The Critic

It seem's almost ironic or even, dare I say it, hypocritical to critique a show called The Critic. But it came to my attention not too long ago and I believe that now is the time to review one of the most underrated animated series I have ever seen since Gravity Falls. Now it's not as clever as The Simpsons (in it's heyday) or South Park, and it's not as mature as Futurama, but it is very adult orientated in the sense of what type of jokes it tells or the type of comedy it has. But can also be very childish in terms of physical comedy and animation style.

The plot revolves mainly around, you'll never guess, a critic, named Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz). He goes to his job, some stuff happens and he ends his day. Kind of like Seinfeld, only with more film parody's, bizarre co-workers, an even more bizarre foster family and just about anything that can happen, happens! He found love, went to Hollywood, survived the Iraq war, searched for his parents lost at sea, became a trucker, etc. It is actually more similar to an episode of Simpsons, which makes sense as they were both produced around the same time. In fact both had similar comedy styles, but where they differ is in plot consistency. Here they stick to the more flowing narrative of setting up a plot and then going all the way. Have you ever seen an episode of the Simpsons, not including the specials, where the episode follows the opening. No, no you have not. This offers a more mature aspect to The Critic, which was targeted at families.

The show may have been memorable in terms of jokes being told and it's sight gags, but who was there to deliver them. How about the most colorful cast of characters you have ever set eyes upon. Every one of them is distinctive and memorable and funny, really, really funny. Let's see, there's Duke Philips, an eccentric, southern bred billionaire, Alice, Jay's love interest and assistant, Jay's parents, Doris, his chain-smoking makeup artist and Jeremy,  his Australian,  action actor friend. There are so many to choose from and like or hate. For me, Duke and Alice are my favorite supporting cast. Duke is basically every southern macho stereotype mixed with the madness of Mr Burns. Running for President or boosting his own ego via a god-like statue on his private hospital, he can do it all. If not, he may use that stockpile of nuclear warheads he owns. As for Alice, she is everything I wish a girlfriend, even a friend could be. She is a sweet southern bell, with a snarky sense of humour and can see past the obviously repulsive Jay for the sweetheart he is. Their love is sweet, tender and adorable.

I had recently come across a review by Siskel & Ebert of the Critic and they brought up an interesting point. I agree with them, that the show should be more concerned with Jay, his criticisms and film parodies (Did I forget to mention that? There are at least two per episode.) But then the formula would become old and predictable. To keep it interesting, those characters were introduced to provide comic relief and keep the plot fresh. However, some characters I never liked, like Jay's son, or his wife, and some episodes in it's entirety completely fall flat with jokes. Another gag used is the celebrity cameos. We have a whole assortment, from Orson Welles to Nixon to Siskel and Ebert themselves. Others like Schwarzenegger or Al pacino or Dudley Moore are used to more comedic effect. I don't know why Dudley Moore is constantly portrayed as Arthur from the same movie or why Pacino always say's Hoo-ha after every sentence, but it's just funny as hell. But for every episode that sucked, I found that two more episodes were instant classics and incredibly memorable. If I had to choose, which of course I do, my favorite episodes would have to be: LA Jay, Marathon Mensch, Sherman, Women and Child, A song for Margo and Sherman of Arabia. Check out each of these and If you enjoy them I guarantee a fun viewing experience for the entire family. Maybe.