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Jon Lovitz Nick Jameson Maurice LaMarche

Original Title :: The Critic
Genre :: TV Series / Animation / Comedy / Drama / Romance
Cast :: Jon Lovitz,Nick Jameson,Maurice LaMarche
Type :: TV Series
Time :: 8h 42min
Rating :: 7.9/10

Jay Sherman is a New York film critic who has to review films he doesn't like for a living.

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Jay Sherman is an overweight and somewhat snobbish New York TV movie critic who is forced to review the most pathetic films to which is he always says, "It stinks." In addition to the film parodies, the show also deals with his professional life working for his tyrannical media mogul boss and his personal life with his friends and family. In a world that seems determined to snub him both in the asinine arts he has to endure and his own difficult relationships, Jay gets along as best he can, while enjoying life's bright spots.

Complete series cast summary:
	Jon Lovitz	-	Jay Sherman / - 33 episodes, 1994-2001

	Nick Jameson	-	Various Characters / - 33 episodes, 1994-2001

	Maurice LaMarche	-	Jeremy Hawke / - 33 episodes, 1994-2001

	Nancy Cartwright	-	Various Characters / - 23 episodes, 1994-1995

	Christine Cavanaugh	-	Marty Sherman / - 23 episodes, 1994-1995

	Gerrit Graham	-	Franklin Sherman / - 23 episodes, 1994-1995

	Doris Grau	-	Doris Grossman / - 23 episodes, 1994-1995

	Judith Ivey	-	Eleanor Sherman 23 episodes, 1994-1995

	Charles Napier	-	Duke Phillips / - 23 episodes, 1994-1995

	Kath Soucie	-	Various Characters 23 episodes, 1994-1995

This is the only TV show ever reviewed on Siskel and Ebert. Due to the fact that it was a television show and not a movie, they decided to fore-go the thumb vote. Both critics generally liked the show but gave the advice that it needed to focus more on the movie parodies and less on sitcom staples.

The show was meant as a "love letter to NYC" by the show's creators and producers. Ironically, it received very low ratings in NYC, as well as other major cities in the U.S., but did extremely well in the Midwest.

Actress Nancy Cartwright uses her natural voice playing Jay's sister Margo.

Though it has a cult following, "The Critic" is most famous for flip-flopping networks. It started on ABC, where it stayed for less than a month then it was canceled and Fox picked it up where it stayed for an entire season, then Comedy Central had it for a few months as part of their Sunday night animation block, then UPN was slated to pick it up but dropped it. Then it got a good run as a series of shorts at Atomfilms.com. Even still, it has retained a cult status.

The restaurant that Jay dines at, L'âne Riche, is French for "The Rich Donkey", but is here better translated by its double-entendre meaning, "The Rich Jackass".

Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert famously turned down offers to guest star on TV shows and in movies because they felt it would have been a conflict of interest. But this turned out to be the exception and this is the only show in which they guest starred together. The episode was called "Siskel and Ebert and Jay and Alice" and the story is a parody of Algo para recordar (1993) in which Jay and Alice attempt to patch things up between the duo when one of their verbal feuds causes them to split up.

Jay Sherman is deliberately created as a cross between Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.

The awards that Jay has won over the years are two Pulitzer Prizes for criticism, a People's Choice award, a B'nai B'rith award, five Golden Glodes, a PhD in film, and an Emmy.

After the show was cancelled, UPN offered to pick it up. About 9 or 10 Season 3 scripts were written.

This series marks the second (and by extent, the final) time the late Doris Grau portrayed a character named Doris. Prior to this, she portrayed Lunchlady Doris on The Simpsons.

According to the DVD commentary, the character of Duke Phillips was based on Ted Turner.

The only TV show Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert reviewed. They were generally lukewarm towards the show but they praised Charles Napier as Duke Phillips.

Following the show's second cancellation, the show was revived briefly on Atomfilms.com.

Originally conceived as a live-action show.

Originally aired on ABC, but then switched to the FOX network.

The voice of the character Vlada appears to be an homage to actor Vladek Sheybal, who appeared in movies such as From Russia with Love. Sheybal also famously wore a van dyke beard for much of his career, as does Vlada.

In the episode "A Pig-Boy and his Dog", Jay gives his puppy the full name "Un Chien Andalou", after Luis Buñuel's 1929 film.

The voice acting debut for Billy Crystal. Later he'd go onto voice Mike Wazowski in Monsters Inc (2001) and its Prequel Monsters University (2013) as well as a cameo of the character in Cars (2006) and Calcifer in the English dub of Howl's Moving Castle (2005),

Even though this series takes place after the events of the original TV series, none of the original secondary characters (with the exception of Vlada Veramirovich of L'Ane Riche) appear or are mentioned at all.

User reviews

Faugami

This show was hilarious. I loved Jon Lovitz and all the other voice actors. Jay Sherman is such a comically brilliant character. As a film buff, I thought the movie parodies in the show "Coming Attractions" were amazing. I also liked the shows send up on the entertainment industry and films and actors in general I think Al Jean and Mike Reiss did an excellent job with this series. Sadly, most Simpsons personnel don't get as lucky with their own projects, even Groening had problems keeping Futurama on the air, which I also loved. I still can't believe it only lasted two seasons. I think it would be awesome if someday they would come out with more episodes or even a feature film.

Owomed

Like most Simpsons watching fanatics that are also latched tightly to the Family Guy, I couldn't help but walk (never run) to buy this series when it came out. Jay Sherman is my inspiration for my excessive amounts of film reviews. He was never afraid to speak his mind about the garbage distributed by Hollywood ever week. His classic line, 'It stinks' inspired me to find those horrible films and make sure I warned others before it was too late. He is a God among Gods in my book!

Created by the same team that did The Simpsons, Sherman great to life through not only the witty banter that leapt from his mouth, but also his surrounding characters. Parodying some of cinema's finest, you cannot help but laugh at this obese critic that wants nothing more than to have respect and eat his Charleston Chew. Duke Phillips is one of the funniest characters created and provides some of the funniest social commentary on the extremely wealthy in our country. Sherman, in my eyes, represents the little man. While making $270,000 a year, he doesn't rise above anyone else. He reminds all of us of who we are, whether it would be running a marathon or trying to clean-up his hometown of New York, Sherman represents our desires and wants. One of our biggest desires is to see good cinema. We pay top dollar to see good movies, why does Hollywood continually fill our plate with all the bread we can eat before giving us the main course? Suddenly, we are too full to enjoy it.

I would like to applaud Jay Sherman for his fight against a repetitive and uncreative Hollywood. As an avid film-goer it is nice to see the battle being fought in the animated world. Sadly, I only wish this series could have lasted long enough to endure some of the garbage released today. We need a new Jay Sherman to help us wade through and poke fun of today's Hollywood.

I HIGHLY recommend this series to anyone that is as upset with Hollywood as I. This series will make you laugh at a large man that loves food and life.

He is our, and especially my, hero!

Grade: ***** out of *****

Oso

I love the Critc. This is a prime example of how unfairly show biz treats its good shows. The basic premise of the show is that a middle aged film critic by the name of Jay Sherman leads an miserable existence. We see him at the work place ripping bad movies a new one everytime he has to review one (plus for the people of the Crtic for having the guts to comment about this era of horrible movies made by Hollywood). We also see him in his private life as a man who's love life is in shambles, has a weird waspy (and adopted) family, and a man who just needs a break now and then. I very much enjoyed the critic, and shame on ABC and FOX executives for taking it down in its prime. And a half a shame to comedy central for not putting it on as often and at a better time. So in short, maybe ABC or Fox or some other network will wise up and bring back this cult classic from the dead.

Super P

I'm both disappointed and somewhat content with the fate of this ill-received TV show. On one hand, I feel the Critic far outclasses anything on television today and thus deserved more than it received; on the other hand, I'm glad it was concluded before it could suffer the fate of the Simpsons which has grasped at straws for years (and in my opinion just needs to be put out of its misery). I think the Critic could've gone strong for one more season before the ideas started thinning.

Anyway, due to its premature cancellation, the Critic has a concise feel and no degradation in quality. I feel the Critic was cancelled at the height of its potential when its comedic timing was dead on and the most of the jokes made me at least chuckle (well, other than the final episode . . . which was disappointing because it was a reprise of all the faux film clips and little original material.)

As for the Webisodes, I really didn't care much for them due to their lack of the rest of the cast - Alice, Dorris, Duke, Vlada, Jeremy, Martin, Penny, and Jay's family. Even though I like Jay Sherman, the Critic was never a solo act, and the webisodes brings to light how important the supporting cast are who is Jay supposed to bounce jokes off of, and who's going to make fun of the poor guy? Without the rest of the gang, Jay is just a punch line with no build up.

I really liked this quirky cast of misfits, the individual roles they play, and how jokes gain momentum through their personalities and even their art styles. Too many comedies want to depend on quick punch lines and catch phrases. Sure, Coming Attractions was funny as part of a normal TV episode, but it alone was not the episode. No one character was the episode. I think that's why the Webisodes lack the edge its full episode brethren have.

The funniest aspect of the Critic, which is also noted on one of the DVD commentaries, is that not only does Jay wind up criticizing movie-parodies on Coming Attractions, but Jay's life is a series of movie parodies. Everywhere you look is a film reference in some shape or form. From plots that parody famous films of that era, to classics to little known trivia facts featuring Maurice LaMarche impersonating Orson Welles doing a commercial for peas and fish sticks. And of course, a show about a movie critic would eventually involve a plot around Siskel & Ebert, which is perhaps one of the more entertaining episodes.

So, as a fan of films, I found the Critic to be pretty sharp and a pretty fun ride. It was a nice comedic counterpoint to the serious films being released at the time, and some of the trends in filmmaker's art and even in their lives. Part of me is disappointed that it didn't last, but then again, part of me is also glad it stopped before it could go to hell like other shows out there.

Axebourne

Though it never really becomes more than the sum of its parts (hindered by quite a few rather generic plot lines and unimaginative film parodies) `The Critic' does contain more than its share of memorable laugh-out-loud moments, generally due to the brilliant voice acting of Maurice LaMarche, who performs most of the celebrity voice impersonations. His Orson Welles impression (`Rosebud... yes, Rosebud frozen peas'), one of the show's standout moments, has to be heard to be believed it's no wonder Tim Burton hired him to overdub D'Onofrio's voice in `Ed Wood'.

Other highlights include the many cameo appearances by film critics Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, Gene Shalit and Rex Reed. Seeing Siskel and Jay re-enact the `wig' scene from Hitchcock's `Vertigo' is heartwarming, and though I could never stand Rex Reed's reviews, he is a fabulous voice actor. His delivery of the Savvy Indian Chewing Tobacco commercial jingle still makes me laugh out loud any time I hear it.

Not a knockout show, but definitely worth watching. It's a bloody shame this was cancelled.

Yozshugore

WAtching this show in reruns,I was able to enjoy this offering from many of the creators of the Simpsons,but since the movie reviews were stuck in the period that spanned 1994-95 and before,the series will always retain a sense of being stuck in time and that never fails to make me a bit sad whenever I'd watch it.

Otherwise,this series,based around the eponymous Jay Sherman(voiced brilliantly by rumpled comic actor Jon Lovitz,whose talents endure) is a great nose-thumbing at Hollywood culture and the movies that sometimes get cranked out from it. His relationships with his boss,the megalomaniac Ted Turner clone Duke Phillips,his son JAy,his girlfriend(I forget her name) and her daughter, his rich,WASPy parents and his stepsister are the main focus of most of the shows. The send-ups,however,were the real stars to me. "Speed Reader","D.T.,the drunken terrestrial","Rabbi P.I."(starring Arnold Schwarzenegger,of course) and "Honey,I Ate the Kids" were a few of my faves.

I think I'd buy this on DVD,and since there are only two(barely)seasons and it retained cult status,I could PROBABLY buy this cheap. Probably. But no matter,it's still one of the cleverest shows to hit the boob tube of the last decade or so.

Moonshaper

The only way I can describe The Critic is hilarious. The movie spoofs were funny, Jay Sherman and the other characters were hysterical, and the stories were great. Truly worthy of it's predecessor, The Simpsons.

Jay

I can't believe this only lasted a few years. This was, hands down, one of the best animated shows I have ever seen. The comedy was somewhat remniscent of "Sienfeld", the only differences being that "The Critic" is not painfully boring and actually has a plot to it.

The entire cast is given good lines, much kudos to the writers. And I love the cameos by Orson Welles. Especially the fishsticks thing.

"They're even better raw!"

betelgeuze

What a great series. Too dirty for ABC, not dirty enough for Fox, this show was too good for this world. I got the DVD box set and am quite happy with it. My summary line is from the commentary. From a Jewish Arnold films to a sequel to Jurassic Park Films that appears to be better written than any of the sequels, this show was awesome and the fact it was canceled is just wrong. Its a shame it didn't suck, because if it did you could take any number of quotes from it to describe it. Of course, it would be nice if you could rate TV series like you could rate movies on imdb, unfortunately that is not the case, you will just have to read reviews like mine to see whether or not you want to watch it. It's a great cartoon that falls only behind the Simpsons on my list of all time great cartoons. 9 out of 10

Wild Python

I guess in the day of "Thinking Man's" humor has long gone.

"Children of a Lesser Godzilla" nuff said.

This was a sharply written, well acted (Voice of course) show. Levitz is as funny as any cartoon voice over there is.

Any time I can find the Critc, I'll watch, without even (GASP) changing the channel during commercials.

A shame that Will and Grace is still on, and the Critic is relagated to the cable crawl space.

Whitemaster

23 episodes on DVD, plus the webisodes. The first 12 or so episodes are worth the price of admission. All of it is watchable, but the series did indeed start slipping. The remarkable excellence of the first half should not be missed - and you'll want to watch the rest, just because they do show glimmers of the early magic through the rest of it.

It really does help to be a film buff - they do bits from lots of different movies, and part of the fun is spotting the homage (and sniping) at a wide selection of movies. Some of them appear in the opening/closing credits, and change from episode to episode. The 'films' he reviews for his show are, thankfully, collected in the special features on the third DVD, and are well worth watching just by themselves.

Invissibale

This show is way better than people give it credit for. In fact, very much like Sports Night, the critics love it, the people hate it.

Cartoons don't last very long, except for the Simpsons - which by the way, The Critic comes from the same Producers - so thus lasted the show. The movie ratings within The Critic are right on target and there are many "in" jokes as well.

The entire series is out on DVD now, and it was worth every penny ($41.99) If you like the Simpsons, you will love THE CRITIC.

Pudgy and balding Jay is not a well-liked man. His unsympathetic boss makes his life miserable, his ex-wife hates him, his adoptive parents barely tolerate him, and even the makeup lady treats him with disgust.

Fortunately for Jay, he has his 11-year-old son Marty and one very unlikely friend, Jeremy Hawke, the Australian film hunk.

Jon Lovitz provides Jay's distinctive voice as a single father who searches for happiness while satirizing life and the movies in this irreverent comedy...

Brazil

This show is for the intelligent viewer. It not only went after Marlon Brando, but almost everybody in the business. It lampooned Bones from Star Trek, poked at Arnold, and really made fun at Ted Turner (Duke Phillips) It's a shame that Fox, then ABC didn't give it a chance.

Black_Hawk_Down.

Wow, what is wrong with the networks? I can't believe Fox got rid of this show, and then put on the STUPID cartoons they have now! This show actually made me laugh out loud! It's been a long time since Simpsons could do that. It is especially funny to anyone who is a movie nut; lots of spoofs and pop-culture references. Too bad they will probably never make anymore full-length episodes. =(

Moogugore

The Critic is one of the most original and funniest primetime cartoon shows of all time. I find it hard to believe that ANYTHING could dethrone the great Simpsons, but I think had this show survived in either of its stints (ABC or FOX) it might very well have done just that. Jon Lovitz is so perfect for this role. Why? I don't know, he just was, he nailed it. I love the various characters and situations, and the quick witted humor had me cracking up at least once every episode. This is easily one of the best shows of all time to get axed so quickly.

RATING: A

Adoraris

This is an updated version of The Critic where after a long absence Jay Sherman has his show come back on the internet after having his show being on ABC and then FOX, Comedy Central, then becoming Regis Philbin's sidekick and then being on the Discovery Channel and then he came back to his show Coming Attractions! We still have Jon Lovitz doing the voice of Jay Sherman and we still have Jay Sherman reviewing pathetic films and still says "It stinks". But also in this new series Jay has a new girlfriend named Jennifer and she is the make-up woman. In this series we also miss the absence of Jay's family, Marty Sherman, Duke Phillips and Jeremy Hawk. But we get to see Vlada in one of the episodes at least! These episodes didn't air on TV, they only aired on the internet and if you have The Critic on DVD these internet episodes are on the DVD. Also we still have Nick Jameson and Maurice LaMarche still doing the additional voices to this show as well as the 1994 series. Good but liked the original.

elegant stranger

This show marks one of the high points of animated television comedy, making it level with "The Simpsons" and better than "South Park". Its undeservedly harsh treatment at the hands of networks (including Comedy Central) speaks very poorly of the television industry. Since it only ran for two seasons, it never really got a chance to mature the way "The Simpsons" did after its first two seasons. The jokes are mostly very, very funny (especially the movie parodies) but the pacing sometimes falls flat and the animation can occasionally be somewhat crude. I suspect that if Fox or ABC had really gotten behind the show, then it would have run longer and gotten better as the writers began to really develop the jokes, the animators honed their craft and the actors learned to better control the pace. Unfortunately, "The Critic" faced the same problems that its hero Jay Sherman did in "Coming Attractions": humor that is funny but too obscure for its own good (Jay: "Let's watch the 15-hour version of 'Berlin Alexanderplatz'!" Marty: "Again?"), an uncaring public and an ugly star.

That said, this is perhaps my favorite television program of all time, at least tying with "The Simpsons". The afore-mentioned problems, which made the show a problem for the general public, appeal to bald men with twisted senses of humor like myself (The only other balding television heroes I can think of are Joe Sipowicz and Homer Simpson). The movie-parody humor is top notch, particularly when either Marlon Brando, Orson Welles or Arnold Schwarzenegger are involved. In short, one could consider this a cult hit, intentionally funny subcategory, that could have achieved much more had it been given the hearing it deserved. Count me in! Now pardon me: I have to go home and watch it.

Kaghma

This show is very funny and very under-rated. Jon Lovitz does some of his best work on this show, and no one cared. The film parodies were hilarious, my personal favorite being "Speed Reading," and I always collapse from laughter when he visits his parents. I wish they gave this show more of a chance, it could of been just as big as the Simpsons, another hilarious show, if not bigger.

Buzatus

It is hard to understand why this series was thrown around between the networks before ending up in reruns on Comedy central. The show was put together by most of the crew from "The Simpsons" and showcased the same smart humor that was present in its predecessor's earlier episode. Jon Lovitz was perfectly cast as Jay Sherman, the scathing, yet sensitive critic. The show showed mainly three aspects of Jay's life:

Jay's relationship with movies Jay's relationship with his co-workers Jay's personal life

Unfortunately, The Critic has ended its run on TV. However, Jay Sherman can be seen in newer shorts currently running in Flash format.

Yadon

i dont know why this show didnt last. i thought it was pretty funny. not as good as The Simpsons, but pretty close. I think Jay sherman was one of the funniest cartoon characters.why did this show get cancelled?! well they still show the reruns on comedy central so watch it sometime

Onath

I love the Critic, and was extremely saddened to know that this gem had been passed around by three different networks, and canceled. It was smart and hilarious, and the voices and animation... Oh I always died laughing from the show. Jon Lovitz also played Jay Sherman extremely well, and the whole cast was extremely talented. I was watching a rerun on Comedy Central last night, and it was the episode where Jay is hired to write "Ghosthunters 3". One of my favorite scenes is in that episode, where Jay quips "Here a man is judged by the car he has" or something like that, and in the car next to them, the Elephant Man is driving with a bunch of pretty women and he slurs out "hey, check out the geek into the car next to us". I fell over laughing and didn't sleep for the rest of the night. And who can forget the movie parodies? Someone here mentioned "Speed Reading", and I must admit, I loved that. And "Rabbi Cop"! "Home Alone Five"! And I loved how it took things from life and tweaked them. Like the scene where Doris and Jay attned the musical "Hunch". It spoofed musicals well, and had me rolling.

So, to make a long story short, I am a HUGE fan of The Critic, and I urge people to watch it in reruns or to go to shockwave.com and watch new episodes. Seeing as how the new Simpsons episodes are, this is the best thing to watch to get real humor.

"Achem!"

Giamah

Undoubtably, one of the greatest animated comedy series to hit the American airwaves, The Critic always delivered laughs, from the simple slapstick comedy antics of the characters, right down to the parodies of movies that actually at times require half a brain to figure out. This has to be, without doubt, the most under-appreciated series, only being on for 2 years on 2 networks, but there are some, the few and proud, who can honestly say that they are hardcore fans of the show, some even reciting lines to this very day (Hotchie Motchie!). A personal favorite, and guaranteed to leave a laughing mark every time you see it, I guarantee, it never gets old.

Marilace

When Jon Lovitz appears on screen or in cartoon character form (with good writing), the results are hilarity. Why? Because Jon is a talented performer--he can act and sing. But he's best at playing a nebbishy guy that isn't terribly lovable. It worked in the Benchwarmers, it worked in A League of Their Own, and it certainly worked in The Critic. When you steal a few Simpsons writers and actors, change the skin color of the characters, and make the humor more entertainment themed, you basically have this cartoon. Certainly those in the "Tribe" religion will also get some more of the jokes--like when Lovitz's Jay Sherman sings in Yiddish, but nevertheless The Critic was an unfortunate victim of ABC and FOX's quick dismissal of this very funny and underrated show.

I will note one thing about The Critic's DVD (there were so few episodes made, the DVDs are all in one purchase): why wouldn't Lovitz be in the commentary? He was in the commentary for The Simpsons episode when Jay Sherman was on the Simpsons! And that episode's commentary was mostly focused on The Critic TV show! I don't get it. BTW--that commentary was also too funny. Lovitz unsuccessfully flirting with the episode's director, numerous product references for Jim Brooks (of which Lovitz had no stake in), and merciless mocking of Simpsons writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss. Too funny.

Adrierdin

I agree.. how could they cancel this one. I think the main reason was that too many of the jokes went over too many peoples' heads. Whether it was that 'subtle' New York sarcasm or the insulting of actors and actresses and everybody in showbiz, it seems that this one remains one of the cult classics of a few real comedy fans.

Thanks goodness it's out on DVD, all 23 episodes, watching them could actually teach you a few little known facts about Hollywood's elite and not-so-elite, all in all this cartoon is right up there with the Simpsons (crossover producers and voices) and the Family Guy, another great animation cut short in its prime.

Dranar

This show should not of been cancelled at all. It was the funniest show on television. I have all the episodes on a disc, and I watch them whenever I am in for a really good laugh. "The Family Guy" is a similar show (not as funny..but good), so watch it for a good laugh as well.

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