[2] Creator and executive producer Graham Yost found the analogous premise of Raines in his own creative process: "I spend time alone in a room, thinking of characters and interacting with them.
[1] For the New York Post, Raines was the only standout among the 2007 mid-season replacements that otherwise "overflow[ed] with […] horrible writing, amateurish acting and plot lines that stink up the joint."
[10] Invoking those same shows, USA Today's Robert Bianco was pleased with the Goldblum vehicle, further lauding Yost's "fascination with the beauty and peculiarity of Los Angeles.
"[16] Brian Lowry of Variety called Raines unremarkable in its field, with only Jeff Goldblum to distinguish it, conceding that his analysis also fit the popular shows House (with Hugh Laurie) and Monk (with Tony Shalhoub).
[3] The Toronto Star's Vinay Menon similarly called Goldblum the show's driver, but that the performance "sometimes feels locked inside the wrong car.
"[17] Though the San Francisco Chronicle anticipated a quick cancellation for Raines for its predictability, pandering, and mediocrity, reviewer Tim Goodman nonetheless called it an "enjoyable time waster", praising Goldblum and the show's "crisp, darkly saturated visual style".
[2] Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret News found Raines to simply be a boring, "fairly standard detective show" that cribbed from other, more-successful programs like The Sopranos.