's next effort includes the talent free Rachelle Lefevre, whose last series was atrocious, despite the presence of a lot more talent than Poppy's co-stars. It must be the red hair and curvy bodies that keep production and casting companies hiring them. However, we know Poppy CAN and HAS done better, Lefevre just continues to demonstrate her shortcomings as an actor.
So, if you want something for background noise and pretty pictures, with a little bit of a train wreck from which you cannot look away, keep this on in the background when you are working or doing something else that requires minimal attention.
I really like Poppy Montgomery, I really like this show... people should give this a try definitely worth it!
Watched it last night. I kept wondering why 'Poppy' seemed so out of shape for a 'surfer queen'. I see now that she is actually 47 years old! So how she got this gig is beyond me. I see now that it's an Aussie made show, fine, but aren't there younger Aussie girls out there that could handle this role? Other than her, the show is fast well made and fun.
- jmorris-703-391191
- Jun 20, 2019
- Permalink
By that I mean this show is not credible.
Somehow in the first five minutes a wounded fleeing bank robber has somehow gotten onto a flight with not only a bagful of cash, but also a gun! Not only that, there's a Federal Air Marshal on the plane who doesn't notice. But fear not, our heroic leading lady helps capture him, so the Federal Marshal allows her to steal a bundle of money! It's all good because she gave him a knowing wink. When you are as wonderful as she is you can just help yourself to $10,000 or so. This was the point I turned it off.
Somehow in the first five minutes a wounded fleeing bank robber has somehow gotten onto a flight with not only a bagful of cash, but also a gun! Not only that, there's a Federal Air Marshal on the plane who doesn't notice. But fear not, our heroic leading lady helps capture him, so the Federal Marshal allows her to steal a bundle of money! It's all good because she gave him a knowing wink. When you are as wonderful as she is you can just help yourself to $10,000 or so. This was the point I turned it off.
- MycroftHolmes
- Jun 22, 2019
- Permalink
It's pretty obvious that this is ABC's answer to CBS's Hawaii Five-0. You've got a person who's loose with the law to make the law serve justice all in a great beach location.
Having said that, it seems like it could be a fun show with a couple of faces I recognize including Poppy who is a great actress.
- MiketheWhistle
- Jun 20, 2019
- Permalink
I am not sure why they need to have it set in America. Most of the actors are not American and are doing rather bad American accents. I find Poppy a bit too much , but she explained in an interview, that she was like "why can't this character be like a guy character, , like Steve in Hawaii Five 0, Magnum PI or some other lead guys, who are cocky, sleep around and are sexy and flirty to get the job done"? She wanted to be a female version of them. When you realize that is her approach, her character makes more sense. I applaud her for that kind of thinking really. I agree with her. Why can't a women be like those guys? Many times shows like this settle down better in the 2nd season. I hope they get one, because I do like it, even when I cringe during it at some of the scenes. It is like a fun trashy novel you read on the beach. Enjoy.
- jk-692-236394
- Aug 14, 2019
- Permalink
The whole point of this show seems to be that Poppy Montgomery is such an incredibly hot babe that she can resolve every problem by using her sexual charisma.
This show seems to take the Carrie Wells character from Unforgettable to the next level, where she just shows her breasts, preens, and pouts, and everyone becomes her mindless slave. It is just beyond ridiculous. Poppy Montgomery is not capable of dialing it down, and trying to act instead of pushing her chest up into the face of people when she wants something.
This show seems to take the Carrie Wells character from Unforgettable to the next level, where she just shows her breasts, preens, and pouts, and everyone becomes her mindless slave. It is just beyond ridiculous. Poppy Montgomery is not capable of dialing it down, and trying to act instead of pushing her chest up into the face of people when she wants something.
Nothing in this show is believable or a basis in fact. It's total fiction. And that's why I like it. A bit of mindless senseless entertainment.
Don't sit there and analyse it. Just have fun watching it.
- PhilipRamone
- Jul 19, 2020
- Permalink
This is one of the cheesiest shows summer has offered. And the American accents on some of cast are horrifying. Poppy plays the same damn character every time. all smart Alec and little anything else. I liked Unforgettable, but this series needs to stay on the Reef. It is bad TV
- cockezville
- Jun 29, 2019
- Permalink
Former criminal and professional surfer Cat Chambers (Poppy Montgomery) returns to US territory Reef Island to testify against her former crime boss seeking parole. Jake Elliot (Ray Stevenson) is her ex-husband and the undercover FBI agent who turned her against the Shorepound syndicate. She has an one night stand with new police detective Wyatt Cole. Lieutenant governor Ana Dumont recruits her to assist in a kidnapping case. She tries to befriend Petra whose father was killed by Cat.
It's sun, and surf, and Poppy Montgomery. I don't mind any of it but they are all somewhat sunburnt. Poppy has been living off her free and easy beauty. She is well into her forties. It may be more compelling if she does a darker character. She continues to be the superior streetwise character bordering on arrogance. I also don't like the cast around her. She needs a fun sidekick. She needs a more prominent villain. This show needs a lot and is only scooping from the bottom of the cliche barrel. At least, it has the sunshine and beach. It's a summer replacement show that didn't go beyond its first season.
It's sun, and surf, and Poppy Montgomery. I don't mind any of it but they are all somewhat sunburnt. Poppy has been living off her free and easy beauty. She is well into her forties. It may be more compelling if she does a darker character. She continues to be the superior streetwise character bordering on arrogance. I also don't like the cast around her. She needs a fun sidekick. She needs a more prominent villain. This show needs a lot and is only scooping from the bottom of the cliche barrel. At least, it has the sunshine and beach. It's a summer replacement show that didn't go beyond its first season.
- SnoopyStyle
- Jan 30, 2020
- Permalink
Bad acting, cheesy plot lines, fake tropical island. This couldn't be worse me don't waste your time
Light entertainment, does not pretend to be anything else than that.
Some light drama, seasoned with some comedy and simmered over light heat with solid acting. As dessert - very nice scenery indeed.
Its a break from the many shows that tends to go very dark and tvisted, which is being produced by the truckload.
Its a show that have that strange undefinable feel good kinda thing going on. After all, who does not want to relax, and feel good from time to time. ?
Some light drama, seasoned with some comedy and simmered over light heat with solid acting. As dessert - very nice scenery indeed.
Its a break from the many shows that tends to go very dark and tvisted, which is being produced by the truckload.
Its a show that have that strange undefinable feel good kinda thing going on. After all, who does not want to relax, and feel good from time to time. ?
- info-55455
- Jun 20, 2019
- Permalink
- goravens7552
- Aug 21, 2019
- Permalink
Terrible acting. Characters are not likable. Writing is awful as is the cinematography. It feels as if the took bad ideas off a cutting room floor and decided to make this show. The connections made between the characters seems completely forced. I can only assume that between takes, they don't converse or try to bond in any way. Main character has no on screen charisma. Just all around, a terrible show.
My girlfriend and I love watching this show. It is definitely not to be taken too seriously, but it is fun. The acting is good, in some cases great. Poppy Montgomery is actually a perfect fit for the lead role, and Ray Stevenson is terrific. Suspend disbelief and enjoy!
First of all, I have a question: Could someone tell me why this show has a rating of 5.8, while the individual episodes are rated from 6.8 to 8.1 (the season finale), with most over 7.2? I notice this a lot with series. Something is very wrong with IMDB's ratings. I suspect that the overall series is generated by the first or first couple of episodes (the pilot was 6.8, the lowest of any individual episode), with possible input later from those who bother to rate the series as a whole separately from the individual episodes, as I am doing here. Other than a fix, there is no explanation I can think of. If all the single shows are so good, the show as a whole should be rated higher; the whole can't really be less than the sum of its parts, can it?
Unfortunately, with close to 500 scripted shows on television at any moment for the past couple of years, this one is just about average at best. It's no "Without a Trace," or even "Unforgettable" (never saw "Glory Days" or "Relativity"). This is basically the old show "It Takes a Thief," with a female instead of male protagonist, and a lot less panache, combined with a few clichés: the hero(ine) protects a relative innocent, who is mostly unappreciative of any aid, persuades others to provide aid based on past trespasses or other type of indebtedness, etc.
I look forward to Ms. Montgomery's next venture and hope it is more deserving of her talents.
Unfortunately, with close to 500 scripted shows on television at any moment for the past couple of years, this one is just about average at best. It's no "Without a Trace," or even "Unforgettable" (never saw "Glory Days" or "Relativity"). This is basically the old show "It Takes a Thief," with a female instead of male protagonist, and a lot less panache, combined with a few clichés: the hero(ine) protects a relative innocent, who is mostly unappreciative of any aid, persuades others to provide aid based on past trespasses or other type of indebtedness, etc.
I look forward to Ms. Montgomery's next venture and hope it is more deserving of her talents.
We tried to give it a chance. Watched the first 2 episodes but can't watch any more. Terrible acting and story lines.Just bad.
- thesylvaing
- Jul 28, 2019
- Permalink