Zoo 2 More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys

Mainstream critics in the US ignored this week’s return of Zoo but online scribes were quick to devour its pleasures.

“The two-hour premiere consisting of Zoo Season 2 Episode 1 and Zoo Season 2 Episode 2 played quickly, with the pacing of a movie,” TV Fanatic said. “It was non-stop madness and a lot of fun.”

It dubbed the show “bigger, faster, scarier!!!” while TV Line headlined its review: “Season 2 Is Unabashedly Crazy Like a (Feral, CGI’d) Fox.”

“Whereas Season 1 of the James Patterson adaptation took things a bit seriously as it explored the mystery of a manmade genetic mutation within the entire animal kingdom that turned our fine feathered and furry friends against us, Season 2 — or at least the effects-laden premiere, which for all I know blew the entire budget — is going full-tilt bananas (no pun intended, monkeys).

“We’ve got multi-animal assaults, a luxury jet that would make S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Zephyr jealous, new characters and a ‘Phase Two’ twist that has upped the stakes, putting one hero in particular in a frightful situation.”

The same two episodes screen from 8.30 tonight on The Zone and presumably will have a free-to-air run on Prime.

While Zoo got two paws up online, its ratings matched the series low of its season finale in the core 18-49 demographic, with the first hour finishing in the middle of the network pack.

“With an audience of 5.12 million, last night’s Zoo was up 7% from last year’s ender but down 37% from the Season 1 opener,” Deadline Hollywood reports.

Prior to the premiere, animal rights group PETA ran ads “blasting CBS” for using live animals in the series.