Broke

:

Season 1
  • Network: CBS
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 2, 2020
Metascore
38

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 5
  3. Negative: 3 out of 5
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Critic Reviews

  1. Reason.com
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    May 26, 2020
    60
    In some ways it's not about poverty, but rather a tale about reassembling a shattered family.
  2. Decider
    Reviewed by: Joel Keller
    Apr 2, 2020
    60
    We saw glimmers of a good show in the pilot, thanks to showrunners Alex Herschlag and Jennie Snyder Urman’s insistence on taking time to build the characters instead of going for cheap gags.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Tim Surette
    Apr 2, 2020
    35
    Broke is anti-escapism television when we need a mental holiday the most; despite its ham-fisted multi-camera sitcom set-up, it's too real... and then it adds a laugh track.
  5. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Daniel Fienberg
    Apr 2, 2020
    30
    With Camil working his Rogelio magic, Leggero pushing aggressively for chuckles, Diaz's amusingly fresh characterization and fleeting warm-hearted moments, I can see the elements in Broke that might coalesce into something better eventually. But it's harder, based on the three episodes I've seen, to know why I'd want to stick around to see what comes together.
  6. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Apr 1, 2020
    25
    Sausage factoryline network sitcoms like this one — most of them, really — are weirdly out of step with the moment, like the obnoxious guest at some party who drinks too much and tells bad jokes before learning that he's not at a "party" but at a wake. ... Lamentable second act.

User Reviews

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User Score
1.5

Overwhelming dislike- based on 4 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 3 out of 4
  1. metabad
    May 2, 2020
    1
    A flat out misfire showing again that being a good dramatic actress/actor (Perette) doesn't mean you're good at comedy.
    It also shows    A flat out misfire showing again that being a good dramatic actress/actor (Perette) doesn't mean you're good at comedy.
    It also shows (again) that being a funny stand up comedian (Leggero) doesn't mean you're hitting it out of the park in a sitcom.

    And if we take these two points and you make a show with so-so characters and with scripts lacking funny lines and don't give enough room for funny performances, you'll end up with a comedy show that sucks.

    To be fair to Pauley Perette, her character as the sincere caring mother was probably designed as a counter weight against the irresponsible, kind of crazy relatives in her house.
    But you need at least a minimal amount of comedic feel and timing to play along and maybe the guts to tell the director that this is not working, not with that script.
    And, sorry, I can't see the comedic strain in her.
    But otoh, the rest of the gang isn't funny enough largely due to the script to make that premise work.

    Jaime Camil and Izzy Diaz are the lucky ones in this show. They get to play light and laid back characters making it easy for them to be funny or at least enjoyable.

    Natasha Leggero has, in my opinion, the heaviest weight to lift.
    She is supposed to be funny and a little crazy but she also has to persuade us that she is basically a good person having a good, sometimes even heart-warming relationship with her sister.
    Leggero can only make it work in part, her performance looks forced and she can't merge all these antagonistic character traits into one person convincingly.
    I don't blame her. She's a stand-up comedian, not a trained actress.
    And it would require a good, seasoned comedy actress to pull that off.

    So, the basic ingredients are there, but the show doesn't have the resources to make it work, unless a miracle happens. Well, good luck with that.    … Full Review »
  2. Ededed
    Apr 26, 2020
    1
    A sad and sorry disappointment for Pauley Perrette fans. No reasonable person expected her to play her new character like Abby on NCIS, but weA sad and sorry disappointment for Pauley Perrette fans. No reasonable person expected her to play her new character like Abby on NCIS, but we needed some kind of spark or energy that is sorely lacking from her in this role. I blame the show creators and writers for this lack of anything interesting for this character to work with. A show about a single mom having hard times... but wait, there's a twist... gee, that's an attention getter (this last, sarcasm, just in case it's not obvious).

    The sister and brother-in-law characters are superficial and unbelievable. The kid and the man-servant/friend are tolerable.

    Someone should have stood up at the first airing of the pilot and insisted on a re-write from the ground up. The show is not funny and predictable in all of the worst ways.

    From the network that gave us MASH and Big Bang Theory, score this a failure.    … Full Review »
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