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 THE
CRITIC: The Complete Series. The Critic is one of the many
shows over the past few years that were cancelled before its time was up.
From the producers who brought us The Simpsons, The Critic
is a smart comedy that revolves around Jay Sherman, a single father and
host of his own movie review show. Jay,
voiced by SNL veteran Jon Lovitz, is a sarcastic cross between Roger Ebert
and Gene Siskel. A typical
episode has Jay reviewing bizarre movies, for example, Arnold
Schwarzenegger in Rabbi P.I., then moving on to him interacting
with his dysfunctional parents, sister, son, and friends to hilarious
result.
Starting off on ABC, then bouncing around FOX’s
lineup, The Critic was able to last for two short seasons (Season 1
was 13 episodes and Season 2 was 10 episodes) before it was cancelled.
The UPN network tried to pick the show up for a third season but,
even with several scripts written, it just never came together.
The Critic obtained a brief life again in syndication when Comedy
Central began to air reruns, but the network typically played the show
late at night and it again disappeared into obscurity.
Now, after all this time, The Critic can
be enjoyed again by its fans in the form of this DVD collection.
This box set contains both seasons of the show: all 23 episodes
spread out over 3 discs, totaling 520 minutes (8 hours and 40 minutes).
The set is somewhat lacking in extras (commentary on eight
episodes, ten web-isodes, making of featurette, etc.), but with such a
small lifespan, it’s hard to imagine there really being much available
to put into the set. Overall,
a decent box set and if you’re a fan of The Critic, it won’t
disappoint. For newcomers to
the show, the jokes are a little dated at times, but still smart and
hilarious. The Critic
will fit nicely into any comedy lover’s collection.
Rating: B minus. – Stephen Roy
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