Fox Network's Animated Series: The Critic
A Tribute to one of the Best Sitcoms of the 1990s
Aug 20, 2008
What is The Critic?
From FOX’s Family Guy to Cartoon Network’s Metalocolypse, grown-up cartoons (or at least semi-grown up cartoons) are everywhere. They certainly owe a debt to that two-decades-old animated juggernaut The Simpsons, and probably to the bitingly clever South Park, which rose to popularity in the late 1990s.
The Critic never gained the fame (or perhaps infamy) of either of these shows, and only two seasons were produced. The show has maintained a sort of cult following, however, and many twenty and thirty-somethings remember it fondly. For awhile younger viewers could experience The Critic for the first time via reruns on Comedy Central, but not lately. This is a shame, because the current generation of teenagers is missing out, not only on a great cartoon, but on a great sitcom.
The Critic, which was first aired on ABC in 1994 (but moved to FOX a year later) tells the story of a divorced, overweight film critic named Jay Sherman. Jay's problem is that his tastes lean toward the artsy and esoteric; he prefers foreign films like The Red Balloon and American classics like Citizen Kane. Unfortunately, Jay's job requires him to watch and review mostly mainstream films, the kind starring Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Swarchenegger. As a result, Jay is cranky and disillusioned, much to the dismay of his boss Duke, who is forever encouraging him to be more "likeable."
Why is it a good show?
If Jay sounds like something of an anti-hero, that's because he is. He's kind of like Homer Simpson, if Homer Simpson's problem was that he was too smart rather than too dumb. That's what makes Jay so likeable, especially for anyone who's ever felt like they didn't fit in, or that they were too intelligent for the dumbed-down pop culture that is so prominent in the U.S.
Aside from its endearing protagonist, The Critic features some of the best voice talents that any cartoon has ever seen. Jay is voiced by SNL-alum Jon Lovitz, whose distinctive nasal voice lends itself perfectly to Jay's whiny, mensch-like persona. Also fabulous are veteran actor Charles Napier as Duke, the arrogant TV-industry kingpin, and Nancy Cartwright (a.k.a. the Emmy-Award winning voice of Bart from The Simpsons) as Jay's sister Margo. Every voice actor on the show has imbrued his or her lines with perfect timing and tone, maximizing the humor behind each joke.
Jay's hilariously white-bread adoptive parents, Eleanor and Franklin Sherman, round out the Jay's family. Franklin provides silly -- yet perfectly executed -- gags as an increasingly senile old dolt, and Eleanor, with her distinctive New England accent and her unapologetic old-money snobbery, is clearly fashioned after an aged Katherine Hepburn.
The off-beat characters, great voice work, and generally good writing made The Critic a great cartoon, and a great program. Luckily for old fans of the show (and anyone interested in becoming a new fan), the entire series of The Critic is now available on a three-disc set. It's certainly worth the retail price of around fifty bucks, although it can be purchased for about half that online.
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