Andy Barker, P.I.
NBC | Release Date: March 15, 2007
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: Granted, this new Andy may not be as inventive or subversive as Universe, but it is just as funny and probably a bit more accessible. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: It's as quirky, original and funny a comedy as "Universe." Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn
Season 1 Review: Andy Barker isn't as complete a comedy as Andy Richter Controls the Universe — the first three episodes feel like a series of very funny bits that have been welded together. But so did 30 Rock when it first started, and that's now the best comedy on TV. Read full review
80
Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker
Season 1 Review: This amusing series is likely to leave you smiling rather than guffawing. Read full review
80
Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart
Season 1 Review: With all the crazy gags, pitch-perfect dialogue and a fresh hero at the center, it’s hard not to see “Andy Barker” as the spiritual successor to “Police Squad!”. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineMatt Roush
Season 1 Review: Nerdy sweetness and deep silliness flow effortlessly from Andy Richter. Read full review
80
NewsdayDiane Werts
Season 1 Review: It's hard to convey all the ways that this tightly directed show goes right: quietly observant character detail, solid sleuthing, play-it-straight absurdity and sneaky "Airplane!"-style parody riffs. Read full review
80
Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland
Season 1 Review: The show could be almost too funny to be appreciated on normal television, in the same way "Arrested [Development]" was. Read full review
80
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Season 1 Review: The show is equal parts silliness and satire. Read full review
80
Washington PostTom Shales
Season 1 Review: What it lacks in edge, it makes up for in charm. Read full review
75
Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Season 1 Review: [A] sly spoof. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
Season 1 Review: "Andy Barker, P.I." is a joyous, ridiculous, warm, affecting and silly comedy that is tone specific (read: Not everybody is going to get the vibe, and thus the jokes). Read full review
75
People WeeklyTom Gliatto
Season 1 Review: This show has a light, charming sense of the ridiculous. [19 Mar 2007, p.39]
70
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: Like "30 Rock," "Barker" is more absurd and goofy than it is broadly funny, but it's definitely not as mainstream. Read full review
70
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: Another clever single-camera comedy. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron
Season 1 Review: The show has a complex rhythm involving characters, satire and sight gags. You can watch "Barker" again and find things you missed the first time. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd
Season 1 Review: It's funny, but it doesn't go for big laughs so much as a mood of whimsical parody. Read full review
70
The New York TimesVirginia Heffernan
Season 1 Review: This peculiar series seals NBC’s new role as the skinflint’s HBO. The shows “30 Rock,” “Friday Night Lights” and now “Andy Barker, P.I.” are all so engrossing and so creatively untrammeled that it’s almost suspicious. Read full review
70
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum
Season 1 Review: A smart, sophisticated spoof. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyRobert Abele
Season 1 Review: Don’t get me wrong, I like the new show: its workmanlike verve, its professionalism. But its joys are simple, the kind of laughs that don’t feel new so much as pleasantly old-fashioned. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)John Leonard
Season 1 Review: You may be surprised to hear that it works. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Season 1 Review: NBC should consider scrapping Thursday's first episode.... But then come the second and third installments -- inspired, taut and funny. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
Season 1 Review: Everything about "Andy Barker"... is lovingly created. And there are some laughs, but the show fails to truly catch fire. Read full review
40
Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
Season 1 Review: Unfortunately, the idea's a little too thin to support a weekly sitcom. Read full review
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