On the day that Sam Oliver (Bret Harrison) turned 21, he learns the truth about his destiny…before he was born, his parents sold his soul to the devil (Ray Wise).  When his servitude kicks in, he learns that he must serve as a bounty hunter, returning escaped souls to Hell.

The pilot is directed by Kevin Smith, and his flare with performances and humor is very apparent.  Tyler Labine, in the role of Sam’s best bud “Sock”, carries a large chunk of the show’s comedic moments…he brings a very Jack Black vibe to the part.  The whole show is infused with a very light-hearted feel.  It’s very absurd (Sam’s first soul-collection device…a Dirt Devil), but it works well.

The main shortcoming that I saw in the pilot, though, was the lack of choice on the part of Sam.  The Devil owns his soul, and there is nothing he can do to earn it back.  I’m sure that will be addressed down the line, but I would have liked some kind of foreshadowing here.

Regardless, Reaper could become a nice little hit.  I’ll stick with it for a few episodes, anyway.

Grade: B