---
title: "Nurse Jackie: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/nurse-jackie/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/tv/nurse-jackie"
critics_score: 69
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Nurse Jackie (2009): what the critics said

Critics' score 69 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics like Nurse Jackie, and nearly all of them like it for the same reason: Edie Falco. The reviews return again and again to her performance as a nurse holding together prescription pills, lies and a family, and to the series’ refusal to soften her or to make the addiction romantic. Several also credit the hospital around her, the supporting cast and the comic troublemakers who fill out the ward once the show has found its footing.

The reservations arrive with the later seasons. The Guardian finds the third run watchable but stagnant, with Jackie harder to sympathise with as it goes on, and Variety, the one outright negative review, says a new showrunner does little to shift a familiar formula, its best moments dramatic rather than funny. The spread is wide, from warm early notices to a weary later one, which suggests a series critics admired more at the start than they did by the end.

## The AV Club — Amelie Gillette

Rating A-. 7 July 2009. 

Gillette says the series is now competently humming along after taking a few episodes to find its footing. She praises the episode’s funny, increasingly well-drawn hospital characters, especially Coop and Eddie’s comic troublemaking.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/nurse-jackie-daffodil-1798206494)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Randee Dawn

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 June 2009. 

Dawn finds the series and its conflicted lead character compelling and worth watching. She especially praises Edie Falco’s fierce performance and the show’s striking cinematography.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/nurse-jackie-tv-review-93250/)

## IndieWire — Alison Willmore

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. 

Willmore views the fourth-season opening as a welcome move toward lasting consequences for Jackie’s addiction. She praises the series’ nuanced portrayal of functional addiction and looks forward to Jackie’s struggles in rehab.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/no-no-no-nurse-jackie-finally-heads-to-rehab-48248/)

## Empire — Tony Horkins

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2010. 

The review is positive about Edie Falco’s portrayal of Nurse Jackie. It singles out her depiction of a morally compromised nurse juggling prescription drugs, deception and family life.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/nurse-jackie-review/)

## Vulture — Margaret Lyons

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 June 2015. 

Lyons finds the series imperfect but ultimately compelling in its refusal to make Jackie likable or romanticize her addiction. She especially praises the show’s unsoftened portrait of Jackie’s contradictory qualities.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/06/nurse-jackie-held-on-till-the-bitter-end.html)

## The Guardian — Kathy Sweeney

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2011. 

The piece finds the third season watchable but increasingly stagnant, with Jackie becoming harder to sympathize with. It praises the supporting cast, especially Eve Best and Ruby Jerrins.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/sep/06/have-you-been-watching-nurse-jackie)

## Variety — Brian Lowry

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 12 April 2013. 

Lowry finds the series watchable but says its new showrunner and changes do little to alter its familiar formula. He singles out Edie Falco’s performance as its main strength, while criticizing stale storylines and noting that its best moments are dramatic rather than humorous.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/tv/reviews/tv-reviews-showtimes-the-big-c-nurse-jackie-the-borgias-1200349021/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/nurse-jackie.md