 Commenting at the release of the second season, Cynthia Fuchs from PopMatters said the first season of Dark Angel was one of the "few straight-up successes, a ratings hit among the coveted 'youth' demographic". She praised the series but clarified "I 'm not getting carried away: Jim Cameron is not going to be making revolutionary art anytime soon." Michael Sauter from Entertainment Weekly gave the first season a B + and spoke highly of Alba, saying that "for a while [she was] TV's hottest kick-butt heroine." Elka Karl from Common Sense Media gave the entire series 3 out of 5 stars, saying "While the dialogue sometimes falls flat, overall the show is well-scripted and well acted, and Alba does an excellent job of carrying the series. Dark Angel isn 't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it is compelling television that teen sci-fi fans will enjoy." While praising the first season, Randy Dankievitch from TVOvermind labelled the second season as "silly", criticizing "dumb stories" like Max's dream episode "Boo", the virus that prevents Logan and Max having physical contact, and the various half-animal Manticore experiments that are revealed.
