Back in the Game
ABC | Release Date: September 25, 2013
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
NewsdayDiane WertsSep 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: The cast throws this curveball that catches the plate for a strike. Read full review
83
Uncle BarkyEd BarkSep 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: Caan’s perfectly clipped delivery and his daughter’s well-timed comebacks make Back in the Game at least a standup double if not a sliding triple. Read full review
80
Miami HeraldGlenn GarvinSep 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: No matter who’s on screen or what they’re doing, Back in the Game is gut-bustingly hilarious. Read full review
75
New York PostMichael StarrOct 3, 2013
Season 1 Review: I don’t know if Back in the Game will have a long shelf life, or if it will turn Caan into a prime-time star (like son Scott on “Hawaii Five-O”), but I do think it’s worth a half-hour of your time. Read full review
75
USA TodayRobert BiancoSep 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: Most every move creators Robb and Mark Cullen have made is a smart one, starting with casting an entirely fetching Maggie Lawson as the mother and the great James Caan as her gruff, constantly inappropriate father. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushSep 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: While this Little League comedy doesn't quite measure up to the big leagues, we shouldn't be surprised if family audiences rally around the team, turning a solid base hit into something potentially worthy of extra innings. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMary McNamaraSep 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: In this case familiarity breeds more comfort than contempt. Caan and Lawson spark when they spar, Crichlow's Lulu is a delight as is Gluck's Danny. And even Dick, though burdened with far too much sexual innuendo, has a few good moments. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanSep 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: Back In the Game doesn't really scream long-term storytelling beyond the family dynamic, which is precisely why it's wedged between The Middle and Modern Family on ABC. ... But this is a series that would seem to need, at minimum, four episodes before the audience could begin to get a real feel for it. Even smushed between two high-caliber comedies, there might not be enough lift to let all the charms of Back in the Game play out. Read full review
60
The New York TimesAlessandra StanleySep 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: The family conflicts are facile and easily resolved on Back in the Game, but Terry is an appealing heroine, and she has an amusing new best friend. Read full review
60
VarietyBrian LowrySep 18, 2013
Season 1 Review: This ABC comedy is the equivalent of a big fat pitch over the heart of plate, and will need to get mileage out of more characters, but what’s here has the potential to hold its lineup spot between leadoff hitter “The Middle” and ratings slugger “Modern Family.” Read full review
50
HollywoodChicago.comBrian TallericoSep 26, 2013
Season 1 Review: Caan is perfectly cast here.... As it so often does, it comes down to the writing. I just don’t care. And I just don’t find it funny. Read full review
50
Under The RadarLily MoayeriSep 26, 2013
Season 1 Review: Nothing groundbreaking, but every so often a sports-themed show is de rigueur Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubDavid SimsSep 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: There’s an itchy feeling of familiarity to Back In The Game. Read full review
50
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenSep 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: There are two shows struggling to exist in one in the ABC comedy Back in the Game. One is about former all-star softball player Terry Gannon Jr. (Maggie Lawson) and her relationship with her hard-charging, estranged, ex-athlete father, Terry Sr. (James Caan), who goes by “The Cannon.” This show is pretty terrible.... The second show is not at all novel but it’s at least easier to take: Back in the Game is essentially a “Bad News Bears” reboot. Read full review
42
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardSep 24, 2013
Season 1 Review: The dads in charge of the league are jerks, so Terry decides to lead a team of all-star misfits, making this sort of “Glee” for the physically uncoordinated. You’ll be done with this after an inning. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleySep 25, 2013
Season 1 Review: It’s a good premise. But where both old guys are cranky and frustrating, unable to show they really care, Caan’s character is unpleasant in ways Eastwood’s was not [in the film "Trouble With the Curve"]. Read full review
0
Washington PostHank StueverSep 15, 2013
Season 1 Review: Producers persist with this post-recessionary fixation on adult children who fall on hard times and move back in with a parent or two; it’s both the worst and funniest premise that marginally employed sitcom writers can currently conceive. And so far, it’s worked mainly as an indicator of quick cancellation. Read full review
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