 Aaron Riccio of Slant Magazine also rated it three out of four stars , stated " Strike Back isn 't brilliant television , but it 's plenty entertaining , and by fitting the action of 24 with the grit of The Unit ( and the nudity of Cinemax ) , it fills a .22 caliber hole in American television . " However Riccio added that the downside to the series was that " not enough time is given over to the fractious " buddy @-@ cop " relationship between the two main characters , Scott and Stonebridge , whereas quite a bit of time is spent with the villains . " Hank Stuever of The Washington Post called it " surprisingly stylish and addictive , " adding " Fans of " 24 , " which bowed last year , still ask me how to fill that void . They want just enough intelligence @-@ agency hooey to make the unbelievable seem somewhat real . Until " Strike Back , " I didn 't have a good answer . " Stuever lauded Scott and Stapleton 's portrayal , stating he is " the real find here , a thoroughly unlikable loser " who " saves the show from a dour sense of duty , " adding that <unk> " seems to have been created in a laboratory experiment that grafted Ewan McGregor 's personality and smile onto Hugh Jackman 's body — with more than adequate results . " 
