Series synopsis
The Critic is an American animation comedy drama television series that premiered on ABC on January 26, 1994. It ended on May 21, 1995. It was created by Mike Reiss, Al Jean. It stars Jon Lovitz, Christine Cavanaugh, Park Overall and Russi Taylor.
Jay Sherman is a TV movie critic who is forced to review the most pathetic films which he always rates as "It stinks." In addition to the film parodies, the show also deals with his personal life: working for a tyrannical media mogul boss, his lovelife and his family.
Premise
Jay Sherman is a TV movie critic who is forced to review the most pathetic films which he always rates as "It stinks." In addition to the film parodies, the show also deals with his personal life: working for a tyrannical media mogul boss, his lovelife and his family.
Premise: It stinks!
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Jon Lovitz as Jay Sherman (voice)
- Christine Cavanaugh as Marty Sherman (voice)
- Park Overall as Alice Tompkins (voice)
- Russi Taylor as Penny Tompkins (voice)
- Charles Napier as Duke Phillips (voice)
- Judith Ivey as Eleanor Sherman (voice)
- Gerrit Graham as Franklin Sherman (voice)
- Nancy Cartwright as Margo Sherman (voice)
Supporting cast
- Doris Grau as Doris Grossman (voice)
- Maurice LaMarche as Jeremy Hawke (voice)
- Nick Jameson as Vlada Veramirovich (voice)
- Rhea Perlman as Ardeth (voice)
- Morwenna Banks as Olivia Hawke (voice)
- Jennifer Lien as Valerie Fox (voice)
- Rex Reed as Rex Reed (voice)
- June Lockhart as June Lockhart (voice)
- Rod McKuen as Rod McKuen (voice)
- Geraldo Rivera as Geraldo Rivera (voice)
- Pamela Reed as Projectionist (voice)
- Tress MacNeille
Guest cast
- Rhea Perlman as Ardeth (voice)
- Morwenna Banks as Olivia Hawke (voice)
- Jennifer Lien as Valerie Fox (voice)
- Rex Reed as Rex Reed (voice)
- June Lockhart as June Lockhart (voice)
- Rod McKuen as Rod McKuen (voice)
- Geraldo Rivera as Geraldo Rivera (voice)
- Pamela Reed as Projectionist (voice)
- Tress MacNeille
- Rod Steiger as Rod Steiger (voice)
- Bob Costas as Bob Costas (voice)
- Jimmy Breslin as Jimmy Breslin (voice)
Episodes
This series spans 4 seasons with 39 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 16 | December 12, 2000 | September 14, 2001 |
| Season 1 | 13 | January 26, 1994 | July 20, 1994 |
| Season 2 | 10 | March 5, 1995 | May 21, 1995 |
| Season 3 | 0 | December 1, 2000 | September 1, 2001 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
X-Men Jay talks about his rise and fall from fame and introduces his new make-up lady, Jennifer. |
December 12, 2000 |
| 2 |
Mission: Impossible 2, Gladiator, Gone in 60 Seconds Jay reviews the best movies from the year 2000 in a beach-themed studio (since all public beaches have banned Jay until he loses 20 pounds) and gets an unexpected visit from Arnold Schwarzenegger. |
December 12, 2000 |
| 3 |
Pokemon 2000, The Patriot Jay pans The Patriot with special guest Pikachu (from the Pokémon video games, TV shows, and movies), whom he outs. All the while, Jay tries to prove to Jennifer he is nice enough to date. |
January 30, 2001 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pilot Film critic Jay Sherman falls in love with actress Valerie Fox. Jay's family and friends worry that Valerie is using him to get a good movie review. Does she truly care for him? |
January 26, 1994 |
| 2 |
Marty's First Date Marty invites his Jay to career day at his school where Marty develops a crush on a Cuban girl named Carmen. They go on a date but when Carmen decides to fly back to Cuba, Marty follows her and Jay must get his son back. |
February 2, 1994 |
| 3 |
Dial 'M' For Mother Jay is considered to be one of the most unpopular men on Earth (ranking even worse than Adolph Hitler) so Duke attempts to spruce up the show to get more people interested. When this doesn't work, Jay decides to soften his image by going on the "Geraldo Show" with his mother but Jay gets an even worse reputation when his mother embarrasses him to the point where he tells her to "shut up". |
February 9, 1994 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Sherman, Woman and Child Jay's ratings are not doing very well and Duke is about to fire him so Jay is feeling depressed. His feelings become better when he meets a new girlfriend named Alice and her daughter Penny. Alice gives Jay tips on how to improve his show and her advice works. Jay wants to get to know Alice better but discovers she has a boyfriend whom she wants to reject but can't. |
March 5, 1995 |
| 2 |
Siskel & Ebert & Jay & Alice After Jay attends the Academy Awards, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert break up and each rope Jay to be their new partner. |
March 12, 1995 |
| 3 |
Lady Hawke When Jeremy Hawke's sister, Olivia Newton Hawke, visits New York, Jay meets her and is smitten with her which puts his relationship with Alice on the line when she begins to feel left out. So Jay then must decide who he really loves. |
March 19, 1995 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | X-men | December 1, 2000 |
| 2 | Mission Impossible II, Gladiator, Gone in 60 Seconds | January 1, 2001 |
| 3 | Pokemon 2000, The Patriot | February 1, 2001 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ABC |
|---|---|
| First aired | January 26, 1994 |
| Last aired | May 21, 1995 |
| Runtime | 22 minutes |
| Status | ended |